Chapter 18

Penrose checked the report on the screen for the fourth time just to confirm what he saw, then grabbed his coat. He headed out of the door, leaving just a terse note for his colleagues. Angela had requested a day's leave so would have to wait until the following day for his updates.

Built in the sixties, HM Prison Grendon served as an experimental psychiatric treatment facility before being recently expanded to house category B sex offenders. Gordon White had been remanded there several days previously and it was only when Penrose had been unable to contact him did he think to check the system to discover he'd been arrested for molesting an underage girl. The man had provided so much valuable information that he thought it his duty to determine exactly what had transpired.

After driving in circles for over an hour, he finally located the hard-to-find access road that led to the facility. He presented his identification at reception and requested permission from the duty officer to interview the prisoner.

Chalky looked haggard when finally escorted into the interview room. A prison guard remained in the room despite Penrose's request for privacy.

"What were you thinking, Chalky?"

"I didn't do nothing, Mister Penrose sir. I've been fitted up good and proper."

"There was a statement from the girl. Are you saying that she's lying?"

"Which girl?"

Despite the anonymity for victims of sexual assault, Jim had managed to get hold of a copy of the police report. Graphic photographs of the youngster showed severe bruising to the arms and neck while the doctor's report detailed vaginal bleeding where several fingers had been forced into her.

"Kate Townsend, five foot four, blonde, pretty. Ring any bells?"

"Oh her. I swear I never laid a finger on her."

"She claims that you did?"

"She was coming on to me. A right little slut she was."

"And you didn't touch her?"

"I'm on parole. Anything like that would just land me back inside."

"Quite," Penrose agreed.

"You've got to get me out of this place, Mister Penrose. Two of the inmates have already tried to beat me up. They hate nonces in here."

"Aren't you in solitary?"

"Yeah, but the trusties are in on it. They sometimes forget to lock the cell doors after lunch and the violent scumbags get kudos for messing up the kiddie fiddlers."

"What happened with the girl?"

"When she got friendly, I just legged it. I've never been one for touching."

"Why did she say otherwise, Chalky? Her description of her attacker fits you to a tee."

"I swear on my sweet mother's life, I never laid a hand on her."

"Your mother's dead."

"Well if she was still alive, I'd swear on her life."

Penrose shook his head, sad to have lost such a valuable asset.

"I was about to call you, the day I was arrested. I found something else out about that other thing we were talking about, the kidnapping ring."

Jim's interest returned.

"Go on."

"I'll tell you but you've got to help me out, Mister Penrose. If I stay in here, I'm scared I won't be coming out again."

Chalky was clearly frightened for his life.

"Tell me what you found out."

"I spoke to an old friend of mine. He collects pictures, if you know what I mean. Pictures you wouldn't want to be found with."

Penrose knew that he referred to child pornography but didn't press for details, knowing the man probably wouldn't incriminate his friend.

"He'd gone up to Swindon to meet a man in a pub. He was selling dodgy DVDs. Good stuff he claimed."

"Okay."

"They were a bit pricey though, three hundred quid a copy."

"What has this got to do with what we were talking about?"

"This bloke said that he had a massive supply of the stuff, all home-grown. He said they were taken in a place that took young girls and made them more tractable, if you know what I mean."

"Tractable?"

"That was the word he used, apparently. He said they then sold them all over the world to rich businessmen. The videos were all taken during their training. Pete said that the one he bought was really hot. It was an Indian girl, or maybe a Paki. She was all tied up and being whipped by this bearded guy in one scene. In another, these two guys were going at her and she was lapping it up. He even thought that the guy selling the stuff was one of the men on the video."

"Did he get a name?"

"He said his name was Henry but it might have been a fake."

"I need to speak to your friend, Chalky."

"That's just the thing. The day after I spoke to him, he was knocked down, crossing the road. Dead as Dodo he is."

"Convenient."

"I'll give you his name. You can check it out. Pete Marsh of Wickham Terrace. You'll have him on file."

The door suddenly flew open and a tall suited man stormed into the room.

"May I see some identification please," the man demanded.

Penrose produced his warrant card. "Who are you?"

"I'm Simon Hobbs, prison governor. What is your interest in this man? I have strict instructions to keep him in isolation."

"Chalky ... Mister White has information pertaining to a case that I'm currently working on."

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. Only defence council is currently allowed access to him and even then only under strict supervision."

"But I need to speak to him," Penrose protested. "This is a matter of the strictest importance."

"I have an exemption under Section twenty three of the Mental Health Act. Get a warrant from High Court judge and submit it to the review panel and you may be lucky enough to get some time with him before the trial."

"How long will that take?"

"One to two months with our current workload."

"We have a young girl who may be desperate trouble. If we don't..."

"I don't make the rules, I just implement them. Mister White is a risk to himself and other inmates. He's already tried to harm himself twice."

"I didn't," White interrupted.

"This interview is over. Take Mister White back to his cell and escort Detective Penrose to his car. You're lucky I'm in a generous mood or I'd be tempted to report this transgression of protocol to your superiors."

As Chalky was led protesting from the room, Penrose made one last bid to glean further information.

"May I ask who signed the gagging order?"

"No you may not."

"What department do I need to contact to challenge the order?"

The governor paused and looked at his notes. "Whitehall."

"Thank you," Penrose declared. He expected Hunnicutt had many contacts within government and would doubtless be able to pull any number of strings to impede the investigation.

On the journey home, he decided to call in on Angela to let her know what he'd discovered. He parked outside her apartment and waited several minutes for the door to open after he rang the bell.

Angela was dressed in silk dressing gown and Jim formed the opinion that he'd interrupted her ablutions.

"Sorry to interrupt but I've got some great news," he told her excitedly.