Chapter 2
After hearing the buzz of the doorbell, Rachel paced down the stairs and answered the door of her swanky, inner city, half-stolen, flat to see her sister standing there.
"You ready then?" Alison asked, chirpily. It was beyond Rachel how she managed to come out of the same gene pool as her sister.
"Just give me a minute, I have to grab the last of me things." She shouted behind her as she lead her sister up the stairs.
They began by asking each other the general pleasantries of 'hello' and 'how are you?', Rachel even took the time to question after how her niece's birthday went until Alison asked about Rachel's work. Rachel began to divulge the information of her latest case.
"Margret an' Barry Wheelin?" Alison questioned in her pitched voice as Rachel charged up the stairs.
"Don't tell me you've never heard of them? Brother and sister in the fifties, lived in a semi at Crompton. He's got Downs Syndrome." Rachel was beginning to tire of Alison not grasping what she was talking about.
Suddenly, Alison deeply inhaled as she finally realised what Rachel was talking about. "Oh God, that was awful."
"Tied her up, raped her, made him watch. Oh shut up, makes even me feel sick." Rachel tried to collect her thoughts. 'Anyway, it's more bloody likely that its morning sickness.' Rachel thought to herself, she didn't the lecture she would be sure to receive Alison if she brought up her pregnancy.
"I don't know how you sit in the same room as 'em. Why do they do it?" Alison questioned, the thoughts bubbling up in her mind as she remembered more and more of the details of the murder that she and Rachel were discussing.
"Sexual curiosity, in his case"
"Well, were all curious at that age but-"
Rachel interrupted her sister, "yes Alison, he's sick, he's nuts, he's got a screw loose, he's a fruit loop." Rachel tried to search for further examples but eventually gave up. "But do you know what, she hasn't got a screw loose, his mother." Rachel exclaimed, then finally added, "mad bitch."
"What'll happen to her?"
Rachel paused for a moment, thinking. "She'll go down big time: assisting an offender on that scale, ten years."
Alison considered the information and then felt a wave for sympathy, "But, for the grace of God, it could happen to anyone, finding out your kiddies peculiar."
"You wouldn't keep quiet about the though, would ya? Something like that? A normal person at the very least would get drunk and blurt it out." Rachel hated the mother; she had caused the death of another mother, one who probably did care about her kids enough to report them to the police if they went fucking killed two people.
"You don't know what you'd do if it were your own kid." Alison's words stung as she realised she probably wouldn't, ever. The sickening feeling began to well up in her chest as she turned to look out of the window to try and get lost in the grey colours of Manchester.
"Come on, we're going to be late for the clinic." Alison interrupted.
~()~
Rachel stepped out of the car as they pulled up to the clinic. All she could see around her was women in varying stages of pregnancy, some carrying babies and other children. Her mind began to spin as confusion overloaded her. She finally the doors of the clinic and read the sign telling her where to go for terminations, but then saw signs for bereavement counselling, prenatal scans, baby check-ups.
All of a sudden everything became clear for Rachel, she couldn't not have this baby, she wanted this baby, she wanted to be able to look after this child and watch it grow. She turned round. Alison stopped and looked at her younger sister, confused. Rachel simply shook her head got back in the car.
Whilst waiting for Alison, Rachel placed her hands on her stomach feeling for her unborn baby and a burst of excitement flew through her: she was going to have baby.
~()~
Rachel walked sheepishly up to her S.I.O's office. She could feel her body filling with fear, she may about to tell her boss news that most people would congratulate you on but this was Gill Murray, Godzilla. She was a bitch. Finally, having mustered up the courage Rachel rapped her knuckles on the already open door. Rachel watched Gill's sparrow like head pop up upon hearing the sound.
"Aren't you having a day off?" Gill questioned. Rachel half wished she had taken today off as well, it's not like would have noticed.
"Err, that was yesterday." Rachel faltered.
"Oh, okay."
Rachel took a moment to wait for her boss to respond further but once Rachel realised there was going to be a response she brought herself further into the room and closed the office door, trapping the prying ears and eyes out. "Can I just?" Rachel hesitated trying to gather every last piece of courage she had. "I'm pregnant; I'm having a baby. So, obviously you need to know that." Rachel finally blurted out.
"Have you got a due date?" Gill questioned, slightly surprised, something which she had well if there was nothing else which had been more vital in the nearly twenty years she had been a police officer it was to know how to hide emotions and feelings.
"August fourth," Rachel replied.
"Slap bang in the middle of the annual leave season, great Rachel, well timed."
'There it is.' Rachel thought to herself, there was the caring and kind boss she had just been waiting for to appear, she felt slight surprised at this reaction, she was unsure why. It was to be expected that her boss would react like this. But, then part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, her boss might give her some sort of congratulation.
Rachel quickly filled the stunned silence at had consumed her, "it wasn't planned." Rachel tried to offer this as an excuse, only later realising that this would that this would further fuel Gill bitchyness later.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Gill Murray turned to stare at Rachel. It was true she wasn't surprised that Rachel's pregnancy was planned, Rachel Bailey was bright, intelligent and a brilliant detective, but she was also rash and reckless, some less desirable traits in a detective, and probably on a person in general. But, she couldn't help seeing a part of herself in Rachel, even if it pains her to think that, let alone say it, not that she ever planned to.
Rachel tried to brush off the harsh words, however truthful they may be. "Anyway, when I get back I want to get on with my Sergeants exams."
The two women were suddenly interrupted by the ring of Rachel's mobile. Fumbling to get it out of her pocket Rachel looked at the caller ID, to find it was Melissa, the victim's daughter. She quickly pressed answer and pressed the phone to her ear and relayed the information to Gill. Rachel continued to listen to Melissa, whilst signalling to Gill, asking her if she can use her office phone.
