New Tricks - Golden Chances

Chapter 10

Afraid that he'd told them too much of what he'd known, Kai self-confidently chose to whisper the name of the person who he was convinced that killed James Hughes. "I wish I'd told someone earlier about this but I guess I chickened out of it.. For some reason I was scared that I might be next, that he might attack me out of the blue. Sandra I know that it was definitely Alfie that was with James on the night he died, they were both drinking and chatting with other friends. I remember that an argument broke out amongst the two groups and then they traded insensitive remarks before Alfie stormed out" Unquestionably he was pretty glad to have gotten his concealed secret out into the open however despite this he couldn't help worrying that his friends might believe he could be lying through his teeth.

"Why didn't you bother telling us this earlier instead of flirting and chatting up Sandra? and also especially when you spoke out and introduced yourself to the class. " Gerry was still unconvinced about this so called potential breakthrough in the unresolved murder case as he began to question Kai's last minute timing. Had he been feeling too ashamed that he hadn't come forward sooner and told the police what he saw on the night of the murder. Or had a guilty conscience consumed his mind that much that he might even possibly be about to confess to the murder himself.

"I'm no killer Gerry because I'm the innocent bystander in all of this. Look I know what I saw that night and I know that Alfie killed James in cold blood" Kai pointed this out straight away.

"Hang on but you told us you only seen them arguing in the pub and Alfie almost throwing a punch at him. Did you follow them out of curiosity?, maybe to see a fight between them" Brian asked the next intriguing question or answer.

"Yes I did, oh believe me I wish I hadn't that night because it was bloody freezing. My firefighter friends were to blame for egging me on. Told me to see where the unpleasant bloke had stormed off to. So I grabbed my jacket just after 10pm that night and made my way into the city centre, wondering if I might bump into them down one of the backstreets. Must have only been walking for around about three minutes and before I soon came across this building. I just about happened to look up for about five seconds or so and then I heard two voices, shouting and swearing at one another. It seemed pretty much like an heated argument so I turned away and swiftly walked away from the building. Next minute I heard a huge bang and I turned back to see what it was. So I hid around the nearest street corner, saw a person running away and when I looked back to the front part of the building I saw a battered body slumped in the main entrance. " Kai sighed after he'd finally finished telling them what he remembered that chilly October night.

As they stood closely together, Jack glanced back at the main entrance of the conference room, checking to see whether or not the man in question might soon be about to make an unexpected appearance. "Sandra this is your call?, do we go to the Cardiff police and tell everything Kai's told us? because let's not forget this case is off our hands or do we work together with them on this unsolved case and help them arrest Alfie "

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Around late afternoon, as she placed her darkened sunglasses across her eyes, Sandra knew exactly that she'd made the right choice as her UCOS team and Kai were waiting outside of the Cardiff City Police station.

"You followed your instinct well on this Sandra" Brian happily thanked her with a cheery smile.

"Who is the leading detective in Cardiff anyway?, because I hope he or she son't act hard as nails when we mention this in their CID office" Gerry asked and no one was willing to happily answer his unoriginal question. He was becoming too fed up with waiting and was currently desperate to have a quick smoke outside in a bid to help cure his concerned nerves and feelings.

"DCI Robert Beckford, from what I've researched on the station's website. He's been in the police force for 19 years, well experienced, eagerly ambitious, he wants to make this station the best one in the UK. Oh and I think he might scare you a little Gerry if you don't conform with his questions as he's a perfectionist and a harsh detective. I mean if you suggest the wrong thing he might snap at you" Sandra smirked as she joked. about two little white lies. What she had actually found out on the Cardiff City Police website was that DCI Beckford was a sympathetic and caring detective who looked out for anyone, any detective who struggled to be on the ball or watchful whenever an investigation seemed so complicated to understand.

"Oh really...Well come to think of it, I might actually remember his name from somewhere before, most likely he's best friends with Strickland. Think someone at my old nick, nicknamed them to the two Bobs because they shared the same first name" Gerry suddenly speculated to himself, which it hardly caught the team's attention as they looked more distracted by this unresolved case. "Oh pretend I'm not here then" He hinted, rolling his eyes, he huffed softly while he looked unimpressed by the observable feedback they were giving him.

"So are we going inside or not?" Brian quietly questioned Sandra's next possible movement. " Can't stand here too long cos I don't want to get frostbites in both my hands"

"Yes come on Kai follow me" Sandra confidently smiled at him as they walked beside one another, their hands almost touching for a fleeting moment, she willingly allowed him to lead her into the station's main entrance.

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As they tolerantly stood within a changed and more bigger office, with phones ringing loudly everywhere around them and conversations between and amongst detectives becoming all the more louder to eavesdrop on. Brian was feeling a little uncomfortable with having nowhere spaced out to stand by. "It's very wonderful to meet you DS Pullman and your skilled team of detectives. " As he adjusted and removed uncluttered desk belongings within his CID office. Robert Beckford turned his full attention to the visitors. He certainly looked enormously delighted to be finally meeting Sandra's team. " Tell me, how's Strickers nowadays?, reason I'm asking is because I don't get to travel to London these days as my daughter as just given birth to her first child, a boy, she's called him Ianto " Robert soon acknowledged that he was becoming too much of a chatterbox.

"Anyway what brings you here to my station?" He asked them as he settled down behind his cleaner desk.

"I know this isn't for my team to start ask too many questions or anything but I'm asking this only question, do you remember a murder investigation 14 years ago? A successful businessman named James Hughes, he was found dead on the front entrance steps of the Kirkwood building not far from here. He suffered significant head and neck injuries and one gunshot wound to the head." Sandra explained what she'd already known.

Robert seemed serious-minded and subdued as he quickly summoned up and recalled this particular investigation that baffled every detective within Cardiff "Yes I think so. Several of my most respected detectives and police constables made countless appeals to the public. And as the days turned into weeks and then months, yet nobody came forward, I truly believed and still do that the killer might have been blackmailing potential witnesses, getting them to remain silent."

Sandra looked encouragingly at Kai, who looked persuaded enough to speak up and tell the detective what he definitely knew. "DCI Beckford, I want to make a statement. I know who killed James Hughes. I know I should have come forward all those years ago but I felt so scared "

The DCI looked closely and intriguingly at the younger man. "Well then you'd better start telling me everything you saw one this Halloween night and the real reason as to why its taking you so long to own up"

End of Chapter

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