by GB Williams
‘Follow me.’
Charlie could see Teddington looking to him, her arms crossed protectively over her chest, her lips tight flat, and her eyes wide. He turned back to Piper. ‘Both of us?’
He watched Piper’s expression tighten. ‘Yes, both of you.’
Charlie let Teddington precede him as he moved and stretched to get the knots out of his neck and shoulders from the bad sleeping position. He followed, unsure how to read the look Piper had given him.
They were led back to the same, dimly-lit interview room, and told them to wait. Teddington took the opportunity to do a circuit of the small room, pacing to each corner before turning, her head bowed and her arms crossed.
‘Ari?’
‘Yeah.’ She stared resolutely at the floor.
‘You okay?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Really?’
She nodded. Having completed the circuit, she headed towards the table and took the seat she had used the day before, her arms still crossed, her brow knitted, her bottom lip between her teeth, and her eyes down. He moved over and sat beside her.
‘Ari—’
‘You really don’t know when to shut up do you?’ Her tone wasn’t harsh.
‘So, you are always this grumpy in the morning?’ Had he really said that out loud?
Her lip came out from between her teeth. ‘Only when I wake up, somehow, locked up.’ She drew her lip back between her teeth.
‘Don’t give up hope.’
She answered that with a grunt, but said nothing else. He’d always thought she was a strong woman, but she didn’t appear to be coping now. A lot of people struggled with incarceration, and it was so different from everything she was used – no, hang on – she worked in a prison … he guessed the difference was she worked in a prison; she locked the doors and went home. It was a very different prospect to being locked behind those doors and not going out.
The sound of the latch drew Charlie’s attention, and he turned to watch, first, Piper and then, Carlisle come in. Carlisle, he knew, wasn’t a fan of early mornings, and it showed. The younger man’s lips were so compressed there was a white outline, his eyes tight. He was nose breathing and scowling. Charlie recognised anger when he saw it.
They entered in silence and took the seats opposite; Carlisle before Teddington, Piper in front of Charlie. Piper slid a standard buff file onto the table as he sat.
‘Why did you lie to me yesterday?’ Carlisle demanded of Teddington.
Charlie reared and blinked. Teddington wasn’t a liar. What, so what did Carlisle have to be so aggressive about?
‘Didn’t,’ she muttered without moving or looking up.
‘You told me you’d done research to figure out what had killed Thomas Walters.’
‘Yeah.’ She was still slumped in the chair, arms crossed and staring at the table top. ‘I just didn’t tell you what the research involved.’
‘What did the research involve?’ Charlie asked, worried about Ari’s apparent withdrawal.
‘Reading the autopsy report,’ Carlisle told him grudgingly.
Charlie turned to Teddington. ‘How did you get hold of the autopsy report?’
She was frowning and not responding again.
‘Ari?’
Piper drew in a breath. ‘I gave it to her.’ He shifted, tilting his head, frowning at her. ‘Mrs Teddington, are you okay?’
She grunted; it was vaguely positive.
Piper turned to Charlie, raising his brow in mute question. All Charlie could do was shrug.
Pushing the point aside, Piper focused on Charlie. ‘The evidence that exists points only to you two, and even that’s circumstantial. Whoever is doing this is very good at covering tracks.’
‘Yep,’ Teddington said. ‘It’s the only answer. We need to trigger a riot.’
For a second, Charlie continued to watch Piper, who looked as surprised by the statement as he was. Carlisle’s jaw had dropped.
That was when Teddington finally lifted her head and inspected the surprised faces around her.
‘And I thought Military Intelligence was the oxymoron,’ she muttered, as she unfolded her arms, using them to hold the chair as she sat up. She looked to Charlie, that spark, he was relieved to see, was back in her eye. ‘I know you think I was off with the fairies, but I was trying to figure this out.’ Now, she turned to Piper.
‘Okay, we’re all making the assumption Mansel-Jones is not only the ringleader, but also Charlie is the target. But, we’ve no evidence to substantiate that, so what if both assumptions are wrong?’
