Caroline Denson chose her wedding ring and the Church was preparing for what people were calling the wedding of the Century. Martin had nervously approached Compton to ask if he would be best man and his uncertainty was increased when Compton seemed to be serious as he said, "Don’t you think I’m a bit too old for that!"
Seeing the unfortunate effect of his humour he quickly said, "Of course I will son. I will consider it to be an honour."
There was a meeting in the C.I.D. office, which the W.P.C’s were asked to attend together with Bridgeman and the two uniform officers who had witnessed Roberts lunge at McGregor after she had identified Conley and then him. Compton and Martin were of course the principals and it was to them that Gibbs directed his attention first.
"You have both made statements which will help me to lead the evidence but there are some things which are vital and you must be sure of. You sir," and he pointed at Compton, "you clearly identified the two of you as police officers."
"Yes sir."
"Tell me exactly what you said."
After Compton did this and explained how his warning was cut off, Gibbs went on, "Now you did nothing to provoke his attack on you?"
"No sir. There are statements from the Publican and some bystanders which will bear that out"
Gibbs only acknowledgment was. "Good!"
He turned his attention to Martin, "This is even more important. When you hit him the knife dropped from his hand?"
"That’s right sir."
"Where did it go?"
"It fell on the floor beside us."
"You were injured with the broken glass did that affect your condition, did you shut your eyes for instance."
"No sir I was concerned with the two men on the floor."
"What happened to the knife?"
"The Licensee passed me a paper bag from the bar and I slipped it underneath the knife and picked it up."
"Aaaah, so you are in a position to say that the knife was never out of your sight until it went into the bag and that stayed in your possession until it was properly taped initialled with a time and date and handed over to Sergeant Bridgeman?"
"Yes sir but I don’t think there could have been any argument that it was the knife he injured the Sergeant with."
Gibbs looked at Compton and said, "He still has a bit to learn hasn’t he. Can’t you see Defence Counsel fixing you with an intimidating look and saying, "How can you be sure that there was not a knife already on the floor?"
He brought his hand down on the desk, "Every little thing has to be challenge proof. Now I will leave Sergeant Bridgeman to last and ask the ladies some questions. Constable Bisset, these records that you have kept so well. How have you looked after them?"
"They are locked away in those cupboards sir," and she pointed to them along the wall of the office. "I open them in the morning and I don’t leave them until they are locked away at night. The office is locked too when I am not here."
Gibbs asked quietly, "Where are the keys kept?"
"I see them locked in the safe downstairs and Sergeant Compton gave an order that no one could take them out but me. If there was a need to look at a statement or anything else in the binders I had to come in and unlock and then lock up again."
Gibbs then took Thompson through her statement and the work she had helped with at Halidons, the identification of the underwear and the fingerprints, which had proved to be McGregor’s.
"The statement that Conley gave. Do you think that he was intimidated?"
"Well Constable DeVere did make him sit down and I have described the conversation before he wrote out his statement."
"There are two important points to remember constable can you think what they are?"
She thought quickly, "I suppose when he read the caution to Constable DeVere and he said that he understood it...and when he agreed that the ‘Ted’ he referred to in the statement was Roberts."
Gibbs sat back and put his hands behind his head. "Oh how I wish I had your team in some of my earlier cases sergeant."
His questions for Bridgeman went quickly and smoothly and then he turned to Compton. "I think that you can dismiss the troops sergeant. That reminds me to ask if those military men have been equally descriptive."
He laughed genuinely when Bisset said, "I will find their statements for you but I will have to stay until you have done with them so that everything can be locked away."
"Never mind constable I will take them on trust. I will also assume that our two uniform friends can describe what happened when the victim picked out Roberts. You can do your locking up and then these two C.I.D officers will stay with me."
When she had left and they were only the three of them, Gibbs said, "Impressive. If we don’t get convictions it will not be the fault of the police but more a cranky judge or an inspired Defence Counsel. The two blood groups found on the knife were yours and the girls.
Not in itself conclusive but taken with the statements enough I think. Conley and the girls might try to weasel but then I can treat them as hostile witnesses. The rape is straightforward depending of course on the cooperation of the victim. I will try to have the court cleared for the more lurid details and any good Defence Counsel is going to tell his client that any subsequent conviction where this had been opposed will likely mean a bigger sentence.
She will have to understand however that her identity will become known if they don’t plead guilty and I will be surprised if they do. Sergeant I notice that you remove the sling when you think no one is watching. Please...for me, keep it on until after the depositions."
