Page 60 of Twisted Lies

‘No shit,’ he said, retaking his seat. ‘If I remember correctly, every deed poll application since 1914 has to be published in theLondon Gazetteprior to the name change.’

‘You’re kidding?’ she asked, sitting forward.

‘Nope. There’s actually no legal requirement to make a deed poll for a name change. Often a letter from a responsible person like a GP, stating that the person has been known to them under both names, is enough to satisfy most organisations, but not when it comes to the issue of a passport. No UK passport or driving licence will be issued without a public announcement, a statutory declaration or a deed poll. The deed poll is the quietest way to obtain an official record so—’

‘Shush,’ she said as her fingers flew over the keys. Penn couldn’t help but stop and watch the abnormal speed at which she tapped.

‘Got one,’ she called out.

‘I’m only here, Stace,’ he said, waving across the desk.

‘Oh, okay, so, I’ve got a record here of a female who changed her name to Leanne King seven years ago. And her name before that was Karen Jarvis, so let me just put that in a separate search.’

Penn took a swig of his coffee and waited.

‘Hold the bloody phone,’ Stacey cried out, startling him.

‘Jesus, Stace, what…?’

‘Look at this, Penn,’ she instructed, turning her screen fully towards him.

‘No way,’ he said, taking in the image of Leanne King/Karen Jarvis smiling widely for the camera, dressed in full police uniform.

Fifty

Despite her eagerness to get to the bottom of what was going on, Kim did think to knock briefly before storming into Woody’s office. And once she saw the person sitting at Woody’s meeting table, she was glad she had.

‘Oh, should I…?’

‘No, Stone. Superintendent Wexford is here for this meeting. Please take a seat,’ Woody said, moving towards the meeting table himself.

What the hell was going on? This man was not Woody’s boss. He was Woody’s boss’s boss.

‘Pleased to meet you, Stone,’ he said, offering a nod instead of a hand. His words aroused instant suspicion. No one was ever pleased to meet her.

Wexford was a similar age to her boss, but that was where the similarity ended. His skin colour was a dusty white, as though it had never seen the sun. His face was thin and pinched, as though permanently contorted by stress.

‘Inspector Stone, it is imperative you understand that you divulge nothing of what you learn in this room to anyone.’

She looked to her boss who said nothing. She offered no response, as that was something she wasn’t prepared to commit to. Her brain continued to work as Wexford went on to explain the severity of the situation. Her mind flew over the facts of the last two days. The secrecy; the family’s isolation; the name repeated on the piece of paper; this sudden involvement of the top brass.

She got it.

‘Witness protection,’ she said as the truth dawned on her. ‘The whole family is in hiding.’

Wexford nodded. ‘And we can’t allow that fact to go public.’

She sat back, allowing the enormity of the situation to filter into her brain.

Oh yes, she’d bet it couldn’t go public. If the police couldn’t provide adequate protection, no one would testify at a trial again.

‘Clevedon?’ she asked of the crime scene she’d just visited.

‘Yes,’ Wexford answered gravely.

‘Jesus,’ she said. Two witnesses murdered in two days.

‘This is a programme that cannot be compromised, Inspector. Potential witnesses must have faith in us to keep them safe.’