Evil in Mind by Trevor Negus

Author:Trevor Negus [Negus, Trevor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Published: 2021-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

42

Mansfield Police Station – August 21, 1984

It was now the morning of the third day.

Three days had come and gone since the discovery of Mandy Stokes’s battered remains in Annesley Woods.

Danny had gathered his small team together in the CID office to assess how far the enquiries into her murder had progressed. He looked around the room at his team; they were all exhausted. Every one of them had remained at work since the discovery of the body, taking naps in between enquiries at work. Phone calls had been made regularly to their loved ones explaining why they were staying at work and not coming home.

The handbag found on Pump Hollow Lane during the fingertip search carried out by the Special Operations Unit had been positively identified by Trisha Miller, the barmaid at the Prince Charles pub.

She was certain that it was the bag Mandy Stokes had with her in the pub on the night she disappeared. Trisha could remember in detail the way a drunken Mandy had noisily placed the bag on the bar as she ordered her drink.

Specifically, she recalled the gold chain-link strap that had rattled so noisily on the hard wooden bar of the pub.

Danny now addressed the team.

‘I’m certain now that Mandy Stokes is our victim. The enquiries that have been made with her GP over her medical history and the fact that her blood group matches our victim have convinced me. I don’t think we’ll ever get a cast-iron identification, but all the evidence we have suggests that Mandy was abducted from Pump Hollow Lane and taken to Annesley Woods, where she was murdered. It occurs to me that not realising she’d dropped her handbag was the first mistake our killer has made. He’s been so careful, so forensically aware, that if he’d seen her drop the bag, there’s no way he would’ve left it behind.’

Andy then spoke up. ‘Nothing else of any relevance was found on the search. I’ve been back there at night, and where the bag was found is the darkest part of the road. The level of street lighting is really bad.’

‘There’s nothing from the house-to-house as yet, either,’ said Rachel.

Rob spoke next: ‘I’ve tracked down all of Mandy’s casual lovers that we know about. They can all account for their movements that night, and all their alibis check out. I’ve also confirmed that Ted Grozier was picking a load up in Cardiff at 12.30 a.m. on the morning Mandy was killed, which rules him out completely.’

Danny paused, taking in the information he had been given.

‘Thanks, everyone. Your efforts have been amazing; I know the hours you’ve all put in. The good news is we’re now officially dedicated to this murder enquiry full time. The superintendent has finally agreed to take one more DC and a DS off the PSUs to help take care of the everyday work generated by the CID office. This will stay the same for the duration of the strike or until we solve this murder. So, from today, all your efforts will be focussed on catching this killer.

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