Chapter 6

When John and Hannah walked into the gym there was a huge cheer. Mary came over to them and took control.

“Come with me to Marilyns’ office and sit quietly. I’ll get you cups of tea. It takes time to settle down after being in a firefight.”

They sat and looked out at the others going about their business. John sighed.

“Do you feel it or is it just me. We’re the two most juniors in the team, but we’re being treated as if we’re something special.”

“We are something special, for today at least. We’ve just been on a dangerous operation and have come home, even if our boss is in hospital being checked over. I wonder what Taylor was packing. The slug had gone right through the outer vest. If he had fired at us, we would be on our way to the morgue.”

“Now I’m really scared. Something like that may have penetrated the car door. And there I was thinking that I was perfectly safe!”

“You were safe, John. I was there with my big gun to protect you.”

Mary came in with two mugs of tea, put them on the desk and then went to sit in Marilyns’ chair.

“Drink up, dears, and tell me all about it, from each perspective. John first.”

She switched a recorder on and waited for John to tell her what he saw and felt during the operation, and after. When he had run out of steam, it was Hannahs’ turn. When she had finished, John asked why this was being done.

“It’s simple, John. Firstly, it gives the superiors something to listen to while they assess the events of this morning. Secondly, it allows you to think through your emotions of the time, which helps to put them behind you. Thirdly, it provides enough witness account to help the Chief Constable decide to give Marilyn a Bravery Medal. On top of that, you, Hannah, may be in line for one. Staying calm and focussed under fire helped to stop the gunfight that may have ensued by taking out their leader.”

“I think that it was the sight of that Toyota with a big machine gun putting bullets over their heads that stopped the gunfight. You should have seen the damage that it did to those small sheds that they had been hiding behind. My ears are still ringing.”

“Now you know why everyone wears ear protection on the range.”

“We would have given the game away if we’d turned up wearing earmuffs! As it was, we all had buds in to listen to the radio.”

John looked out into the gym.

“I would have thought that most of our team would be out. There’s Taylors’ house to search, the houses in Long Marston to look through, the other construction workers to interview.”

“With CI Harrison running the arrests, DCI Russell has taken over all of those duties. It is close to Leeds, and they have a bigger capacity to look after the prisoners. On top of that, Carruthers has more swing there and will be the one with a team going through Taylors’ records before we get to see them. This part of the case has national, and international, factors. We get to take the Raven to trial, along with the ones who have fingerprints that match the ones on the truck, and the girl who was the spotter. Leeds can handle the armed affray and death threats that were put on those farmers.”

“So, we still have a lot of work to do.”

Later that day, a message came through that Marilyn had been discharged from the hospital but had been taken home to recover from her ordeal. When Hannah and John arrived at Old Village, they had a group hug, taking care to not hug her too tightly.

In the kitchen, Marilyn sat with her baby close and listened to their story, from the moment she had thought that she had been killed. After their time with Mary, John and Hannah were able to give a concise narrative. When Anton came home, they all went over to the pub for a meal. The news report was that there had been a big police operation near Long Marston that day, with more to be revealed later.

“Was that you, my love? I see that none of you are wearing guns tonight.”

“It was us, my darling. We arrested the man behind the Carnage today, along with twenty armed followers. I’m told that it was a short, but exciting, time.”

“You were told! Where were you?”

“On the ground after being shot. The vests saved me. I’ll show you the bruise tonight.”

He reached over and took her hand.

“You were shot! Did they get the jump on you?”

“It was all in the plan, my love. He had to fire first before we could react. He’s in a prison hospital having a hole in him being worked on. Hannah put him down. It seems that I missed the real excitement. Tell him, John.”

“The team had set up a big gun that they had on the back of a Toyota. It was like those ones they use in the battles in far-away places. It came out of the shed firing over the heads of the crooks. They didn’t even hesitate when told to get on the ground. I think that a few were already there.”

Back at the house, they all had an early night to dream. John relived what he’d seen, Marilyn dreamed about the future with her daughter, and Hannah dreamed about being with a team, armed to the teeth, ready to fight for justice. What made her smile, when she got up in the night to pee, was that they had all been dressed like superheroes.

