On Saturday morning, Jenny drove to the Daniels’ address in
Middlethumpton, accompanied by a member of the security team who was going to
look after her discretely. Accordingly, he synchronised his mobile with one
from HQ on which there was an emergency button that Jenny could press if was in
difficulties. Dave would wait in his car, he told her, and answer a call immediately.
“Looking for the Daniels? I think they’re out. Would you
like to come up for a minute?”
Jenny looked up in surprise. That must be a Miss or Mrs
James, she deduced from the bell-pushers. Jenny was now relieved that the
Daniels were not at home. Nosy neighbours could be mines of information.
“Thanks,” called Jenny. She pushed the front door open and went
to the staircase.
“I’m Elizabeth James,” the woman said. “You were looking for
the Daniels, weren’t you?”
“Well, I really just wanted to check if they still live
here.”
“Do you want to tell me why, Miss…?”
“I’m Jenny. Not really, Miss James.”
“I can be trusted, you know.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that…”
“Is it about that poor dead child of theirs?”
Jenny hesitated.
“They didn’t ask me to give evidence in court,” she told
Jenny as she climbed the stairs. “I could have told them a thing or two. He has
a record of abuse to all and sundry, Jenny, but the court was obviously not interested
in his violent streak.”
“Didn’t you tell the police?”
“And be labelled a gossip? I sat in the public gallery at
the trial and watched the drama unfolding, but I could not have substantiated
what I had to say and the prosecution lawyer was set on using the evidence he
had. I think the defence just wanted to get the trial over with, too. He seemed
to think the accused was guilty and made no attempt to exonerate him.”
“That’s his job Miss James. He instigated the trial.”
“The defence lawyer made no attempt to help the woman in the
dock, in fact. I don’t think he was interested.”
“She was found guilty, Miss James, so the Jury must have
been persuaded by the judge on the basis of the available evidence.”
“Not evidence, Jenny. Lies. I know what Mr Daniels is really
like.”
By now, they were in Miss James’s front room. She opened a
local newspaper at the sport fixtures.
“There’s a home match at the Middleton United ground this
afternoon, Jenny. Mr Daniels is a supporter. He always goes to home matches,
and after that he goes to the pub nearby with his cronies and gets drunk.”
“Where is that pub, Miss James?”
“It’s on the corner of the next street. You can’t miss it.
It’s the only one round here. Then he staggers home drunk and beats his wife.”
“That’s horrible. Do you think it could happen today?”
“I can’t guarantee, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“If I were here, we would both hear it happening. “
“Yes, and that would be despite their stereo being turned up
full blast.”
“It’s worth a try. It would prove what you have said.”
“I’d be grateful if somebody could be a witness.”
“Have you ever thought of moving out, Miss James?”
“Certainly not. I helped to finance these flats. This one is
entirely mine. They can move out. I wish they would.”
“When should I be here?”
Miss James looked down the fixture list.
“The match starts at 3 p.m.”
“I’ll come back before four. If someone sees me, I’m your
niece. OK?”
“Thank you so much, Jenny.”
“I’ll bring some cakes, Miss James. That will make the niece
thing even more believable.”
Jenny took her leave quickly and hurried to her car. She told
Dave what she had heard from Miss James and the guard said he would be with
her. She met no one. She would ring Cleo and tell her what she had planned.
***
Cleo was delighted that Jenny had made so much out of her
mission.
A phone call to Gary to report progress got a fast reaction.
He was equally in favour of Jenny’s plans for Saturday afternoon, as long as
she did not expose herself to any danger. Cleo suggested they put a tail on
Daniels once he had been identified at the pub. Gary knew just the man for it,
a colleague from the vice squad, proficient at his job, quick on the uptake and
one of a number of detectives who specialized in single combat. Dave, whom
Jenny already knew, of course, would be there, but Ted Beasley would get
Daniels identified by the pub landlord and follow Daniels home. Gary would
order a squad car to be parked close by. If Daniels behaved normally, no harm
would be done, but if, as Miss James had forecast, he laid into his wife,
Daniels could be caught in the act and the way would be smoothed for reopening
the Crane case. It was all a bit unorthodox, but a tip-off like the one Miss
James had provided could not be ignored.
“Should I check with Jenny that everything is organized?”
