Playing with Trouble- New Tricks

Chapter 3

This next chapter features more about delving further into The Baxters history, I may have given a slight clue away about Vinny's killer, UCOS struggles to find any crucial pieces of evidence. A big thank you to smallhobbit for beta reading this latest chapter of Playing with trouble.

Stepping out on to the third floor from the packed lift, in her black shiny high heeled shoes, she stepped closer and closer towards Robert Strickland's office. Although still three doors away, down the narrow corridor, Sandra's hands shook nervously, a blond flyaway curl blowing from the cold draft coming from one office door, she was biting her lip. " Why am I biting my lip? It

Other younger and older colleagues from different departments passed through, clutching their important evidence folders to be looked at. They walked past Sandra at speed, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

She tried to rehearse what to say, pacing step by step. Why the hell should she be worried about speaking to him when they had known one another for many years? However it was mainly how to convince him that the mystery behind this current re-investigation of a murder case needed to be solved immediately. Before she could reach a hand up to knock at the wooden door, the door handle half turned by itself and the door opened half way as Strickland appeared. Jumping with fright, his left hand on his hip, he thought of what to say.

"Oh Sandra...I'm glad you're here as I've been looking for you. Just need a few minutes of your time....please come in...sorry about this untidy stack of folders - I've had detectives coming in and out all day...interrupting me ." He stepped aside as she entered his office. She sat down with less panic shooting through to her head and the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. His waistcoat covering the back of his chair, he smiled on sitting down and fidgeted with two pencils and a book.
"So what did you want to see me about...anything important?" Clasping both hands together, thumb rubbing a knuckle, his hands were very cold.

"You could say that. Actually a couple of days ago we had someone come forward....an old school friend of Brian Lane's, asking us for help in solving the murder of his younger brother Vinny Baxter, at a football match 30 years ago..All I've been told myself is that he ran into some dodgy personal problems and it led to murder ...and I have taken into consideration that I know what you'll say..you won't be happy that we didn't ask first...Can I just tell you that we've already been to visit George Williams, who was with Vinny on the day he was murdered. "

"Oh ..Yeah I remember this case..it was big headline news for two weeks. It left half of the London Metropolitan Police baffled. Even though they hadn't found one tiny sniff of evidence they still had so many suspects on file, George included, but no one was ever charged.. Fingers of accusations were pointed at the person in charge who was investigating this case..Sandra, I am disappointed you didn't come to ask me first..but seeing as you seem so interested in solving this..I'll give you a week to find the killer and charge them," he replied and crossed his arms.

Sandra was taken by surprise. She'd fully expected him to give her another reinvestigation case to concentrate on and tell her that the Vinny Baxter murder case would be passed down to another department downstairs.

"Who did investigate it 30 years ago?"

"DCI Gibbons... great respected man....retired in 1987... turned down an offer of becoming Detective Superintendent... no one could blame him really...had continuous health problems throughout the 1980's.

"Can I ask what did you want to have a word with me about?" She couldn't be positively sure as to why he had invited her to the office, maybe just to check how she'd been coping since returning to work, maybe he would insist she take another week off.

"Sandra..how have you been feeling these last few weeks?...I know it was hard for you...finding out about your father, Tom, and what happened that day."

"I just want to forget and get on with my work, Robert." She was determined not to be reminded, she knew everyone expressed concern but she remained fully focused of carrying on as Detective Superintendent.

"I'll be paying a visit tomorrow see how you're getting on with this current case" Strickland added. Sandra stood up, putting the metal chair back underneath the wooden desk and closed the door behind her. Hurrying towards the staff lift ahead in her high heeled shoes, it closed about 1 metre before she could reach it.

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The rest of the UCOS team, searched through some previous evidence files that DC Smith provided for them.

"Hope you find the right pieces of important evidence you're looking for.." He said, nodding towards Gerry, who was examining every file one at a time, hoping not to miss anything that could be deemed as crucial clues.

"Yeah we hope so... thanks anyway, Danny." Gerry appreciated the young lad's help, and watched as he left, bumping straight into Sandra by the lift.

"Gerry, what was Danny Smith doing up here?...Oh, don't tell me, you asked him to bring some files up... you could have got Brian to look on his computer" she pointed out, unhappy they didn't consult her first.

"We'll get things done pronto by looking through these files" Gerry said. Sandra rolled up a thick magazine and whacked his legs with such force she knocked them off the desk.

