Pop Goes the Weasel

27

‘What I’m asking you to do is potentially very dangerous and if you say no, I will respect that decision.’

Tony had suspected something was up the minute Helen had asked to meet him in the Old White Bear. It was a grotty pub round the corner from the station – it was where you went if you didn’t want to be overheard.

‘I know you’ve done undercover work before and know the drill,’ Helen continued, ‘but your circumstances are different now. That said, you’re the best male officer I’ve got, so…’

‘What exactly do you want?’ replied Tony, blushing slightly at the compliment.

‘It looks like our killer is targeting men cruising for sex,’ Helen went on. ‘We could put an ad in the Evening News asking for punters to come forward and help, but I can’t see that working. The girls on the street aren’t telling McAndrew a single thing…’

‘So we have to put someone in the line of fire.’

‘Exactly.’

Tony said nothing. His expression was neutral, but he was excited by the prospect. His life had been so regimented for so long that a chance to be on the front line again was tempting.

‘We can only do so much working with motive and MO – this killer is scrupulously careful about forensics and uses out-of-the-way locations. So we need someone on the ground, posing as a punter, sniffing around. I know you’ll need time to process this. And I’m sure there’ll be loads of questions you want to ask, but I need an answer fast. This could be…’

Helen paused, choosing her words carefully.

‘… This could be something big. And I want to nip it in the bud.’

Tony promised to think about it overnight, but he knew already that he was going to say yes. It was dangerous for sure, but if it wasn’t him it would be someone else. Someone less experienced. He was a DS now and it was right for him to step up. Mark Fuller wouldn’t have ducked something like this and he had had a kid, for God’s sake.

Helen headed back to the incident room, leaving Tony to his thoughts. He allowed himself a pint, as he mentally scrolled through the challenges that lay ahead. How to frame it for Nicola? How could he quell her anxiety and reassure her that the risks were minimal?

He sat alone, supping his pint, lost in thought. A last drink for the condemned man.