Jack Meadows walked into the briefing room and glanced round his team, some uniformed some CID officers, but he knew he had chosen the right ones for the job. "Right listen up, oi Stevie shut up-" he shouted to the officers, chucking a glare at the small blonde detective. He gestured up to the electronic white board "Right this is Grove Avenue on the Copthorne Estate Im sure most of you know it, it has a very bad reputation and we have lost complete control of it... I can't remember the last time uniform patrolled it-" he glanced at Smithy and Callum both men staring back at him intently. "For anyone who isn't aware the council has managed to secure us two properties, one at each end of the road, I'm sure as most of you are aware we would normally just use these properties to observe, but we have decided on a different angle". He gestured to Neil who stepped forward.
"We have decided to put four officers under cover, two sets of couples both taking residency in a flat" Neil smiled at Grace as her eyes remained glued on him.
"Who are you putting under cover Gov?" Nate asked.
Neil smiled "That is yet to be confirmed... but police presence is still not wanted on the estate, we don't want to blow the officers cover before the operation even begins... your job is to watch from a distance". Neil gestured to the layout of the street "I know it's not the biggest of roads but it had some nasty people living down it... flat twenty and flat sixty-seven are the two we have been allocated, one situated here, and the other here-" he glanced round before smiling to Smithy "Do you want to introduce us to some of the usual suspects?".
Smithy pushed himself from where he rested on the table at the back of the room and walked towards the front, he pointed to the first picture "This is Wendy Jones.. she is an alcoholic who likes to cause trouble, she has been involved in numerous fights and is even suspected of stabbing someone but we unfortunately had no evidence to back it up" he paused as he moved to another photo "Barry Dalton, he is a registerd nut job.. he has a very violent temper and has spent a lot of time in Longmarsh nick, he lives with his partner they have four kids all of which social services have removed-". He paused as he gestured to the last photo "Dave Simmions, better know as Pitball, he is a nasty piece of work.. has only been out of prison a month and is already back in control of the road.. he has served most of his life at her Majesty's pleasure for attempted murder.. he knifed a seventeen year old for looking at him the wrong way... these people are all dangerous and will make the new people on the block lives very difficult, and on top of this there are domestics, fights and out of control street party's every night" he turned his attention back to Jack who moved to the centre of the room.
"For anyone who is unclear on their roles in this case please see DS Carter... he will be running the operation from the station". Max huffed slightly as the officers all started to exit the room, leaving only Neil, Jack and the four officers in question remaining.
Jack and Neil both stared at the four officers hoping that not one of them would say no and that they wouldn't have to start searching for different officers to put undercover. "Smithy.." Jack began staring at his Inspector.
The dark haired man nodded "I'm in Sir, although I am worried about uniform-"
Jack interrupted "We will take care of it" he glanced at the two women "DS Moss...".
She smiled slightly "I'm looking forward to it Gov, but I am a bit confused about how I managed to get paired with him" she grinned playfully at the tall Inspector as he shoved her.
Neil and Jack stared at the two remaining officers. "Gov.. I'm a bit concerned.. I have never worked undercover and to do such a high scale case".
Jack nodded "We do understand your concerns Millie but you will be working with three experienced officers they will be able to support you in any way you require, but we don't want to push you into anything".
Smithy smiled to his PC "This has to be your decision Millie.. and it means you are gonna be moving in with Stone as well,
the jobs don't come much harder than that".
Callum glared at him "I havent even said yes yet-"
Neil interrupted "Are you saying you aren't in Sergeant Stone?".
Callum shook his head "No Gov I'm in".
Stevie smiled to the young PC "Listen... I know under cover work seems so frightening but you are gonna have two big strong men to protect you.. and when that fails I will look out for you but you need to be sure, this isnt just a matter of changing your identity for a few hours, this could be months".
Millie smiled slightly "Thanks Serge, can I have a bit longer to think about it Gov?".
Jack nodded "We need your decision by the end of the day, the flat you would be moving into isn't ready until next week but we need time to sort out your identity or find a replacement depending on your decision". She nodded slightly.
"Take the day off and have a think" Smithy smiled as the brunette made her way from the room.
"Smithy, Stevie.. your flat, number twenty will be ready in the next few days.. they are just installing the cameras now so if you could spend the day together" they ignored Callums snigger as Jack glared at him "And get to know each others new identity inside out.. you are posing as a couple who have been together a long time.. you need to know everything.. then go and get to know the area, you could even make out you are coming to look at your new home".
They headed for the door and Callum grinned "As if they don't all ready know each other inside out".
Jack smiled at Callum "If Millie says no, we may have to hold back before we put you undercover".
Callum interrupted "Gov can't I go on my own, single people live alone".
Jack shook his head "No... we can't expect Stevie to get close to all the women.. we will have to find a replacement and that will take time so if you just carry on with your normal duties today". Callum sighed before walking from the room.
