Gary walked in silence towards Bob’s office on the floor below. They needed to confer, and the privacy to do so.
They walked across the sparse open office where a few of Bob’s staff were working away. It wasn’t unusual to see the DI with the superintendent in tow. So much of today’s policing, whether covert or overt, required a senior officer’s say-so that Gary was often down here giving or declining an authority. None could have guessed that this was a crisis meeting to save the divisional commander from herself.
Bob took his usual seat behind the desk and, once he’d shut the door, Gary sat across from him.
‘What the fuck was that about?’ Bob asked rhetorically. They both knew the ACC but Bob, for one, had never seen him like that.
‘Search me,’ said Gary, ‘but it didn’t look good. He certainly picked his moment after what she’d been through all night – but one thing’s for sure, she’s on a slippery slope.’
After all they’d been through together, Bob’s respect and protective streak for Jo had soared. She’d put her life on the line in the most perilous 270of ways and there was not a selfish gene in her body.
‘She’s not easily put off when she sets her mind to something, but with Darren and everything, she’s heading for self-destruct.’
‘I remember an old inspector of mine when I was a gobby sergeant in Cardiff telling me to keep the passion but pick my battles. I’ve learnt that there should be a third part to that: know when you’re beaten.’
Bob nodded. ‘Wise words, but how do you tell someone like Jo to back off when she’ll only see that as giving in to bullies? The number she’s faced down, she’d relish the challenge.’
‘I’m not sure about that. Other than the burglary a couple of years ago, it’s never got this personal for her and previously she’d known who the enemy was. Now, all she knows is that someone is hell-bent on a thriving drug trade and they’ll stop anyone in their way.’
‘I’m out of ideas then. She’s not likely to back off on our say-so. And I can’t imagine the ACC is having any more luck.’
‘Unless he suspends her,’ said Gary thoughtfully.
‘Do you think he might?’ Bob instinctively looked over his shoulder to the senior officers’ car park to check her car was still there.
‘I doubt it. He’s got a soft spot for her. Whatever they’re talking about, if he wanted rid of her he could have done that when Darren blabbed about the UC, or when he was charged. I reckon he’s trying to save her.’
‘How do we convince her to back off?’
Bob watched his boss as he mulled that over. ‘She’ll be thinking there are only two people in the world she can trust.’
‘Us?’
‘Yep. It’s always one of us she comes to when she needs back-up or validation of some idea or other.’
‘So?’
‘It’s not guaranteed to work. After all, we’ve disagreed with her before and she’s carried on anyway, but if we tell her she can no longer count on our support, maybe she’ll see sense.’ 271
Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘It’ll kill her. We’re all she’s got.’
‘It won’t. She might think it will but, if she’s got her head screwed on, it’ll help her focus on what matters; Darren, the boys and getting the workforce back on duty.’
There was a silence. Bob racked his brain for an alternative that wouldn’t smack of a Caesar–Brutus moment, but he was all out of ideas. The betrayal he knew was necessary brought back memories of when he’d come out to his wife and kids. He hoped now, like then, the expectation would be infinitely worse than the reality.
‘All right, but let’s be careful. She’s vulnerable at the moment.’
ACC Leon Mills was always convivial and polite, and he had more emotional intelligence than all his peers combined. His stony face, therefore, told her that whatever she’d done was indefensible. His staff officer was glued to his notepad, indicating that he knew what was to come.
‘Whose is that phone number?’ Mills said, pointing out the missed calls from yesterday.
She looked at it, repeating the number in different rhythms over and over in her head. Defeated, she shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, sir, I have no idea.’
‘Think harder.’
‘You can see I didn’t answer them. It’s not a number I’ve saved or recognised. I bet if you go back through the calls it’s never called me before.’ It was unusual for Jo not to pick up a call, any call, and once she discovered whose a number was, she’d save it under their name. ‘They didn’t leave a voicemail so I can’t think who it might be. Perhaps a sales call.’
‘Would you like me to tell you?’
Jo was confused and exhausted. ‘That would be nice.’
Leon’s face turned even darker. ‘Last night, your husband Darren …’ 272
‘Darren? How’s he …’
‘Darren’s cell was searched and they found a package of what is believed to be cocaine and a miniature mobile phone.’
‘Drugs? A phone? There must be some mistake. I take it he’s sharing a cell, right? It’ll be the other person’s. Darren just wouldn’t …’
‘Take a breath Jo. I can go through all the reasons the prison is sure they were Darren’s if you like, or you can just trust me that they were not his cellmate’s. That number on your phone is the one found in his cell, as you’ll have guessed.’
Jo didn’t know what to think. Was she learning about a whole new side to her husband or was he being set up yet again?
‘Sir, this is all part of it. You must be able to see that.’
‘Part of what? I’m prepared to accept one or two coincidences but I can’t ignore what’s plain to see.’