"That woman's still as tough as Anne Robinson... should put them together... they'd make a scary pair" he joked to himself. Jack overheard him, shaking his head. "What?....Jack I was only kidding...didn

In a matter of fact, he was trying out a little investigation of his own, armed with a measuring tape, starting off from part of the almost empty reception area, using a heavy object to hold down the start of his tape and then moving along to the automatic entrance. He'd figured something quite interesting out and had set out to see whether his theory would be correct. Thomas had told him that when Vinny was found dead, he had some injuries around his skull. He must have been thrown down a flight of stairs and the police 30 years ago had this same idea, but must have missed some vital clues or had ignored them.
"That

"What

's only Strickland after all that I'm going to see, and when I tell him he's gonna to launch into one of his long speeches again, about us going behind his back without permission". 're here as I've been looking for you. Just need a few minutes of your time....please come in...sorry about this untidy stack of folders - I've had detectives coming in and out all day...interrupting me ." He stepped aside as she entered his office. She sat down with less panic shooting through to her head and the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. His waistcoat covering the back of his chair, he smiled on sitting down and fidgeted with two pencils and a book.
"So what did you want to see me about...anything important?" Clasping both hands together, thumb rubbing a knuckle, his hands were very cold.'t mean it as being nasty... anyway, where's Brian got to?" They hadn't noticed Brian had gone, doing his disappearing act. His bike and helmet were still by his corner of the room, so he might still be around somewhere in this large building.'s impossible," Brian finally realised, eyebrow creased with puzzlement, scratching his forehead, glasses tilting over the edge of his nose.'s impossible?" Jack found him, crouching by the entrance. "Better move yourself, you might get hit in the face by visitors as they come in." Giving him a helping hand he lifted his friend up.
"What are you doing down here anyway?..."

"Huh. Something Thomas said ...about some policeman told 'im that Vinny might have been tossed down a flight of stairs before he was killed... wanted to test how far the possibilities matched up." Brian was talking more and more like a crime scene investigator.

"Brian, you're confusing me... By the way, have you told Sandra about this?... She will want to know."

"No... but I'm thinking, whoever did it... must have had some massive arms and great strength and I think we can definitely rule out George unless he used to be a body builder ." Brian concluded, going to pick up the remainder of the measuring tape that was still stuck to the dusty floor. They walked side by side through the noisy ground floor.

"So should we bring Thomas in again...ask him some further questions about who else might have crossed paths with Vinny?"

"Yeah, think we should...I don't have a particularly great feeling about this in my stomach, Jack. Either that or I should have eaten something for my lunch" Brian's stomach rumbled. He was unsure if it was a bundle of nerves building up or hunger for food. He clutched at it, shoulders giving the pain away, "So has Gerry found anything yet?... Yer know we've had a case like this before where we've struggled..."

"I know, maybe something will come up tomorrow... " Jack was worried himself, as they approached the UCOS office.

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Later as they waited by the two interview rooms, Brian checked his watch, hoping Thomas wasn't lying when he said he would be arrive in 15 minutes. Sandra didn't feel like waiting any longer, she had more important things to be getting on with.

"Give 'im time... it might be traffic holding 'im up. You know what it

"Jesus Christ, you and your bloody bike," Sandra huffed, her breath strongly minty. She rushed outside, shoes tapping along the brown tiled floor. "I'll hunt this Thomas down myself if I have to... depending on if he doesn't show up..." She was showing her feisty side, which they all admired within UCOS. They weren't sure what had got in to her; she looked completely bored and depressed, maybe she needed some fresh air to clear her head. She thought that too and disappeared in order to calm herself down, to not let those angry thoughts overwhelm her judgement and her desire to prove herself as a great Detective Superintendent.

"Oh Brian... Thomas is here he

"Might as well... could you go and find Sandra then."

"Will do" Jack rushed off to where Sandra had last been seen storming off.

Thomas appeared and stood facing Brian, wearing his long dark brown leather coat, hands buried in the pockets. Black bags were cornering, underneath and round his eyes, an instant sign of lack of sleep.

"Twice in a few hours....So what have you found out..?" coughing to clear his groggy, dry throat.

"Not much really...we haven't got any real leads..But I did take into count what you said about them injuries Vinny received...I worked out he must have already been unconscious....suffered concusion before receiving the fatal kick in his chest"

"But isn't that of some significance.. surely" Thomas sighed sadly, sadness filling his eyes, both eyes blinking tiredly.

"Well it is I suppose...I'm sorry to tell you this.. but I don't think George could have killed him... like you keep insisting...something tells me it was definitely someone else"

Thomas didn't answer. His head rested back against the cold concrete wall, turning his eyes away. Brian sounded more upset, hating the fact that this bought up some horrible flashbacks for Thomas. They stayed in silence for what seemed like ages, but were interrupted by Sandra's arrival back.

"You must be Thomas...follow me" she led the way, followed by Brian and Thomas as they continued to not speak to each other. Thomas gathered the thought in his mind that Brian didn't care, thinking he was taking George's side.

Thomas sat down on the chair facing both detectives, his legs tucked underneath the table, the heels of his boots tapping lightly.