Millie sat on her sofa staring at the bulky brown file rested on the coffee table situated in the centre of the room. She glanced round her flat, everything she had worked for, the time she had spent getting it perfect but now she was being asked to leave it all behind to live in a grotty flat surrounded by criminals and Sergeant Stone of all people, the second most difficult man in uniform, the first being Smithy who will be living at the other end of the road. Although she classed Smithy as the more difficult of the two she found herself envying Stevie slightly, she had no doubt Smithy was the more genuine of the two officers. She lifted her folder and glanced at her name "Millie Thompson" she began reading aloud "Twenty nine, shop assistant, Married to Callum Thompson for two years, just moved from down south". She began reading through the notes on the people they would be investigating, the people she had to befriend, the people she would have nothing in common with and no idea how she was going to convince them she did have.
He sat opposite her in his office, his eyes fixed solely on the tiny blonde but at least he could tell himself he has a good reason to be staring at her this time. He watched her as she fiddled with her short blonde hair, running it through her long fingers, her eyes glancing at the many photos of him hanging on the wall, the memory's of his time spent in Sunhill Station,
the tough cases he had cracked and here he was with most possibly the toughest to date. "Right whats your name?" he asked for what felt like the thousand time.
"Stevie Austin.. Im thirty.. which to be perfectly honest is really wishful thinking.. I am a beauty therapist and have my own shop on the Harley Estate, I have unfortunately been dating you, John Smith for about fifteen years, even stuck by you while you were in and out of prison, we were childhood sweethearts and I'm with you because you are good in bed".
He glared up at her "It doesn't say that-" he paused as he smirked at her "But I'm willing to prove it".
She smiled "I bet, I'm fed up now Smithy.. I just want to get in there and start with the real work". She watched him push all the papers back into the folder.
"Stevie this isn't a game, this is our lives that could be in danger"
"I know that Smithy but what is the point in us sitting here reading about it, I want to be in there living it".
He rose from his seat and lifted the folder into his hands "Fine, lets go and check the flat out shall we?".
She rose to her feet and pulled herself up into his body and placed a cheeky kiss to his cheek "You have finally said some thing worth listening to Gov".
He laughed as she made her way quickly to the door, no doubt before he changed his mind "Just move your arse Stevie".
Neil Manson pulled the chair out from behind the restaurant table and watched as his girlfriend rested into it. He moved round opposite her and sat down and began flicking through the menu, glancing up every so often watching as her dark eyes remained focused on the menu, she pushed her hair behind her ear, which he stretched across the table and removed so it fell gracefully back to her face. Once they had ordered, him a steak and her a salad she watched as he stared round the large room. "How is it going finding officers to go undercover?".
"Smithy and Stevie are ready to go, we just need to get the furniture for their place sorted but Millie is not sure so we are still waiting for a final decision from her" he thanked the waitress as she placed some drinks in front of them.
"Is there a back up plan?" Grace asked.
"Not at the moment, we know Smithy and Stevie work well together which is why they were chosen. Callum is not the easiest of people to work with, we're not sure what we are going to do if Millie says no".
Grace lifted her napkin into her lap as the food was placed in front of her "We could always do it".
Neil placed his hand onto hers "We are not the right sort of couple and besides I'm not having you in that kind of danger".
"Why are we not 'the right sort of couple'?" she asked.
"Its not that there is a problem with us love, but this road is known as social work avenue, every family or person down there has issues and I don't think we can pull that off, we are too normal"
Grace began to eat her salad and after swallowing her first mouthful she smiled back to him "So you are saying Inspector Smith and DS Moss have issues?".
"Thats not how I ment it Gracie you are twisting my words, I just ment they have more of the look and attitude". he smiled at her as she laughed lightly to herself "You are pulling my leg aren't you?".
"I know we would not fit in down this road and to be honest I wouldn't want to, Smithy is a much better fit than you he is more the rough and ready sort" she laughed once again as Neil shot her a death glare "Not that I would want you any other way Gov".
Millie sat on the sofa glancing through the many notes, she didnt know anyone at Sunhill that well, but she was well aware Inspector Smith and Sergeant Stone weren't the best of friends and were both well known for there short tempers and she had heard DS Moss could be difficult when she chose and this was before she even began to consider the criminals. She just wasnt sure this case was for her. She placed her folder back to the table and rose to her feet as the buzzer from her front door shrieked through. She made her way to the intercom and pushed her soft brown hair behind her ears "Hello-" she began.
"Millie its Callum" his reply was short and to the point.
"Push the door Serge" she replied as she pushed on the button to release the front door, she glanced in her full length mirror before straightening her top and pulling her hair from behind her ears, hearing the tap on her door she made her way over and pulled it open "Serge, how can I-"
"This operation is going to fall through without you, they are only going to put Smithy and Stevie in and they wouldnt know evidence if it bit them on the backside" he began.
