Liz Tester the Human Resource Manager was a squat lady about 5 feet tall. She was extremely pleasant and came across as most efficient. Unfortunately, Ahmed could not stop looking at her chin and wondering how many times a day she shaved.
A telephone call for Saeed from Strumpshaw's secretary interrupted their meeting. She informed him that he was to go to the mortuary immediately. A Sergeant Steve Cushion would come and collect him from Human resources. The object of their attention? The body washed up on Winterton beach the day before. He vaguely remembered the news item from last night. So there must be something to link her with trafficking.
When they arrived at the mortuary the chief pathologist, John Snelling, marched Cushion and Saeed into his office. He plonked himself into the large chair behind the equally large desk. The two policemen stood like two errant schoolboys in front of a vengeful headmaster. Cushion introduced the latter as being from the Met, and was not contradicted. He certainly did not feel as if he belonged here. Snelling's disdainful look also spoke volumes for his thoughts regarding the Met. He'd had brushes with them in the past and found them to be arrogant semi-educated morons in the main.
'Ok, I'll skip the detail and give you the overview.' Snelling started in his clipped tone tinged with a Norfolk burr, and continued in the same abrupt manner. 'Caucasian female about twenty two. No signs of violence inflicted on the body. No bruising, no nothing. She has sea water in her lungs that indicates that she died of drowning in the sea. If she had been held down forcefully then there would be signs of slight bruising. There is nothing. The fact that she was found face down naked on the beach also indicates that she died in the sea.'
'How do you explain the fact that she was naked?' interrupted Saeed.
The medical man turned to Cushion and raised his eyebrows before swivelling round to face the Asian detective with a withering look
'I am the forensic investigator. My job is to examine and investigate the body on that slab over there' he pointed out towards the corpse being discussed before following up acerbically 'your job is to investigate and discover how she came to be there!' He paused for effect before continuing 'If we both understand what our respective roles are we will get on fine. Now let me continue'. Cushion could not help smirking at Saeed's discomfort. Here was another wide boy from the smoke getting a touch of come-uppance.
'As I said she died in the sea. What is interesting from your point of view is what we found in her body. She has semen, in her mouth throat, stomach, anus and vagina....'
'From the same person?' interrupted Saeed
'Young man, I do not know what things are like in London. However, here, in what you would call the sticks it takes a little longer for things to happen. Let's face it, it was not regarded as a suspicious death and the body was found on a Sunday! Therefore, not exactly a scenario for which all the stops would be pulled out, not least ruining my Sunday lunch! Are you aware that the stagecoaches only stopped running here last week?' came another disdainful response. 'Oh and by the way, here it is considered bad manners to interrupt people!'
'I apologise. But what about time of death?' a slightly flustered Saeed came back.
'I was beginning to despair of you ever getting to that point' another sarcastic reaction laced with caustic. 'I'm going to go for between 1 and 3am on Saturday morning. Now if you will forgive me gentlemen I now have other work to do. Good day' He stood up and waited for them to leave.
Outside in the car park Saeed turned to Cushion,
'Thanks for warning me'
'If you are going to work here then it helps that you get to know what it is like. It isn't London. Anyway if it's any consolation Snelling's like that with everybody. Always sarcastic but he's good at his job.'
'Ok, Ok. Look he reckons that the floater died between 1 and 3 on Saturday morning. So the body was probably in the water for over 24 hours. So the questions are. Who is she? Where did she fall into the sea? Was she pushed? Is she a suicide? Have you got an office?'. Ahmed just slipped into investigatory mode so easily, despite the fact that he was in strange territory.
'Don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know. Yes, a cubby hole'
Saeed let the others attempt at sarcasm ride, 'Then let's get over there and start asking some questions'
'Hey, we can't just take this over, it's nothing to do with us, well not me, I don't know about you. There are channels we've got to go through and who are you? All I know is that word came that Strumpshaw wanted me to take you to the mortuary to ask about the body. I've done that. So as far as I'm concerned that's my lot unless someone tells me otherwise'
'God' thought an exasperated Ahmed, 'I've got a goddam jobsworth as a chaperone!'
'Fine. Have you got a mobile? '
'Yes' from Cushion.
