I nod.
‘Couple of days later, Eric Hall gets his throat cut and his wife raped.’
‘And you got that?’
‘For my sins, aye. Didn’t want Bradford on it, didn’t want you either,’ he laughs. ‘I was off Ripper, so it was me. Like I had nowt better to do.’
‘Never got anyone?’
‘No, and we never will.’
‘But?’
‘But he was up to his fucking neck in shit, was their Eric. I mean, you were going to do him anyway?’
I nod again.
‘Some reckon he was running a string of whores and maybe, just maybe, he was into it with a gang of nignogs who were knocking over sub post-offices. You remember that?’
Nodding again, saying: ‘You get anywhere with that?’
‘You heard of the Spencer Boys?’
‘No.’
‘Spend time over here and you will. Five of them: two brothers, Steve and Clive Barton, a Kenny somethingorother, a Keith Lee and a Joseph Rose. Thinking was that it were them that did the post offices, but Robbery couldn’t pin it on them. Anyway, pain in the fucking arse it was, – but what goes around comes around, as they say: Clive got banged up for GBH or something, Kenny and Keith got fitted up by Drug Squad, all in Armley doing big stretches. No parole. Steve did a runner and then the burned body of a nigger turned up on Hunslet Carr and we’ve always reckoned that was Joe Rose, who no-one’s seen hide nor hair of since 77.’
‘And you think they did Eric Hall?’
‘Don’t think it Pete, I know it.’
‘How?’
‘Two schools of thought here, but what we know for sure is Eric and these boys had a mutual acquaintance in Janice Ryan. Either Eric was in with them from the start or he wasn’t and Ryan told him about the Spencer Boys and their hobby and then Eric tried to blackmail them. Either way, they had to shut him up.’
‘Which way you lean?’
‘Me? The third way; I like to think best of people Pete, so I’d like to think he was building a case or something and they found out.’
I smile: ‘That’s what his wife says.’
‘You’ve spoken to her?’
‘She came to see me. Said she had information about Janice Ryan. Said Eric was killed because he knew too much, that he had files and stuff, that she gave them to you.’
‘Poor cow,’ he says, shaking his head. ‘The things they did to her. She gave me them files but, between you and me, it’s just his bloody ramblings. But like I say, it’s a better way to remember a copper.’
I nod and we fall back into the silence, rain outside the window, the room cold -
Then I cough and ask: ‘What’s this journalist Jack Whitehead got to do with all this?’
‘Jack? Well, your Widow Hall claims Jack found out Eric was connected to Janice Ryan and tried to blackmail him.’
‘You’re joking?’
‘No. Tell you Pete, 1977 was one hell of a summer, as they say’
‘Did you question him?’
‘Jack? Hardly’
‘What you mean?’
‘Well, our Jack’s been a bit quiet lately’
‘What? He’s dead?’
‘Good as. He’s in Stanley Royd, isn’t he?’
‘Stanley Royd?’
‘The Bin, Loony Bin, Nut House, Funny Farm? Just up road from here.’
‘What happened to him?’
‘Only went and tried to hammer a twelve inch bloody nail into his own fucking head, didn’t he?’
Say again: ‘You’re joking?’
‘Wish I were Pete, wish I bloody were.’
‘Bloody hell.’
Maurice Jobson looks at his watch and says: ‘You’re going to be late.’
I look at my watch:
Shit, the press conference -
I stand up, shaking hands with him, saying: ‘Thank you, Maurice.’
‘Anytime, Pete. Anytime.’
Then at the door: ‘Christ, Maurice, I almost forgot…’
‘What?’
‘You never said…’
‘Never said what?’
‘What happened to Rudkin, he in the Bin too?’
‘As good as,’ he smiles. ‘Emigrated to Australia.’
‘With the Badger’s daughter?’
‘And the little lad,’ he says and hands me a photo from his wallet:
A woman and a boy on a beach with a ball -
‘You got kids haven’t you?’ says Maurice Jobson.
Summer Seventy Seven -
The last miscarriage -
The baby dead -
One hell of a summer -
One helclass="underline"
‘No,’ I say. ‘No, I haven’t.’
In dark winter the hounds of hate, the steam upon their tongues and backs, they await -
Out of breath, I take my place at another showdown:
The Training College gymnasium -
‘No-one,’ Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Peter Noble is saying, ‘no-one wants to stop this man more than me and my men.’
Ropes dangling from ceilings, hanging -
‘Furthermore, all attacks in the last fourteen months are being, as we speak, rechecked.’
As we speak -
‘Have you gained any further insights into the mind of the Ripper?’
‘I would not have thought he is very clever. He has had a great deal of luck on his side. I am sure if the public are vigilant and report things early, probably the next time his luck may run out.’
The next time -
‘You’re saying that he’s not very clever, but your predecessor, Assistant Chief Constable Oldman, he is on record as saying he thought the Ripper was very intelligent, crafty even, and that it would be a mistake to underestimate his intelligence.’
‘I am not underestimating him, I’m merely saying that he has had a lot of luck.’
‘Is it not true to say that to some extent the Police have gifted him certain pieces of luck; I’m thinking of the Manchester Fiver, of the mess in reporting Laureen Bell’s handbag and so on?’
‘I would dispute that and the insinuation, but these are obviously matters for due review.’
‘Did Mrs Bell’s appeal generate any fresh leads?’
‘It was a very brave thing to do and we got a lot of genuine responses, but some are sheer nonsense and they do slow…’
‘Would Mr Noble care to comment on The Ripper is a Coward posters?’
‘I have no comment to make other than to repeat that me and my men share the public’s frustration and, once again, to assure members of the public and particularly the women out there that we are doing all we can to catch this man.’
The women out there -
‘What about the reward of Ј100,000 offered by…’
‘I have nothing to add to what the Chief Constable said earlier.’
‘What about reports that morale in the West Yorkshire force is…’
‘Again, the Chief Constable has already answered that question.’
‘Have you got any feelings about the proposed film?’
‘Again, I have nothing to say except to add that I personally share the distaste voiced by some members of the community and press about such an idea.’
Share the distaste -
And then they turn to me:
‘Would Mr Hunter care to comment on the progress of the so-called brains trust review?’
‘It’s early days yet and, as you know, we are looking at the whole inquiry and when the entire review is complete I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.’
Mark Gilman from the Manchester Evening News: ‘Would the Assistant Chief Constable care to comment on the arrest this morning of the Manchester businessman Richard Dawson?’
On the dark stair, we miss our step.