Beyond Innocence (20 page)

Theresa was extremely nervous, she kept looking up and down the deserted street then she said, in a voice barely above a whisper, “I can’t tell you anything, do you understand? If you want to know anything ask Bridget, she was the one who testified, not me. Go and ask her, not me, do you hear me?”

She turned and started walking hurriedly away. Although she heard his last question, “Is it because you are afraid?” she chose to ignore it as she strode off into the night cursing him, and that bloody Bridget, for getting her into this mess. Whilst walking away she determined she would sort out Bridget, the stupid cow, for getting everybody involved.

Michael walked slowly back to his car. He didn’t consider the evening’s excitement a total failure. Theresa’s reluctance to answer any questions regarding the matter only confirmed his suspicions she had never seen the watch before, and neither had Bridget. Sooner or later, he knew the truth would come out. It was only a matter of time and patience.

After Timothy returned to London, he was soon under pressure from Julie. She couldn’t understand why they didn’t make the most of the opportunity to live together. She couldn’t see the point in delaying matters especially if his wife stood no chance of getting better. As a result, Timothy was seeing things from a very different perspective, and as much as he reasoned with her, it was increasingly obvious she was becoming a pain in the backside. One way or another, she had to be dealt with, and it had to be soon. The opportunity came when it was least expected. One of her friends was having a party in a local club and Julie asked Timothy to go with her. During this conversation, she declined to mention that she had had an abortion, thinking, if she could get him in the right frame of mind at the party, they might get round to discussing marriage again. With an unwanted child out of the way, she thought he might adopt a more reasonable attitude.

Normally, Timothy would have declined invitations of this nature, but on this occasion he said he would be pleased to attend. In his mind though, he thought it might just present the opportunity he was looking for. Then, with any luck, it might be ‘goodbye Julie.’ When the evening arrived, he telephoned Julie in order to tell her that some last minute Commons business had turned up. There was no alternative, she would have to go alone and he would join her later. Naturally, she protested, but it was to no avail. He knew he could not take a chance on arriving at the party with her that would leave them both open to idle gossip; besides, his plan would work better if they arrived, and left, alone.

He arrived about ten, and she spotted him coming through the crowd. After a couple of introductions, they detached themselves from the crowd, and he went to the bar where he obtained drinks for them both. His drink, by choice, was a simple bottle of tonic. Tonight was not a night for alcohol as, unseen by anyone, he slipped the ecstasy tablet into Julie’s drink and he returned to the table where they were joined by a group of friends. After a suitable period of time spent mixing with various groups of people, he felt it was time to ask Julie for a dance. During the dance, he whispered that he would have to be going shortly, and she would have to go home to her own flat. Naturally, he told her he was very sorry, and he would make it up to her very soon. Shrugging aside all her protestations, and completely ignoring the fact that she had something important to tell him, he said his farewells and retired from the scene, trusting that, if the drug did its job, then his problems would disappear overnight.

Sadly, Julie watched him leave the club. She berated herself for not telling him she had aborted his child. She had only taken this step because, she realised, it would be better for her, and certainly better for Timothy, if they did not have the problems that a child would bring, especially when a high profile figure such as Timothy was involved. By taking this drastic step, the pair of them would avoid most of the unwanted publicity when news of their affair became public, and they either set up home together, or, if it became possible, they eventually married. After watching him leave, she went back to her friends to continue partying.

It was the incessant telephone bell which woke him from his drunken slumber. He had hit the bottle hard when he got home, and when he came to, he found that he was still almost fully dressed even though he was actually in bed. He groped wildly for the light switch, then the phone rang again, “Hello. Hello who is it. Recognising the voice of one of the party whips, he began to sober up rapidly as the voice informed him that his parliamentary secretary had collapsed at a party, and she had been rushed to hospital in a deep coma as the result of a suspected drug overdose.

