The Cop Killer

THE COP KILLER

Author

Harry Nankin

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The Author, a retired police officer draws on thirty years police experience and later working with legal practices to produce this exciting and very popular whodunit mystery novel.

 Two uniformed police patrol officers are found dead in their patrol car. There are no marks or signs of violence. Post mortem, examinations confirm their deaths are from natural causes. Individually The matters are closed. Over a period of months, there are further similar deaths in similar circumstances. The officers serving in different forces are seemingly unknown to each other.

The local area Government Inspector of Constabulary hears of the deaths during his annual inspections. He becomes suspicious and informs the Home Secretary

 Due to the circumstances in the current climate of financial cuts, no official enquiry can be set into motion. It is decided to instruct Jack the Hat Richards a retired and experienced detective from New Scotland Yard to investigate the circumstances and report his findings at the annual conference of the country’s top police officers.

Richards is of the old type of detective, he is a quiet man very methodical, some have said he is boring. In reality unlike modern policing he has great attention to detail as he sifts the clues and evidence, but more. He possesses that now long lost skill of investigators to look into the minds of his suspects and never misses a clue or a trick of his target.  

He agrees to return to duty, but this does not go down well with the local police. Jack is refused access to the police station and to an experienced detective to assist him. He is instructed to work from the local police museum with the assistance of an inexperienced policewoman Inspector. She is fresh from university and is the subject of ridicule by her senior officers and subordinates

The two set to work to investigate, painstakingly looking into each of the cases. Jack calls on his old forensic and pathology contacts to assist him.

All this skill and patience finally brings remarkable and surprising results.  

I invite you to sit back and join Jack the Hat to resolve the never before known cases of The Cop Killer.

The events, places and characters in this book are fictitious and it is not intended the story should bear any resemblance to reality in the police service or any incident or of any person living or dead. If so, this is coincidental. Thank you for reading.

PART ONE

TWO DEAD COPS

Looking at his watch it was just after 9am on this very pleasant Friday morning, “Blast” he thought, “I am late again; I hope no one has nicked my spot. It will be a mammoth job to find another so lucrative, what a start to the day, still, it was Friday the 13th”.

Ted Salmon looked into his rear view mirror. There was no sign of any cops, so he pressed down his right foot and old Bessie moved on with a rapid response, though the caravan was swaying a little. He had second thoughts “better be safe than sorry, tipping the bloody old girl over was the last thing he wanted, oh well nearly there, “oh shit” he thought as he rounded the bend.

He saw the lay-by directly in front of him, the very location for truckers to stop for a mid morning drink, having probably missed their early breakfasts. “Still”, he thought, “I should make up for it at lunch time. Ted Salmon and his fishy fries and steak pies were now well known”.

“On Christ, what now?”

As he pulled onto the lay-by, there in front of him was a bloody cop car, at best it would be free bacon sandwiches and coffee, still it was better than being moved on, “if only he had bought that bloody licence”, he thought.

He stopped and only then realised with his mind wandering that he had not heard the blasting of the police car siren, nor, the blue flashing lights. A bit odd he thought, still, not unknown the cops often waited for wide loads in this lay-by due to its length and width.

He parked up, left his car and jumped out, unsteadily, since he had put on the last stone in weight. He opened up the food caravan, “Jesus that siren is loud”.

“Ah, just in time here comes a “Chester Trucks” known as the slow coach lorry, 40 miles per hour no matter the weather the journey or anything between”.

The driver, Eric Rawlings was soon approaching, a tall thin man, “one would never guess he was a trucker living on roadside food”, thought Ted, still business was business.

Christ the items were not even on, never mind cooked, “ah” he thought, “Last night’s leftovers, they will soon warm up in the microwave”.

“Hi Ted,” said the driver, “what the fuck is all the noise from the cop car?”

“I have no idea it was like that when I arrived ten minutes ago, you can always go and ask the bastards to turn it off”.

“Not likely Ted, I know what I would like to tell or do for them”.

“Now, now, here is your usual a sausage sarney with brown sauce and a mug of coffee”.

“Thanks Ted”.

“Come to think of it Eric, it is strange, the only way is to go and offer them something for nothing, it usually works with the cops”.

Eric laughed though couldn’t speak as his mouth was full of bread and sausage and the brown sauce was already dripping from his chin onto his now just as brown shirt collar.

“Shit”, said Ted “I will go and see what these cops are playing at; it will be worth a couple of freebees to get some peace and quiet”. 

“Not forgetting the longer they are here the more likely drivers especially dodgy foreign drivers were likely to drive on by”.

He stopped at the front passenger’s door of the immaculate white police car and it’s mass of red and yellow stripes.  He could see cops inside they were looking straight ahead, he tapped on the window there was no response, and so he banged harder, still nothing.

The noise was so loud no wonder; he took a deep breath, opened the front passenger door and tapped the seated officer on the shoulder. Once touched he slumped forward falling onto the dashboard. As his head hit the dashboard, his face turned to the left and Ted could see the fixed glaze in both eyes.  He looked up and across at the driver who was strapped in.  There was no need to touch him; the fixed glazed eyes and open mouth said it all.

