Part 7 (2/2)
”If that's your att.i.tude, no wonder the girl's got a grievance.” And thanks for the vote of confidence, guv. Byford took a deep breath before ploughing on. ”I a.s.sured her you were one of my best officers, experienced, sensitive, dedicated, professional.”
”'preciate it.” Sheepish mutter.
”I've not finished. Ms Masters doesn't share my view. If she goes ahead, sergeant, it won't just be the interview you'll lose.” She followed his glance to a fat personnel file on top of the out-tray. Her name wasn't visible but she'd seen the file often enough. She'd faced so many disciplinaries, she should have a seat on the board. Meant Byford had already been on to Human Resources for her paperwork though.
She toed the carpet. ”I did apologise to her.”
”Not always enough, is it?” He walked to the water cooler, poured himself a cup, drained it. ”What did you say to upset her?”
Guilty as not even tried. She objected loudly. ”Make out like I deliberately p.i.s.sed her off, why don't you, oh you did.”
”I won't tell you again, sergeant.” The voice was dangerously low. ”Don't answer back.”
She licked dry lips before giving him a precis of the exchange with Charlotte Masters, then: ”It was six of one and half a dozen of the other. I was out of line maybe but she could've put me straight.”
”It's not down to a witness to 'put you straight'. Sort yourself out, sergeant.” He reached for the phone. ”I'm asking Mike Powell to go out there this morning.” She shrugged. Being Powell's second fiddle was better than sitting on the subs' bench. ”Carol Pemberton can go with him.”
She stopped just short of stamping a foot. ”Putting someone else on it's playing into the girl's hands. Sir.”
”D'you really think I'm so easily manipulated?” He shook his head. ”And it's not a game.”
Course not. But Diana Masters was a key witness. Pleading her case didn't come easily to Bev, but she rated Powell's interview skills as patchy to middling. ”Me and the widow are like this, guv.” It was pus.h.i.+ng it a tad to show crossed fingers. Not that showing closeness was why Bev usually employed the gesture. ”Look, if I run into Charlotte, I'll give her the full-on Morriss grovel.” Her eyes shone. ”One more chance? Please?”
”I gave you one.” He stared at her for five, six, seconds. He'd missed a bit shaving, but now wasn't the time to mention it, she reckoned she knew what was coming. ”You threw it back in my face.” At the brief.
Yep. She raised both palms, felt a blush rise. ”I was totally out of order there. I apologise. It won't happen again.”
”d.a.m.n right it won't. Consider this a verbal warning. Next time it'll be in writing.” He nodded at the door.
His eyes were harsh as the words. There was no leeway however hard she searched. ”Sir.” She turned, walked away, head high. Pleading was one thing, but she'd not get on her knees. Halfway out of the office, she heard the receiver hit the cradle.
”Bev.” Eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g, she glanced back. ”One last chance. That's it.”
He held up a single finger to drive home the point; her vision was blurred, she was seeing double.
PC Danny Rees was on one knee in the middle of the pavement head-height with a little girl who looked like Alice in Wonderland's kid sister. Bev raised a curious eyebrow as she drove past. Following the action in the wing mirror, she parked the Polo a few doors down from the Masters place. Flushed and frowning, young Danny looked a little out of his depth. The kid was in floods of tears, clinging to the hand of a whippet-thin, thirty-something blonde, presumably the mother. They were all rabbiting on, but from where Bev sat it was a silent movie. A grey winter blanket sky added to the monochrome impression, Park View seemed leeched of colour bar the little girl's scarlet coat, and a couple of magpies arguing the toss over a dead rat in the gutter. Two for joy? Yeah right.