“If she doesn’t report, but she will,” said Gar. “She’ll
have 4 cops protecting her nd an HQ mobile with an emergency connection to her
personal guard.”
“Wow! You are taking this seriously.”
That’s not my only concern, however. “How’s married life
today, Cleo? Cooling off already?”
“Don’t tease, Gary. You know exactly how I feel.”
“Chuck him out, Cleo.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then I’ll come and do it for you.”
“No. I got myself into this and I’ll get myself out of it.”
***
After the phone call with Cleo, Gary decided not to spend
time wondering what to do about Robert. Instead, he scrutinized all the
evidence in the archived report on the Crane case and realized that on the
basis of those unchallenged statements, Crane would have to be pronounced
guilty. The case against Daniels was strong – too strong to have been ignored
at the trial. Crane seemed to have been the scapegoat. Prosecution and defence had
worked hand in hand to put the woman behind bars.
Most puzzling was that Mrs Daniels had not given evidence. The
court had not mentioned any suspicion of violence in the home. Crane had not said
what she knew or suspected. In fact, she had made almost no attempt to defend
herself. Alice Crane was thus a sitting target and a self-made one at that.
Daniels was later jailed for a minor offence. Mrs Daniels did not reveal the
horror of her marriage to a violent drunk.
***
Cleo was curious about what Jenny would achieve. As usual,
she spent the morning in the office making phone-calls, updating her database and
sorting out papers. Despite digitalization, printouts were necessary additions
and had to be filed. Since Jenny was not going to go there alone, she would not
go along to sit with Miss James and await events. Gary had confidence in Dave
and Ted Beasley so she would have, too.
***
Miss James was relieved when Jenny arrived in good time.
There was no one at home downstairs, but Mrs Daniels would be returning from
the shopping trip she took whenever her husband went off on his own. Jenny told
her that a detective was at the pub Daniels frequented and would follow him
home, so someone would be on hand if there was an incident.
Elizabeth James shuddered. “It all sounds like an American thriller,”
she said.
“But this is unfortunately for real, Miss James.”
“Call me Lizzy, my dear,” said Miss James. “Hardly anyone
does these days.”
“Auntie Lizzy, you are a brick!” said Jenny. “Don’t be
afraid. I know the security guard will come if I press the alarm button.” She said,
showing Lizzy the mobile. And a detective will be following Daniels home”
“Something tells me that you haven’t told me everything, Jenny..”
Jenny told Lizzy James the full truth about her visit.
“It’s very serious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but let’s have our picnic first, Auntie Lizzy. This is
also a friendly visit.”
“So it is, my dear.”
“I’ve brought cream cakes. I hope you like them.”
“Delicious, Jenny. Do you want tea or coffee?”
“A cup of tea would be lovely.”
Lizzy went into the kitchen to put the kettle on and Jenny
wondered if she should tell her that a squad car had also been put on call. Neither
Jenny nor anyone else had any idea what Daniels would do. They only had Miss
James’s observations to go on and the police had had negative experience with
the spurious observations made by some witnesses.
But Lizzy James was far from typical. A phone-call on
Jenny’s mobile confirmed the first part of her story; Ted reported at about
five thirty that Joe Daniels had just arrived at the pub with a boisterous
group of football fans. They had ordered large beers and a round of vodka to
get the ball rolling. He thought Daniels would stay at his watering hole for an
hour or so. If they knocked back vodka before every beer, it would not take
long for them all to get very drunk indeed, but he guessed that Daniels was
able to judge the level of sobriety he could cope with if he was to find his
way home.
“The detective thinks Daniels will be here in about an hour,
Lizzy. He’s at the pub.”
Lizzy looked worried and Jenny was now quite nervous, though
she took pains not to show her agitation.
The hour passed very slowly before the sound of footsteps on
the gravel path leading to the house door could be heard. Daniels accompanied
his swagger with swearing in a loud, slurred voice. He was stoned.
“It sounds as if his team lost,” said Lizzy.
“He’ll be madder than usual, I suppose.”
“And more violent. I feel so sorry for Mrs Daniels.”
“Maybe she’s out,” said Jenny.
“I shouldn’t think so. He expects her to be in when he comes
home.”
“How horrible! Why doesn’t she leave him?”
“I’ve often asked myself that. So many women suffer cruelty
rather than escaping and reporting their misfortune. Many of them think it’s
all their fault.”
