Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) - Lynda La Plante Page 0,11

paper in the hearth at Rose Cottage was old money, we’re looking at somewhere between £1 million and £1.8 million. It depends on how much was in £5 notes and how much was in £10 notes. Forensics haven’t found any intact serial numbers – and they say they won’t, by the way – so we can’t date the money more accurately than pre-May 2017. I’ve got a list of robberies longer than me arm, with hauls big enough to be the Rose Cottage money—’

Prescott jumped to his feet, slamming his palms down on his desk.

‘Norma Walker was interviewed about an armed robbery . . .’ Prescott’s eyes flicked around the room as he tried to find the memory he needed. Gerrard searched his notes whenever Prescott added more information into the search filter. ‘Early nineties. Maybe mid nineties. And Bill . . . Bill . . .’ Prescott clicked his fingers repeatedly at Gerrard.

‘I was born in ’92, sir.’

Prescott ignored Gerrard and turned to Miriam. She was only one year off retirement. She would be more helpful.

‘Bill . . . Mounted officer, must have worked with Norma . . . Proper gobby—’

‘Thorn!’ Miriam yelled in an excited outburst.

‘Bill bloody Thorn!’ Prescott slumped back down, exhausted. ‘In ’95, the Aylesbury mail train was robbed by a gang of five or six blokes, not half a mile from Rose Cottage. Twenty-seven million pounds they got away with. Bill Thorn was in the Thames Valley search team that partnered up with the Transport Police. They reckoned it was outsiders – no local names had it in ’em to pull something that big. The roads were closed within minutes and hundreds of officers searched the entire area. Found nothing.’

Prescott put his elbows on the desk, wrapped his right fist in his left hand and leant his chin on his clenched fingers.

‘If “Sheila” and the Rose Cottage cash are connected to a £27 million train robbery from 1995, it’ll be an open Flying Squad case, I reckon.’ He pointed at Gerrard. ‘You – dig up everything you can on the ’95 train robbery. And you ‒’ he turned to Miriam ‒ ‘dig up Bill Thorn.’

CHAPTER 3

By the time the two-car convoy had reached Watford, Anik was feeling sick. He sat with his head leaning back against the headrest, his eyes closed, and his fingers clenched together on top of the file on his lap. The handwritten words on the front of the file read ‘Rose Cottage, Aylesbury’.

‘I can’t read in cars, Laura. I’m sorry, I just can’t. From what I can gather though, the worst-case scenario is that the body’s a sex offender, burnt to death in an abandoned cottage. And the best-case scenario is that the body’s connected to a 24-year-old train robbery.’

‘You’re defining “best” and “worst” by how exciting you think the investigation is going to be, are you?’

‘Yes I am,’ Anik replied defiantly, opening his eyes and lifting his head. ‘It’s better than arresting a 70-year-old man with a bag of wee strapped to his leg, anyhow.’

Then he gagged a little as Laura changed lanes too quickly. She pulled into Sainsbury’s petrol station, so they could swap places.

Ridley glanced in his rear-view mirror and watched Laura pull off the M1. At the same time, Jack’s mobile pinged. Message from Laura:

Anik needs to puke. L x.

‘Toilet break,’ Jack lied to Ridley. ‘Laura knows where she’s going, so they’ll catch us up.’

Jack continued to flick through the file on his knee.

‘We’ve got statements from hundreds of people from back in ’95. DI Prescott’s highlighted the ones we need to focus on.’ He read out loud in bullet points for speed: ‘Former mounted officer Norma Walker – last rental occupant of Rose Cottage. Dorothy Rawlins also known as Dolly – last owner of nearby manor house, The Grange. She and five other occupants all interviewed. John Maynard – builder working at The Grange in ’95. James Douglas – railway signalman on duty on the night of the train robbery.’

Ridley allowed Jack to finish his list before speaking.

‘Check Dolly Rawlins.’

Jack logged into the HOLMES app. A moment later, he glanced at Ridley in astonishment. Ridley was looking smug.

‘Dolly Rawlins,’ Jack read out loud. ‘Convicted of the murder of her husband, Harold Rawlins, also known as Harry. Shot to death on 27 August 1995 by Ester Freeman. She sounds like she could have known an armed robber or two.’

‘Who was in charge of the investigation back then?’ Ridley asked.

‘Newman. Deceased. But we’ve got access to a retired mounted officer called Bill Thorn. He knew Norma Walker personally