Three hours later and DCI John Morgan was back at his desk waiting for the call from Demetri. The young Detective was chomping at the bit. He kept asking when he could go and make the arrest. Morgan knew he couldn’t put him off much longer. Eventually, his phone rang. It was Demetri.
“Have you got him?”
“Not yet Mister John. He wasn’t at the hotel as you said he would be. He had been there but left yesterday.”
“Fuck, I thought…
Demetri interrupted him.
“Mister John, your information was good. We were just a bit late that’s all. But we have good news. A member of our family has a niece that works at the hotel as a cleaner. Mister Jackson left a number of items behind. I now have everything from that room.”
“Okay, what now?”
“There was a receipt in the waste bin. It was for a SIM card and credit for a mobile phone. The phone number is also on the receipt. How quickly can you trace the whereabouts of a mobile phone?”
“As long as the phone is switched on it will be searching for connections locally all the time. I can pinpoint it to within fifty metres in minutes.”
“Good Mister John. Do it for me now please. I will wait.”
He gave him the number. D.I. Morgan entered the information into his computer and waited while it did its search.
“Demetri, the number is live. But the phone is not switched on. As soon as it is I can have the location for you.”
“Thank you Mister John. I need this information as soon as possible. Please remember that.”
He hung up. Morgan called in the Detective.
“Okay, it’s on. Go pick him up.”
The Detectives face beamed. This would be an important arrest and maybe even earn him a promotion.
“I’m on my way sir.”
Of course John Morgan knew that it would be a waste of time and no trace would be found of Robbie Jackson. But it would give him time to help Demetri.
————————————————————————————————————————————-
Robbie Jackson woke at seven, as he always did. Showered and then went for breakfast in the hotel lounge. He smiled. Yesterday had been a good day. He’d gained another few hundred quid. Spent a night in a good hotel, and met Carol and her friends.
The evening had gone according to plan. He’d played the reluctant guest very well. They’d swallowed his story, hook, line and sinker. At first, he pretended not to want to talk about his past, saying that it was all very boring and that he was more interested in hearing about them. But he knew they’d keep pressing him on it and the story he told was very believable.
He’d been living and working in Spain for the past ten years. He owned a number of bars along the southern coast, but due to the recession had decided to sell up. A buyer had come along quicker than he’d anticipated and the sale had been completed within a few weeks. His possessions were in storage over in Spain and he’d come back to the UK to settle down. He had no family. He was an only child and both his parents had passed away. They ended up feeling sorry for him. One of the women, called Alice, worked at a local estate agents and promised to get him details on properties to rent in the area.
They all left at ten o’clock, apart from Carol. She stayed behind to have a nightcap with him. She was divorced and had a young son. She had a three-bedroom house about three miles from the Hotel and worked as a HR manager for a local shipping company. They swapped phone numbers and at the end of the evening while she waited for a cab to take her home, they’d kissed. He’d promised to call her today and arrange to meet up again. Carol could become very useful indeed. He left it until four o’clock, then switched on his phone and called her.
“Hi, Carol?”
He could imagine her being excited that he’d called.
“I was wondering if you’d call. I enjoyed last night. You?”
“I had a really great time. I was wondering if we could do it again sometime?”
He waited, already knowing the answer.
“Sure. That would be nice. Shall I come to the Hotel tonight?”
He played his trump card hoping for the right answer.
“I’d love to but there’s a bit of a problem here. I was hoping to book a few more nights but it seems they’re fully booked. So for the rest of the day I’m gonna have to try and find a place to stay for the next couple of days. They’ve suggested another Hotel of the same standard but it’s thirty miles up the road. Might be best if we wait until I get everything sorted out my end. Such a shame as I REALLY enjoyed your company.”
He emphasised the word “Really”. There was a slight pause before she spoke. He wondered if he’d played it wrong. But he hadn’t.
“Look, how do you feel about this? Come to me tonight and I’ll cook us something nice. I’ve got a big house with a spare room so you can stay with me for a couple of days until you get yourself sorted out.”
Bingo! Exactly what he wanted. But he still had to play it cool.
“But what about your son? Won’t that be a bit awkward?”
She answered quickly.
“Easy. My mum and dad live just a mile away. I’ll take him there this afternoon and he can stay with them for a couple of days. They’ll be thrilled to have him. I’ll tell them I’ve got one of my mates staying and we need a bit of time for a catch-up. Deal?”
He waited a few seconds before answering.
“Okay. Thank you so much. How can I possibly make it up to you?”
She laughed.
“I’m sure we can think of something!”
She gave him an address, still giggling as she put the phone down. His plan had worked. He’d spend two nights with Carol then move on.
He took the Sim Card from his phone and threw it in the bin. He’d get another one from Reigate town centre later. He packed up his few belongings, stuffed them in the Louis Vuitton bag and left the room. He threw his keys on the reception desk and headed towards the town centre.
Eastend butchers Weekend Cuts 