He was sobering up very quickly indeed, and making all the right noises, as if to show that he was genuinely concerned for her well-being. He asked the caller if there was anything he could do. Then he elaborated further, telling the caller that he’d attended the same party earlier in the evening but, because of a busy day ahead, had left early. He also let it be known that he had a dance with her and that as far as he was concerned, she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely when he left. He felt a surprising sense of relief when he replaced the receiver. Not a trace of guilt, just relief that she was possibly out of his life forever. Now it was up to the spin doctors, and the party machine to keep his name out of it.

Less than twenty four hours later Julie Catterall was dead! The drug had done its deadly work. Timothy was standing before the Prime Minister, and he was being sympathetically told to take things easy for a month or two as he seemed to be suffering a series of terrible misfortunes recently. With the episode with the press, the libel case, his wife’s illness, and now this. His leader thought he might need a break. He was smiling to himself thinking that everything was going to be just fine when the Prime minister remarked in a very casual manner, “By the way Timothy, I suppose you’ve heard the news about your secretary, Julie?” He didn’t have time to answer as the PM continued without drawing breath, “She’d just had an abortion you know. Now all the press are running around like headless chickens trying to find out who the so-called father was. I think I ought to warn you that your name has cropped up more than once already. For your own sake, and for your own good, Timothy, I hope there’s no truth in it, because that would be a resigning matter.” The Prime minister watched him as he left the office, and although his face bore a slight smile, he had already decided that Timothy Harris was now excess baggage, and his days in government circles were decidedly numbered.

As he left the Commons, and prepared to return to Cheshire, Timothy knew now it had been a stupid mistake to slip that tablet into Julie’s drink, but then if she’d told him beforehand she had aborted the child, he wouldn’t have needed to do it. He attempted to ease his conscience by telling himself he had only done it in the hope that it might have caused her to have a miscarriage. However, looking at the overall picture now, first and foremost there would be no messy divorce, or scandal. Julie, and her unborn child, were off his back, and everybody was beginning to feel sorry for him again thinking that life was being very harsh and cruel, to him. God, if only they knew?

Sergeant West parked his car in the station yard. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself as he walked across to the entrance and made his way to his office upstairs. Once inside he sat down and waited for the phone to ring to tell him that the girls had been picked up and that they were being held in the cells below. The arrests and their release, invariably without charge, would ensure they would feel indebted towards him. The fact that these arrests were highly illegal didn’t bother him in the slightest, after all these girls were just common prostitutes and, as far as he was concerned, they were the dregs. After taking the call advising him that the girls were in the holding cells and asking to see him, he made his way downstairs repeating cheerfully, to himself, “Easy innit?” He reached the ground floor and made his way to the desk where he asked the desk sergeant the names of the persons arrested. In reply he was given the names of Bridget Riley and Theresa O’Rourke, both of whom had been found with a small amount of a controlled substance in their possession. He made his way down the corridor to the first cell where he found Bridget Riley. She rounded on him immediately he entered shouting, “What the bloody hell do you think you are playing at this time Westy? Me, and the girls, are getting a bit pissed off with this routine now and you know full well none of us ever come down on our patch with even a joint to share between us! So what’s this all about?”

“Bridget, this isn’t a game I can assure you. All I know is that I’m busy working away upstairs when I get a call from the duty sergeant, telling me there are two girls in the cells asking to see me if I’m in the building. The duty sergeant informs me you are claiming the drugs have been planted on you. As you know Bridget, I have helped you and your friends in the past, so I’ve come down here to see if I can help you once again.”

