Fic: Circumstantial Evidence (2/3), PG-13, gen
Title: Circumstantial Evidence (2/3)
Author: dak
Word Count: 13,865
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: mentions of murder
Pairing: none (well, there might be some if you squint)
Summary: After a prisoner goes missing from cells, questions are asked about CID's involvement. Each detective is interviewed separately and tells their side of the story. But are they all telling the truth? And who are they desperate to protect?
A/N: For the 2011 LoM Big Bang over at lom_bigbang
Part 1 Part 3
Chris
“A lot happened that day. I don’t know how much I can remember.”
Why don’t you start by telling us what happened when you returned to the station with Simon Lamb?
“Oh right. Well, we signed him in with Phyllis and then Annie, er, WDC Cartwright went to tell the Guv while I put him in cells...”
~~~~
“DC Skelton, you’ve known me for years. Helped me find my little girl. You know I’m innocent.” Lamb was pleading with Chris as he was escorted back to cells. He’d remained quiet during the car ride but now with only Chris beside him, he cried freely.
Chris did nearly feel sorry for him - a grown man sobbing like that - but he had been to the crime scene. He’d seen the victim, little Doris, laid out on the slab. He’d had to stand there while the coroner described all the horrible, evil things that happened to her. But, most of all, he felt sick - disgusted with himself that he’d allowed Lamb to fool him for so long.
He didn’t feel any better knowing that Ray had been fooled, too. And the Guv. And DI Tyler. Someone should’ve known.
“I didn’t do it, DC Skelton. I’m innocent. I am!” He continued to cry as Chris closed the cell door.
“That’ll be for the judge to decide,” he replied and walked away, a little bit of him wishing Lamb would stay there forever and rot.
Walking up to CID, he was nearly shoved down the staircase by DI Tyler who was running down the stairs.
“Boss?” He said, regaining his balance. Tyler looked up, noticing for the first time that Chris was there.
“Oh. Sorry, Chris.”
“Hey Boss, we...” Chris was about to tell him about the collar in case he’d missed Annie’s announcement, but Sam was already gone. Chris shook his head and continued up to the third floor. Whatever he’d been thinking about concerning DI Tyler was forgotten when he reached the third floor corridor and saw her.
Phyllis must have given her a break because just a moment ago she’d been downstairs and now, here she was right in front of him.
Chris gulped and turned his head away. He didn’t want to be caught staring, especially when she was standing with a group of WDCs. He’d just gathered enough courage to walk past them when he looked up and saw her staring back at him. He blushed and looked away before he could see her reaction then hurried into the nearest room. It was Lost and Found.
He waited patiently for a few minutes, then ducked out of the room and hurried back to the stairwell. Tea. He needed tea.
As soon as he entered the canteen, Annie was there, smiling. He couldn’t smile. He’d just hid in a closet to avoid speaking to a girl. If anyone knew - if Ray ever found out - he’d be the laughingstock of the entire station.
“Why Chris, you look absolutely miserable. Here. You sit with me. I’ll fetch you a cuppa and we can talk all about it. I have a BA in Psychology. I’ll know exactly how to fix you.”
Chris sat at a table while Annie brought him his tea.
“Really, Cartwright. It’s nothing,” he said.
“It’s alright, Chris. You can tell me. I have a BA in Psychology.” She sat there, still smiling away, while Chris struggled with what to say. “I promise I won’t tell anyone,” she added.
“Well, you know what it’s like when you want to do something that no one expects you to do?”
“I suppose.”
“I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know what people expect me to do. But what if I want to do something unexpected? What if I want to embrace one of my weaknesses, even if I know the outcome will be horrible?”
“Erm, well, is it illegal? This thing you want to do?” She looked suspicious.
“No. Of course not.”
“Will it end up hurting anyone?”
“Only myself,” he sighed. This was going nowhere.
“Well, as a person with a BA in Psychology, all I can say is that women are very complicated creatures and we don’t like being objectified, like the way you’re staring at my chest and not listening to what I have to say, but, it won’t be the end of the world, will it?”
Chris stared up at her, trying to decide if he should ask her to repeat what she’d just said.
“Suppose not,” he finally said, deciding it was best to agree with whatever it was she’d told him. “Cheers, Annie,” he smiled and decided to leave the canteen before he could get anymore confused.
When did wanting to ask out a girl get so complicated?
Chris returned to CID to find it empty. He was glad DI Tyler and the Guv weren’t there. He didn’t want to listen to them arguing anymore. But, it was lonely without anyone to talk to. Even Ray wasn’t sitting around, though he couldn’t have gone too far. He was on desk duty after all.
It was heading into the later part of the day and the office had taken on an eerie calm which didn’t dissipate when Annie returned to work on her paperwork or when Ray came in and pat Chris on the shoulder.
The office slowly filled up again, people chatting and laughing, but everyone seemed to be waiting for something. Chris couldn’t say what it was or where it was coming from.
As more officers and detectives congratulated him on the arrest, Chris began to feel more confident. He was a Detective Constable. He’d just caught a major criminal. There was no reason he couldn’t ask Mandy Hammond on a date.
