Anna returned to the incident room. With her she had the name of the company and driver that Eric had “seen to,” and two names of ex — police officers who worked sporadically for Ronald Kelly. She doubted they would gain any vital information regarding Margaret Potts’s killer, but what they might succeed in was getting a clear indication of exactly how she worked her stretch.
They still had two victims unidentified, so until they knew who the girls were, the team was concentrating on Margaret’s murder for clues. They did not know if either of the young victims was a prostitute; all they had was that they were killed in the same way and possibly from thumbing a lift at a service station.
Writing up her report of the day’s interviews, Anna was furious to be told by Mike Lewis that Langton had given the go-ahead for yet another prison visit to Cameron Welsh. She would have to drive all that way again with Barolli first thing in the morning, and the governor had agreed to allow them to interview Welsh out of his cell in the open section of the secure unit.
Anna passed to Joan and Barbara the ex — police officers’ names and contact numbers, plus that of the lorry driver who had mistreated Margaret Potts. She suggested that one of the team get on it straightaway, adding sarcastically that it might just give them the lead they needed, rather than wasting time with Welsh.
It was after ten that evening when Langton rang Anna at home. He said he’d read her report and that her diligence, as always, had paid off. It would be an even better result if the ex-cops were able to give them the names of more punters Margaret Potts had been seeing; they could haul them in for questioning.
“The more insight we get into how she worked and from which service stations, the better, so I’ll handle the talks with the cops. I’ll be able to put the pressure on them...” He paused. “Are you listening?”
“Yes. I actually would have liked to talk to the lorry driver myself, but as I’ll be schlepping all the way to Barfield Prison again...” Anna was tired and didn’t bother hiding how she felt.
“Eh, eh, don’t get uptight with me. I know you don’t like it, but it’s you he wants to talk to. I think if he has anything worth our while, you’ll be the one to get it. That’s the reason I want you back at the prison.”
“You are more optimistic than I am. I personally think this is just feeding his grotesque ego.”
“Maybe, but let’s see how this visit pans out.”
“Okay,” she said flatly.
“Everything else all right with you?”
“Yes. Thank you for asking.”
“Good night, then. Oh, I’m having another go at asking the public to help identify our Jane Does. We’re running a slot on Crimewatch again.”
“That’s good. ’Night.”
“’Night.”
Anna replaced the receiver and got into bed, conscious that the case was presently going nowhere, even with her added information. It would, she knew, open up if they could just identify their victims. As it was, the entire focus was on Margaret Potts’s murder, a case that was virtually cold before she even came on board.
As she had felt on previous murder inquiries, the more she delved into a victim’s past life, the more the character became visible, almost alive. Margaret Pott’s life had been miserable. The thought of this woman with no place to live, carrying her worldly possessions around in a suitcase and sleeping in hostels and wherever she could get a bed for the day to make ready for the next night’s hideous work, was unbearably depressing. The poor woman had lost her children and, Anna felt, was so worn out by abuse that even though she had been warned over and over again of the dangers, she continued risking the only real possession she had: her own life.
Chapter Four
The drive felt even longer, and Barolli yet again slept most of the way. They went through the same security searches, and this time the governor was present and had asked to see them in his office. He said he wasn’t too happy about allowing them to interview Welsh in the communal area of the secure unit, and that the other prisoners held there were not to be locked in their cells. He explained that the other three had made vociferous complaints about being locked up to enable one prisoner to talk to the visitors, and it was a problem for him to show Welsh too many privileges.
“Do it for one, and everyone wants the same treatment. Right now the secure unit is running smoothly, and I don’t want it disrupted. You have to understand that the men held there are not necessarily the worst offenders, but offenders we think are a risk if placed on a main wing of the prison. They have too much money, for one thing. A drug dealer inside is always a kingpin because of what he can arrange to be brought in; you would be amazed at what lengths they can go to in order to supply drugs inside the prison.”
Barolli was surprised, asking if they were allowed money in the unit or even in the main prison.
“No. It’s what contacts they have on the outside. Money can buy deals, big bribes to pay for visitors to bring in their drugs, which are then passed on to whomever. The Mafia-connected prisoner has been with us for seven years, and he also has access to big money: we’re concerned that he could engineer and fund escapes. It’s not the cash they have inside that matters — it’s what they have access to outside.”
“Cameron Welsh’s cell is well equipped,” Anna observed.
“He’s another one. We do allow them to have their own computers, but these are monitored, and he insists on certain foods. To be honest, it’s easier for us to let him order them in through the prison shop rather than have the extra people needed to cook for him. All deliveries are obviously carefully checked, and we have regular cell sweeps, more so in the secure unit, as the inmates there all have various electronic gadgets, from stereos to TVs, but again, everything is carefully monitored. Likewise the guards. We have a big turnaround so that no officer can get too close to an inmate or vice versa. And as I said, the prisoners in there have access to money, so we keep a watchful eye on the teams working alongside them.”
Anna glanced at her watch. The governor seemed to wish to keep them in his office, while she just wanted to get the visit over with and drive back to London. Barolli, however, was listening intently and asking so many questions that Anna could have kicked him. Now they’d got on to a famous vicious serial killer and how much fan mail he received every month, let alone gifts and marriage proposals.
“I think we should see Mr. Welsh now,” she interrupted as Barolli was asking about what kind of woman would want to be married to such a man.
“You’d be surprised,” Hardwick told him, ignoring Anna’s request, “but as I have said, we monitor everything that is sent in to them. There are children’s toys sent into a pedophile, if you can believe it — sickens me, but they come in by the sackload. Teddy bears, little dolls.” He shook his head. “We have a clearout every few months and pass them on to children’s homes.”
In the incident room, Langton, accompanied by Mike Lewis, had tracked down the ex — police officers. Mike was virtually silent throughout the interviews as he watched Langton work each man over, repeating that he wasn’t there to get them into trouble with the law, even though he was aware they had broken it. All he wanted was the name of any person they had traced for Margaret Potts. They could either comply, or if not, he could get unpleasant, implying that as ex — police officers, they could go to prison for illegal use of classified information. He pointed out that it could have a chain reaction, as every person they had asked favors from, employed with the Met or working at DVLA, could lose their jobs.