Crucified

Chapter 23

On Friday the incident room was busy with rounding up officers for magistrate’s court appearances. Jack had a slew of statements to double-check and file, which took most of the morning. In his opinion, Armani was moving too fast, and he predicted there could be dire consequences.

Laura, who had been in court all morning, eventually came in after lunch. She looked over to Jack, making a ‘C’ shape with her hand. He nodded that he’d love a coffee, and she headed to the canteen to get them a proper one. Filing everything he had completed, Jack began checking another case that had been dismissed for lack of evidence. It still had to be documented, dated and filed, and placed alongside the other dismissed cases.

Laura returned with two coffees and a KitKat. She perched on the edge of Jack’s desk and divided the KitKat in two.

‘How was dinner?’ he asked as she handed him his share.

‘Italian. Not bad. But he kept me waiting three quarters of an hour ’cause he had some big meeting. I think they’re trying to get on this new crime stoppers TV series. As far as I could make out, they’re still checking out their main suspect’s alibi; you know, the bloke that owns the framer’s shop. Anyways one of his team, nice guy, Mike Collingwood, he looked after me till Morrison was free.’ Laura nibbled her KitKat like a rabbit skinning a carrot. ‘I had a look over their whiteboard. Proper old school, like we used to use before we got these techy ones. Three boards, all stacked with photos and notes. They had white paper covering the crime scene photos so I couldn’t have a really good nose. But they had a row of blurry CCTV photos of people coming and going from the shop.’ Laura grinned. ‘You know your ugly mug was up there, right?’

‘Tell me about it. That’s why Morrison was here the other day. I was buying a frame for Charlie’s christening, but I’m pissed off they have it on their board.’

‘There was another photo, unidentified, guy with a baseball cap and shades. It was weird because he gave me déjà vu. Anyway... I told Collingwood that your photo should not have been on the board. He took me to one side, explained why Morrison really had it in for you. Apparently, he had overheard two of his team talking, suggesting you’d be better at handling the case than him, and saying what they’d gained from you being at the ICU. That was it. Once he found out you’d been in the ICU, he latched on to you as a suspect.’

‘I had good reason to be there. Armani sent me.’

‘Whatever. So, dinner mainly consisted of him asking about you, and whether or not I trusted you. He got tetchy when I said I did... how could I not after so many years of being one desk away from you.’

As Jack and Laura shared a smile of solidarity, Armani approached and reprimanded Laura for perching on a colleague’s desk like she was a child in a school classroom. Laura immediately stood up.

‘Sorry, Ma’am. I was just giving Detective Warr an update from the magistrate’s court. I’ll put my report in your office now.’ Laura quickly moved back to her own desk as Armani continued towards her office.

Jack took a moment to gather the dismissed case files before following Armani. Her office was next to DCI Clarke’s, but it was little bigger than a cupboard. Jack tapped on the open door. She looked up frowning. ‘What do you want?’

‘Sorry to disturb you, Ma’am, but I think there has to be some attention drawn to the number of cases building up which are being dismissed for lack of evidence. Due to the backlog, the magistrates are complaining. It could backfire and damage the good work you have been doing against the gangs. Especially if the press get wind of just how many of the juveniles we’ve arrested...’

She held her hand up to stop him. ‘I am fully aware of the situation, and it is in hand.’

‘There’s something else, Ma’am. Laura happened to be over at Fulham station.’

‘What was she doing there?’

‘I believe a dinner date with DCI Morrison who inadvertently kept her waiting in full view of their crime board.’

‘She was in their incident room?’

‘Apparently so. Ma’am, she saw my photograph pinned on the board, alongside other people wanted for questioning.’ Armani gave a dismissive shrug. ‘I felt that I had very clearly explained my reasons for being in the ICU. It was quite by accident I went down the wrong corridor and into the unit that was caring for their victim.’

Armani knew what Jack was after. ‘Yes, yes, obviously I backed up your statement. I was told that DCI Morrison also had a CCTV photograph of you entering the location where their victim was found, which obviously I couldn’t comment on.’

‘I understand that Ma’am, but I also explained why I was there, and with witnesses to verify my account.’

Armani shrugged. ‘I’m not privy to any of that.’

‘I just think that it is unethical for DCI Morrison — as I am a serving Met detective and attached to this station — to put my photo on his crime board.’

Armani didn’t respond and Jack was beginning to find her lack of interest in his predicament more than a little annoying. He gritted his teeth and added, ‘I suppose it was also unethical of me not to explain why you had insisted I personally visit Maria Barras...’

She pursed her lips, then held her hand out for the file he had brought with him. ‘I will have a word with Morrison. Thank you.’

Back at his desk, Laura caught his eye with a concerned look, but he just gave her a thumbs up.