Chris nodded to himself, confirming his intentions, then left CID to track down the gaggle of WPCs. He would ask Mandy out in front of all them. She’d be proud to be asked out by Manchester’s star detective.
Yet, after searching most of the building and still unable to find them, Chris’s confidence began to wane. Why couldn’t he have asked her before? She could be done work for the day. She could’ve already gone home. Someone else could’ve asked her on a date. On a last tip from Phyllis, Chris headed for the back stairs which led to the car pool.
He was halfway down when he heard voices round the corner.
“...asking me.”
“I know, Gene. I know.”
It was the Guv and DI Tyler. Chris knew he should leave. This wasn’t an argument they wanted anyone to overhear.
“Then stop, Sam.”
“But think about it. If...”
“The answer’s no.”
“Gene...”
“Christ. You of all people! You should...”
“This is different. You know this is different.”
“What I know is that we’re all tired. We’re all miserable. And we’re not thinking clearly. We all need a bit of rest.”
Sam sighed and murmured something too low for Chris to hear.
“Keep it together, Sammy,” Gene replied.
At this point, Chris quietly backed up the staircase and headed into the station before they could notice him. He was wandering the halls, trying not to think about what he’d heard, when he bumped into WPC Hammond outside CID.
“Oh! DC Skelton.”
“Erm, hi,” he said, not paying much attention.
“Phyllis said you were looking for me.” She might have smiled. “That you had something to ask me...”
“Oh, er, I forgot,” he stuttered and shuffled into the office where Annie was cleaning up her desk and Ray was struggling to slip on his coat.
“Pub?” Ray asked when he spotted Chris.
“Yeah. Pub,” Chris grabbed his coat and switched off his desk lamp.
“Alright?” Ray asked when Chris joined him at the door.
“Yeah.”
If Ray thought Chris was lying, he said nothing.
The pub was a relatively quiet affair, much to Chris’s surprise. Instead of a lighthearted and hearty celebration, everyone gathered was calmly sipping pints. It was as if everyone was finally admitting how tired they were of the whole, dreadful business and now just wanted to sleep.
Still, Chris never had to pay for his own drink. Ray bought the first round and even Phyllis took care of the second. After Geoff handed him a third, Chris noticed that two members of CID had yet to arrive.
“Hey, Ray, where are the Guv and the Boss?”
“Dunno,” Ray shrugged, nursing his pint. “Boss probably roped the Guv into doing more paperwork before they left.”
“Sam said he’d be along shortly,” Annie interjected, having left her conversation with Phyllis. “I saw him in the locker room.”
“And maybe he changed his mind. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Ray asked, wincing as he shifted in his chair.
“Are you supposed to be drinking?” Annie asked, crossing her arms.
“I can drink as much as I like, Cartwright,” Ray countered, imitating her pose. “So long as I don’t take the pain pills.”
“Is that...” Chris started.
“Is that what?” Ray asked.
“Erm, smart?”
“Look, the only painkiller I need is right here.” He pointed to his near-empty glass. “I know how much I can take and last I checked, you two weren’t doctors.” He downed the rest of the glass then rose from his chair and grabbed his jacket.
“Sorry, Ray. I didn’t mean...”
Ray waved off Chris’s apology.
“No, mate. You’re all right. Go on, next one’s on me.” Ray tossed some change on the table after settling back down in his chair.
The rest of the night passed quietly. Chris stayed until closing, leaving only when Nelson had herded him and Ray out the door. He found his way home a short time later, sneaking up the stairs so his mum and dad wouldn’t wake.
~~~~
When were you informed of Simon Lamb’s disappearance?
“Only when I went to the station the next morning. Had a bit of a headache and was feeling a bit sick ‘cause me mum had made me eat a full breakie before I left that morning. First trip I made was to the toilets.”
So you learned of the incident after...relieving yourself?
“You mean after I sicked up? Well, yeah. Though, right after I went to the canteen for some tea. Thought maybe that would settle me down.”
So you arrived at the station, went to the toilets then to the canteen then learned of the disappearance?
“Yeah. Well, more like toilets, canteen, toilets, locker room, toilets...”
Where precisely were you, DC Skelton, and who informed you?
“Don’t see why that matters so much, to be honest.”
We’re establishing a timeline of events.
“Oh. Right. Well, I was in the corridor, by the new coffee vending machine. Annie, er, WDC Cartwright, ran up and told me. Thought I was going to be sick all over again.”
And prior to that, the last time you saw either DCI Hunt or DI Tyler was during their conversation near the car park?
DC Skelton.
“Well, not exactly.”
Elaborate.
“I...that is...”
DC Skelton, it is imperative that you tell us the truth in all matters relating to this event.
“I know.”
May we remind you that Mr. Simon Lamb not only disappeared while in the custody of your constabulary, but that his body was discovered a mere two miles from your home?
“I know! Alright.”
When was the last time you saw DCI Hunt and DI Tyler?
“The last time I saw DCI Hunt was by the car park. But...but DI Tyler...”
Yes?
“Well, I was a bit drunk, so it might not have been him but...but I might have seen him after I left the pub. On the canal path, talk...talking to himself.”
Ray
“I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t do anything. Put that in your little report.”