'Give it to me'
'What is with you lot? Don't you ever say please?'
'Please will you let me use your mobile?' a response laced with annoyed sarcasm.
Cushion got the brick from the car and handed it to Saeed. After getting the headquarters number from the Norfolk man he rang it and asked to be punched through to Strumpshaw. After a brief exchange with the former he was asked to put Cushion onto the phone.
The Asian witnessed the Norfolk's man's expression go from hope to extreme disappointment with each, 'yes sir', 'of course sir'. 'I'll do my best sir' that he uttered. Finally he handed the phone back to Saeed with a distinct lack of grace. Strumpshaw had obviously asked to speak with him.
'Saeed, I know that the situation is not ideal. However, I spoke to Snelling this morning and he thought that this might be a case for the new unit....'
'The pathologist thought that this may be a case for the new unit........ what the hell is going on here?' Ahmed thought to himself whilst Strumpshaw carried on. He nearly asked the question of the Chief Constable but decided that it was best to keep quiet.
'Sorry sir, I missed that last bit. These damn mobile things do tend to cut out'
'As I said Snelling said that it may be one for the new unit. Blunt does not start until tomorrow but I wanted to get a start on this one. Cushion will help you for the moment and he will do a lot of the legwork. You will be a lot more organised when Blunt starts tomorrow. However, do not say anything about Blunt to Cushion or about the new unit. Oh, by the way we have extended your stay at the hotel until the end of the week'
'Thank you sir' he rang off
'A lot more organised!' he thought to himself 'not difficult as they hadn't even reached the heights of being disorganised yet! He handed the phone back to Cushion.
'Cushion it appears we are going to be working together, for the moment at least. I don't know your first name, mines Ahmed'
He thrust out his hand. Cushion reciprocated and they shook hands.
'It's Steve....and I'm probably as excited by things as you are. What are you doing here anyway? '
'Good question Steve. I'm as much in the dark as you. How well does Snelling know Strumpshaw?'
'They are close friends and attend the same Lodge'
Once they got back to Headquarters and Cushion's cubby hole they started to hit the phones.
Saeed rang the Coastguard in Great Yarmouth. He explained about the body where it was found and the estimated time of death. He wanted to know whereabouts the body needed to have gone into the water to end up where it was yesterday morning. That would help them to decide whether it had come from a ship, whether she had walked into the sea at Winterton at high tide, whether she had walked into the sea somewhere else. Of course each question raised further questions. If she had walked into the sea herself, where were her clothes? If she had taken a dinghy or whatever, where was it and her clothes? If she had jumped off a ship they then had to find details of all the ships that had been in the rough area that the Coastguard guys might identify. The Coastguard said that they would do what they could but it wouldn't be easy and would take a fair bit of time. They bridled when Saeed attempted to push them.
After he had come off the phone Cushion told him using 'Great' in front of Yarmouth marked him as an outsider. No-one used the word 'great' with Yarmouth as the place was an acknowledged shit-hole. Lowestoft folk liked Yarmouth because it made their town look good.
Cushion had organised for photographs of the body to be taken. They were going to be Photoshopped to look more lifelike. Anglia Television and BBC Norfolk were going to run the pictures on the news bulletins starting that evening. The Norwich Evening News was going to run the pictures from tomorrow starting with its late morning first edition.
The number given out for any calls was one of the ones the force reserved for such situations.
Strumpshaw's secretary had called Saeed whilst they were arranging everything. She stated that the Chief wanted no mention of the experimental unit, at this moment, in time. The press release was to go out as a normal missing persons/identification brief. They had to avoid mentioning any kind of misdemeanour. It was to be kept anodyne.
'The CC wants to keep everything about the unit under wraps. Why? Is he being coerced into setting this unit up? Is he being landed with Blunt, and even me, so that he can take a fall?' Saeed wondered to himself. 'Shall I tell them to stuff the assignment and take my chances back home with what I know?'
'Well we've done everything we can for the moment' said Cushion 'It's now just a question of waiting for things to happen'
'Why wait?' queried Saeed
'Well, because there is nothing that we can do until we get some information' answered Cushion.
