Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

Emma was looking forward to going round to see Rob after the meeting with Marnie the day before. She had dreaded going into work, but Kev Slater had been absent on some management training course. However, he'd still managed to make his displeasure felt as Emma was assigned only the dullest of desk-based work and no one in the office would meet her eye. She had no way of knowing what her boss had said, but it was obvious which side everyone in the office was on. Only Andy Stonor had the decency to look embarrassed about it.

Despite all the fallout, she was still glad she'd gone to the meeting and that she'd reached an agreement with Marnie. Whatever happened, Bradwick would probably become safer as a result. She was keen to get Rob's opinion and see a friendly face after a gruelling day at work. Even the thought of sitting through some misogynistic seventies film didn't dent her optimism.

However, all that flew from her mind when she opened the door.

'Oh! Emma. What can I do for you?' Rob said, obviously upset.

'Rob, what's the matter?' Emma asked.

'When were you going to tell me?' Rob asked. 'I've been doing some thinking about that raid, that night when everything changed. I've thought over what you said and some memories have come back. Now, I only have one question.

'How did Professional Standards get there so bloody quickly? I know that the word around the station is that Andy dobbed us all in.' He shook his head. 'But that doesn't make any sense. I've always got on well with him, all things considered. He was settled in the department, he'd made his decisions and I'd made mine. If he was going to do anything, then he'd have waited until I left. He didn't have much time for Hargreaves. And, he's not the type to hang around. If it was Andy, he'd have transferred out of area.' Rob paused and stared at Emma. 'Is there anything you want to say here?'

'Rob, boss, well.' Emma was flustered. She'd rehearsed this in her mind and it hadn't gone anything like this. She gathered her thoughts. 'Yes, I was approached by Professional Standards. Of course I was, the new one in the team, so it made sense to recruit me before I got embedded.'

'So you admit it then?' Rob couldn't keep the excitement from his voice.

'Yes, I admit it,' she snapped back at him. 'But, just stop for a minute and think it through, try to see the whole picture. By the time they came to me, they had most of the picture. They knew what was going on. All they needed was the proof.'

'Which you were happy to hand them on a plate!'

'I was never happy about any of it! But if they knew that much and I rebuffed them, then what would've happened next? Answer me that, Rob. They would've kept going, kept digging.' Emma was into her flow now and wouldn't be stopped. 'When they finally got there, they'd have taken all of us down. And they'd have landed particularly hard on me, because I turned them down in the first place. You know how most officers retire or resign or use some trick to get out from under? Well, most likely if I hadn't cooperated I could've been looking at prison time.'

Rob opened and closed his mouth. He worked through what she'd said and saw the logic in it, but he still stung from Emma accusing him of using tricks to escape justice. Finally he said, 'So you were selfish, then? Just looking out for number one?'

'In this case, yes. When the alternative was to look at jail time. Oh, I know it wouldn't have been long. Odds are that I'd have been out of prison by the time I was thirty. With a career as a bent cop and a stretch inside on my CV. Doesn't look particularly good, does it?' She took a deep breath. She wished she was having this argument anywhere but Rob's front doorstep.

'Okay,' Rob gave a little ground before going on the offensive again. 'But why that raid? Why couldn't you have let me have my moment in the sun? You could've brought Glen Hargreaves to justice after I'd been promoted.'

'Now who's being selfish?' Emma asked. 'What you're saying is that you wanted your nice office and rank of superintendent, safe from all of the shit you'd had to do to get there. And then, once you're cosy and safe, then I can do the right thing?'

She couldn't stay there, couldn't see how they would ever agree. She turned on her heel and stalked off. She left rather faster than she should have done. Before she had an accident, she came to a halt in the car park facing out to sea. Watching a storm brewing over the waves, she did something she rarely allowed herself to do. She cried; released all the tension and let the tears flow down her face. Soon she felt just a little better. Not perfect, as she had managed to alienate both her current and her previous boss within twenty-four hours.

She took a deep sigh and flicked down the vanity mirror to repair her make-up. She knew what she needed and it started with going out and getting drunk with a friend. After that, well, she'd see. She texted Pete and arranged to meet up.

'So, what brought this on?' Pete asked as they fetched their third drinks of the evening. It was obvious that all was not right with Emma.

'Ancient history coming back to bite me,' she replied. 'I just lost a friendship with someone I really respect. And I managed to piss off my current boss as well.'

'No chance you could repair the friendship?' Pete asked.

'I have no idea. He accused me of betraying him, and he was right.' She swigged down the rest of her beer. 'I have no idea what's going to happen next but I don't want to talk about it, if that's okay.'

'Fine by me,' Pete answered. 'But I'm here if you need me.'

'I need more to drink,' Emma said. 'At least it'll be better in the morning.'