For all of a second or three, she considered giving Danny a hand. Nah. She lit a Silk Cut instead. This was the rookie's deal and he needed the practice. More to the point she was itching to interview Diana Masters. Soon as Mac rolled up, they'd get the show on the road. Fanning smoke through the window, she glanced at the clock on the dash, tutted. The rush hour was over: trust Tyler to get caught in traffic. Normally they'd have travelled together, but after the blistering encounter with the big man she'd ached for her own s.p.a.ce. Last thing she needed was Mac coming over all paternal, trying to get her to open up.
Frowning, she glanced in the rear view mirror. The silent movie now had sound effects. What was that kid's problem? Talk about throwing a wobbly. Mind, Bev knew the feeling. Since the guv's b.o.l.l.o.c.king, her mood swings made an emotional rollercoaster look flat. The hurt and grat.i.tude had morphed into self-righteous pique. She took a deep drag. Frig's sake she was hunting a murderer not looking for a best mate. Course she'd be civil to Charlotte Masters, but she'd not be cowed by anyone. If she had to watch every word she said, the suits might as well gag her. It'd go with the straitjacket. Fighting crime was crazy enough without both arms tied behind the back. Anyway bottom line was this: if push came to shove they could stuff the job.
”All in a day's work, eh, sarge?” Danny was squatting at her window, nodded at the kid and woman as they strolled past the motor.
”What's up? Someone nick her jelly babies?” Bev cracked a half-smile. Danny was easy on the eye, and had a decent line in banter a rare breed at Highgate.
”Nah. She wants me to look for Crumpet.”
”Thought you had a girl?”
The blush was endearing. ”Missing cat. Me being a policeman she wants me to get a search party out. I told her I was a bit busy, like.” Bev nodded, knew Danny was now on the team mopping up house-to-house inquiries, not everyone had been at home during the first wave. ”Said they should get posters up, see if...”
”When'd it go AWOL?” She took another drag, eyes creased against the smoke, toying with a notion.
”Couple of days, why?”
”Where'd they live?”
He nodded up the road. ”Big place round the corner, with the hedge?” Close to where uniform had found a knife stained with animal blood. A discovery Bev had always seen as dead convenient. ”What's up, sarge?”
”Dunno yet.” It was a h.e.l.l of a leap from missing moggie to master criminal. She frowned, trying to think it through.
Danny removed the helmet, smoothed s.h.i.+ny dark hair. ”Her mum was giving her a hard time as well, reckoned she was telling porkies.”
”Lost me there, Danny. This cat missing or what?”
”Yeah, it's missing, but the little girl says someone ran off with it. Wants me to put the bad man in prison.” Indulgent smile, shake of the head.
Bev stiffened. ”Did the kid actually see a bloke take the cat?” Curt.
The smile faltered slightly. ”The mother says she makes things up all the time.”
”Did she see a bloke take the frigging cat? Christ, Danny, you were here when we found the knife.”
”You think...?” She'd never seen blood drain from a face so quickly.
”I don't know what I think, 'cept there's an outside chance the kid might have clocked the perp. You'd best...”
”On it, sarge.” Like a bat on speed. He was halfway down the road before she'd hit fast dial for forensics. The tests needed narrowing down. If it was cat blood on the knife, they needed to know p.r.o.nto. Busy line. ”d.a.m.n.”
”Where's the boy wonder off to?”
Jeez-us. Mac was at the window now. Not such a pretty sight. ”Tell you later.” She'd get on to the lab after the Masters interview. The cat thing was probably a wild goose chasing red herrings down a dead end. No sense wasting even more time now Tyler was here. She stubbed the baccy, grabbed her bag. ”What kept you, mate?”
He pointed at the ashtray. ”Could have you for that. The Smoke Free Exemptions and Vehicles Regulations 2007 states quite...”
”Nothing in the known universe could you have me for, mate.” She locked the motor, headed towards the house. ”So? What kept you?”
He hitched his denims. ”D'you never listen to the radio?”
It'd been on; she'd not been tuned in. ”Just give, eh?”
”Some nutter's on top of Selfridges.”
”p.i.s.sed off at the prices probably.” Cynical snort.
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