DS Carling, may we ask how you came by your injuries?
“No. There’s a report out there. You want, you can go read all about it.”
Then could you tell us your version of events, pertaining to the day Simon Lamb was arrested?
“My version? I was at my desk, all day. Weren’t allowed to do owt...”
~~~~
Ray hobbled into the station, ignoring Phyllis’s grunted hello. He’d decided to leave the crutches at home today, despite the doctor’s orders he should stay on them for the rest of the week. Ray couldn’t be bothered with that.
He stopped in the canteen for a morning cuppa then slowly made his way into CID. The overhead lights were still low and the office held the eerie morning silence. As Ray settled uneasily into his chair, he noticed he wasn’t alone.
“Morning, Boss,” he called out, perhaps slightly louder than necessary. Tyler, who had been asleep at his desk, jerked awake and shouted “mum.”
“No. Only me,” Ray replied.
Sam blinked rapidly then ran his hands over his face.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Nearly nine.”
Sam stretched his neck from side to side then picked up his pen and began reviewing the notes laid out on his desk. Ray was about to make a quip about Tyler spending the night, again, at the station, when the Guv arrived and did it for him.
“You still here?” Gene said as he strode into the office. He was in a fresh suit and looked like he’d finally showered, but Ray could tell by the deep lines on his face that, despite going home, he hadn’t had any sleep.
“Where else should I be?” Sam replied.
“Home. Like I told you.”
Ray buried his face in his paper. The day had barely begun and they were already at it.
“If you could send me home, Gene...”
“What? Finish your sentences, Dorothy.”
“Never mind.”
Gene walked to Sam’s desk, glancing at the papers that covered it.
“And by staying here all night, making yourself even more tired and useless, did you find anything new that could help us?”
“No.”
“Yeah. Thought not. And what have you been up to?” Gene asked, turning his attention to Ray.
“Just got in, Guv.”
“Try not to strain yourself too much today, eh princess?”
Ray knew better than to respond.
“Found Skelton and Cartwright downstairs. Sent them to re-interview that sister out in Stockport. If you can handle it, Raymondo, I’m going to send you down to the collator’s, see if you can dig up anymore connections Lamb may have.”
“And what about me, Guv?” Tyler asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
“You I’m sending home for a kip and a shower. You don’t half stink and you can’t even see straight.” Gene swept into his office and Sam was right behind. Ray listened to them arguing for a minute more before deciding he’d had enough and went down to the collator’s.
He knew it was only busy work. Tyler and Skelton had already searched the place top to bottom for further leads on Lamb. Ray doubted he could turn up anything new.
Still, better to do what the Guv said than incur his wrath. Ray spent the better part of an hour searching through the files before he couldn’t take it anymore. When he went back to CID, Tyler was gone. The cloud of smoke hovering above his office door gave him a clue as to where Hunt was. Ray knocked on the door and entered.
Gene was sat at his desk, bent over a newspaper with a fag in one hand a cup of coffee in the other.
“Anything?” he asked without looking up.
“Nowt, Guv.”
Gene inhaled on the cigarette then leaned back in his chair.
“We had him, Ray.”
“I know, Guv.”
“We had him on Charley and we couldn’t...”
“Tyler and his bloody evidence.”
At this, Gene slammed his fist on his desk.
“Leave Sam out of this. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have even known to look into Lamb in the first place.”
“Right, Guv. Sorry, Guv.”
Gene’s anger receded as quick as it arrived and he slouched back in his chair.
“Bastard can’t hide forever,” Ray added. “We’ll find him. And when we do...”
“We’ll play it by Sam’s ruddy book,” Gene finished for him. “I’m not having this kiddie killer walk on another bloody technicality.” Gene spat the last word as if it was a curse.
Ray and Gene shared an early drink then Ray was back at his desk.
So was Tyler. He’d changed clothes but Ray could tell he hadn’t slept a wink. Ray didn’t blame him, not when it came to this case, but still it was a risk disobeying the Guv, especially when tensions were running so high. Ray decided not to put himself in the firing line and didn’t alert Gene to Sam’s return.
Instead, he sat at his and flipped through a magazine Geoff had loaned him. At the moment, there was nothing else he could do to help. True it did make him feel a bit useless, but it was what it was. Eventually, Gene went out his back exit and Sam approached Ray.
“DS Carling,” he said. Ray could see the bags under his eyes, the jittery way his hands kept playing with the papers he was holding.
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Oh, just, do you think you could, uhm, cross-reference these names against the ones on your list?”
“Which list?”
“The one Annie put together. Of Lamb’s known associates.”
“Sure, Boss.”
Sam handed over the papers, started towards his desk then turned back.
“Oh and Ray?”
“Yeah?”
Sam thought for a moment then shrugged it off.
“Never mind,” he said.
It was another hour or so before Annie returned, proclaiming the good news. By that time, Tyler and the Guv had had another three arguments, the last one no doubt resulting in blows as Ray watched Sam limp out of Gene’s office clutching his wrist. Ray didn’t see Sam for the rest of the work day.
