Page 209 of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Interview between Ellie Cooper and Brother Jonah at Quarr Abbey, 17 December 2021. I transcribed it myself and cut out all the pleasantries.
EC:Don and Marie-Claire don’t realise you and Holly killed Harpinder Singh. They still believe Shenky did it. [He doesn’t speak, but continues feeding the pigs] Don almost gave the game away to Amanda when she first mentioned the case. He described Singh as heroic, an undercover officer who died in the line of duty. Quickly corrected himself. He wasn’t wrong. Singh never knew it, but he died trying to rescue a baby from what he thought was a life of neglect. [He stops what he’s doing, trudges through the mud to where I stand, on the other side of the fence. His eyes are sad. He lowers his voice]
BJ:I pray for him every day. Harpinder.
EC:And Christopher Shenk? Do you pray for him?
BJ:I’m afraid I don’t know that name.
EC:He was no angel, but he was no murderer either. Just like Gabriel. [We’re silent for a while]
BJ:Have you told anyone? [I shake my head] I heard those two journalists passed away.
EC:They didn’t pass away. They say Oliver shot Amanda. Then one of Lady Louise’s protection team shot Oliver.
BJ:How tragic. I’ll pray for them both.
EC:Holly told Amanda where you were, and you passed a number to her when she visited. It got her straight through to Marie-Claire.
BJ:I think we sensed she’d understand.
EC:Or knew Marie-Claire could deal with the problem. In 2003 Marie-Claire was a police officer, but she’d been a special forces sniper. Don enlisted her for a secret, off-the-record operation.She killed the angels. As the only woman on the team she built a rapport with Ashleigh, who led them to The Assembly.
BJ:We were protected from the—
EC:Marie-Claire was also in the process of covering up another unofficial police operation: the revenge murder of Christopher Shenk. In the years since, she’s been responsible for maintaining both cover-ups. Everything Amanda told Sonia and Don went straight to Marie-Claire, who soon realised Amanda was closer to the truth than anyone else had ever been. Closer than Don, Holly, you and Marie-Claire herself were comfortable with.
BJ:I don’t know—
EC:The four of you each has a different reason for wanting the myth to remain the story. And Gabriel to stay in prison. So you all pitch in to maintain the cover-up. [He stops sweeping and stands, ankle deep in mud, surrounded by pigs and for the first time looks me straight in the eye]
BJ:Will you write Amanda’s book?
EC:Not quite. My book isaboutAmanda … and Oliver. How the Alperton Angels story has the power to influence and twist a rational person’s whole perspective.
BJ:What will you say about her death?
EC:That’s what I want to speak to you about. Jonah, did a former special forces soldier accompany Oliver to the school, encourage him to lure Amanda there and once they were together and alone, kill them both?
BJ:I wouldn’t know—
EC:Don’s friend, the mad squaddie. No one knows his real name – not even Oliver and he wrote his autobiography. He’s a ruthless mercenary who generated fear in everyone who knew him. He was the only one there. The only one who can reveal what really happened to Amanda and Oliver. [That’s when Jonah gives me a look. Makes a subtle gesture with his hands that draws my eyes to where he stands, ankle deep in mud, shovel in hand, a sea of snuffling pigs rooting happily in their feed. They seem to grunt and squeal extra loudly]
BJ:I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. [It’s a while before either of us speaks]
EC:If Gabriel hadn’t convinced you and Holly there were dark forces looking for the baby, Singh would be alive today. The person most guilty is behind bars. Ironically, if I told the truth, he could be released and he’s still a dangerous man. He may not be guilty of murder, but no one deserves to fall under his spell. [I cut out our stilted, awkward goodbyes and left him in his own personal prison, surrounded by mud, straw, shit and snuffling pigs]
TO:Ellie Cooper
DATE:3 January 2023
SUBJECT:Amanda Bailey
FROM:Cathy-June Lloyd
Dear Ellie,
I am writing to offer our best wishes for the publication of your book next week. Also, I’d like to say how much all of us at Cold & Unsolved enjoyed the recent television documentary in which you spoke about the Alperton Angels. It was so sensitively done – Naga Munchetty is the perfect presenter. We never had the privilege of meeting Amanda, but we are all great admirers of her work and even helped her with some research.