“But it can’t be.”
“It never is, and anyway, there’s no excuse for violence.
But many who’ve actually escaped go back to those brutes.”
“I wouldn’t stay a minute if anyone became violent with me.
I’d kick him in the groin and make for it.”
“That’s the spirit, Jenny.”
“How do you know so much about violence in the home, Auntie Lizzy?”
“I went through it, my dear.”
“Oh!”
Before she could explain, beating on the front door announced
the imminent entry of Daniels into the corridor.
“Doesn’t he have a key?” said Jenny.
“Too drunk to look for it, I should think,” said Lizzy. “Mrs
Daniels will let him into the house via the door buzzer in the flat and he’ll
start hammering on the flat door and continue until it’s opened for him.”
“Why don’t the other neighbours do something about it,
Lizzy?”
“They are both spinsters like me.”
“But they could call the police.”
“They haven’t so far and neither have I, I’m ashamed to say.
I hope your detective is out there somewhere.”
Ted was standing in the shadows outside the Daniels’
living-room window. A patrol car had also crept around the corner and was
parked diagonally opposite. Dave got out of Jenny’s car when he heard Daniels
shouting. Together they would corner Daniels and the squad car would take him
in.
As Miss James had prophesied, Mrs Daniels eventually opened
the flat door. Daniels began to shout at her, calling her names and threatening
her. Through the window, Ted took photos of what was going on when Daniels
pushed his wife across the room. He ordered the two patrol officers to get to
the house. Mrs Daniels was now cowering in a corner of the living-room and
Daniels’ shouting had reached an intolerable volume. As Daniels’ fist reached
out to thump his wife, Ted knocked on the window. For a moment Daniels stopped
short and looked around, but could not identify where the knocking came from, so
he turned back to mishandling his wife.
Lizzy had her hand on the main door buzzer. When she saw the
patrol officers approaching, she released the catch and all four cops stormed
in, hammering on the Daniels’ flat door. Daniels was now in such a rage that he
did not hear the banging. One of the policemen kicked the door open and they rushed
in as Mrs Daniels collapsed with blood pouring from her nose and her shoulder
obviously injured. Daniels was shaking her by the injured shoulder and the
woman was screaming with pain. It took all four cops to overpower Daniels and
handcuff him.
“I arrest you for inflicting serious bodily harm on your
wife,” Ted Beasely said. “Anything you say can be used in evidence against
you.”
Daniels kicked wildly at his wife, landing a vicious kick on
her leg before the officers could prevent it happening. Daniels was led
struggling and cursing to the squad car and pushed onto the back seat. Lizzy
James and Jenny saw Daniels being driven off and hurried down the stairs to the
Daniels’ flat to try to be of assistance.
“She’ll need an ambulance,” said Ted.
Jenny rang for one on her mobile.
“Is that what you’ve been hearing, Miss James?” Ted asked
Lizzy. “I wish you’d told the police sooner.”
“And face being mishandled like poor Mrs Daniels if I could
not prove anything and Mrs Daniels said that she’d fallen down the stairs? She
done that more than once and told me to mind my own business.”
“I understand,” said Ted, “but it’s over now. Daniels will
face a stiff prison sentence and we can only hope that Mrs Daniels will move
out and make room for the kind of neighbour you can live with.”
The paramedics arrived and took over the care of Mrs Daniels.
She was badly injured. They wheeled her to the ambulance on a stretcher. She
was conscious and through her tears told everyone that she hoped she never had
to see her husband again.
“It’s the only way forward,” said Lizzy.
“Thank you, Miss James.”
“I should have acted long ago, Mrs Daniels. I’m so sorry you
had to suffer so much.”
“It’s over now,” said Mrs Daniels as she was hoisted into
the ambulance and made as comfortable as possible for the journey to the
hospital. Dave would accompany her and
explain the situation to the medical team.
***
“Come on, Lizzy,” Jenny said. “It’s over now. Let’s go
upstairs and I’ll make the tea, this time.”
Lizzy smiled and nodded at Ted.
“Would you like to join us, Mr…?”
“I’m Ted. How do you do?”
“I’m Lizzy and this is Jenny.”
Ted had heard of the smasher who was helping Chris in the
lab. Wow, and she’d smiled at him. There was no telling where it would all end.
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