Chapter Twenty-Six
‘No,’ Ruby said in a harsh whisper. ‘It wasn’t me, I swear.’ Her breath quickened as the scenario unfolded before her. Heavy footsteps pounded their way into the building. Nathan stood, unmoving, his firearm trained on the door.
‘Put the gun away,’ she said. ‘You’re going to get yourself killed.’ Any second now DI Downes would burst in. She could not bear to imagine what would happen next. ‘Please, take the roof. I’ll tell them you didn’t show.’ There was less than a six-foot gap between the roof of their building and the one beside it, and, in their youth Nathan used to jump from one to the other with ease.
Nathan’s eyes flicked from the door to Ruby, his face stony. Shoving the gun into the groove of his combats, he threw her a disbelieving look before climbing out of the window and taking the fire exit to the roof. The pressure of the murder allegation had taken its toll. For the first time she saw a glint of fear in his eyes. He could wriggle his way out of most things in life, and now he wholly depended on her. She composed herself, leaning casually against the brittle window frame as a team of firearms officers burst into the room.
‘He’s not here,’ she said to Downes, her face taut. ‘He didn’t show.’ She wet her lips, tasting the dust that had risen after Nathan made his escape.
Ruby glared at Downes over the roof of the car as she flung open the passenger door. It made sense for her to accept his offer of a lift to the station given she had got there by taxi. The cavalry had gone ahead, disappointed by the no-show. After being briefed by Downes that Ruby was setting up the meet to arrest Nathan, they had no reason to doubt her words. But Ruby was too incensed to worry about repercussions and as Downes drove through the city to Shoreditch, she continued her sideways glances until she could bear the silence no longer.
‘Why did you do it, Jack? Why did you follow me?’
DI Downes rammed the car into gear, his face illuminated by the headlights of oncoming traffic. ‘Because I’m trying to save your neck. I told Worrow that you were there to flush him out. So unless you want to be nicked for perverting the course of justice, leave the talking to me.’
‘The fact I’d leave anything to you implies some kind of trust and that doesn’t exist between us anymore,’ she said, her words tight.
Satisfied that Nathan got away unseen, Ruby returned to the office, keeping her door firmly closed. She had hoped that Downes would have the sense to leave her alone, but as soon as he trotted downstairs from his meeting with DCI Worrow, he headed straight for her door. Ruby stared at her computer screen, wishing he would go away. She did not want to speak the bitter words lacing her tongue. Besides, she was caught red-handed and knew she had no right. True to his word, he was most likely smoothing things over with DCI Worrow to prevent any flack later on. They were under real pressure for a suspect arrest, and every failed attempt at capture was a bitter blow. Had she and Downes had a normal working relationship, she’d most likely be grovelling for forgiveness by now. But they were more than just sergeant and DI: he was her best friend. And only now, when anger seared through her like hot coals, did she realise just how close they had become.
‘Sulking now, are you?’ he said, standing over her as he waited for an answer.
Bitterness bloomed in Ruby’s chest. She wanted to explain that her motives were good. That if he had trusted her, just this once, she would now have the name of their prime suspect. That was what angered her the most. He had ruined everything. There was no way the Crosbys would cooperate with the investigation now. ‘I think it’s best if you give me a few minutes alone.’ Ruby’s voice was strained, and she swallowed back the response not fitting for her DI.
‘Well, tough. We’re having this out whether you like it or not,’ Downes said, turning and closing the window blinds. From the corner of her eye, Ruby could see him deliver a hard stare to those who were not minding their own business in the office outside. Downes’s neck was tinged pink – a sure sign that DCI Worrow had grilled him for letting Nathan Crosby slip through his fingers.
‘You’ve got no right to be angry with me,’ Downes said, ‘when all I’ve done is look out for you.’
Ruby turned to face him. Carrying the heat of her anger, her expression was enough to make him raise an eyebrow in response.
She realised she was shaking, and she leant against her desk, clasping the edges of the wooden frame until her knuckles turned white. ‘You used me,’ she said, her words thick with emotion. ‘This friendship we’ve developed, please tell me it’s not just been about Nathan.’
‘What are you on about?’ Downes said, his voice rising to match Ruby’s.
‘You’ve wanted to collar him for years. All this time you’ve been getting close to me so you could fulfil your ambition of nicking a Crosby before your retirement.’
‘For feck’s sake, what’s gotten into you?’ Downes said. ‘You couldn’t be more wrong.’
‘I don’t believe you. I think you’re only too happy to pin this on him. The only reason you’re progressing the case with Danny Smedley is because you can’t have Lisa and Ellie’s murders linked.’
‘Those murders are nothing alike.’ Downes ran both hands through his hair. ‘And may I remind you that you’re the one that got Smedley charged. I told you to wait but, oh no, you had to go charging in there and arrest him.’
‘Yes, well. . . I may have got that wrong.’ She bit her bottom lip.
‘You’re the most exasperating copper I’ve ever met. You’ve so much potential, and all you do is defend a bunch of gangsters, putting your job at risk. And you say I’m using you?’ Downes laughed incredulously. ‘Open your eyes, will you? One of these days you’re going to land yourself in prison, and there won’t be a thing I can do about it.’
‘Nathan was just about to give me the name of the killer,’ Ruby said. ‘If you had held off just five minutes longer, we’d have him in custody by now.’
‘If I’d got there five minutes sooner, you mean. You’re chasing ghosts. The only killer is the one you let slip away.’
Ruby straightened, her hands bunched into fists. ‘Why can’t you admit that, just this once, you got it wrong?’
‘You need to calm down,’ Downes said firmly. ‘I’m your superior officer. Have you forgotten that?’
‘Calm down?’ Ruby shouted. ‘Don’t you realise what you’ve done? How long do you think it’s going to take to get back to the Crosbys that I served Nathan up? Can you imagine their reactions? You’ve put my neck on the line. If anything happens to me, it’s all down to you.’
Downes laid a hand on her shoulder. ‘Ruby, I. . .’
Ruby shrugged it off as she turned away, her voice cold and measured. ‘Please. As my DI, I apologise for my disrespectful behaviour. Now can you please give me some time alone, before I say something else that I shouldn’t.’ She bowed her head, the weight of her troubles heavier now than ever. She listened as Downes approached the door, opened it slightly.
‘You can come around to mine… at least until this all blows over.’ His words were laced with a hint of regret.
‘I don’t think such behaviour would be fitting. As you said, you’re my superior officer,’ Ruby said, the heat leaving her voice. ‘I think from now on we should keep things on a professional basis only.’