"Serge I just don't know if I can handle such a high profile case, and I am sure Inspector Smith is more than capable of getting a conviction" she replied.
"Smithy is going to be to busy falling over his tounge everytime Stevie is in sight-" he noticed Millie smile slightly "I really think you can do this Millie, it will make you career, you could get a promotion after this".
"What if I mess it up Serge, I don't want to put everyone else in danger?" she led the way into the living room and rested down onto the sofa gesturing for him to sit next to her.
"I will be there to support you Millie and I will over see any decisions you make-" he lifted the folder from her table into his hands "Lets just give this a read together and see if there is anything you are uncomfortable with".
He drove to the far end of the small cul-de-sac and into the last remaining space, the two sat in the car glancing out at the blocks of flats, there was six to a block, three stories high each they ran along the short road, each block shared an entrance, the blocks themselves didnt look to bad on a first view it was the people staring out the windows and stalking along the street that made it look intimidating. "Its that one" he smiled to the small blonde as he gestured to a far block of flats, it was right on the corner with a small alley running down the side of it. The two pushed themselves from the car and he made his way straight round to her.
"Nice car" they both turned to face the young girl behind them "Who are you?".
"None of your business, shouldnt you be at school" Smithy replied.
"No, I'm sixteen, I don't have to go anymore"
"Im Stevie and this is my partner John, we are moving into number twenty" Stevie smiled to the young girl.
"In there, good luck the whole block needs fumigating with pisshead Wendy living in there" she replied before walking off down the road.
"Great" Smithy smiled sarcastically to Stevie before leading the way down the small concrete ramp towards the block of flats he pushed the door open and they both glanced round the communal hall way, the walls painted a dusty yellow. He glanced at the two flats on the ground floor "Eighteen and twenty-one.. how do these numbers work?" he asked gesturing at the two doors.
"We are gonna be on the top floor" She replied as they made there way up the first flight of stairs. They paused as they reached the middle floor, one door read nineteen, the other flat didnt have a door just a piece of wood pushed into the hole where the door used to be. She followed him up the final flight of stairs and he gestured to the bright blue door with a number two on it, she picked the zero up from the floor and stared at him "Im guessing its this one?".
"Any regrets?" he asked as he pushed the key into the door shooting the small blonde behind him a genuine smile.
She shook her head as he pushed the front door open "I will let you know when I have seen the inside". They made there way in to the long hall, she pushed the door behind her shut and Smithy flicked the light on "Eugh.. look at the wall paper Smithy".
she began peeling the lime green paper from the wall.
He opened the first door and sighed as the small room came into sight, it was painted black with red stars, there was built in wardrobes which indicated that this would be there bedroom "Lovely" he sighed as he continued down the hall into the living area, the room was big and had a huge window at the front that had a great view of the road, the walls were painted in a musty brown and the door at the end of the room led into the small kitchen, the cupboards hanging off the walls and the window was boarded up. He turned to face her as the floorboards creaked behind him "Home sweet home hey darlin'".
"This is awful Smithy"
"We might be able to decor-" he began.
"The toilet is hanging off the wall" she interrupted he walked over and wrapped a reassuring arm round her shoulder "Its disgusting Smithy".
"I'll fix it, just give it a chance Stevie, its only for a short time". She nodded slightly as he made his way back through the flat to look at the remaining rooms.
Jack walked into the briefing room and glanced round the three officers. Callum was sat on a desk with his feet resting onto the chair in front of him. Millie was leaning against the far wall, running her hands through her hair and Neil was talking intently on his mobile phone, when his eyes fell on his Superior officer he nodded slightly "See you in a minute Stevie" before hanging up. "PC Brown had made her decision Sir".
Jack nodded as Millie stared nervously at him "I'm in Sir" she noticed Callums smile grow as Jack walked over towards her and shake her hand.
"Excellent, you need to get your story straight so take a few hours to sort things out" he smiled as Callum pushed from the desk and the two officers made there way to the door.
They passed the other couple in the door way and Smithy held it open for everyone to make there way through. "Sir, we need a word" Stevie began as she stormed into the room. "Our flat is in a right state, its not in a livable condition".
"It can't be that bad Stevie".
"Sir the toilet is hanging off the wall, as well as the kitchen cupboards" she turned to Smithy waiting for him to back her up, she glared at him as he stood silently on the spot "And that is without the fact the wallpaper is hanging off the wall and the window in the kitchen is broken".
"It is a bit of a mess Sir, it needs some work doing to it" Smithy interrupted causing the little detective to flash him a smile.
"Ok, we will get you some paint sorted and you can spend the weekend decorating and a plumber out to the toilet, then I want you in by Monday, understood?".
The two officers nodded as Jack and Neil left the room "Gov" they both replied.
Stevie sent Smithy a seductive wink "Come on then lover, so much to do and so little time".
Thank you so much for taking the time to read, please review. Lucy