They were all quiet at breakfast and then got ready for the day. For three of them, it was odd not to be strapping on a weapon and adding a vest. They felt almost underdressed. Anton gave his wife an extra kiss or two before heading for the University. John drove to Fulford Road. There, they were given another cheer when they walked in, and everyone wanted to give Marilyn a tentative hug. Mary gave Marilyn a note. She looked at it and sighed.

“Everyone. We have been asked to go over to the drill hall for half-past ten. There is to be a big media event, so spruce up. Everyone is invited, so leave your work where you can pick it up again.”

When they walked into the drill hall, they were faced with a lot more reporters and cameras. The station CS took Marilyn aside.

“I have been given everything to announce, You, and your team, should just stand back and prepare to blush.”

The team were lined up at the back, with the CS out front and DCI Russell joined by CI Harrison. The Chief cleared his throat and went to the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are going to tell you why the Coppergate Carnage happened, who was behind it, and the ramifications that will follow. There will be no questions after, so make sure that you record everything. The people behind me have worked diligently to bring this case to fruition. Immediately behind me are DCI Russell, from the Leeds murder team, and CI Harrison from the Leeds Armed Response team. Behind them are the two teams that were brought together in York on the day of that Carnage. You have already heard DCI Houseman give you the basic details of the event, and then we gave you the victim lists. DCI Houseman also gave you the details of the driver, who had been arrested and is awaiting trial, here in York.”

He looked out at the battery of cameras.

“Today, I will tell you what happened yesterday, but before that, I will tell you how we got to that point. The gathering of evidence is a long and boring task. It takes dedication without losing your sense of what is important. Sometimes, luck raises its head. While DCI Houseman was looking at the farm property that was owned by Mister O’Grady, one of the victims, she was approached by a gentleman called Derrick Taylor. He told her that he had been negotiating with Mister O’Grady for that parcel of land. The point was, at that time, we hadn’t told you the names of the victims. Since that time, Derrick Taylor was put under surveillance. Because he is an American citizen, we brought in members of our security service to monitor his phones. It was because of a call he made to Dallas that we were forewarned that the Raven, the driver of the Ram truck, would be returning to this country, leading to her arrest.”

There was a distinct buzz from the audience.

“After more investigation, CI Harrison deployed drones with microphones into the areas that Taylor had already purchased, recording some conversations and the sound of gunfire training. Those who had not sold out, were advised to sell, in case Taylor made a drastic move. All sold their properties and homes, getting, it must be said, a very good price. This left only the property of Mister O’Grady. DCI Houseman set up a bogus department that purported to be holding the deeds until Taylor got frustrated. Up until this point, we had no real evidence that he was the guilty party, just a policemans’ intuition.”

There was more murmurs and Marilyn could see the reporters on the edge of their seats.

“Three days ago, Taylor rang DCI Houseman and they arranged to meet at the property. That gave time for CI Harrison and his full team to set up in the two large sheds on the property and install cameras to record the area around them. They recorded the area being checked by Taylors’ men the next day, and them creating hiding places at the edge of the area where the meeting was to take place. In the early hours, reinforcements from Leeds and ambulances were secreted at the Funtime parking area, less than two hundred yards away.”

He looked behind him and gave Marilyn a wink. She had to hand it to him; he was a damn fine storyteller.

“Before the allotted meeting time, twenty armed men arrived at the meeting place, with three-quarters going to where they had been creating hides. The others stayed behind the big sheds. Taylor arrived and parked, and then DCI Houseman arrived, driven by DC Richards with DC Brightman. Richards had sidearm training and was a temporary AFO, while the other two had undergone carbine training and were equipped with the standard AFO Heckler and Koch MP5. The DCI got out of the car and stood, facing Taylor. For a short time, they discussed the price of the property, with DCI Houseman asking for more than Taylor was prepared to pay. For what happened next, I defer to CI Harrison, the leader of the Armed Response Team and who has experienced previous firefights.”

Harrison stepped forward, with two bulletproof vests in his hand.

“Firstly, DCI Houseman was wearing a padded parka, to hide the vests she was wearing. I say vests, because she wore two, and it was a good job that she did. The plan was that Taylor had to give himself away, which he did by brandishing a pistol and shooting DCI Houseman in the stomach.”