The three men shared a look, before directing their attention back to her.
‘Okay.’ Teddington sat up and splayed her fingers out on the cool surface of the table top. ‘Let me go through what I’ve seen. To start with, things have been getting weird for a while. I’m used to working in a male-dominated area, so guys shutting up the instant I walk in is fairly normal. Generally, I just shrug it off as them talking about sport or shagging, and don’t give a toss.’
Charlie straightened. He wasn’t used to Teddington talking this way. She seemed to have surprised Piper and Carlisle as well, as they had mimicked his reaction.
‘Thing is … the silences have changed. And there were other indicators, don’t ask what because I can’t actually name them. It was just a sense around the place of …’ she shrugged, ‘“wrongness.” If that’s even a word.’
‘It is,’ Piper assured her. When the other three looked at him, he smiled slightly. ‘The wife’s an editor. She was complaining about it a few months ago.’
‘Okay,’ Teddington acknowledged, ‘not sure which one of us is losing it fastest, but okay. The changes that worry me come from the PSIs that are being implemented thick and fast. There’s the restriction of socialisation, and training courses, which have always been a big part of prisoner rehab, are being cancelled. At meal times, instead of the lively interaction there used to be, everyone lines up with muted conversation only …’ She frowned as she said it. ‘This doesn’t actually sound so bad, now I say it out loud.’
‘Try living with it,’ Charlie grumbled.
She offered a sad smile and placed a hand over the top of his. Then, she continued, fixing her eyes on the two officers.
‘Look, Tommy’s dead, and frankly, you’re making that investigation look like a cover up. Richmond suddenly comes into money, now, he’s dead. Enzo tried to protect me, he gets shot. Richie Brett was pushed to a freak out. Everything’s being reorganised, and it’s obvious some of the shifts are particularly weak. The place is a powder keg just waiting to go up.’
‘Are you sure this isn’t just a reaction to everything you’ve been through?’
The scowl Teddington shot at Piper made Charlie glad he hadn’t been the one to ask that question.
‘If it’s a personal reaction, what motivation are you going to ascribe to the others who feel the same way?’
When no answer came back, Teddington went on. ‘Now, I’ve got some questions for you. Stanton, Mohr, Perkins and Finlay. You interviewed them. Who put them up to it?’
Charlie watched Piper’s face close up for a moment, but then he saw his Adam’s apple bob.
‘They referred to Leo.’
‘And they looked scared,’ Carlisle added.
‘And we still don’t know who Leo is.’ Teddington sighed. ‘Or do you?’
Piper didn’t answer, but he did ask her so many questions he made Charlie dizzy. Or maybe that was just because Teddington had yet to let go of his hand.
Charlie flexed his neck, it cracked loudly.
Teddington looked at him, her lip curled. ‘Eew.’
She had gone through every piece of evidence they had, and plenty of suppositions, drawing logical conclusions. She was bright, alert, brain in full gear. In short, back to the Ariadne he knew, and – no, he couldn’t go there.
Carlisle huffed and slumped. ‘Does it matter?’
Teddington glared at Carlisle.
His unwelcome comment came after Teddington had reported her concerns about Fry. Then, she turned to Piper. ‘Can I smack him one?’
Charlie watched Piper have to school his features to stay serious. ‘No.’
‘Shame.’ She glared at Carlisle. ‘Yes, it matters. It was Robbins who had recommended Charlie for early parole and Fry’s been pushing it since he got back.’
‘Isn’t that her job?’
Teddington shot Carlisle an “are you an idiot?” look. Then, she sighed and put her head on the table, lightly bashing her skull. ‘What is it with the police? You have all these rules and regulations you have to work to.’ She lifted her head, staring at Carlisle. ‘The prison and probation services have the same. Fry is bending the rules. Quite possibly breaking them.’
As annoyed as Teddington obviously was, the tight line of Carlisle’s jaw showed he was at a matching point. ‘But, it doesn’t relate to the case at hand, and none of it explains why you’re predicting a riot.’
Teddington’s eyes tightened, her lips nearly sneered. ‘I’m a fan of The Clash.’