At five o’clock, Ray decided it was time to head to the pub. Gene and Sam were out of the office, Chris was somewhere else and Cartwright was still filling out forms. As he started to slip on his jacket - hard to do with the cast - he saw a forlorn Chris shuffle into the room.
Ray sighed. He’d told him the other day it was a bad idea for him to ask that new plonk out, said she was only going to break his heart.
“Pub?” He asked, trying to distract his mate from his failure.
“Yeah. Pub,” Chris replied, grabbing his coat.
“Alright?”
“Yeah.”
Ray followed him out the door. Of course he wasn’t alright - poor lad had gotten his hopes up - but Ray knew it wouldn’t help to talk about it. Best thing for him was a drink down at the Arms.
As they headed down the station steps, Ray noticed Gene leaning against the Cortina and smoking a fag. Chris went over to start Ray’s car, but Ray decided to have a quick chat with the Guv first.
“We’re headed out, Guv.”
“Pub?”
“Yeah. You coming?”
“Might do,” Gene said. “Though the missus thinks I’m dead. Hasn’t seen hide nor hair of me this past month. I leave her any longer, think she might register me as a missing person.”
“Should probably go home then, shouldn’t you?”
Gene said nothing for a moment, choosing to finish his cigarette instead and crushing the butt under his white loafer.
“Yeah,” he finally said, exhaling the last bit of smoke. “Suppose I should.”
“What about Tyler? He coming?”
“Since when do you care about Tyler?” Gene asked, but his voice was tired.
“Don’t. Except, if he’s going and not you, don’t see the point of going meself.”
Gene pulled out his wallet and placed a fiver into Ray’s hand.
“I’ll worry about Tyler,” he said. “You get a few drinks in for the team.”
“Right, Guv.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Ray nodded and joined Chris in the car, slipping the money into his pocket.
“Is the Guv coming?” Chris asked.
“Said he might. Come on. Get this thing moving. I’m parched.”
Ray used the Guv’s money to get the first round in at the pub. In everyone’s excitement over the collar, Ray had forgotten to say it was Gene’s money he was using. The hours ticked by and the empty glasses piled up. It was a good mood in the pub that night. Everyone was happy.
Cartwright was the first to leave with Phyllis following soon after. Ray and Chris were the last two standing before Nelson eventually begged them to leave.
“Come on, Chris. I’ll take you home.”
“But...” Chris burped. “You can’t drive.”
“’M not that pissed.”
“No. I mean with...that...your arm and all.”
“Oh. Right.” Ray had forgotten it was there.
“Aren’t you mad?” Chris asked. “Mad at...” Burp. “DI Tyler for...you know.”
“Well it was an accident. ‘Sides, the Guv won’t let me.”
“Let you have accidents?”
“Let me be mad at Tyler. Said it’s not good for morale.”
“But you are, aren’t you?”
“Course I am. Bloody twonk sent me down a staircase! Could’ve killed me.”
“Gentlemen,” Nelson pushed his mop across the floor. “I don’t plan on cleaning round you. Not good for me floors to keep two pickled coppers there.”
“Sorry, Nelson,” they muttered. Ray downed the last sip of his pint and he and Chris helped each other to their feet. Outside, the fresh air helped sober Ray a bit.
“You alright to walk home?” He asked Chris.
“Yea, yeah. I think.” Chris stumbled to his right.
“Well, steer clear of the canal. I’m not fishing you out in the morning. We’ll fetch me car tomorrow.”
“Right-o.” Chris gave a mock salute then tottered off down the street.
Ray headed the opposite direction to his house, where he flopped onto his bed and slept like a baby until morning.
~~~~
DC Skelton did not mention your conversation with DCI Hunt prior to your departing for the pub.
“Why should he? He were in the car.”
He was surprised that DCI Hunt was not at the pub. As was WDC Cartwright.
“The Guv had promised them he’d be there. He didn’t want to disappoint them by saying he had to go home to the wife instead.”
And is DCI Hunt often subjected to the whims of his wife?
“Have you met Mrs. Hunt?”
Why did you not inform them that DCI Hunt would not be present?
“Suppose it slipped my mind. After I started getting the drinks in, having a good time was the only thing I was concerned with.”
Why did you tell DC Skelton to avoid the canal path?
“Because the way he was teetering, he was liable to fall straight in. It’s happened before and he was sober then.”
What is your relationship with DI Tyler?
“He’s the Boss.”
And you respect him as your superior?
“Suppose I have to.”
And you’d follow any orders he would give you?
“Look, Tyler and I don’t get along. Yeah, go on and put that in your file. I was supposed to be DI then he transferred in and took it. So, no. We don’t always get along.”
And how was your relationship with DI Tyler during this time?
“He shoved me down a flight of stairs! What do you think?”
Shoved?
“We were searching a house two weeks prior, looking for signs of Lamb. We were standing in a kitchen, at the top of some cellar stairs. Something spooked him and he fell back into me. There was nothing I could grab onto for balance and I fell. Turns out it was a cat that had scared him. I ended up with a cracked rib, sprained ankle, concussion and a broken wrist ‘cause he was scared of the shadows. So how do you think my relationship was with DI Tyler?”
DC Carling, last year, you were implicated in the cell death of another prisoner, were you not?