They hear a knock at the office door and Janet enters, slightly confused due to the frantic situation she had just entered.
"Listen, Melissa, listen to me, I am going to ring you back minutes, alright? I'll find him. I'll ring you back in ten minutes." Rachel said, finishing the call. "Adam Metcalf gone AWOL with a can of petrol," Rachel said, trying to clarify the situation for both her boss and Janet. Rachel picked up the office phone and punched in the number, "DC Bailey, MIT. We've got a lad in custody for the murder up on Saddleworth Moor on Friday night. The victim's son is drunk and he's gone off on one, and there's a suggestion about going to cause some damage to the suspect's home address on the Walden Estate." Rachel spoke quickly and coherently down the phone. She then turned to her boss and Janet half whispering "I'll get round there myself."
"You're going nowhere girl! You're pregnant! You're going to sit down in that office and you're going to stay there!" Gill instructed her junior officer.
Janet's face was a picture of surprise. That last she had known was that Rachel was having an abortion. She turned to look at Rachel for some clarity but she was too consumed in sorting the situation out.
"Ah shit." Rachel finished the telephone call. "He's down stairs, he's put a petrol bomb through the sitting room window, mit-mot."
Where was Yasmin? The girl?" A deathly silence erupted. The three women were left hoping for this poor girl.
"Well, I assume she's round at the Auntie's house, she's only fifteen." Rachel tried.
Gill hurriedly went for the phone and Rachel swiftly moved out of the way. Gill spoke down the phone and quickly found out that Yasmin was in the house and as a result she was now dead. The three women were left standing there. Rachel was unsure who to feel sorrier for, the poor girl was now dead as a result of actions she had no control over. She had barely started her life. But then poor Adam, he was so overwhelmed by grief that he did the most stupid and idiotic thing he could possibly do and as a result he will spend a long time in prison. All in all it was a terrible outcome.
~()~
Rachel stood outside Janet's front door and prepared herself for the barrage of questions she was about to face. She knocked on the door just as some of the other lads from MIT turned up. Janet opened the door and they all greeted one another. Once the crow had dispersed Janet turned so Rachel, "So, go on?" Janet grinned.
"What? I don't know why. I got to the doors of the clinic turned round and came home. I think it was mainly because I couldn't stand to spend a whole day with our Alison." Rachel half joked. Janet gave a lady like chuckle as Rachel continued again. "So, I've told Godzilla and she said 'oh Rachel, I'm delighted for you, how lovely'."
Knowing her boss and old friend Janet questioned, "she did not!"
"Did she bollocks!" Rachel fumed, still slightly angry from earlier. "She said 'Oh August, well timed, knobhead.'" Janet giggled as she listed to the scenario and pictured the scene playing out in her head. "She's a bitch, I'm sick of her, she's a nasty miserable old…"
"Oh hi Boss." Janet interrupted as she watched Rachel face turn and look horrified, probably praying that her boss hadn't heard her ranting. "Classic! Yes, one nil!" Both women erupted into laughter as Rachel realised the joke that had been played on her.
"What was you and her laughing at the other day?" Rachel tried to prise the truth from her friends lips, as curiosity overwhelmed her.
"Oh, well…I'm not supposed to tell anyone." Janet began.
"But…" Rachel continued, encouraging her friend to spill the juicy gossip.
"But seeing as she never said 'well-done' to you last Saturday…" Janet began as she divulged the details of Gill's fortieth birthday party which resulted her running up and down the garden singing 'I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen' at the top of her voice, topless. As more and more of the information was given to Rachel she could feel the giggles bubbling up inside of her until she let out a roaring laugh that sounded much like the ones that had erupted form her D.C.I's office the other day, which had started Rachel's curiosity.
As Janet drew the story to a close her tone became serious as she gave Rachel and insight into their boss' life, "the important point is that she is human just like us. So, if she doesn't always remember to pat you on the head or even basically be to you just remember that no matter how much pressure you're under, she is under about ten times more, alright?" Janet concluded hoping that Rachel would stop seeing one of her oldest friends in such negative light.
"She's still a bitch!"
"Hi Gill!" Janet suddenly interrupted
Not wanting to be fooled again Rachel furthered her criticizing, "an arsehole bastard, defective, Chief Inspector, Godzilla, bitch." Rachel finished suddenly seeing that this time Janet was in fact telling the truth. Rachel hung her head not wanting to look Gill in the eye.
Gill congratulated Janet on her anniversary and handed her a card before acknowledging Rachel by simply mentioning her name to which Rachel replied with "Boss".
Tasie suddenly burst the silence with instructing Janet that there was a call waiting for her, before promptly marching back up the stairs. Janet left the other two women to go and find a quieter place in order to take the call, charmingly calling "excuse me" whilst giving Rachel a good-luck-getting-out-of-this-one look.
Gill finally broke the tension, "I'd like to see you in my office first thing Monday morning." Rachel's whole body began to sweat but it would be over her dead body before she would let her D.C.I see how much she was shitting herself. "Right." She simply said, barely making any eye contact.
"And it will be going on your personal file." Gill continued.
"What will?" Rachel was now confused, she knew she could receive a bollocking for talking about Gill like that but anything more than that was unheard of.
"An email, from the Chief Con; I think you know his son, PC Rowan Rutterford." Gill began to quote the email, "'On only his second day of patrol, my son witnessed the most incisive, impressive, dynamic and inspiring piece of police work I have heard of in recent months. The reason he joined the police force was played out in front of him. Please pass on my congratulations to Detective Constable Rachel Bailey.' Well done Kid." And with that Gill walked off.
Rachel let out a sigh, feeling guilty for bad mouthing Gill like she had, only before letting out a giggle at the irony of the situation.
