‘Can’t remember can I, but they weren’t right ones, tell you that. So we get the word from Hammerton that whatever they were, these plates they should’ve been sitting on a bloody Skoda not a big brown fucking Rover 3500 and Skinny’s seen plates are only taped on anyway. So we go back over to them and take keys off him and have a look at his disk and he tells us his real name is Peter Williams from Bradford and he says he doesn’t want his missus to find out, does he. I tell him he’ll have to come down station because we reckon plates are nicked and he just nods and we ask them to get in our car and, right, this is when he dashes off behind water-tank and I’m like, hold your horses, where you off to? But he’s bursting for a pee, he says and he’s back in a couple of minutes. Did cross me mind he was going do a runner, but he comes back and we go down Hammerton Road and all way down he’s quiet, not a word.’
Thirty people, all nodding along -
Not me, me: ‘What about his car? Did you have a look inside?’
‘Yeah, yeah – messy, it was. Tools, rope, bits and pieces, you know – windscreen wipers, a Speedo, carpet, wood.’
‘Go on, John,’ says someone. ‘What happened then?’
‘Well then we interview them and we let her go but he tells us he’d taken plates off a car in a scrap yard in some place called Cooper’s Bridge near Mirfield. So we’re right, where the fuck is Cooper’s Bridge? And we call Leeds and Wakey and then find out it’s Dewsbury, so we call here and by now it’s like gone 5 in morning and they tell us they’ll send some lads down when Early Boys get on and so we call his missus in Bradford and tell her that her husband’s been nicked for dodgy plates.’
Me: ‘What she say?’
‘I don’t know,’ he shrugs again. ‘Not much, I heard. Anyway, that was me. I knocked off and it wasn’t until yesterday night when I come back on for another bloody graveyard and gaffer tells us that they’re still holding punter from Sunday night and Ripper Squad are giving him once over. So that gets me old brain ticking and that’s when I go off back up to Trades House…’
Thirty people, nodding, in awe -
The King of the Detectives.
Not me, me: ‘You call here first?’
‘No.’
‘You tell anyone what you were up to?’
‘No,’ he says, shaking his head. ‘I didn’t really think there’d be anything there, did I. But I just wanted to make double sure.’
‘Go on, John. Go on.’
‘So I get up there and I remember him saying he needed a slash like, going behind tank. So that’s where I go and fuck me if there isn’t a hammer and a bloody knife on ground by back wall.’
Me: ‘You touch them?’
Him: ‘No.’
‘What did you do?’
‘Ran straight back to car and called station and they’re straight on to here and Ripper Room and then word comes back to leave them, in situ like, and photographer’s on his way and someone, Bob Craven, he’s on his way from Leeds.’
Applause -
Thirty beaming coppers -
Shaking his hand all over again -
Shaking his hand, patting his back and cracking him cans -
Cans, backs, and hands until -
Until Noble says -
‘It’s time.’
Underground -
Back underground -
In the dark room with the one wall half glass -
Behind the glass, the two-way mirror -
Light from behind the glass -
The stage set -
Act III, the Final Act:
Four chairs and a table -
The players -
Noble and Alderman and Prentice -
Today’s special guest -
Back by popular demand:
Peter David Williams of Heaton, Bradford -
34-year-old, married, lorry driver -
Black beard and curly hair, a blue jumper with a white v-neck band -
The Yorkshire Ripper -
Behind the glass -
Noble: ‘This is going to take some time, Peter?’
The Yorkshire Ripper nods.
Noble: ‘Let’s just get straight who it is we’re talking about, OK?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘OK.’
Noble: ‘So first would be Joyce Jobson?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Then Anita Bird?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Theresa Campbell?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Clare Strachan?’
The Yorkshire Ripper shakes his head: ‘No.’
Noble: ‘You sure about that?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Joan Richards?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Ka Su Peng?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Marie Watts?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Linda Clark?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘No.’
Noble: ‘Rachel Johnson?’
The Yorkshire Ripper pauses, then says: ‘I…’
Noble repeats himself: ‘Rachel Johnson, Peter? Yes or no?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Janice Ryan?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘No.’
Noble: ‘Elizabeth McQueen?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Kathy Kelly?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Tracey Livingston?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Candy Simon?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Doreen Pickles?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Joanne Thornton?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Dawn Williams?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘No relation?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘No.’
Noble: ‘Laureen Bell?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Missed anyone have we, Peter?’
The Yorkshire Ripper looks directly into the mirror -
The mirror, the glass -
The other side of the glass, the other side of the mirror -
On the other side of the mirror where we’re all sitting -
Angus, Oldman, Murphy, McDonald, Ellis, and me -
Looks through the mirror, the Yorkshire Ripper -
And he nods at us -
Noble: ‘Who, Peter? Who?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Noorjahan Davit.’
On the other side of the glass, the other side of the mirror -
On the other side of the mirror where Ellis is on his feet -
Where I’m thinking -
Noorjahan Davit, murdered Bradford, November 1978.
Back up on stage Noble says: ‘That was you, was it?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Go on.’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Tessa Smith.’
On the other side of the glass, the other side of the mirror -
Where I’m thinking -
Tessa Smith, Batley, November 1979.
On stage Noble shaking his head: ‘Afraid I don’t know that one, Pete?’
Alderman: ‘Attacked Batley, November 1979?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Anyone else?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Prudence Banks.’
On the other side of the glass, the other side of the mirror -
Where I’m thinking -
Prudence Banks, murdered Harrogate, August 1980.
Noble: ‘Harrogate? This August?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Strangled, wasn’t she?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘Anyone else?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘That’s all.’
Noble: ‘That’s all? That’s a bloody lot of women, Peter?’
The Yorkshire Ripper: ‘Yes.’
Noble: ‘This is going to take a fair while, Peter.’
And the Yorkshire Ripper -
The Yorkshire Ripper, he nods directly into the mirror -
The mirror, the glass -
The other side of the glass, the other side of the mirror -
On the other side of the mirror where Ellis is going out the door -
Going out the door, shouting -