‘You’re not even a fan of the Kaiser Chiefs.’
‘What?’ she snapped at Piper.
‘The Clash wanted a riot, a White Riot. It was the Kaiser Chiefs who predicted a riot.’
For a second, Teddington just stared at him. ‘Editor wife?’
‘Teenage son.’
Charlie reached forward, put his hand on her upper arm, guiding her back. There was all too much fire in her eyes and all for the wrong reasons. But, her eye line didn’t waiver. Then, suddenly, she smiled.
‘Are you always so pedantic?’
‘Details are important,’ Piper pointed out.
‘Details are our job,’ chorused Charlie and Carlisle.
Teddington looked between the two, then, back to Piper. ‘I’m guessing you say that a lot.’
Piper’s lips twitched into a brief, acknowledging smile.
‘As for you,’ Teddington growled, turning to Charlie, ‘don’t you start trying to control me. It’s bad enough in work with Rob—’ Her eyes went wide, her lips and jaw slackened, she sat back in the creaking chair. ‘—bins. Oh, no.’
Charlie felt his heart rate ramping up. Something was obviously clicking into place with her. Her eyes were focused elsewhere, whatever she was seeing, she wasn’t enjoying the view. ‘Ari?’
She swallowed. ‘I don’t want to believe it.’
‘Believe, what?’
‘I know how those forgeries got into my room.’
Charlie felt a fire building in his belly, as she told them about Robbins’ apparently drunken visit. He hadn’t wanted to rip Phillip Mansel-Jones apart the way he wanted to rip into Len Robbins at that moment.
‘That,’ Carlisle said, ‘is, at best, circumstantial. Any half decent lawyer would claim you were just trying to throw suspicion off you. What motive could you possibly prescribe for him to do that?’
‘Anger, jealousy, money, self-interest, coercion,’ she threw back as easily. ‘I can think of any number of reasons why anyone would get involved enough to do it, but Robbins will be the only one who can actually answer that question for him.’
‘That’s pure conjecture,’ Carlisle snarled leaning forward. ‘Where’s your proof?’
‘Where’s yours? Lack of evidence isn’t evidence of innocence,’ Teddington threw back.
Charlie was rather impressed; most people didn’t get that.
‘You’re grabbing for conclusions that aren’t there, dragging an innocent man’s name through the mud in an attempt to cover your own guilt.’
‘I’m not guilty! Robbins is the only one connected to the prison whose been near my house this last month.’
‘What about Sanchez?’
‘He’s still in hospital, you moron.’
Charlie wasn’t the only one who struggled to control his amusement, though Carlisle just looked insulted.
‘There are plenty of other men to consider before you start looking at the officers.’ Carlisle was trying to be reasonable. ‘Keen and Winehouse for a start.’
‘None of whom have been anywhere near my bedroom,’ Teddington insisted. ‘And it’s not Keen.’
‘What makes you so sure?’
She glowered at Carlisle.
‘William Keen,’ Piper pointed out, ‘was a Detective Superintendent in the Met. Everyone thought he was working wonders on his patch, crime rates down, public confidence up. Until they found out he was virtually running a protection racket. He was originally imprisoned in London, but moved down here to be closer to his only family.’ Piper frowned. ‘A step-sister, if I remember rightly.’
‘Half-sister,’ Teddington corrected, ‘but close enough.’
‘How do you know?’
‘She is,’ Piper pointed out, ‘a prison officer. She has access to his file. But, it’s still not Keen.’
Charlie felt his eyes narrow rather than consciously narrowing them. Piper had paused before speaking, and the look he exchanged with Teddington had been calculating on his part, wary on hers. There was some connection between Keen and Ariadne he simply wasn’t getting, but it looked like Piper was.
‘Point is,’ Teddington supplied, ‘Keen already has all the control he needs at Whitewalk.’
‘Whitewalk?’ Carlisle asked.
‘Blackmarch,’ Charlie supplied.
‘Prison humour.’ Teddington said. ‘Not terribly funny, but it sticks.’