“Go to hell. This interview’s over.”
Part 3
Author: dak
Word Count: 13,865
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: mentions of murder
Pairing: none (well, there might be some if you squint)
Summary: After a prisoner goes missing from cells, questions are asked about CID's involvement. Each detective is interviewed separately and tells their side of the story. But are they all telling the truth? And who are they desperate to protect?
A/N: For the 2011 LoM Big Bang over at lom_bigbang
Part 1 Part 3
Chris
“A lot happened that day. I don’t know how much I can remember.”
Why don’t you start by telling us what happened when you returned to the station with Simon Lamb?
“Oh right. Well, we signed him in with Phyllis and then Annie, er, WDC Cartwright went to tell the Guv while I put him in cells...”
~~~~
“DC Skelton, you’ve known me for years. Helped me find my little girl. You know I’m innocent.” Lamb was pleading with Chris as he was escorted back to cells. He’d remained quiet during the car ride but now with only Chris beside him, he cried freely.
Chris did nearly feel sorry for him - a grown man sobbing like that - but he had been to the crime scene. He’d seen the victim, little Doris, laid out on the slab. He’d had to stand there while the coroner described all the horrible, evil things that happened to her. But, most of all, he felt sick - disgusted with himself that he’d allowed Lamb to fool him for so long.
He didn’t feel any better knowing that Ray had been fooled, too. And the Guv. And DI Tyler. Someone should’ve known.
“I didn’t do it, DC Skelton. I’m innocent. I am!” He continued to cry as Chris closed the cell door.
“That’ll be for the judge to decide,” he replied and walked away, a little bit of him wishing Lamb would stay there forever and rot.
Walking up to CID, he was nearly shoved down the staircase by DI Tyler who was running down the stairs.
“Boss?” He said, regaining his balance. Tyler looked up, noticing for the first time that Chris was there.
“Oh. Sorry, Chris.”
“Hey Boss, we...” Chris was about to tell him about the collar in case he’d missed Annie’s announcement, but Sam was already gone. Chris shook his head and continued up to the third floor. Whatever he’d been thinking about concerning DI Tyler was forgotten when he reached the third floor corridor and saw her.
Phyllis must have given her a break because just a moment ago she’d been downstairs and now, here she was right in front of him.
Chris gulped and turned his head away. He didn’t want to be caught staring, especially when she was standing with a group of WDCs. He’d just gathered enough courage to walk past them when he looked up and saw her staring back at him. He blushed and looked away before he could see her reaction then hurried into the nearest room. It was Lost and Found.
He waited patiently for a few minutes, then ducked out of the room and hurried back to the stairwell. Tea. He needed tea.
As soon as he entered the canteen, Annie was there, smiling. He couldn’t smile. He’d just hid in a closet to avoid speaking to a girl. If anyone knew - if Ray ever found out - he’d be the laughingstock of the entire station.
“Why Chris, you look absolutely miserable. Here. You sit with me. I’ll fetch you a cuppa and we can talk all about it. I have a BA in Psychology. I’ll know exactly how to fix you.”
Chris sat at a table while Annie brought him his tea.
“Really, Cartwright. It’s nothing,” he said.
“It’s alright, Chris. You can tell me. I have a BA in Psychology.” She sat there, still smiling away, while Chris struggled with what to say. “I promise I won’t tell anyone,” she added.
“Well, you know what it’s like when you want to do something that no one expects you to do?”
“I suppose.”
“I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know what people expect me to do. But what if I want to do something unexpected? What if I want to embrace one of my weaknesses, even if I know the outcome will be horrible?”
“Erm, well, is it illegal? This thing you want to do?” She looked suspicious.
“No. Of course not.”
“Will it end up hurting anyone?”
“Only myself,” he sighed. This was going nowhere.
“Well, as a person with a BA in Psychology, all I can say is that women are very complicated creatures and we don’t like being objectified, like the way you’re staring at my chest and not listening to what I have to say, but, it won’t be the end of the world, will it?”
Chris stared up at her, trying to decide if he should ask her to repeat what she’d just said.
“Suppose not,” he finally said, deciding it was best to agree with whatever it was she’d told him. “Cheers, Annie,” he smiled and decided to leave the canteen before he could get anymore confused.
When did wanting to ask out a girl get so complicated?
Chris returned to CID to find it empty. He was glad DI Tyler and the Guv weren’t there. He didn’t want to listen to them arguing anymore. But, it was lonely without anyone to talk to. Even Ray wasn’t sitting around, though he couldn’t have gone too far. He was on desk duty after all.
It was heading into the later part of the day and the office had taken on an eerie calm which didn’t dissipate when Annie returned to work on her paperwork or when Ray came in and pat Chris on the shoulder.
The office slowly filled up again, people chatting and laughing, but everyone seemed to be waiting for something. Chris couldn’t say what it was or where it was coming from.
As more officers and detectives congratulated him on the arrest, Chris began to feel more confident. He was a Detective Constable. He’d just caught a major criminal. There was no reason he couldn’t ask Mandy Hammond on a date.
Chris nodded to himself, confirming his intentions, then left CID to track down the gaggle of WPCs. He would ask Mandy out in front of all them. She’d be proud to be asked out by Manchester’s star detective.
