“I see” said Jack, “What about you Mrs Upton same thing it seems there is a gap in what Sid was up to before joining the Police”
“I am sorry”. “We only met after he was in the Police I met him a few weeks before we were married. We met believe it or not in Chester when I was in this religious group; I play the guitar you know. We had some hassle from some yobs one Saturday morning and my dear Sid came to the rescue”.
“So there is nothing at all nothing suspicious, no doubts or anything”, he asked, feeling despondent, he could almost feel the egg running off his face.
“No not really, only that woman you remember Wendy, that woman came knocking wanting to see Bob, you thought at first he had been having it off”.
“Oh yes, I recall it now”
“Tell me more,” said Jack.
“There is not much to tell”, replied Wendy, “we were sitting here one day when a knock came on the door, Sid got up and answered it. The next moment I saw him on the path speaking with this very nice looking woman. The next moment Bob came from next door and joined the conversation. After a few minutes, the woman left and I saw the two lads speaking with each other and shaking their heads. I assumed it was some woman who either Sid or Bob or both might have been having an affair with, she was really nice looking”.
“When Sid came inside he looked a bit pale, put on his coat and left together with Bob. I asked both of them about it later but they just said it was a police thing and the woman had come to the house pestering them. They went down to the nick and it was all resolved. I never heard from her or saw her again and the blokes never spoke of it. To tell you the truth round here people often visit police houses to speak with officers, that is the way it is.
“What did the woman look like?” Asked, Jack.
“I didn’t see her,” said Rachel Friday “I only know what you said Wendy”
Wendy thought, and then replied, “Well I can’t really recall except she was in her early thirties, very beautiful had a very tanned skin, not black, not white just nicely tanned. She had very long black hair”.
“If you saw her again do you think you might recognise her”? Asked Jack”.
Wendy hesitated then replied, “Yes, I think I would”.
“Thank you” said Jack
“Well ladies is there anything else anything at all suspicious you can bring to mind that might give me a clue in which direction to look to find any cause other than natural causes as it appears at the moment?”
They both shook their heads, Doris and Jack rose and were about to leave when Jack stopped and asked
“Does the name Sid, other than your husband I mean, or Morgan, Roy, Royston or Cedric mean anything.
There was silence then they both simultaneous said “Morgan that rings a bell”, they looked at each other.
Wendy said, “It was Morgan, Rachel that chap from the hospital in Wrexham. He came round here after the lads who stopped him found some drugs on him, they warned him and took the drugs off him”.
“That is right,” said Rachel, “he came round shouting the odds, then burst into tears saying he had the drugs in connection with his work, he accidentally had them in his pocket and was searched when they caught him speeding and he didn’t want the lads contacting the hospital in case he got the sack. Some bloody traffic Warden in town gave him the lads’ addresses.
“Yes that is it Mr Richards”, said Wendy, “it was all resolved, they said they would give him the drugs back to take to work and he would hear no more of it”.
“Thank you for this ladies” said Jack. “It is vital that you speak to no one of our visit or of anything that has been said here today”.
“You do understand that, both of you?” Said Doris.
They both nodded their heads; Doris and Jack shook hands, stating someone would be in touch if there were any developments.
They left the house and on arriving at the car a voice said, “Are you the cops?”
“Yes”-replied Doris
It was a lady very obese, aged around fifty years of age smoking, wearing bedroom slippers and a very dirty brown jumper, and what had been a red pair of trousers, which were now mottled in many colours and stained with of every possible item of food.
It seemed the previous ladies were correct; people did visit police houses in this area.
“Can I help?” Asked Doris
“You can get some bugger up here to sort these druggies out”.
“What is your name and address?” Asked Doris
“My name and address where the hell do you come from, do you think I am going to give you my name and address, not from the fire brigade as well are you?”
“What do you mean?” Was Doris next reply.
Jack knew what was coming but said nothing.
“If I give you my name and address the bloody house will be burned down by morning, just do your job, you get paid don’t you, get it sorted”.
The lady turned and walked off
Jack and Doris finally were on their way.
“Where to next Mr Richards?” Said Doris
“Manchester Police Headquarters” was the reply.
After some moments Doris spoke. “What did you make of that?”
The mystery woman and the drugs. I will check the records, when I get back,” she said confidently.
Jack thought momentarily then replied. “Well the woman appears to be the same one who visited Wrexham”.
“The Sid fellow or whatever name he uses from time to time. He certainly needs closer investigation. With his record how the hell he was employed in a hospital job with access to drugs beats belief.”
“He is obviously violent. In addition he may well be psychotic, I note he was angry then broke down into tears.”
“It may have been a show for sympathy on the other hand he may be a Looney. I have seen men like him for forty years, shouting and threatening one minute in tears the next”.
“The truth is they are the worst to deal with, violent and unpredictable.”
“You check the records concerning the speeding and drug seize I will bet you find nothing. I have a feeling these cops cuffed the speeding, then took the drugs but didn’t enter them up, either they forgot or intended another use of them”.
“When the Morgan fellow traced them they probably went down to the nick retrieved the stuff from their stash or locker and gave them back to him to keep his mouth shut. It seems they were either two corrupt officers or were two lazy buggers, we will never know.”
Doris thought and nodded but before she could reply, her telephone rang. She reached it and handed it to Jack who in turned answered.
“Jack Richards here, Oh officer Idris, going to speak to me this time Inspector Scott-Ling is driving?”
There was a pause when he said, “Thank you officer, yes thank you”
The call finished and he said, “You may have guessed that was our Idris.”
“He is reporting he was out on his patch today when an informant told him that our suspect, Sid Morgan, call him what you like has it seems found out that we are asking about him”.
“He has made it known he is not too pleased. If he finds we have been here and know about the drugs from the hospital and the cops he will be even more rattled”.
“If you like” said Doris, “I will contact HQ and report it”.
“No, no, certainly not if there is more in it and Morgan is a candidate and it is looking that way, we don’t want to spook him”.
“Ok” she replied.
This caused him to think and mumble, “trouble is, nothing we have found so far gives any indication that these coppers were murdered, not a smell of it, it’s still a natural cause with just a few items of suspicion but nothing to account for them dying from a crime”.