Closure

CHAPTER 1

A soggy wet field 2008

The watery sun poked through clouds hanging over a large field on Faringfield Green Lancashire. The field which was normally the quiet home for several ponies was a hive of forensic activity and now a designated crime scene. A handful of locals looked on as men and women in white overalls scurried back and forth flanked by uniformed police officers.

DCI Mark Henderson watched the site forlornly; it had been a bad couple of weeks for police officers. A woman from the forensic team walked up to him purposefully.

"Well, what do we know?" Henderson asked the women directly.

She took a deep breath "Definitely a police officer, one gunshot to the head, aged between late teens to early 20s"

"How long has he been there?" Henderson nodded towards the tent covering the grave.

"The remains, due to the nature of the soil, have been very well preserved so it is difficult to say. But, I would say at least 30 years if not a great deal more. I will know more once we've done more tests."

"Anything to identify him?" He said flatly

"No" she shook her head

"Thank you Sarah. Poor sod" Henderson uttered sadly. DCI Henderson had seen this site too many times in his career but this was the first time it had been a fellow officer. He had hoped that his last case would be straight forward and he could retire on a good note... It wasn't going to be. He watched as his young enthusiastic DC bounded towards him. He had been that person once. Proud to put on that uniform for the first time... Over excited when he worked on his first murder case... eager to please. Not now, he felt tired and drained.

"Sir! I've been speaking to the locals" DC Adams said eagerly "The farm house hasn't been lived in since anyone can remember. It's been derelict for generations"

"Who owns the land then?"

"Mr Davidson just rents the land from some bloke in London... a Mr" he flipped through his note book "Hamid and he's only been a tenant for 6 years"

Henderson sighed "Ok, well there's not much we can do until we get the forensics on the chap, so let's start with Mr Hamid."

Evan White paused and took a deep breath before ringing the door bell. He felt exhausted and ill. He hadn't slept properly for days and only ate out of sheer necessity. He felt like a numb, walking shell, but he knew he had to summon up every ounce of energy to be strong... strong for Molly.

Peter Drake opened the door "Thanks for coming Evan, I really appreciate it" he said softly.

"It's no problem Peter, anything I can do to help. How is she?"

Peter glanced over his shoulder "She's not good. She" Peter struggled to find the words "She crying one minute and starring into space the next. I can't get her to eat and she won't talk to me. It doesn't help it being on every news report. We've had to turn the TV off"

Evan could sense the desperation in Peter's voice. He could remember all too well what it was like to try to deal with a bereft child, grieving for her mother.

"Come in" Peter motioned and Evan nodded and followed

"Molly, Evans here" Peter gently spoke to Molly

"Evan!" Molly cried and flung herself at him. Peter stared in semi shock as Molly came to life at the site of her godfather.

"I've missed you titch" Evan hugged her back.

Peter's wife Judy appeared in the doorway "Hello Evan, would you like some tea?"

"Yes please, that would be nice"

All parties could feel the strained atmosphere, they had never really seen eye to eye. Alex and Evan in one camp and Peter and Judy in the other, with Molly stuck in the middle. Evan had feared with Alex gone Molly would be cut out of his life but, such was the bond between them Peter had realised he needed Evan's help.

Peter mouthed to Evan "I'll leave you to it"

"Sit here with me Molly" Evan guided her to the sofa, "So, erm how are you, how are you getting on?" Evan tentatively enquired.

Molly shrugged "Ok...I spose" she looked down at her fingers.

"You're not though... are you?" he said so quietly he could barely be heard.

Molly looked up at him with an awful pained expression as the tears started to flow again.

Evan moved to envelope her in his arms "Shhhh, its ok, its ok. Everything's going to be ok."

"It's not fair! It's not fair" Molly cried "I want my mummy back"

"Shhhh so do I"

DCI Mark Henderson sat alone at his desk in CID contemplating the day's events. He had started the enquiry with the land owner Mr Hamid but, it turned out that he had inherited it and didn't know much about the farm's history. There was something about this case that had gotten to him and he couldn't put his finger on it. He rather enjoyed the dark quiet of CID at this time of night, where he could do his best thinking. But, tonight his mind was a jumble. Normally he was clear thinking and the answers, with some hard thought, would fall into place. He sighed and reached for the scotch bottle hidden in filing cabinet, hoping it would give him inspiration. Drinking in the office was not permitted in this day and age, but he was due to retire soon so what would they do? Sack him? He poured himself a measure but then decided to make it a large one.

He reasoned that he was rattled by this case because of an experience that had never left him. A young PC, who he was supposed to be mentoring, was shot and killed in action. "He should never have taken that bullet". He thought to himself. Henderson should have been on duty that day, not the young, wet behind the ears PC. Henderson had phoned in sick with flu that day although, in truth, he was in bed with the mother of all hangovers having been on his brothers stag do. Instead the young lad had taken his place answering a call to an armed robbery which went badly wrong. A really nice, pleasant lad, with not a lot going on upstairs, but a good sort nonetheless. Henderson remembered the heartbreak of his mother as he had told her that her only son was not coming home. The guilt had stayed with Mark Henderson his entire career

Henderson brushed the memory out of his head and turned his thoughts back to the derelict farm house. He thought it odd that none of locals remembered it being inhabited. When they had finally gained entry to the building there was an audible gasp as they stepped into a time capsule. Henderson noted that everything in the place had been left just as it was, like the Marie Celeste. The kitchen had been decorated with Union Jacks; there had been beer bottles left half drunk. "Had it been a party that had turned into an argument" Henderson thought to himself "But where does the young PC fit in?" The place looked like it was stuck in the 50s... then it struck him "Coronation day!" he announced in his head.

Henderson was aged 10 when it was the Coronation. He remembered his parents putting up bunting throughout their small terraced house. The neighbours had a street party and they all piled down to Jones's to watch it as they were the only ones in the street to have a telly.

Henderson snatched up his phone and dialled. "Adams?" He barked

"Yes Sir?" DC Adams replied rather surprised

"Where the hell are you?"

"In the pub Sir"

"In the pub? What the bloody hell are you doing in the pub? We have a murder to solve. You're a Police officer now not a bloody student." He yelled

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir"

"I want you in this office at the crack of dawn tomorrow"

"Sir" A rather confused Adams replied

"Our dead bobby, I think he died in the 50s. Tomorrow I want you go through all the missing person files for that decade and also the officer files to see if any officer has been recorded as missing"

"Yes Sir, I'll get onto it in the morning... Night Sir"