Lessons Learnt (2/6) By Nick Quantrill

(1/6), (2/6), (3/6), (4/6), (5/6), (6/6).

'Mr and Mrs Smith' he said, nodding in the direction of the Ford Mondeo, which Coleman had thought was unoccupied. 'I've spoken to them and taken details, but they were still in shock.' 'What are they doing here?' 'Having a rest.' 'Having a rest?' 'That's what they said.' Coleman shrugged and thanked Dawson before making his way over to the car. What people did in their own time was little concern of his. A witness wasn't to be sniffed at.

Making himself comfortable in the back of the couple's car, he stifled a yawn before asking the first question. 'Long day?' asked Gary Smith, catching the yawn in the rear view mirror. Coleman nodded, looking at the driver. Dawson had already checked the Ford Mondeo with the PNC to ensure it was registered to Smith. He was 42 years old, Mrs Smith considerably younger. 'I'm sorry you had to witness this.' Smith waved the sentiment away. 'We're OK. I'd just like to get my wife home. It's getting late.'

Coleman had already noticed neither of them was wearing wedding rings. 'Fair enough, sir. If you could start at the beginning for me, please.' 'I've already told the Officer what we saw.' 'I appreciate that, but it's always useful for me to hear it first hand.' 'We pulled in here for a rest. At first I didn't realise what was happening. Then I became aware of some shouting, and as my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could tell it was coming from the lorry.' 'How close were you?' 'We were parked here.'

Coleman estimated they were about 50 yards away. 'You told the officer you pulled in at 12.40. How long were you resting for, before you heard the shouting?' 'Ten minutes or so.' Coleman held the man's eyes, but Smith wasn't giving anything away. 'Then what happened?' 'The lorry driver was hit over the head with some sort of bat. It was too dark to see properly. Certainly something big and hefty, as the guy using it was swinging it over his head before bringing it down on the bloke.'

'Mrs Smith?' Coleman noticed she had started to cry. She shook her head and said nothing. 'And then this van just took off. I hadn't even noticed it was there until then' said Gary Smith. 'How do you mean, you didn't notice it? Surely, if it was parked in the lay-by…' Coleman let his question trail off. Smith thought about his answer, clearly uncomfortable. 'It was dark. I didn't notice it.' 'OK, so it took you by surprise.' The couple didn't convince him, but as they sat there in silence, they clearly weren't prepared to share the real reason they had stopped in the lay-by. 'What happened then?'

'It's all a bit of a blur, to be honest. This van came to a stop next to where the men were and then a few seconds later, it took off again.' 'Did you get the registration plate?' 'It was too dark, I'm afraid.' Enough time for the hijacker to jump in, wondered Coleman. But why? Had the driver put up enough of a fight to scare them off? The driver of this other van had to be an accomplice, he reasoned. He asked them both for their contact details, making it clear he understood they wouldn't be the same, before allowing them to leave.

Continued... Next Page (3/6)

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