'That's a load of bollocks Steve. There's lots we can do. She had semen in every orifice. We can go around all the brothels you know and kick ass and ask if anyone recognises or knew her. Up here you are riddled with illegal immigrants, with people trafficking. We can go around all the agricultural sites asking whether anyone has seen or known her. Given the semen she may have been used as a sexual reward. That's what we can do Steve as opposed to sitting on our jacksies'
'What's a jacksie?' enquired Cushion.
'Arse Steve, arse. So what do you say? Let's say you and I get out there and start kicking some scumbag ass'
'Jesus wept Ahmed do you know how many brothels there are. Have you any idea how big this county is and how many gang masters and illegal immigrant sites across the county there are. It would take you and I six months to get around those that we know about. Then, of course there's all those we don't know about. If we were to involve others from the force it would take all our manpower and budget to get around them all within a couple of weeks. Strumpshaw would not be a happy bunny'
'My god' thought Ahmed.' I've managed to get several sentences out of a Norfolk man, And I have got to admit he is right. So what chance has the new unit got to succeed?'.
'You've got a point' replied Saeed, 'but lets you and I get out there. It doesn't do any harm to let these towrags know that we are out and about.'
'Ok, said Cushion resignedly. 'We'll first of all go down to King Street where it meets Carrow Road near the old waterfront warehouses. The ladies will already be out there. We'll question them and then we'll go up into the Golden Triangle and roust a few out whilst they are still half awake. I don't know what it will achieve though'
'Steve, we will be doing something and we may find something out. By the way is it called the golden triangle because it's a red light area?'
'No, it's just the name of the area. It's a triangular shape with the tip at the city centre. Estate Agents were the main users of the term during the property madness of the eighties. Ever since then its stuck and has nothing to do with sex.'
'Ok you lead the way. By the time we get back something may have come in from the TV pics'.
Cushion parked on the hill just past the ? pub. The shadow cast by the old redundant riverside warehouses loomed menacingly over the road. Walking slowly and expectantly up and down the pavement were four rather scantily clad females. You could see that they looked hopefully at each car that went past.
'Is this the early shift?' asked Saeed.
Cushion nodded.
'Let's stay here for the moment and look to see if we can spot the pimp'
They waited for ten minutes. The only vehicle that they clocked was a taxi. Obviously a driver waiting for details of a pick-up from his base or deciding whether or not to indulge in some lunchtime extracurricular activities.
They drove slowly towards then first woman. Her eyes lit up with expectation when she saw the car coming to a halt beside her. However, it quickly dimmed when she realised that there were two men in the car,
Saeed wound the window down. She bent in towards the window exposing a good deal of cleavage as she did so.
'It's extra for two'
Saeed pulled out his warrant card. She immediately started to pull away. But the detective grabbed her before she could.
'Hey' she shouted.
The other girls had been watching and within seconds they had melted away from the street.
Saeed sat with the girl in the back seat. The interior of the car was enveloped with the sweet cloying odour of the girl's excessively administered cheap perfume. Her face was caked with make-up, her eyes over darkened and her lips had slightly too much scarlet lipstick that was smudged at the edges.
'I've done nothing wrong' the girl whimpered.
'Not looking to arrest you' said Saeed in a calm voice 'I just want to know whether you have ever seen this girl'. He showed her the picture of the floater.
'No' she immediately responded, 'what do you want her for?'
'None of your business' He looked at her face. Under all the crap she was just a kid.
'How old are you?'
Fear registered in the girl's eyes quickly replaced by wariness as she shuffled on the seat.
'What's it to do with you' a petulant report
'We can always take you down to the nick and charge you;
'I'm eighteen' she averted her gaze from the policeman as she whispered her age.
'I need proof'
'Leave her be' said Cushion 'We have other things to do'
'No, we are taking her to the nick. I think that she is under age'
'Please let me go' pleaded the girl and tried to get out of the car. Cushion, pressed the central locking button then took a pair of handcuffs from the glove compartment and threw them to his colleague.
Cushion slammed the car into gear and drove off screeching the car's tyres on the pavement. The girl meanwhile sobbed on the back seat.
They did not notice the taxi pull away shortly after they had left.