There was an audible intake of breath in the audience. Harrison held up one of the vests and poked a finger through the hole in it.

“Taylor was using ammunition which basically a bullet within another bullet. In America, it is called a ‘cop-killer’. It is designed to pierce a Kevlar vest, like this one, with the first bullet being stopped, while the second projectile breaks through to kill the wearer. It was, when developed, only supplied to the US Secret Service on protection detail, DCI Houseman was spared by the second vest, which, as you can see, still has the flattened bullet embedded in it. Once that shot had been fired, DC Brightman raised her MP5 and shot Taylor in his right shoulder, not only causing him to fall, but also causing him to lose the gun. It was a very intelligent and capable shot, at a standard that I would expect of one of our trained sharpshooters. At that time, two things happened at once. The other men rose from their hiding places and my team opened up the shed doors and fired a volley of fire over their heads. Another group rushed around the building to be behind the other men. When we called for them to get on the ground, quite a few already were.”

He stepped back and the CS took over again.

“After DCI Houseman was treated by paramedics, she was taken to hospital for observation. Taylor was airlifted to the Leeds General Infirmary, where he was operated on and then transferred to the prison hospital in Leeds. I cannot overstate the bravery that three of my officers showed in knowingly walking into an ambush. There will be awards and commendations, but that will be for some time in the future.”

He looked at his notes.

“This is where I tell you the why of this case. Why someone was prepared to kill police and eleven innocents on Coppergate Walk. Taylor was buying up a specific parcel of land, encompassed by Atterwith Road, Tockwith Road, York Road and Mill Lane, which is to the immediate north of Long Marston. He had come to this country with that as his task. The plan was to build a new housing subdivision there. It was not your normal housing. It emulates typical estates built in America, by far right, ultra-religious owners of lots of guns. The school would be indoctrinating the pupils into that way of thinking, and the residents would all be white. That it was to be called the Divine Journey Tract, with the access road named DJT Boulevard, will give you clues to its origins. The council has the development plans, should you want to use them to illustrate your reports. I pass you over to DCI Russell.”

Keith stepped forward.

“It has been my duty to take over the case from the firefight onwards. There are a lot of details to be worked through. One thing that I can tell you is that when we raided Taylors' house, we found a young woman there, who told us that she was Taylors’ girlfriend. The investigation already had her picture, taken on Coppergate Walk, where she had been pinpointed as the one who called in the truck, once Mister O’Grady was out in the open.”

The muttering among the reporters was getting loud. Keith put his hand up for quiet.

“I have been looking at the books and at Taylors’ devices, along with representatives of our security services. They will be taking further action, but there is one last thing that I can tell you. Our esteemed Opposition knew about the project and actively supported it. I have seen entries in his diary mentioning MEGA. As you know, that is one of the mantras spoken by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. This was the first of other housing complexes which would be the template for Making England Great Again. I expect that you should talk to your political reporters to monitor happenings in London. Thank you.”

There was a need for lots of photos of Marilyn, Hannah and John before they could get away. A few even asked if they could get a picture of her bruise! The three of them were given the rest of the day off, to relax. They swapped the special car for one suitable for a DCI, and went back to Old Village, where the two packed their possessions and cleared the units. Marilyn drove them to their homes, so that they could settle back into normal living, starting with a lot of cleaning, after so many weeks of being away. Marilyn drove to O’Gradys’ home, where his widow let her in and sat her at the kitchen table.

“Sit yourself down, Detective. I saw you on the box, this morning, with others telling me why my husband had to die.”

“Yes. That was almost scarier than getting shot.”

“Thank you for everything that you’ve done. I’ve learned a lot more about my husband and his business. I’ve spent hours in the library going through old newspapers. The fact that you were willing to put yourself into so much danger to get his killers speaks volumes. I don’t know how I can thank you.”

“Just look after your children and encourage them to do positive and good things with their life. Sometime, in the future, we’ll be able to do something about his farm. Where it was a place that we found evidence of his criminal past before, it’s now a crime scene where the three of us could have died. Taylor will be charged with attempting to murder a police officer, even before all the other charges, so the site will remain in our hands for some time to come. Hopefully, we’ll be able to release it in time to fund one of your childrens’ university.”