Yet, after searching most of the building and still unable to find them, Chris’s confidence began to wane. Why couldn’t he have asked her before? She could be done work for the day. She could’ve already gone home. Someone else could’ve asked her on a date. On a last tip from Phyllis, Chris headed for the back stairs which led to the car pool.
He was halfway down when he heard voices round the corner.
“...asking me.”
“I know, Gene. I know.”
It was the Guv and DI Tyler. Chris knew he should leave. This wasn’t an argument they wanted anyone to overhear.
“Then stop, Sam.”
“But think about it. If...”
“The answer’s no.”
“Gene...”
“Christ. You of all people! You should...”
“This is different. You know this is different.”
“What I know is that we’re all tired. We’re all miserable. And we’re not thinking clearly. We all need a bit of rest.”
Sam sighed and murmured something too low for Chris to hear.
“Keep it together, Sammy,” Gene replied.
At this point, Chris quietly backed up the staircase and headed into the station before they could notice him. He was wandering the halls, trying not to think about what he’d heard, when he bumped into WPC Hammond outside CID.
“Oh! DC Skelton.”
“Erm, hi,” he said, not paying much attention.
“Phyllis said you were looking for me.” She might have smiled. “That you had something to ask me...”
“Oh, er, I forgot,” he stuttered and shuffled into the office where Annie was cleaning up her desk and Ray was struggling to slip on his coat.
“Pub?” Ray asked when he spotted Chris.
“Yeah. Pub,” Chris grabbed his coat and switched off his desk lamp.
“Alright?” Ray asked when Chris joined him at the door.
“Yeah.”
If Ray thought Chris was lying, he said nothing.
The pub was a relatively quiet affair, much to Chris’s surprise. Instead of a lighthearted and hearty celebration, everyone gathered was calmly sipping pints. It was as if everyone was finally admitting how tired they were of the whole, dreadful business and now just wanted to sleep.
Still, Chris never had to pay for his own drink. Ray bought the first round and even Phyllis took care of the second. After Geoff handed him a third, Chris noticed that two members of CID had yet to arrive.
“Hey, Ray, where are the Guv and the Boss?”
“Dunno,” Ray shrugged, nursing his pint. “Boss probably roped the Guv into doing more paperwork before they left.”
“Sam said he’d be along shortly,” Annie interjected, having left her conversation with Phyllis. “I saw him in the locker room.”
“And maybe he changed his mind. Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Ray asked, wincing as he shifted in his chair.
“Are you supposed to be drinking?” Annie asked, crossing her arms.
“I can drink as much as I like, Cartwright,” Ray countered, imitating her pose. “So long as I don’t take the pain pills.”
“Is that...” Chris started.
“Is that what?” Ray asked.
“Erm, smart?”
“Look, the only painkiller I need is right here.” He pointed to his near-empty glass. “I know how much I can take and last I checked, you two weren’t doctors.” He downed the rest of the glass then rose from his chair and grabbed his jacket.
“Sorry, Ray. I didn’t mean...”
Ray waved off Chris’s apology.
“No, mate. You’re all right. Go on, next one’s on me.” Ray tossed some change on the table after settling back down in his chair.
The rest of the night passed quietly. Chris stayed until closing, leaving only when Nelson had herded him and Ray out the door. He found his way home a short time later, sneaking up the stairs so his mum and dad wouldn’t wake.
~~~~
When were you informed of Simon Lamb’s disappearance?
“Only when I went to the station the next morning. Had a bit of a headache and was feeling a bit sick ‘cause me mum had made me eat a full breakie before I left that morning. First trip I made was to the toilets.”
So you learned of the incident after...relieving yourself?
“You mean after I sicked up? Well, yeah. Though, right after I went to the canteen for some tea. Thought maybe that would settle me down.”
So you arrived at the station, went to the toilets then to the canteen then learned of the disappearance?
“Yeah. Well, more like toilets, canteen, toilets, locker room, toilets...”
Where precisely were you, DC Skelton, and who informed you?
“Don’t see why that matters so much, to be honest.”
We’re establishing a timeline of events.
“Oh. Right. Well, I was in the corridor, by the new coffee vending machine. Annie, er, WDC Cartwright, ran up and told me. Thought I was going to be sick all over again.”
And prior to that, the last time you saw either DCI Hunt or DI Tyler was during their conversation near the car park?
DC Skelton.
“Well, not exactly.”
Elaborate.
“I...that is...”
DC Skelton, it is imperative that you tell us the truth in all matters relating to this event.
“I know.”
May we remind you that Mr. Simon Lamb not only disappeared while in the custody of your constabulary, but that his body was discovered a mere two miles from your home?
“I know! Alright.”
When was the last time you saw DCI Hunt and DI Tyler?
“The last time I saw DCI Hunt was by the car park. But...but DI Tyler...”
Yes?
“Well, I was a bit drunk, so it might not have been him but...but I might have seen him after I left the pub. On the canal path, talk...talking to himself.”
Ray
“I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t do anything. Put that in your little report.”
DS Carling, may we ask how you came by your injuries?