Bridget wasn’t a bit impressed, and retorted angrily, “What will you be wanting this time, Westy? Will it be another witness job or is it a quick blow job because, whatever it is, you can go and stuff yourself! I’d rather take my chance in court on whatever charge you bastards try to make stick. Don’t forget, I haven’t forgotten the last time when you promised me I wouldn’t have to give evidence. You sold me down the river then, leaving me almost facing a perjury charge because of you. So, you’d better make up your mind pretty quick this time. Either chuck us both out now, or charge us, but before you charge me, or ask me any questions, I want a solicitor present. Whilst we’re at it I can assure you that you won’t get much change out of Theresa because, this time, we’re sticking together.” Still visibly annoyed, and showing no sign of calming down, Bridget continued, “I demand the use of a telephone in order that I can contact Michael Mulrooney. I’m going to ask this gentleman to represent us. You have no right at all to keep us here when we haven’t committed any offence.”

Sergeant West had not anticipated for a moment he would be put on the spot in this manner. Realising he would have to do something about it very quickly, he walked rapidly out of the cell without saying a word, securing the door behind him. As he walked down the corridor, he could hear Bridget shouting to Theresa that it was going to be all right, and they just had to stick together. When he reached the desk, he went behind to the offices at the rear where he found the arresting officers having a drink. Constables Richardson and Barrett could see from his expression something was amiss. He motioned them to remain seated whilst saying, “Right you two, these girls you brought in on charges of possession, I want to know straight away if you’ve got the bottle to make this stick? Now, we’re not beating about the bush here; I want to hear it from you now that you found small amounts of controlled substances on them, and after each of them was cautioned in the appropriate manner they were duly arrested, and brought here in order to be charged. If you want to make any progress in the force, and especially this division, there comes a time when you have to stand up and be counted. That moment has now arrived. Do you both understand what I am saying?” He looked at them very carefully to see if he could detect any sign of weakness, or lack of resolve. Knowing they were in too deep, and they could hardly back off now, he allowed his gaze to settle on PC Barrett. He’d already determined he was the one who might weaken given time. “How about it then lad?” You’re up for it aren’t you?” he enquired, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.

PC Barrett was in a quandary. He knew the drugs had been planted on the girls as an excuse to get them inside, but it never occurred to him he would be asked to stitch them up. He also knew he was on the horns of a dilemma, because if he didn’t go through with it, his career was as good as finished. Desperately, he looked at his colleague whilst searching his soul for the answer, but he found no respite there. In fact, his colleague PC Richardson was trying as hard as he could to avoid eye contact with him in order that he would have to make the decision for them both. If PC Richardson agreed to go along with sergeant West, Barrett knew he would comply as well, but for the moment he was being spared from making that decision.

After what seemed like an eternity to PC Richardson, his colleague finally answered, “Yes sergeant I’m up for it. We planted the stuff on them, and we found it so I suppose we should tie up all the loose ends. That’s right, isn’t it Rich?” Richardson nodded in agreement. Sergeant West felt quite relieved; the girls could do what they wanted now, but it would make little difference as far as he was concerned. Although it didn’t show, he was a little disappointed that his plans had been thwarted, and for the time being, there wasn’t an immediate prospect of any sexual favours coming his way in return for organising the release of the girls, but it hardly mattered now. The main thing was for the two arresting officers to complete their work, and let life return to normal. Whoever the girls got to defend them was a simple matter of choice for themselves, and whether they were found guilty no longer interested him. “Before you proceed lads, just let me have a couple of minutes with the girls in turn and then I’ll be out of your way for the night. Ok?” As both men nodded in agreement, he made his way to the cells where he told each girl in turn, despite all his efforts, he hadn’t been able to get the arresting officers to drop the charges, and if they wished to have a solicitor present he would arrange it before he went home. The two girls stuck together on this, and arrangements were made for somebody from Michael Mulrooney’s practice to attend as soon as possible. Feeling satisfied that, despite the setback, he was out of the woods, he said goodnight to the staff, and made his way out of the building.

But Sergeant West was not out of the woods. Far from it! Bridget Riley was absolutely livid, and she had already made up her mind she was going to get even with this evil, lying, and cheating Detective Sergeant West. She was equally sure that, on this occasion, Theresa O’Rourke would be only too happy to assist.