“How’s the lab getting on with the exhibits you had rushed up there, Stevie?” he asked wearily.
Bull consulted his notes. “I spoke to the FSS just before we sat down, boss,” he said. “They’ve done the presumptive testing on the drugs from the squat. The white powder is definitely cocaine. There is also some herbal cannabis and a small amount of a prescription drug called Viagra.”
Dillon chortled. “I think Charlie Dobson’s already tested the Viagra out for us. It worked a little too well for his liking, mind you,” he said, recalling the man’s acute discomfort as he’d waited for the paramedic to come and examine his engorged manhood.
“The lab has also found several prints on the drug’s outer packaging,” Bull continued. “There are definite matches for Dobson, Higgins, and Lola.”
“Good,” Jack said, writing this all down.
“As for the firearms we seized from the lockup safe, they’ve found fingerprints matching Dobson and Roach on the two converted guns. Under UV light, they can make out some latent prints on one of the boxes of ammo and on at least two of the three unopened Brocock boxes, but it’ll require Ninhydrin treatment to bring them out. You know the score as well as I do,” he said, shrugging his shoulders resignedly, “it’ll take a day or two before we see any results. I did broach the subject of them fast-tracking the process by using an oven, but they were unhappy about doing that in case it compromised the quality of the evidence.”
“Fair enough,” Jack grunted. He hadn’t expected anything else, but it had been worth trying. “I suppose they said the same about the ledger?”
Bull nodded. “Yep, afraid so.”
Carol returned. “Have I missed anything important?” she asked.
Jack shook his head. “Steve was just telling us where the lab was in regard to the priority submissions that we sent up earlier.”
“Oh, is that all?” Carol asked, waving her hand dismissively as if it were old news. “I already know about all that stuff.”
“In that case, we’ll carry on,” Jack said.
“Carry on Matron, you mean,” Dillon said, and did another rendition of his Sid James laugh.
“Oooh Sid,” Carol responded, and everyone except Tyler laughed.
Jack stroked his stubbled chin thoughtfully as he flicked through his notes, finding the sensation strangely soothing. “It seems to me,” he said, when they had quietened down, “that we have enough evidence to charge the four skinheads with possessing two firearms and a quantity of .22 calibre ammunition without a licence. We can also charge Dobson, Higgins, and Lola with possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply. I take it she didn’t say anything when interviewed?”
Carol shook her head. “Not a dicky bird, and Susie said she’s a nasty piece of work.”
Tyler arched an antagonistic eyebrow. “Is that right? In that case, on the strength of the statements from the two working girls, I’m minded to add on an additional charge of running a brothel for Lola as well as the drugs,” Jack said. “Does anyone disagree?”
No one did.
“Okay then,” Jack said, tossing his pen onto his desk and leaning back in his chair, “Tell Susie to start the necessary paperwork for the prisoners to be charged with the offences we’ve discussed. Obviously, I’ll expect them to be remanded in custody.”
“Obviously,” Carol echoed.
“Carol, can I ask a favour of you?”
“Of course,” she said, with an indulgent smile.
“Before Susie informs the skinhead’s solicitors that they’re going to be charged, can you speak directly to someone senior at the CPS and see how they would feel about us also charging Dobson and his three buddies with offences relating to the manufacture and distribution of firearms and ammunition without a licence. Ultimately, these bastards are arms dealers so let’s see if we can sheet them for that as well. I did plan to do this myself, but I don’t think I’m going to have the time.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” Carol informed him. “I took the liberty of contacting the CPS earlier to discuss the possibility of going down that route. The lawyer seemed very receptive but he wanted to wait until the lab had confirmed that they were real guns before making a decision.”
Jack was suitably impressed. “Excellent. In that case, can you get back onto him and seek a formal charging decision as quickly as possible.”
“Do you want me to do it now or wait until we finish here?”
“I think it can wait ten minutes more while we thrash out the plans for this evening,” Tyler said. “And can you inform Susie that she can keep three people to do the charging and put the case file together, but I want everyone else back here ASAP. We’re going to need every available person for tonight.”
“I’ll let her know before I call the CPS back,” Carol promised.
“Thank you,” Jack said, making a mental note to phone Holland as soon as the meeting concluded. Charging the bastards who’d sold the guns to PC Morrison’s killers might not bring their dead colleague back, but it would hopefully offer some degree of comfort to his grieving family, and by taking two weapons and a load of ammunition out of circulation, they might have prevented other innocent families from having to go through the same torturous experience at some point in the future.
Smothering a yawn, Tyler wearily turned to Wilkins. “Tom, can you talk everyone through the call you received earlier, please.”
Wilkins cleared his throat. “Yes, the call came in at six-thirty-three. We’ve traced the number to a phone box in Barking Road. It’s not covered by CCTV, which is a pity. The caller was a youngish sounding female with a London accent. She refused to give her details, but she provided some very important information.”
“Which is…?” Tyler prompted impatiently.
Wilkins shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsettled by Tyler’s relentless intensity. “She used to go to the same primary school as a boy called Rodney Dawlish,” he said hurriedly. “Apparently, their brothers were best buds. She hasn’t seen him for years,