“No. There’s a report out there. You want, you can go read all about it.”
Then could you tell us your version of events, pertaining to the day Simon Lamb was arrested?
“My version? I was at my desk, all day. Weren’t allowed to do owt...”
~~~~
Ray hobbled into the station, ignoring Phyllis’s grunted hello. He’d decided to leave the crutches at home today, despite the doctor’s orders he should stay on them for the rest of the week. Ray couldn’t be bothered with that.
He stopped in the canteen for a morning cuppa then slowly made his way into CID. The overhead lights were still low and the office held the eerie morning silence. As Ray settled uneasily into his chair, he noticed he wasn’t alone.
“Morning, Boss,” he called out, perhaps slightly louder than necessary. Tyler, who had been asleep at his desk, jerked awake and shouted “mum.”
“No. Only me,” Ray replied.
Sam blinked rapidly then ran his hands over his face.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Nearly nine.”
Sam stretched his neck from side to side then picked up his pen and began reviewing the notes laid out on his desk. Ray was about to make a quip about Tyler spending the night, again, at the station, when the Guv arrived and did it for him.
“You still here?” Gene said as he strode into the office. He was in a fresh suit and looked like he’d finally showered, but Ray could tell by the deep lines on his face that, despite going home, he hadn’t had any sleep.
“Where else should I be?” Sam replied.
“Home. Like I told you.”
Ray buried his face in his paper. The day had barely begun and they were already at it.
“If you could send me home, Gene...”
“What? Finish your sentences, Dorothy.”
“Never mind.”
Gene walked to Sam’s desk, glancing at the papers that covered it.
“And by staying here all night, making yourself even more tired and useless, did you find anything new that could help us?”
“No.”
“Yeah. Thought not. And what have you been up to?” Gene asked, turning his attention to Ray.
“Just got in, Guv.”
“Try not to strain yourself too much today, eh princess?”
Ray knew better than to respond.
“Found Skelton and Cartwright downstairs. Sent them to re-interview that sister out in Stockport. If you can handle it, Raymondo, I’m going to send you down to the collator’s, see if you can dig up anymore connections Lamb may have.”
“And what about me, Guv?” Tyler asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
“You I’m sending home for a kip and a shower. You don’t half stink and you can’t even see straight.” Gene swept into his office and Sam was right behind. Ray listened to them arguing for a minute more before deciding he’d had enough and went down to the collator’s.
He knew it was only busy work. Tyler and Skelton had already searched the place top to bottom for further leads on Lamb. Ray doubted he could turn up anything new.
Still, better to do what the Guv said than incur his wrath. Ray spent the better part of an hour searching through the files before he couldn’t take it anymore. When he went back to CID, Tyler was gone. The cloud of smoke hovering above his office door gave him a clue as to where Hunt was. Ray knocked on the door and entered.
Gene was sat at his desk, bent over a newspaper with a fag in one hand a cup of coffee in the other.
“Anything?” he asked without looking up.
“Nowt, Guv.”
Gene inhaled on the cigarette then leaned back in his chair.
“We had him, Ray.”
“I know, Guv.”
“We had him on Charley and we couldn’t...”
“Tyler and his bloody evidence.”
At this, Gene slammed his fist on his desk.
“Leave Sam out of this. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have even known to look into Lamb in the first place.”
“Right, Guv. Sorry, Guv.”
Gene’s anger receded as quick as it arrived and he slouched back in his chair.
“Bastard can’t hide forever,” Ray added. “We’ll find him. And when we do...”
“We’ll play it by Sam’s ruddy book,” Gene finished for him. “I’m not having this kiddie killer walk on another bloody technicality.” Gene spat the last word as if it was a curse.
Ray and Gene shared an early drink then Ray was back at his desk.
So was Tyler. He’d changed clothes but Ray could tell he hadn’t slept a wink. Ray didn’t blame him, not when it came to this case, but still it was a risk disobeying the Guv, especially when tensions were running so high. Ray decided not to put himself in the firing line and didn’t alert Gene to Sam’s return.
Instead, he sat at his and flipped through a magazine Geoff had loaned him. At the moment, there was nothing else he could do to help. True it did make him feel a bit useless, but it was what it was. Eventually, Gene went out his back exit and Sam approached Ray.
“DS Carling,” he said. Ray could see the bags under his eyes, the jittery way his hands kept playing with the papers he was holding.
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Oh, just, do you think you could, uhm, cross-reference these names against the ones on your list?”
“Which list?”
“The one Annie put together. Of Lamb’s known associates.”
“Sure, Boss.”
Sam handed over the papers, started towards his desk then turned back.
“Oh and Ray?”
“Yeah?”
Sam thought for a moment then shrugged it off.
“Never mind,” he said.
It was another hour or so before Annie returned, proclaiming the good news. By that time, Tyler and the Guv had had another three arguments, the last one no doubt resulting in blows as Ray watched Sam limp out of Gene’s office clutching his wrist. Ray didn’t see Sam for the rest of the work day.
At five o’clock, Ray decided it was time to head to the pub. Gene and Sam were out of the office, Chris was somewhere else and Cartwright was still filling out forms. As he started to slip on his jacket - hard to do with the cast - he saw a forlorn Chris shuffle into the room.
