Chapter 29 Going to a Funeral
It wasn’t what Wragg wanted and he was reluctant to give the order to fire, but he had the villagers to consider as well as his own men. He didn’t want a long drawn out firing match where there might be other casualties. It was an operational situation where the target had two choices and he chose the wrong one. There were no surprises as far as that score was concerned – Wragg knew he wouldn’t have surrendered. It was silly choice to make as Wragg reflected on the subject of Dodd. Admittedly he would have been sentenced to 25 years, but he could have been out after 15 years and then he would have had the rest of his life before him. Perhaps the state of his mind wouldn’t let him take the easy way out and then if that was the case, he was better off out of it as temptation might be too much and he would start a life of crime again and become a danger to the public. Wragg was trying to justify his own actions and in his tortuous mind he thought he could have nipped this sort of thing in the bud before it had got out of hand.
The weekend passed quickly and Wragg had to clear his mind of what had happened and get on with trying to get to grips with this menace that was still roaming the London streets.
It was news from Scotland that had intrigued Wragg when the phone call came through. Apparently someone had tried unsuccessfully to kill off P.C. Lodge. It was a hit and run attempt and Lodge ended up in hospital with a broken ankle. Wragg was unable to grasp the situation and wondered why Lodge had become an important witness to something that he shouldn’t have witnessed.
Wragg and the two sergeants decided to travel to Scotland to find out more. Travelling up there took most of the day and Wragg and his team booked into a hotel. I suppose in retrospect he could have telephoned and saved the rate-payers money, but he thought it was more important for him and the others to be there in person. Things tended to go awry when using the telephone – someone else could be listening.
The following morning Wragg and his cohorts set off to where P.C. Lodge was being kept. It was not in a “safe house” as they tended to draw unwanted attention. He was confined to live and sleep at the police station. It was a boring existence for him, but it kept him alive. He was assigned to light duties as having to rely on crutches for the moment tended to get in the way of his mates and they had to make sure they didn’t accidently kick them causing more damage to the injured policeman.
Having reported to the police station duty officer, Wragg insisted they should use an interview room and he and Sergeant Dotrice sat with P.C. Lodge and Sergeant Stone sat outside the room reading a newspaper. Anyone trying to obtain entrance to the room was quickly dispatched. Sergeant Stone had his orders which was not to let anyone gain entrance, which would have been difficult for them as the sergeant had locked them in the room and he had the key in his pocket.
After a few minutes of interrogation it turned out that P.C. Lodge had met the man that Wragg was presently hunting and also knew his given name. Whether or not it was his real name, Wragg had his doubts, but he could see why Lodge was a danger to him and he knew that this man had come to Scotland to kill off someone who would be able to recognize him.
Wragg also knew that it would be too dangerous to move Lodge back to London as it would be far more comfortable for him and he would be able to live within the walls of Scotland Yard. Wragg was sure that the killer was still lurking somewhere near that police station just waiting for an opportune moment. Therefore, he arranged a clandestine pincer movement where four cars would leave the police station at intervals, but Lodge wouldn’t be in any of them. None of the staff at the Police Station would be informed of this movement. It was a clever piece of magic and probably Lodge would be going pass the killer, who wouldn’t be able to recognize him from Adam. Lodge had swapped his clothes with a cleaner who worked out of hours clearing up the rubbish that was left. The woman had been asked to bring extra clothing for herself as a visiting person and doll herself up with a posh dress. She was a large lady with a gruff voice and a fag permanently drooping from her mouth with loads of carrier bags as she tended to do all her weekly shop before going to work. She would hail a taxi at 11pm. Wragg arranged everything and it went off like clockwork. The woman with the posh dress went home at 8pm minus her bags of shopping and Wragg would arrange for them to be collected from Lodge before he stepped aboard the helicopter to London.
* * *
The final preliminaries had been completed regarding Dodd and there were no living relatives that could be found. The funeral would take place at “Sweet Dreams.” There were still ongoing enquiries at the site and the blue and white tape that the police used to cordon off the area were still fluttering in the wind.
It was a simple service and had only lasted twenty minutes. An anonymous wreath had been left by the side of the flowers that the police federation had bought and Wragg knew that the killer was back in London.