‘We’re agreed then.’ The relief was overwhelming. She’d thought he was here to discipline her, but he’d been on her side all along.
‘No, Jo, we’re not.’
‘What? But …’
‘I don’t dispute that you and your officers have been targeted, but you must agree that you could have done so much more to prevent that. You’re losing focus.’
Jo was so furious that she had all but forgotten the staff officer scribbling away in the corner. ‘How am I losing focus? Tell me.’
‘If you insist. An under-resourced operation that led to the murder of a drugs worker. Redeploying an undercover officer on dubious intelligence who was then killed along with a major target. Your husband miraculously finding out that officer was, indeed, undercover just before he’s charged with paying for corrupt information. Allowing an illegal informant to operate who has distributed drugs that have gone on to kill. Then, allowing one of your sergeants to tackle dangerous drug dealers single-handed and end up on life support. Finally this.’ He held up her phone.
‘That’s not fair.’ 273
‘Which part?’
‘All of it. I’m trying to save lives here and someone is out to stop me. All of what you’ve just said illustrates that, yet you put it down to me being a crap leader.’
Leon raised his hand. ‘No one is saying that, it’s just there have been a series of unfortunate events which arguably stem from your poor judgement.’
‘I’m not having that. I thought you were the one chief officer who actually supported their staff. How wrong I was.’ She leapt up.
Leon stood and stepped in her path. ‘Sit down.’ To her own disgust she did as she was told, knowing that she had the look of a chastened schoolgirl. ‘That’s better. You need to know that I spent a good hour and a half before I came here persuading the chief constable not to suspend you.’ She was about to interrupt, but Leon’s hand silenced her. ‘What I am here to do though is to give you a formal order to close Operation Eradicate. The investigations that have fallen out of it will be taken on by the Major Crime Team, but so far as you are concerned, it’s finished. Be under no illusion – you are lucky to still be at work, but take this as an opportunity to focus on more achievable goals and to restore the chief constable’s faith in you.’ He gathered his papers. ‘I hope I made that clear.’ He nodded to his staff officer, who seemed only too pleased to jump up and follow as the ACC left the room.
Mills had not been gone more than five minutes when Gary and Bob walked through the door.
‘Thank God you’re here. You will not believe what Mills has just done, or should I say tried to do?’
It was Gary who spoke. ‘Jo, we need a word.’
‘Me first. I thought that bloke was on our side, but he comes down here shouting the odds. Someone’s stitching Darren up from inside—’
‘Jo, please,’ said Gary. It was then she noticed that both were still standing, looking edgy.
‘What is it? Is it Scotty? Oh, God, I’m going up to the hospital.’ 274
‘It’s not Scotty.’
‘What then? You’re scaring me.’
The two men sat down.
‘You know how much we support you,’ said Gary.
‘Is there a but coming?’
‘I think the time has come to rethink Op Eradicate. I, we’ – he looked at Bob who nodded – ‘we know you’ve only got the city’s best interests at heart, but we aren’t sure it’s ready for what you’re trying to do. Look at everything that’s happened, the lives lost and ruined. We don’t think we can just carry on as we are and accept the collateral damage.’
‘How dare you. I’ve never used that term.’
‘Jo, please. I know you haven’t but that’s what it’s been. Bob and I have wrestled with this but we need to go back to basics. Treat anyone who breaks the law as a criminal and let others worry about whether they can be cured.’
‘Surrender? That’s not what we do here. You both need to grow a pair and accept that when things get tough, we do not give up and go back to our old ways.’
Gary left a silence. ‘Read the writing. Eradicate’s not working so we can’t be any further part of it. We can’t have blood on our hands. You’re on your own.’
Jo struggled to find the words. This was treachery, plain and simple, but she needed to come up with something better than that to bring these two turncoats back in line. She breathed deeply. ‘Did you know these bastards have planted drugs and a phone on Darren just to get at me? No, of course you didn’t ’cos you didn’t bother to ask what the ACC wanted.’ Bob went to say something. ‘Shut up, Bob. Did you also know that he’s ordered me to drop Eradicate? Whether I do or not is another matter, but why should you cowards care? You’re no better than the rest of them. Well you can both fuck off. I don’t need you. I don’t need the fucking ACC. I don’t need anyone. I’ll do this, with or without you.’ 275
She stood up, grabbed her bag in a swish, and just as she was about to reach the door, turned round. ‘And if you’re not with me on this, find yourselves other jobs ’cos you’re not welcome here.’
She just managed to get out before they had a chance to respond.
She sat in her car, aware of the eyes that would be watching her from the windows which surrounded three sides of the car park. She needed to pull herself together. God, she needed sleep. And food; she could murder a bacon sandwich. But sleep, preceded by a glass of wine – just to help her get off – must come first.
She pulled away, her bed and a large Pinot Grigio calling.