In her office, Armani put in a call to DCI Morrison. ‘Mark, I just want to run something by you that’s come to my attention.’

‘I’m up to my eyes at the moment, but...’

‘It won’t take a moment. Apparently, you’ve got DS Jack Warr’s photograph on your incident board. He really is an exceptional officer, and I believe your enquiries were satisfactorily answered by him and supported by witness statements. So, I think you should take it down.’

‘I hear what you’re saying. Anything else? I don’t want any hard feelings between us.’

‘Likewise. I hope you understand, I’m just protecting one of my team.’

Morrison started to laugh, but she had already hung up. His dislike of Jack Warr went up another notch.

Armani was despondently looking over the files of dismissed cases when she got an urgent summons to a meeting with DCI Clarke.

‘There’s been a fatal stabbing,’ he said without any preamble. ‘A sixteen-year-old boy, questioned three weeks earlier about gang affiliations and then released.’

It was after nine thirty when Jack arrived home. As he reheated cling-filmed sausage and mash, Maggie came down in her dressing gown. ‘I’m going to have an early night, been a rough day. I’m going to treat myself to a haircut tomorrow. Do you still intend to go to the gallery?’

Jack opted to keep the conversation short as he didn’t want another argument. ‘Yes.’

‘Then your suit is hanging up, all pressed. Penny’s done a good job on the bow tie. Anything of interest happen today?’

‘Not much. Armani’s in the doghouse a bit, as her epic operation to eradicate the gangs looks like it might be backfiring. One of the kids she brought in has been found stabbed.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ The conversation felt as if it was over. ‘Penny is taking Hannah to the petting zoo tomorrow and Marius is coming over to check over the snags,’ Maggie said before heading back up to bed.

After finishing his unappetising meal, Jack poured himself the remainder of an open bottle of wine and went to his office. He reckoned he’d spend a while there until Maggie fell asleep. He had only just settled down when his phone rang. Jack answered even though it was now gone ten thirty.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi Bro, just checking in. See how you’re doing.’ Jack recognised his voice immediately, but was so taken aback he didn’t answer. ‘It’s Josh. All right to talk, is it?’

‘Yes, yes, everyone’s in bed.’

‘So, how’s things?’

Jack couldn’t quite believe the low-key conversation they were having after Josh had disappeared so suddenly. ‘Er... back to normal sleep-wise. Under the usual pressure at work.’

‘Ah, so you’re back at work?’

‘Yeah, what about you? How are you doing?’

‘Been better, Jack. I’m having to use a walking frame.’ Jack thought Josh sounded almost ashamed of his physical decline. ‘Moved to Tampa. How’s that son of yours?’

‘He’s great, eating solids now. Hannah is quite a handful, though. In fact, something...’ Jack paused, unsure how to continue.

Josh’s gentle, reassuring voice soothed Jack’s anxiety around opening up. ‘Ready when you are, bud.’

‘I’m so ashamed of myself, Josh... but the outcome was really important.’ Jack took a deep breath. ‘Hannah was screaming blue murder about wanting a puppy, kicking and punching me, and before I knew it I... I picked her up and locked her in the closet in the hall. God, I don’t know why I did it.’ Josh said nothing. He just let Jack explain in his own time. ‘It triggered something in me, from my childhood. Before I was adopted, when I was put in a children’s home. They used you lock me up in this dank cellar, leave me for hours, and I’d be screaming in terror. He was a bastard, what he did to me, and it all came out, Josh. My nightmares, my problems, and since then, I’ve been fine.’

‘I can understand all of that. Facing your fears head on as an adult, that takes time. But when that one thing falls into place...’

‘That’s right.’

‘You ever think about going to find that guy and giving him a good beating?’

Jack laughed. ‘He’s long dead.’

‘Good. Listen, Jack, I feel bad about just hightailing it the way I did. Can you tell Laura I’m sorry not to have contacted her? I’d been at Strangeways Prison and was thinking about stopping by and staying another night at her place, but I found a cheap flight from Manchester back to New York, so...’

‘I’ll tell her. She was asking after you. Are you planning on coming over again?’

‘I doubt it, not fit enough to be honest.’

‘If I ever make it to the States, I’ll come see you.’

‘That would be good.’

Jack paused and then very quietly said. ‘I owe you, Josh.’

‘You owe me nothing. Going to hang up now Bro, you take care.’ Jack felt unexpected tears welling up as he hung up the phone. They hadn’t mentioned Rodney Middleton, his death or the real source of Jack’s torment. But even though Jack had told him that his childhood trauma was the root cause of his nightmares, he knew Josh understood the real cause. Rodney Middleton was gone from Jack’s life and Josh’s phone call felt like some kind of dark bucket list tick, as Josh checked to make sure his friend was free. Jack was definitely free now. From Middleton at least. Next on the list was Adam Border.