She was there for an hour, talking about a lot of things and being shown some of the pictures that the daughters had done. After that, she went and parked outside York Minster. She went in and sat off to one side, head down. It wasn’t that she was religious, and she didn’t pray, as such. She sat quietly for two hours, contemplating her past and her future, as well as offering up a few words of thanks for allowing her to be still alive. After that, she went home and sent the nanny away, so that she could cuddle her baby.

The next day, they were all back at their desks, putting together the eleven crime folders that would ensure that the Raven would have her wings clipped. The papers were full of the announcements from yesterday. There were many responses from those who had been behind the development, before they had discovered what lengths had been gone to in order to complete the assignment.

A few days later, the three detectives attended a get-together in a pub in Leeds, where they we given patches by the Armed Response team.

Marilyn continued to oversee the combined team, until there came a point where just the one team would be needed to finish the job. Jim Dutton took his team back to their own office to catch up with unfinished jobs. Ginger looked sad as he managed the movement of all the files and hard drives back to their old offices. Slowly, the gym was brought back to its normal use.

Marilyn collected up all her things and put them to one side as the temporary offices were dismantled. The WPCs had all gone back to normal duty and when her phone rang, she was sitting with a cup of tea, talking to Mary. Her bruise was now faded, and the experience was dropping from front of memory.

“DCI Houseman.”

“Marilyn, it’s Brenda. The CS wants you in his office in half an hour. Hannah and John are also invited.”

“Thanks, Brenda. I’ll see you then.”

Mary smiled.

“I heard some of that. I think that it’s awards time.”

“That would be good. It’s just that I don’t have the team to manage any more, and my old place has been taken over by Ginger. It feels odd to be in limbo.”

When she went into the office, it looked like a party was about to happen. There were glasses of champagne and wine, nibbles on the desk, and everyone was smiling. She was welcomed by the CS and introduced to the Chief Constable and the Mayor, with a mayoral office that had oversight with the North Yorkshire police. Hannah and John came in, and they were joined by an official photographer. The CS tapped a glass to get some quiet. The Chief Constable stepped forward.

“Today, we are going to commend the three officers who put their lives on the line to bring conclusion to a very complicated case. Firstly, John Richards. You will receive an award for entering a dangerous situation, knowingly facing armed men in the course of duty. I have a certificate for you now, and you will receive a medal at the annual awards ceremony.”

There were applause and pictures taken.

“Next, Hannah Brightman. You entered the same scene, knowingly facing armed men and shooting one who had shot your DCI. This award is for exceptional decision making in wounding the man who had just shot your DCI. In doing so, you were protecting your colleagues. I have this certificate and a medal will be waiting for you at the annual ceremony.”

There were applause and pictures.

“Now, we come to Marilyn Houseman. Not only the leader of the combined team to arrest the woman who caused the Coppergate Carnage, but who also put herself forward to draw out the main associates of that murderer. Marilyn, this award is for knowingly facing armed men, and also for extreme bravery in the course of your duties. Your name will be added to the list for the Public Choice Award, but, for now, here is your certificate and a medal will be given out at the annual ceremony.”

There were the applause and the photos.

After some talk and handshaking, the mayor left, then the photographer, John and Hannah. Which left Marilyn with the Chief Superintendent and the Chief Constable, who smiled.

“Let’s sit. All this standing around is all right for ceremony, but not good for serious talk.”

When they had sat, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick folder.

“Marilyn, this is your police history. A very impressive history it is as well. You have shown great skills in detecting, but also with working with the public and with other county and city forces. You have friends in high places in Leeds and the West Yorkshire police. You have carried out every job that you’ve been given with dedication and a lot of success. I know that you will be wondering what we have in mind for you, so I’ll put you out of your misery.”

“Thank you, sir. I was rather wondering, now my old team has a new leader.”

“The way that you allowed others to do their jobs over the last few months has been noted. You have shown us that you’re a leader who doesn’t micro-manage. We have a position that is coming vacant in a few weeks. During that few weeks we will be happy to have you in an office in Alverton Court. During that time, you will be co-ordinating this case from there; between us, West Yorkshire, Scotland Yard and the security services. Can you manage that?”