On their way out of the station with Martin Compton saw the uniform sergeant Somers wanting to say something.
"Same time same place Angus?"
That is how they found themselves sitting in the pub with the sergeant now out of uniform.
Angus took his time over his beer and then asked Compton, "Are you going to put them away Daniel?"
"The two biggest villains yes, but I don’t know about the hangers on. Murder against Roberts but it will probably come down to Manslaughter. Our Counsel seems to think the others will get bail at the next hearing."
"Daniel the Bailiff and the lads who give him a helping hand in case he needs it always keep their ears open. That Roberts has a brother who is probably worse than he is. His gang is called ‘The Dons,’ and they hang out in Basildon which is not very far away. From some of the whispers in the cells they might come here when they take the depositions if there is any risk of them going down. There’s a lot of them and I don’t like the idea of a big set to because we just don’t have the numbers to deal with them and a lot of ours will get hurt."
"Are they bikers too Angus and are they likely to have weapons?"
"Oh yes...in spades. Mean S.O.B’s from what I learned from the uniform at Basildon."
"Leave it with me Angus. I will try to think of something."
When Angus had left Martin rubbed his chin. "Got a wild idea for you sergeant."
"Come on lad I am not good at guessing."
"Well those military lads seemed to have their measure when they tried it on at Ivys. Do you think that they might be able to help?"
Compton thought that over for a minute or two. "We can’t afford to allow any of them get injured but it wouldn’t hurt to talk to them." He laughed, "Perhaps Rosie can give you better advice about the fairer sex than I can."
Willoughby listened carefully to what Compton had to tell him. "Let one of our lads go and have a recce around this Courthouse and then come out here and see us."
The newspapers had been including items about Canonsfield in nearly every edition and the two C.I.D. officers had found it difficult to go about their duties without a cameraman lurking to take a photograph. This created difficulty when they wanted to visit Ivys without it being reported. They resorted to using an old van, which was owned and driven by one of the uniform constables.
The Watch Committee had agreed to extend
the time taken to complete the reports they wanted.
Willoughby had gathered his fellow residents and after general conversation about the case, he clapped his hands.
"If I understand correctly sergeant you have a band of these bikers who will be bent on mischief and you want to minimise any injuries that might result if they try and ‘spring’...is that the word, some of their ilk who are for the high jump."
Compton nodded, "That is it in a nutshell sir."
"Right...we will show you a rough plan and some sketches that Frenchy has made."
The High Street was shown and the Courthouse filled in to make it stand out. There was generally a solid front to the businesses except the Courthouse which had a driveway down either side. There was a red blob at the back of the Courthouse and Compton was going to ask what it was when his attention was drawn to a very good sketch of the front of the courthouse with the short glass canopy which gave shelter to the large double front doors.
"Show him the caltrops Bridgey." Bridges held out the long nails which had been twisted together so that when they dropped on the floor there was always a point or points facing upwards.
"Slows their bikes down some of these do."
Willoughby asked, "Now the nice little canopy which is drawn here and which slopes towards the street. Are they likely to collect around the front door do you think?"
"Highly likely sir...highly likely."
"Well we were very successful with a box of pepper and I think one or two boxes dropped from the roof on to that slope would spread the pepper quite well don’t you? I can tell you the results are spectacular and it will take a bit of fight out of them. Now to the question of their armament. Do you see this red blob here? That is a fire hydrant.
We will have to make sure that it opens easily and attach double hoses. Run them down the sides here and they put out a powerful stream I understand."
He smiled triumphantly, "That might do it don’t you think if your lads are quick to put the handcuffs on."
Compton was shaking his head admiringly.
"Those are wonderful suggestions sir. Now I just have to solve the problem of how we are going to give the Courthouse warning and time to clear because their bikes are supposed to be very fast."
It was Frenchy who put his hand up to get attention. "We can help you there can’t we? Bring in the screamer."
LeClerc held it while Bridges started to crank it and the wail started.
Rose rushed in white faced. "They are not at it again are they?"
"No they are not Rose, sorry we should have warned you."
LeClerc now had the floor. "Some of our Caltrops spread in front of them will also slow then down a little. Ross and I can do that with the sidecar."
Compton reacted to that, "Hey I don’t want any of you getting hurt."
Willoughby said firmly, "The horse is out of the barn and we are going to be there whether you like it or not so you had better include us."