Ray sighed. He’d told him the other day it was a bad idea for him to ask that new plonk out, said she was only going to break his heart.
“Pub?” He asked, trying to distract his mate from his failure.
“Yeah. Pub,” Chris replied, grabbing his coat.
“Alright?”
“Yeah.”
Ray followed him out the door. Of course he wasn’t alright - poor lad had gotten his hopes up - but Ray knew it wouldn’t help to talk about it. Best thing for him was a drink down at the Arms.
As they headed down the station steps, Ray noticed Gene leaning against the Cortina and smoking a fag. Chris went over to start Ray’s car, but Ray decided to have a quick chat with the Guv first.
“We’re headed out, Guv.”
“Pub?”
“Yeah. You coming?”
“Might do,” Gene said. “Though the missus thinks I’m dead. Hasn’t seen hide nor hair of me this past month. I leave her any longer, think she might register me as a missing person.”
“Should probably go home then, shouldn’t you?”
Gene said nothing for a moment, choosing to finish his cigarette instead and crushing the butt under his white loafer.
“Yeah,” he finally said, exhaling the last bit of smoke. “Suppose I should.”
“What about Tyler? He coming?”
“Since when do you care about Tyler?” Gene asked, but his voice was tired.
“Don’t. Except, if he’s going and not you, don’t see the point of going meself.”
Gene pulled out his wallet and placed a fiver into Ray’s hand.
“I’ll worry about Tyler,” he said. “You get a few drinks in for the team.”
“Right, Guv.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Ray nodded and joined Chris in the car, slipping the money into his pocket.
“Is the Guv coming?” Chris asked.
“Said he might. Come on. Get this thing moving. I’m parched.”
Ray used the Guv’s money to get the first round in at the pub. In everyone’s excitement over the collar, Ray had forgotten to say it was Gene’s money he was using. The hours ticked by and the empty glasses piled up. It was a good mood in the pub that night. Everyone was happy.
Cartwright was the first to leave with Phyllis following soon after. Ray and Chris were the last two standing before Nelson eventually begged them to leave.
“Come on, Chris. I’ll take you home.”
“But...” Chris burped. “You can’t drive.”
“’M not that pissed.”
“No. I mean with...that...your arm and all.”
“Oh. Right.” Ray had forgotten it was there.
“Aren’t you mad?” Chris asked. “Mad at...” Burp. “DI Tyler for...you know.”
“Well it was an accident. ‘Sides, the Guv won’t let me.”
“Let you have accidents?”
“Let me be mad at Tyler. Said it’s not good for morale.”
“But you are, aren’t you?”
“Course I am. Bloody twonk sent me down a staircase! Could’ve killed me.”
“Gentlemen,” Nelson pushed his mop across the floor. “I don’t plan on cleaning round you. Not good for me floors to keep two pickled coppers there.”
“Sorry, Nelson,” they muttered. Ray downed the last sip of his pint and he and Chris helped each other to their feet. Outside, the fresh air helped sober Ray a bit.
“You alright to walk home?” He asked Chris.
“Yea, yeah. I think.” Chris stumbled to his right.
“Well, steer clear of the canal. I’m not fishing you out in the morning. We’ll fetch me car tomorrow.”
“Right-o.” Chris gave a mock salute then tottered off down the street.
Ray headed the opposite direction to his house, where he flopped onto his bed and slept like a baby until morning.
~~~~
DC Skelton did not mention your conversation with DCI Hunt prior to your departing for the pub.
“Why should he? He were in the car.”
He was surprised that DCI Hunt was not at the pub. As was WDC Cartwright.
“The Guv had promised them he’d be there. He didn’t want to disappoint them by saying he had to go home to the wife instead.”
And is DCI Hunt often subjected to the whims of his wife?
“Have you met Mrs. Hunt?”
Why did you not inform them that DCI Hunt would not be present?
“Suppose it slipped my mind. After I started getting the drinks in, having a good time was the only thing I was concerned with.”
Why did you tell DC Skelton to avoid the canal path?
“Because the way he was teetering, he was liable to fall straight in. It’s happened before and he was sober then.”
What is your relationship with DI Tyler?
“He’s the Boss.”
And you respect him as your superior?
“Suppose I have to.”
And you’d follow any orders he would give you?
“Look, Tyler and I don’t get along. Yeah, go on and put that in your file. I was supposed to be DI then he transferred in and took it. So, no. We don’t always get along.”
And how was your relationship with DI Tyler during this time?
“He shoved me down a flight of stairs! What do you think?”
Shoved?
“We were searching a house two weeks prior, looking for signs of Lamb. We were standing in a kitchen, at the top of some cellar stairs. Something spooked him and he fell back into me. There was nothing I could grab onto for balance and I fell. Turns out it was a cat that had scared him. I ended up with a cracked rib, sprained ankle, concussion and a broken wrist ‘cause he was scared of the shadows. So how do you think my relationship was with DI Tyler?”
DC Carling, last year, you were implicated in the cell death of another prisoner, were you not?
“Go to hell. This interview’s over.”
Part 3