by Ford, P. F.
‘Oh, wow,’ said Norman. ‘How did that happen?’
‘Apparently I pushed the launch button,’ said Slater.
‘How d’you do that?’
‘I asked him what he was doing at Wild Boar Woods. The next thing we know he’s wailing like a baby, bawling his eyes out.’
‘No shit.’
‘He kept saying “she lost my baby”,’ said Darling. ‘He was breaking his heart, honestly. I’ve never seen or heard anything like it.’
‘You and me both,’ said Slater. ‘Honestly, Norm, it was frightening.’
‘You say he said “she lost my baby”,’ said Norman. ‘That’s gotta mean something, right?’
‘According to his wife, he always wanted kids. She got pregnant once but then she lost the baby. She told Darling that he was a broken man after that, so we’re assuming he blames her for that, and that’s what he was talking about.’
‘When was this?’ asked Norman.
‘About twenty-five years ago,’ said Darling.
‘And he’s only just breaking down now? That’s an inordinately long time to be building up to a breakdown, don’t you think?’
‘You’re telling me,’ said Slater. ‘But then who can really say? We all deal with these things in different ways, don’t we? Some people are a lot stronger than others.’
‘So I guess if our main suspect is out of action the case is stalled for you guys, then?’ said Norman.
‘We’ve still got the search at Wild Boar Woods,’ said Slater. ‘It looks like that’ll be starting tomorrow morning.’
‘You think you’ll find anything?’
Slater looked at Darling.
‘Darling thinks so.’
‘According to his wife,’ she said, ‘we should find one or two mementos.’
‘Mementos?’ said Norman. ‘What sort of mementos?’
‘I took it to be a euphemism for bodies.’
‘Let’s hope there’s something up there,’ said Slater. ‘If that turns out to be another dead end, Goodnews is going to go spare.’
‘What do you mean another dead end?’ asked Norman.
‘It looks likely Crump’s going to be out of action for some time, and even if we can somehow get him into court, she reckons he’s going to plead insanity.’
Norman was watching Slater as he spoke.
‘She blamed you for that didn’t she?’ he asked.
Slater didn’t say anything, but Darling piped up.
‘She reckons he should have known Crump was going to fall apart,’ she said. ‘But how could anyone have predicted that?’
‘Well, I don’t wanna say I told you so,’ said Norman, ‘but it looks like maybe someone is beginning to show their true colours. I bet she’s got the search down to you. Am I right?’
Slater was silent for a moment.
‘Well, she did ask me if I thought it was right to carry on.’
‘I thought as much. And guess what she’s going to say if you don’t find anything up there?’
‘No,’ said Darling. ‘She wouldn’t do that. She’s always saying she’ll back us up. She’s behind us all the way.’
Norman shook his head.
‘I really hope you’re right, Naomi, but don’t forget it’s always someone behind you who sticks a knife in your back.’
‘Come on, Norm, knock it off,’ said Slater. ‘There’s been nothing to suggest she would do something like that.’
‘Okay. Whatever you say. You’re the boss.’
There was a an awkward silence, until Norman spoke again, this time his voice sounding more upbeat.
‘Look, I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to bring you guys down. It looks like you’ve had a pretty crappy afternoon anyway. You’re probably right about what you said earlier, about me having an axe to grind. So, can I make a suggestion?’
‘Go on,’ said Slater.
‘You remember how we used to deal with these situations?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘When we had a bad day, or things went haywire for whatever reason, we often used to head off early. Just getting away from it all for a few hours, usually meant we could see things quite different next morning, right? Go on, I’m going to be here for a while anyway.’
Slater thought about it for a minute.
‘You know what, Norm? That’s a pretty good idea. Darling, take the rest of the day off, I’m going to.’
Darling looked at her watch.
‘That’s really generous of you, but it’s almost six o’clock anyway.’
Chapter 9
The morning meeting had just dispersed, and Norman was obviously keen to grab Slater’s attention before he and Darling set off for the search site. As soon as Goodnews had left the room, he called Slater over.
‘Do you have a minute?’
Slater made his way across the room to Norman’s desk. It was difficult to tell anything from the state of his friend’s clothes because, frankly, he always looked a mess, but this morning his face seemed to suggest he had been there all night.
‘Have you been here all night?’
‘I did a bit of digging into the Crumps after you left,’ said Norman, ignoring Slater’s question. ‘You might be interested in what I found, although you might not necessarily be able to use it all.’
Darling had followed Slater over.
‘You make it sound like you’ve been dabbling in the dark arts,’ she said.
Norman looked embarrassed.
‘Jesus, Norm,’ said Slater.
‘I’ve just been trying to help with this investigation. Maybe my methods can save us some time.’
‘That’s fair enough, but it’s not going to help us if we can’t use it as evidence.’
Norman sighed and gave Slater a disapproving look.
‘Background information doesn’t necessarily have to be used as evidence in court,’ he said, ‘but it can be very useful in helping to figure out what makes people tick.’
‘What about procedure, Norm?’
‘You might be stuck in a box called procedure, but me? I’m a civilian. That gives me license to step outside the box.’
‘You could jeopardise the whole case.’