Neither looking nor investigating any further he left, slamming the door shut as he ran back with all haste.

“What the fuck is the matter?” said Eric.

“They are both dead”.

“Who is dead, Ted?”

“The two fucking cops in the car. They are both as dead as door nails”.

“Jesus I am out of here, I don’t want any bother with this shit, any time soon this place will be crawling with cops, in two shakes of a ducks arse the law will be everywhere”.

With that Eric turned and ran, scrambling at top speed into his lorry and was away.

This caused Ted to think as he was now desperately attempting to get his mobile phone out of his ever increasingly tight pocket.

“That bastard Eric, he was soon off, the forty miles per hour limit didn’t seem to matter now and the shit bag didn’t even pay for his sarney and coffee.

He finally managed to press the nine buttons two or three times, he could not recall which, there was no need to bother for a voice instantly said.

“Emergency, which service please, police, fire, ambulance?”

“Police and ambulance”, blurted out Ted.

       In the next instant another female voice but much deeper, came on the line.

“Police, is this life and death”? Said the police operator.

“Death”, it is death, your death,” shouted Ted.

“I beg your pardon you do appreciate who you are speaking to” Said the woman on the other end of the call and obviously agitated

Then demanded, “Give me your name?”

“”My name is Ted Salmon I am on the lay-by on the A41 at Broxton, there are two dead cops in a patrol car can’t you hear the bloody siren?”

Momentarily there was silence, then, a male voice came on

“This is Inspector Shannon, please repeat your message?”

Ted ever more trembling replied “I am parked with my meals van on the A41 in the large lay-by near Broxton there is a police patrol car parked here the lights are all on and the siren is sounding; both the cops inside are dead”.

“Keep calm Ted help is on its way. Stay at the scene, do not touch anything".

“Don’t worry there is no chance of that”.

 “Chester control to Juliet X-ray 52 receiving over?"

“Juliet X-ray, receiving, go ahead. Over”.

“Juliet X-ray 52 code red, I repeat code red, A41 Broxton report of two officers found dead in patrol car, person reporting is Mr Ted Salmon, owner of a meals van, he is remaining at the scene. Ambulance is being called”.

“Juliet X-ray 52 to Chester control Red call received we are on our way, I seem to recall it was Bob Friday and Sid Upton covering that area”.

“Affirmative”, replied the control operator adding “I confirm there is no reply to calls to their vehicle, be sure to update immediately on arrival”.

“Will co”

“Ambulance emergency”.

“Ah yes, this is Inspector Shannon of the Cheshire Constabulary control room, we have a report that two of our officers are dead in a patrol car on the lay-by on the A41 road near Broxton. We have despatched a mobile would you please respond?” A code red, please.

“Hello, Sir I confirm a full response unit is being despatched as I speak”

The patrol car touching 90mph was only minutes before it reached the lay-by but it seemed an eternity to the two young officers Constables Joe Grimshaw and Alex Gilbert inside. 

Both officers were out of the vehicle and reaching inside the patrol car on the lay-by and soon confirmed it was Bob Friday and Sid Upton and although they had, no medical qualifications save for the basic first aid certificate, it was clear both their colleagues were dead.

A further siren was now clearly heard and a look confirmed the word Paramedic Response Unit, which also came to an abrupt halt.

Joe switched off the siren and lights on the police car leaving the paramedics to do their work.

Alex meanwhile was calling in that they had arrived and informed control there was no sign of this Ted Salmon or his meals van.

“Inspector Shannon here, forget Salmon, update us as soon as the paramedics report, did you see any immediate sign of violence?”

“Sir, from Constable Grimshaw no sign of anything untoward looks as if they both just fell asleep”.

“Excuse me officer”. Said Jim Edwards, one of the paramedics

“To be frank, if there had not been two of them and they were not fit and healthy cops, I would swear they both died of a heart attack, certainly no immediate signs of foul play.

We will take them to the hospital mortuary if you wish, as they haven’t officially been certificated dead, we can still take them and get the hospital doctor to certify”.

“Control from Constable Grimshaw, ambulance medics have confirmed it appears no foul play, it will have to be checked out of course, they are offering to remove the bodies for certification at the hospital.”

“Inspector Shannon here, yes, let the ambulance crew take the officers to hospital you remain at the scene to await a scenes of crime photographer, just in case. I will also arrange for the vehicle to be sheeted and removed on a trailer, again just in case”.

“Will do”, replied officer Grimshaw, adding “What about Salmon?”

“Forget him, it’s in hand”.

Both officers stood by at the scene whilst their dead colleagues were removed by the ambulance crew, it would only be moments before scenes of crime arrived and the traffic department Land Rover and trailer, but it would seem hours. 

“That bastard Salmon, leaving them”, said Joe.

“I am sure we will meet up with him before long, oh I don’t see Shannon leaving it at that”, replied Alex.

Speeding along the side roads deep into Cheshire Ted Salmon was wondering if his panic was the correct thing to do, after all he had given his name if not his address.

It was only moments when his wandering mind was brought to reality.

“Attention, attention you in the meals van, this is the police helicopter flying above you, pull into the side immediately”.