The Doll's House

53

‘Are you completely insane?’

It was a valid question and one Charlie had been expecting. It had taken her two hours of chit-chat and reminiscing to build up the courage to ask her old friend to do something that would cost her her job if it came to light. Predictably, DS Sally Mason’s response was one of shock and anger.

‘I’ve only been here six months and it’s a bloody good job. I can’t believe you would even ask me that.’

Charlie was momentarily lost for words. She knew Sally loved her job, but still the strength of her reaction surprised her. They had gone through police training together, surviving the experience largely thanks to their shared sense of humour and plenty of corner-cutting. They were coppers, not form-fillers, happy to break the rules where necessary. But sometime in the interim, Sally had become a responsible grown-up, a career copper with a decent rank, position and pension. Sally was right – she would be a fool to risk all that.

‘I know and I feel awful suggesting it but there’s no other way -’

‘Do you really want to skewer both our careers in one go? What have you done, Charlie, that would make you risk that?’

‘It’s not me…’ Charlie continued, then hesitated to go further.

Sally regarded her. Now she looked intrigued, rather than angry.

‘Then who?’

‘Helen Grace.’

‘The Helen Grace?’

‘Yes.’

‘But you’re off work. And she can go through the normal channels, right?’

‘She’s being blocked. It’s… it’s about her nephew, Robert Stonehill.’

Now Sally was silent. The name was familiar to most coppers, if only through newspaper reports and anecdotes.

‘His name was mentioned in a crime report – a fight in Northampton city centre – but the original’s heavily redacted. No one’s helping her, everyone wants her to just forget him, but he’s her flesh and blood, the only family she has. So I know it’s a lot to ask – too much – but I hope you can see I had no choice. Despite everything, she’s… she’s the best copper I’ve worked for and one of the best people I know.’

Sally looked at Charlie for a long time. Then finally she said:

‘If I do this for you, it’ll be on one condition. You never got it from me – on pain of death, you never got it from me.’

‘Of course. I’d rather quit the Force than get you into trouble because of me.’

‘And if it does lead somewhere,’ Sally continued, ‘you make sure Helen Grace does right by me.’

So that was it. The power of Helen’s reputation had people queuing up to join Hampshire CID – far more than could ever be accommodated. First-rate support officers, however, were at a premium and if Sally fancied the reflected glory of working alongside Helen, then Charlie was sure it could be arranged.

The pair separated shortly afterwards, agreeing to meet an hour later in the McDonald’s opposite the station to make the exchange. As Charlie watched Sally go, she was suddenly full of nervous excitement. Against the odds, she had pulled it off. She had done it. But what would it mean for her and Sally?

More importantly, what would it mean for Helen?