On that last one? That would have been close. We arrived twenty minutes ago. Reckon they were disturbed before they went on to do the second floor. If you’d got the earlier train you might have come face to face.’ He stepped up to the front door and let me go in first. ‘Count yourself lucky, you’ve had a very narrow escape.’
I didn’t feel lucky as I pushed open the door and surveyed the damage.
The place had been trashed.
Officer Wheatley told me it looked like the kitchen had been left until last. The window at the back was still open and a cold draught coursed through the flat. I made to go and close it but a female officer who had come in from the lounge urged me to leave it alone. She’d close it herself as she had rubber gloves on and there might be evidence on the handle.
Some of the drawers from my old Welsh dresser were smashed on the floor, their contents spread over the lino. A bottle of red wine had been knocked from a shelf and had shattered on the kitchen worktop. It was still dripping over my white shiny cupboards, fanning out into a bloody red pool on the floor.
I rubbed my chin and blew out loudly. The female officer took it as a sign of distress. ‘Yes, nasty feeling isn’t it? Feels like a violation. But we’ve made sure the place is secure. They’ve scarpered, but I’m afraid there’s worse to come. Let’s secure that window for you. Would you mind walking Officer Wheatley through your home and let him know what’s missing please?’
I followed Officer Wheatley to the bedroom. It was a bit of a shock. My sheets had been ripped to shreds. ‘What’s that all about?’ I asked him.
‘Dunno. Don’t take it personally. It’s probably drugs.’
I didn’t think much had been taken, apart from my jewellery box. That, apparently, was par for the course. I didn’t have much of worth in there anyway. The scumbags been through my wardrobe and scattered a lot of my clothes across the room, the hallway and the living room. And the latter was the room they’d saved for their best work.
The TV had been hurled across the glass top table. It hadn’t smashed but it had been cracked and would have to be got rid of. The innards of my lovely comfy sofa frothed over the carpet. Even the cushions had been slashed open. In the far corner someone had prised apart the filing cabinet. The policeman told me that the scratches on the side indicated a wrench had probably been used.
‘Don’t suppose you have something like that in the
flat?’
‘Don’t think so. There may be some tools in the loft.’
My eye glanced over the scattered papers of my research. That would take a while to sort. On the map over the mantelpiece someone had written ‘Desist’ in red scrawls. What the hell was that? A warning or an order? I pointed to it. ‘Desist?’
The policeman was saying something but I was still reeling. I made an effort to tune in. ‘Wasn’t sure if that was yours. You didn’t write it then?’
I shook my head.
‘Can I ask what line of work you’re in, Ms Asquith?’
When I told him I was a journalist his demeanour changed. ‘And what are you looking into at the moment?’
I spoke slowly, trying to process the logic of it all. ‘I’m exploring the witch hunts of the seventeenth century …’
‘Nothing current that might have got someone’s back up?’
‘Not really.’
‘Nothing anyone might want you to stop investigating? Or “desist” as it says?’
‘No. I can’t think of anything.’
Constable Wheatley nodded and looked up. ‘Well, that’ll be kids then. It’s probably the name of a computer game or a film or such … I wouldn’t give it much thought.’
I nodded at him, trying to look very much like I believed him, but there was a nugget of intense unease growing in my stomach. ‘Desist.’ That was an old-fashioned word. Why would kids spray that? Why not some sweary insult? But maybe Wheatley was right – it could be slang or some youth culture reference I had no idea about.
‘There’s obviously criminal damage here,’ he was saying, gesturing to the telly and the table. ‘There shouldn’t be a problem sorting that out with your insurance. We’ll brush it for prints and then you can chuck it. Do you know what’s missing from the rest of the room?’
I did a quick inventory and realised there wasn’t much