Striker looked at her then said looking at the Chief Super, “if you will excuse me sir, I will just deal with this”.

“Oh of course, carry on Striker” He turned and left the room his footsteps could be heard running upstairs.

“Now Ling, what’s this nonsense about statements, for what?”

“Last night Sergeant the trouble at the take away”.

“The trouble last night”, he repeated. “Trouble; there was no trouble just a couple of boisterous lads having a night out, no need for statements”,

“What about the custody sheet?” She asked

“What custody sheet?” “They weren’t locked up just taken home and given a boot up the arse, which if you were anything of a copper you would have given them, now you run along and make me a mug of coffee.”

“Yes sergeant” she replied and went towards the kitchen

“Oh Ling”, called Striker, “Make me a good un just like the Chief Super gets or is he something special”? He continued, “You know what I mean, a bit special like”.

She made no reply and went to the kitchen made the coffee spat into the cup and returned with it.

Striker took hold and had a long drink, making a loud slurping noise followed by a louder, “ahhhh, just the job what a good brew, anytime you got more of this let me know”.

She smiled and said “Sergeant you are well assured every drink I make for you it will be just like that one”.

“Ah, Ah”, called Striker “and the rest the Chief Super gets, will that be coming my way”?

She made no comment but left.

On arrival back in their office in the museum she was a little upset, Jack the hat arrived to ask something then seeing her he guessed what had happened but asked

“What happened”?

“Striker cuffed it; he said he took them home, nothing on the sheet”.

”I see, well never mind I suspect just about now both men will be waking up with very sore ribs. There is that consolation, what about Striker, just as obnoxious?”

She nodded but made no reply. Jack the hat returned to his office and sat down at his desk and thought, “Striker, when ignorance is bliss vulgarity appropriately asserts itself”.

He stood, went to the hat stand and removed his trilby, “ah”, he thought “the brown one today I think, I bought it when, now let me think about 1970 after the case of the child molester. Yep, that was a horrid case, one of the only ones I worked on with Woodcock, that shit head signed the Cheshire petition against me.

Fully clothed in hat and raincoat equally as old as each other he picked up his brief case, closed the office door, locked it and put the keys inside his brief case.

“Inspector, if you are ready we will be off to see these two poor women”.

“I am just in the loo” she called.

There was answer to that he thought.

The telephone rang in the office, “blast” he thought “who the hell is that, I had better answer it in case it’s one or more of the widows cancelling”.

He went to open the door then realised he had locked it, he opened his brief case, could he find the key, no, then in his rush he dropped the bloody case.

He bent down and was hastily attempting to pick up the items. At last, he found the key opened the door and picked up the telephone just as it stopped ringing.

“Hell” he said, then dialled 1471. The voice gave the number 01978222222; he knew it was a police station with a number like that.  He pressed recall and when the voice said there was a charge for connecting the call he thought of Woodcock signing the petition and so in revenge incurred the expense to be automatically reconnected the cost of which be coming from Woodcock’s miscellaneous allowance budget.

“Police at Wrexham, who is speaking please”? Was the voice he heard.

“It is Jack Richards”.

“Oh yes indeed Mr Richards isn’t it, well now Idris has been calling you, now just hold the line please”.

“Constable Idris Roberts yer, who is that please?”

“It is Jack Richards, Constable Roberts; do you have an update on this Sid fellow?”

“I do indeed Sir, but as you are not a police officer I am unable to pass you my report”

“What did you say officer, are you aware that I am in charge of this investigation?”

“That may well be the case Sir, but rules are rules police records can only be passed within those in the job see”.

Before he could become even more exasperated Doris arrived, “Is there a problem Mr Richards?”

“Please deal with this wooden top he won’t pass me the information”.

“Inspector Scott-Ling here, have to you an update on the Sid fellow?”

She was sometime listening and then said. “Right thank you; send an email to me at the address on the card I gave you. Thank you for you enquiries, pardon, yes I will pass on what you say”.

She replaced the handset looked up and said, “Idris says the Wooden Tops went out years ago when he was a boy”.

She went to the computer, opened it then printed out the message, she did not read it but handed it to Jack assuming, correctly that was the correct thing to do.

He took the sheet of paper and they both left, once seated in her car they were on their way. As they travelled through the town negotiating the various traffic lights, which seemed to take an eternity to change to their favour.  He read the report Constable Roberts had gathered in respect of Sid.

“Cedric Royston Morgan, Alias Sid, born in 1971 now 42 years of age, a native of Cardiff in South Wales. A single man, he received an elementary education leaving school at the age of 16 years”.

  “On leaving school he joined a group of travellers and first came to police attention in the year 1991 when he was convicted of robbery involving antiques, he was sentenced to 7 years.  He was released on licence in 1994”

“In August 1995 he was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for assaulting a police officer at a football match, he served only one year and was released on licence”.

“He then returned to life amongst Irish travellers but during a police raid on their encampment in 1997 he stabbed a police officer and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted murder. He served 4 years before being released on licence in 2001”.

 “He disappeared from police notice until the year 2003 when he was involved in an armed robbery in which two security officers were badly injured. Morgan was himself shot by a police marksman and when recovered he was sentenced to a further 10 years, he served only 3 years.”

“He was released on licence in the year 2006 pending a training course at a local hospital in that year.”

“Since his release he has attended the rehabilitation course and currently works in the same place.”

“He remains an assistant in the hospital dispensary at Wrexham General Hospital where he is described as a quiet man, loyal and good worker”.

“There is a cautionary note on his file at New Scotland yard, which reads.  He has a known pathological hate of police officers since the incident in which he was shot”.

He read the file to her, she shook her head and said, “It’s the same old story, a repeat offender repeated offences all serious, I suppose now he appears to have settled at the hospital that is something, what do you think?”

“What do I think?” Said Jack, “I think that we need to keep one eye on this fellow.”

“I see he appears to have gone quiet which reminds me of the old saying.”

“Take care of still waters and quiet men”.

“I wonder how the hell Wendy Upton came to get involved with him”. Asked Doris,

“I would imagine she was lonely and it seems he has changed, outwardly at least and of course there is no way she would know anything of his record.  Clearly he wasn’t married to the lady who kicked him out”.

“That is true,” she said.

“Well keep the contents of this under wraps and contact this Idris copper, he won’t` speak with me and tell him the same. I suspect if this Sid or whatever name he is using gets wind of the fact we are asking about him he might just kick up some dust and we don’t need any clouds of dust or anything else at the moment”.