‘If you’re right about all that’s gone on, why would you now be in the firing line?’
Teddington shrugged. ‘It’s been suggested it’s because I’m “incorruptible,” and quite why I find that so offensive, I do not know. But, I suspect it has something to do with the fact I lied about where I got pictures I gave Charlie. Robbins checked with Turner, and Turner confirmed he saw me speak with a crying kid on the prison steps, but I’m not sure Robbins was convinced.’
‘You prepped Turner?’ That surprised Charlie.
‘No, it actually happened, just not the way I told Robbins. Neither he nor Turner were in a position to know that, though.’
‘Still not proof.’
Teddington’s eyes switched to Carlisle. It was not a pleasant look. ‘That’s kind of what I’ve been saying. There is no proof.’
‘So,’ Piper broke the cold exchange between Carlisle and Teddington, ‘someone takes control at the prison. Tommy’s killed to restrict or stop the supply of drugs, and that’s being covered up. Only you,’ Piper pointed to Teddington, ‘wouldn’t accept that, and get you,’ the finger moved to Charlie, ‘to investigate.’
‘Allegedly, Robbins puts Charlie up for parole to get him out of the way. Richmond does something to upset the top dogs, so when the opportunity arrives with the funeral, they risk killing not only Richmond, but Sanchez, injuring you, all to make Charlie run, thereby looking guilty. Only, you get Charlie to go back, and now, Fry’s trying to countermand my blocking of his parole. So all this is just to get him out of there. Is that what you’re saying?’
Charlie watched Teddington; she was squirming.
‘Er, possibly.’
‘Now you think they want a riot at the prison?’
She swallowed. ‘Yeah.’
If he was sitting the other side of the desk, Charlie wasn’t sure he’d believe her.
Carlisle made a disbelieving sound. ‘Your argument fails quickly.’
Teddington scowled at him. ‘Where?’
‘When you were made a “present.” Why do something that would keep Charlie in prison, if they wanted him out?’
‘Maybe they didn’t want him out, they just wanted him neutralised. If Charlie had been tempted to do what he could have, he’d have been in solitary, probably for months, so it could have been Leo’s way to get him out of the picture quick.’
‘Why?’
‘You’ve never worked in a prison,’ she told Carlisle. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. It’s a delicate balance. Sometimes, we have to
look the other way in order to maintain that balance, and it pisses a lot of us off. We’re supposed to be helping, rehabilitation and containment, but most of the time, containment is about all we can do. A lot of people think we should do better, me included. But, our hands are tied.
‘Liberalism, equality and “fairness,”’ she added the air quotes contemptuously, ‘are all great concepts, but in some circumstances, they just don’t work. Plenty of officers want to be tougher on inmates, control them more tightly. What if that’s what this is about? Riots not only make headlines, they can cover up deaths and bring about reforms. It’s actually possible this is driven by someone’s twisted idea of how to improve things.’
‘Is that what you want?’ Piper asked.
‘Improvement, yes, but this way? Hell no! The job’s tough enough as it is. Tighter control would just make it tougher.’
A frown formed on Carlisle’s brow. ‘Why target you?’
‘A female officer at a male prison? Think about it. The Press would have a field day, well they did, or have you forgotten about the headlines when I got shot? Big debates about how far equality in employment should go have already started. I’ve heard people saying there shouldn’t be female officers in male prisons, that it’s too much of a risk, too much temptation.’
‘You don’t agree?’
‘No,’ Teddington was quite clear. ‘I think lack of socialisation with females would do a hell of a lot more damage. Besides, that’s only one possibility. Is there any actual evidence Mansel-Jones is in anyway involved in this?’
‘No.’
Piper was emphatic, and Charlie wasn’t comfortable lying to Teddington, but it wasn’t his call.
‘Then, the connection could be just a cover, and now Charlie’s a high profile prisoner, the women love him - ’
Carlisle snorted.
‘No, really, they do,’ Teddington assured him. ‘All incoming mail has to be screened, so we know what’s in his fan mail. Including, on one quite hideous occasion, a used thong.’