“Control from Whisky Alpha 20 we are enroute to Wrexham hospital having picked up Police Constable Ifor Evans, found dead in the parish church. There seems no foul play but the Heddlu will need to know”.
“Whiskey Alpha 20 from control we are ringing Wrexham police as I speak, when you have finished with this please call in, we have another visit”.
“Thank you from Whiskey Alpha 20 out.”
“Hello this is Wrexham police can I help you”?
“Hello, Tom Williams, Wrexham ambulance control yer, just to let you know we have attended a call to the Wrexham parish church and picked up one of your officers Constable Ifor Evans found dead sitting in church; his wife was present and is informed”.
“What did you say mun?" said the police controller, in the local welsh slang.
“Ambulance control here”, this time speaking English and not welsh twang. “Ambulance control here we have picked up Constable Ifor Evans at the parish church. He was found dead sitting in church, his wife is aware, he or rather his body is enroute to the Wrexham hospital for certification”.
“I thought that was what you said, OK, I will deal”, replied Dora.
“Inspector Idris Davies can you come to the phone sir”
“Yes Dora, what is it?”
“Ambulance control is reporten, in her Welsh twang, finding 896 Evans found dead in church, his wife is aware” she clamoured to say.
“What the hell is going on?” What is bloody Ifor up to now?”
“Seemingly nothing sir, he is dead, it seems”, replied Dora almost in a panic.
“Jesus just my luck”, he continued, “call him on the bloody radio just in case, I don’t want bloody egg on my face now look you”.
Dora made numerous calls there was no response.
“Get Inspector Ewan Evison to deal with it before the shit hits the fan, do you hear Dora?”
“Wilco sir,” she replied.
“Wrexham control, to Inspector Ewan Evison, receiving over?”
“Yes Dora, Ewan here can I help? over”
“You may not believe this “Butt”, “Welsh Slang for mate, coming out”, ambulance control are reporting finding Ifor Evans dead in church.”
“Can you go A.S.A.P to the hospital and check it out?”
“I will do” and he could be heard saying
“Rainbow, get over yer, we have a red call to the hospital”.
Ken Johnson was known as Rainbow for he always wore flashy clothes when off duty.
“What’s the rush, Saajunt?” welsh slang.
“What’s the rush?”
"I will tell you what the bloody rush is, Ifor has been found dead in church in bloody uniform if you mind what the hell was he doing there?"
“No wonder he never did get his process or arrest figures up to the mark, skiving in church, sounds as if he was wandering off the bloody job”.
“Tidy Saage, tidy”. The Welsh local language rearing itself, tidy meaning good, I agree or satisfactory.
“What the hell do you mean Rainbow, tidy, nothing bloody tidy about it; I will have every man and his bloody dog crawling over yer now”.
They arrived at the hospital.
Seeing an ambulance outside both officers went to the vehicle, its rear doors open and were just in time to see Doctor Rollason leaving.
“What’s in it Doc?” Asked Ewan.
“He’s dead, looks like natural causes; it will be a Coroners case of course”.
The hospital porter arrived and Ifor was unloaded and taken down the steep hill into the mortuary at the side of the hospital.
Once inside Ewan found the body logging in book and entered the details.
“You, Rainbow get the police stuff out of his pockets, radio, warrant card, wallet anything of value.”
“Make an entry and we will get the wife to sign for it, later”.
“The last thing we need are calls from the Horse and Jockey on a bloody police radio, if its left yer, like the last episode, they’ll nick anything these buggers”.
The body and clothing searched and entering completed the body was finally secured in the fridge.
It was back to the station and the first port of call for Rainbow was the parade room.
Bad news has wings and he was ensuring all he met were told of the death of Ifor.
Ewan on the other hand found himself standing at the desk of Chief Superintendent Morris Jones known since his young police days as Tidy for his habit of describing anything satisfactory as “Tidy”, a common Welsh phrase however.
“Come in Ewan what the hell is happening”?
“All I know at the moment Morris is that Ifor was found dead in church, his wife attended and is aware.
“He has been taken to the hospital yer and certified as dead, the doctor says it appears natural causes”.
“The control room is informing the Coroner as I speak, we will know more after the post mortem”.
Chief Super Jones got up, went to his hat stand put on his cap and said “Come Ewan, get a police woman and we will all go and see the widow, this is always a shit job”.
“Oh just a moment, you go on I will ring Headquarters and speak with the Chief and join you in the car”.
”Ok sir” and he was gone.
Jones hesitated then picked up the phone and rang Headquarters where the controller took his call and told him he would be called back.
It was only moments before his phone began to buzz and the voice said “Chief-Constable Winston Myers. Sounds bad this Tidy Jones”.
“I don’t know much at the moment Chief just that Constable Ifor Evans was found dead sitting in church, he was of course on duty how and why he was there I have no idea at the moment.”
“It seems his wife and other ladies arrived and found him dead”.
“He has been certified dead by a hospital doctor who believes it to be natural causes.”
“We have notified HM Coroner so we will not know any more really until after the Post Mortem”.
He stopped speaking and then said
“Yes sir, I am just out there now with a police woman and an Inspector I will update you later.”
The call ended and in the next moment, he was gone.
At Chester, hospital Doctor Hallam had finished both examinations of the dead police officers. She arrived back in the post mortem room where the Coroners officer was just finishing wiping and putting away the post mortem equipment.
She announced, “sudden death of apparently fit people at the age of 25 to late thirties, the cause of death was always the same, heart arrhythmia, it often happens to fit sportsmen.”
“I could find nothing else at Post Mortem.”
“These instances are sometimes called sudden adult death syndrome. The heart has suffered a disturbed rhythm and no blood circulates so death ensues. No cause for this is known.”
She then handed Jock two slips of paper giving the causes of death they were both the same
1a.Heart failure
1b Due to heart arrhythmia
As she left, she turned and commented, “It is very sad and highly unusual for two cases to occur at the same time on the same date to such persons as these”.
“It goes without saying there were no signs of violence of any kind, I will report to the Coroner. The cases should be recorded as natural and there will be no need for any inquests”.
She was gone moments later, leaving Jock to ponder, “It was probably nothing but definitely unusual and strange, there was certainly nothing more he could do the brains and qualified had spoken.”
He arrived back at Chester Police Station and immediately went to the office of Chief Superintendent Craig Denton-Smyth.
He knocked on the door and received an immediate “Come in”.
“Right Jock, what have you to report, Post Mortems done I take it, any hitches?”
Jock replied, “No hitches sir, natural causes, unusual mind but natural causes”.