"So Thomas... did you know of any other people that might have wanted to hurt your brother... did he upset anyone else and make enemies?" She asked, hoping for once he might be entirely truthful and provide them with some new answers, something they hadn't discovered before. He closed his eyes tight shut to remember, to accept that these nightmares and flashbacks would need to show him something that he might have easily forgotten, his mind wasn't as a great as it use to be.

"Come on mate... did anything else happen days before....did he hide any other secrets from you and the family?" Brian asked next.

Thomas opened his eyes wide open, creasing his nose up hard enough to force a painful headache in the process . "I dunno... it

"Can you look up please...I know Brian and I are asking too much in wanting you to provide us with some new light on this investigation .." Sandra had noticed this, she guessed he must be a shy individual who didn't like enclosed spaces, did he hide a secret fear of this?

"Sandra don't be too hard on 'im... He's finding this extremely difficult and it

"Come to think of it...there was this other Scottish bloke, kept acting more like a stalker..erm...Douglas McGready.. think his name might have been.."

"Who was he... this Douglas, wasn't a violent guy was he?"

"I dunno... Some giant bloke, don't think he was a gangster of any sort...only saw him just the once... kept hearing his name being mentioned in conversations ...apparently spoke with a deep Glaswegian accent... looked like a proper tough guy....never did find out why he seemed to be obsessed with following Vinny everywhere he went" He said, pouting his bottom lip downwards. They continued to ask some further questions, which Thomas tried his best to answer, but nothing else added up, just that name, Douglas McGready, made sense. They didn't have a single clue where he lived, in England or back up north in Scotland, they would have to search for his current address and the only person who could help would be Gerry's daughter, Emily.

" Well.... Did any arguments occur..a falling out that may have led to that fatal day?" Sandra tried a different tactic in the hope of him opening up, whether it might be emotionally or by co-operating.

"On occasions I got into a couple of fights with my cousin Frankie... he treated Vinny like a skivvy, acting pretty awful to him...ordering Vinny to do side jobs for him... clean up any mess that got left.. When I found out I wasn't havin any of it so I punched Frankie right in the nose... guess that crafty, sly bugger deserved it...what he got comin to 'im"

"So where's Frankie now?"

"Erm... I'm afraid he died 5 years ago from a heart infection...never did quite give up on the cigarettes"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know" Sandra replied. They had heard most of the answers they'd been hoping for and decided it would best to let him go.

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Late afternoon slowly drew towards early evening . As it neared 4pm, staff left to go home and to pick up their children from schools and colleges.

Brian peeled a small tangerine with his fingers underneath his desk and then placed it in his mouth, chewing and sucking its tangy taste.

"Oh Brian now

"What...only trying to liven up the mood in 'ere!" Brian said, speaking with his mouth open and opening his arms wide like an aeroplane. Sandra giggled behind her office door at the sound of her two colleagues moaning, they sounded more like squabbling older brothers, fighting to be top dog.
Around 20 minutes later, Gerry staggered in, out of breath after taking the stairs due to the lift being out of order.

"So what did she find?"

He slammed the folder on the desk, pointing his finger at a long typed up house address, the postcode was different, not situated in London but in Nottingham of all places.

"192 Campbell Street NG5 .... hmm it

If Sandra asked him to work an extra hour, he'd unfortunately have to refuse.

Sandra went inside her office to make that important phone call to Douglas

's like around the capital...can't move an inch...makes me happy to know I have my bicycle."'s just waiting by the stairs..." Jack popped his head around the corner, looking Brian in the eye. "Do you wanna interview him right away?"'s hard to properly remember...all I know is that someone kept coming to the house... ringing the door bell and when me or my mother answered it... they ran off like they did not want to stay around and talk to us." He shifted awkwardly in his chair, crossing his ankles.
"Then there was another time when I had some visitor at work...a work colleague told me some geezer had wanted to see me. Then when I went to check... he'd gone, vanished... I just presumed it was some weirdo messing around" His eyes became fixed upon his entwined fingers.'s hard to remember ." Brian showed sympathy towards his former school friend and the two men exchanged smiles. Thomas appreciated the concern he showed. He just needed a bit more confidence and a show of defiance to visualise the events that led up to the tragedy.
's not the time" Jack grumbled, as he watched him pull faces with the small tangerine.'s a bit far for us to travel ... but I suppose we'd best contact him first... explain why we're eager to question him.... is that the phone number?" Gerry nodded in agreement, still unable to speak, hand placed on his waist, easing himself down onto his normal desk chair. He had other things to be thinking about, picking his date up later after promising her an excellent night out at fancy Italian restaurant. He of course would be paying for their meals for whatever they chose to order from menu.

End of Chapter.