“Yes, sir. I think I can.”

“Good. After that, you will continue to work from that office. You will remain as a DCI, but will be acting as an Assistant Chief Constable, of which there are many there. Your job will be the oversight of Major Crimes, which means that you will still be the boss of the teams here, as well as all the other stations. It will mean a bit of travelling to make yourself known, although, I expect that everyone knows who you are already. Do you have any questions?”

“Will I have staff?”

“You will have a secretary who will be a sergeant who will be fully accredited as an AFO, and a driver, also an AFO. You get to choose them.”

“Thank you, sir. It will take a while for this to be processed in my brain. There are two people who I would trust with my life, and that’s John and Hannah. I think that Hannah would be happier joining an Armed Response Team. I was impressed with CI Harrisons’ description of her actions.”

“I agree. Would you like to talk to her and help her move, if she wants to.”

“I will, sir. Thank you for everything, sir.”

Back down in the gym, there was only Mary making sure that everything was back to normal.

“How was it, Marilyn?”

“Interesting. All three of us have certificates and will be at the annual awards ceremony. My name has been put forward for the public vote.”

“All that money for a good dress. Has your husband bought you jewels recently?”

“Surely you jest! Have you finished here?”

“Yes. I was just about to go back to my old job in the evidence room.”

“Help me put this stuff in my car, please, and we’ll go up to the canteen. It should be a bit quieter at this time of day.”

Up in the canteen, with raisin toast and tea, Marilyn broached the subject.

“I found out what they want me to do. I am to co-ordinate the Raven and Taylor cases. It will be between us, Leeds, London and the spooks.”

“You’ll need an office.”

“They have one that I can use. It’s in the HQ at Alverton Court, North Allerton.”

“That’s odd. I believe that the lowest rank there is Assistant Chief Constable. I grew up in that town and my mother was a cleaner there.”

“You’re right. I’ll still be a DCI, but will be acting ACC. I need a good secretary; how would you like to go back home?”

“I’ll have to talk it over with my other half, but he has family there as well. Any other surprises?”

“My secretary will need to be a sergeant with AFO accreditation.”

“I had that when I was working at another station. There wasn’t enough of us, so we had to double up. Can I get back to you in a couple of days?”

“Yes, you can. I need to talk to a lot of people here, before I go north. After we get the other cases under way, they want me to head up Major Crimes, so will be the overseer of all the teams in North Yorkshire, when there are big things happening.”

Later, that day, she walked into her old office.

“Ginger, I would like to talk to John, in private.”

“All right, Marilyn. I’ll send him in. Anything else?”

“Only that I would like a word with Hannah afterwards.”

When John came in, she asked him if would like to be her driver, working out of the HQ in North Allerton. He agreed straight away and didn’t flinch when he was told that he would have to undergo full AFO training, including some time with the army. Hannah was asked if she would rather be transferred to an Armed Response Team. Her choice was to join CI Harrison. So, Marilyn made a call before she left the office and got Hannah an appointment to see him. Then she went home to prepare something good for dinner and tell Anton about her new job.

A month later, after trips to Leeds and London, the two cases were ready to pass on for trial. A month after that, the new ACC in charge of Major Crime hosted a small dinner party. Present were the three landowners who had been the last to sell, a developer who they were negotiating with, and Mrs. O’Grady. During the course of the meal, the widow was brought up to date with the land deals. The land that Taylor had bought had been forfeited, and the landowners who had remained in the village had bought it back at open land value. They were talking to the developer about a genuine housing estate and made the widow a generous offer for her husbands’ land, which would complete the package. She accepted the offer, a cheque was written, and Marilyn could hand the widow the deeds, which was handed to the new owners.

The developer was talking to the council, who were still keen to see something built. For Marilyn, it was a fitting end to her involvement, now she had bigger things to think about. She was particularly happy that eleven of the streets would be named after the victims of the Coppergate Carnage. She was embarrassed that they wanted three of the streets named after her, John and Hannah. Houseman Drive would lead to Houseman College, in the new village of Greater Marston.

Marianne Gregory © 2026