‘Okay, fine,’ said Norman, huffily. ‘I’ll just tear it all up and forget about it.’
‘Whoa! Hang on a minute,’ said Slater. ‘I didn’t say I didn’t want to read it.’
‘What about your precious procedure? I wouldn’t want to be guilty of leading you off the straight and narrow.’
‘Stop sulking and give it here,’ said Slater, holding out his hand. ‘Just make sure Goodnews doesn’t get to hear about it.’
Norman reluctantly handed over the notes.
Darling had been watching the exchange.
‘Listen to you two,’ she said, with a broad smile on her face.
‘What?’ Norman and Slater spoke in unison.
‘I’ll just say, hashtag: old married couple,’ she said, ‘and leave it at that.’
Norman looked suitably embarrassed, but Slater managed to remain expressionless.
‘Let’s have a look,’ said Darling.
‘I’m not sure this information has been sourced in the correct manner,’ said Slater. ‘And as senior officer, I have a responsibility to make sure you stick to proper procedure.’
Darling caught Norman’s eye. He winked at her.
‘Hashtag: power mad,’ he said, quietly.
Darling laughed out loud.
‘What’s that?’ asked Slater.
‘I said my writing’s bad,’ said Norman innocently.
Slater didn’t believe him for a minute.
‘Those notes are printed,’ he said.
‘Yeah,’ agreed Norman, ‘because my writing’s so bad.’
Slater scowled at the pair of them. He knew he was the butt of the joke he’d missed, but he also knew he’d be wasting his time trying to find out why. He waved the notes at Norman.
‘Is this go
ing to be worth reading?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, I think so,’ said Norman. ‘That’s why I decided to pursue it.’
‘Oh come on,’ said Darling. ‘How am I supposed to work with you if you won’t share information?’
Slater held the notes down by his side.
‘My throat’s a bit dry this morning,’ he said. ‘What about you, Norm?’
‘Yeah, me too. I hear coffee’s good for that sort of thing.’
Darling heaved a sigh and tutted loudly.
‘I’m supposed to be here to learn, not act as tea lady.’
‘Coffee,’ corrected Norman, provoking another heavy sigh from Darling.
Slater grinned at her.
‘I know, Darling,’ he said. ‘It’s so unfair, isn’t it? But that’s what happens when you take the piss out of the boss. However, just to show you I’m not a complete arsehole, when you’ve supplied the coffee I might tell you what Norm has spent all night researching.’
Like a sulky teenager, Darling made a big deal out of having to go. As she got to the door and kicked it open, Slater called out to her.
‘Oh, Darling?’
‘What?’ she said, looking back at him.
‘Hashtag: you can’t win,’ he said, and winked at her.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she pushed her way through the doors.
‘Before you read that stuff,’ Norman said to Slater, ‘there’s something I need you to know. We shouldn’t have some of that information, so you won’t be able to use it as evidence, but I believe it will give you a much better understanding of what’s been going on. It might even point you in the direction of your killer.’
Slater went to speak, but Norman was off again.
‘Before you ask, I’m not going to tell you how I got it, so don’t bother wasting your breath. I know I’ve broken the law, and if you feel you have to charge me I’ll understand. Also, if you feel you can’t use this information, or you no longer want me here as part of this team, I’m happy to put my coat on and walk out of here, right now.’
Slater looked at his friend in dismay.
‘And then what would you do?’
‘Actually I’ve had an offer.’
‘You have? You kept that quiet. What is it?’
‘I can’t tell you that. It’s a bit hush, hush,’ said Norman, mysteriously.
Slater gave him a disbelieving look.
‘Look,’ said Norman, wearily. ‘Aren’t you sick and tired of knowing who’s committed the crime, but being unable to do anything about it because of the stupid rules we have to stick to? How many times have you seen people walk free on a technicality? Working as a police officer is like trying to do your job with your hands tied behind your back, and it gets worse and worse. The thing is, I’m not a police officer anymore.’
‘So, you’re telling me you’ve been hacking, right?’ asked Slater, his face grim.
Norman sighed.
‘If that’s what you insist on calling it, but that’s not how I see it.’
‘But that is how the law sees it,’ said Slater, pedantically.
‘I guess,’ said Norman, and he sounded disappointed. ‘But the law doesn’t have to know anything about it. This stuff is just for background, I’m not suggesting we use it as evidence. I was hoping you might understand my motive, and maybe even agree with me.’
Slater stared at Norman, his face gradually breaking into a smile.
‘C’mon, Norm, lighten up,’ he said. ‘I do agree with you, but I’m not a free man like you, I’m still wearing the straitjacket. Worse still, I have Darling to consider. We can’t get her involved in anything dodgy. That wouldn’t be fair.’
‘No, you’re right, we can’t involve her.’ Norman raised an eyebrow at Slater. ‘Can I just say, I never expected you to agree with me.’
‘I’ll tell you something,’ said Slater. ‘Just recently I’m finding I don’t enjoy my job very much. I used to be so keen I’d be early every day, but now I’m dragging myself in to work because I have to, not because I want to. I thought with a new DCI and the changes that have come in things would get better, and they did for a couple of weeks, but to be honest, I’m seriously thinking of quitting.’
