Free Buried in the Past by Bill Kitson Page A

paper.’
    ‘He must have had one, because the MD said he occasionallybrought stuff he’d downloaded and printed into work: photos, puzzles, that sort of thing.’
    ‘So the killer took both the laptop and printer. I wonder why?’
    ‘Perhaps he thought that if Nattrass had them linked, it was the easiest way to download anything Nattrass might have on his computer that the killer was interested in.’
     
    The file on Raymond Perry gave Nash and his team a much clearer understanding of the man lying comatose in Netherdale ICU. Unfortunately it failed to yield the slightest clue as to what he was doing in Helmsdale, or why he’d been attacked with such violence.
    ‘OK, let’s sum up what we do know,’ Nash said when they’d been through all the paperwork. ‘I’ll read out anything salient and, Clara, you make notes. Bullet points will do.’
    Mironova pulled an A4 pad towards her and settled in her chair. This was part of their work she always enjoyed. Watching Nash pulling information together or dissecting it was an object lesson in detection.
    ‘We’ll start with Raymond Perry’s background. He was born in November 1965, in the East End of London, where his father had a scrap business. When the boy was twelve, his father was killed in an accident in the scrapyard. After his death, Raymond’s mother rapidly descended into alcoholism, which meant that the boy was taken under the wing of his uncle, Max Perry, his father’s younger brother and partner, who now owned the business.’
    Nash paused and sat back. ‘There’s nothing in the file to denote whether Raymond’s mother is still alive or not. Possibly not, given her disease, but worth making a note to check that out. The other point that strikes me about Perry’s background is that whoever compiled this report seems to have known the family well. That’s unusual, especially for the Met. Whether it’s significant or not is another matter.
    ‘The report states in quite unequivocal terms that his uncle, Max Perry, was head of a criminal gang operating from a chain of nightclubs, amusement arcades and, later, casinos in the area. The operation was highly lucrative. Moving into that operation brought its own dangers. Several turf wars erupted, and the violence thatfollowed was a long-running series of battles, against first one, then another rival gang.’
    Nash looked at his mug and seemed surprised to find that it was empty. ‘During my time at the Met I learned quite a lot about the history of London gangs. There was a time when they occupied most of Scotland Yard’s time and attention. After the Richardson and Kray organisations were broken up, a succession of those turf wars broke out with different factions struggling for control of vacant territories.
    ‘By all accounts Max Perry, nicknamed Mad Max, was one of the most successful of these gang leaders. He was kept safe by his bodyguard and constant companion, his nephew Raymond, who acted as Max’s strong-arm man. This continued until twenty-six years ago, when Max was killed in what’s described in this report as a gangland killing, rumoured to have been ordered and paid for by Tony “Dirty Harry” Callaghan, Max’s bitterest rival. The report also points out that the killer or killers were able to get to Mad Max, because Raymond was on remand for an alleged assault against a customer in one of Max’s clubs.
    ‘This part of the file,’ – Nash tapped a plastic folder – ‘describes the events leading up to Ray’s arrest. Police responded to an anonymous phone call and attended a used-car dealership owned by Tony Callaghan. The business was known as Five Elms Car Sales.’
    Nash stopped speaking and when Clara looked up, she saw he was smiling. ‘What’s so funny?’
    ‘I know that address. There isn’t an elm or any other type of tree for miles. Anyway, when the officers got there they found the body of Callaghan on the floor of the workshop, and that of his bodyguard in the