‘You’re kidding me. I always had you down as a lifer.’
‘That’s the problem,’ said Slater with a wry smile. ‘It feels like a life sentence these days.’
‘Really?’ said Norman. ‘Hell, I had no idea you were feeling so bad about it.’
‘That’s why I didn’t want Darling as a partner. It’s not that I don’t like her, I just don’t think she should be around my attitude right now. But how could I have explained that to Goodnews without it coming across as if I just didn’t want a woman partner? All she keeps on about is me becoming a DI!’
‘Yeah, well. You know what I think about her. Just remember if you make it to DI that would be yet another feather in her cap. That’ll be what that’s all about.’
Slater said nothing to that, but the more he thought about it, the more Norman’s theory about Goodnews seemed to add up. Is that all we are? Just a collection of rungs on the Goodnews ladder?
‘So what are we going to do about that stuff?’ asked Norman, interrupting Slater’s thoughts.
‘How d’you mean?’
‘Naomi will be back in a couple of minutes. She’s already seen it. It’s going to be a bit difficult to hide it from her.’
‘You’re right, and I haven’t even read it yet.’
‘You definitely need to read it first,’ said Norman. ‘Decide what she can and can’t know. Why don’t you take off for a while? I’ll tell her you had to rush off somewhere.’
‘Are you sure? What are you going to tell her?’
‘I haven’t a clue, but don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. We’ll be fine. Just don’t be gone too long.’
‘Where’s he gone?’ asked Darling, five minutes later. She had returned with the coffees to find Slater had vanished, and she was desperate to know what was contained in the notes Norman had handed over.
‘What’s that?’ asked Norman, looking up from his desk.
‘The boss. He’s the one who demanded coffee, and now I’ve got it, he’s disappeared.’
‘He had to rush off. He said to tell you he won’t be long.’
‘Where’s he gone?’
‘Err, dentist, I think,’ said Norman.
Darling gave Norman a hard stare. There was no doubt he was covering for Slater.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
‘Sorry? I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Don’t give me that innocent crap,’ she said, placing her hands very deliberately on her hips. ‘You’re a piss-poor liar for a seasoned detective. Where’s he really gone? Is this about those notes you gave him earlier? He hasn’t gone upstairs to shop you, has he?’
Norman laughed out loud.
‘Why would he want to do that?’
‘I’m guessing because you’ve been doing something dodgy and he’s got a problem with it. He is one of those people who likes to do things by the book, isn’t he?’
‘Let’s get rid of the aggressive stance,’ said Norman, pointing at the chair nearest him. ‘Bring those coffees over here and sit down.’
‘You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you?’ he said, once she was settled. ‘I can see there’s not much point in trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and yes I have been cheating, but you’re totally wrong about Dave. He’s really not who you think he is, and I have to wonder why you see him the way you do. Has someone filled your head with stuff about him?’
‘No they bloody haven’t,’ she said indignantly. ‘I’m quite capable of making my own mind up about people, thank you.’
Norman spread his arms.
‘So how have you got him so wrong? I thought I’d put you straight about him the other day.’
‘Well, he does do things by the book.’
‘He has a new, trainee detective as a
partner,’ said Norman. ‘Of course he’s doing everything by the book. How else is he going to teach you the correct procedures?’
Darling considered this.
‘Alright, I suppose. But now he’s buggered off and I don’t know where he is. If I’m supposed to be his partner, I should know where he is.’
Norman guffawed.
‘First off, you’re his work partner, not his wife. He is allowed personal time if he wants it. Second, maybe he’s slipped away to protect you. Have you thought of that?’
Darling looked puzzled.
‘Protect me? What do you mean protect me?’
‘What you don’t know about can’t hurt you, right?’
‘If you mean the dodgy notes, I do know about them,’ she said. ‘I saw you hand them to him.’
‘If it came to it, it would be your word against mine,’ said Norman.
‘Not if they were to search your computer. It’ll all be on the servers.’
‘That would only happen if someone was to suggest they had reason to check up on me and I don’t think you’re gonna do that. Anyway, that’s not what I mean. He’s gone to read the notes to decide if he should let you see them.’
‘I don’t need someone deciding things like that for me.’
‘Using stuff we shouldn’t even have access to is risky,’ said Norman. ‘We could get into a lot of trouble. He doesn’t want that to happen to you. It’s for your own protection, to protect your career.’
‘Oh, right,’ Darling said. ‘But what about his career?’
‘That’s his choice,’ said Norman. ‘He’s been doing this a long time. Maybe too long. Perhaps he just doesn’t care anymore, as long as he catches the bad guys.’
‘But that’s what we all want, isn’t it?’
‘We’re not going to have that particular discussion now, Naomi. It would take much too long. Just take my word for it, Dave has your best interests at heart.’
‘So what’s in these notes that’s so risky?’
Norman sighed and seemed to be having an internal debate with himself. Eventually, he spoke.
‘It’s not so much what’s in them as how I got them. Some people might see it as hacking. For that reason, if you want to get out of this, now’s the time to make your choice. There won’t be any hard feelings from either of us, it’s entirely up to you. What do you think?’