HORSES FOR COURSES – CHAPTER 2
Sergeant Meg Oliver surveyed the scene before her thousands of football fans all waiting to gain entrance to the stadium, she wondered who the undercover team were, the ones from nearby Sunhill who were among the crowd to hopefully catch the hooligans who used the matches to get as drunk as possible and organize fights and beatings. She looked down as her partner shifted slightly.
"Easy kidda" she murmured to Oscar, the 17hh Shire Horse Cross she was astride and looked into the eyes of a man standing a few feet from her, he smiled and made his way over, stroking Oscars' massive neck .
"Hi" he said, it's true she thought to herself, all undercover coppers stick out like a sore thumb.
"DS Phil Hunter, from Sunhill" He said out of the side of his mouth.
"Sergeant Oliver" replied Meg "And you couldn't be more obvious if you were in uniform" The horse scraped the floor with a foot the size of a dinner plate causing Phil to jump back "He's bored" Meg explained
"Hey" she said softly slightly tugging the reins the horse stopped and nudged Phil with his huge head, who started to look nervous
"Ahem, anyway" he started "Our guys are all linked with ear pieces just give us a shout if you need us" and disappeared before Meg could reply.
Meg smiled to herself and moved the horse away from the turnstile so the fans could start filtering through to the ground. Watching the crowd sidle in, Meg had spotted three or four hooligans, and a few feet behind them two coppers, a tall guy and a smaller woman with dark hair, very pretty in a conceited kind of way, Meg hoped nothing would happen, they both looked like rookies.
As the game progressed Meg chatted to the stewards, taking a walk round her patch from time to time but it was exceptionally quiet, usually one of her mounted PC's had something to report a lost kid or illicit smoker at least. As Meg returned to her spot after a look around she saw a man slip out and stealthily make his way to the car park, none of the stewards had seen him, a car thief? Meg put Oscar on the grass and trotted almost silently around to the entrance to the car park, the man didn't even glance up, she stood and watched as he slipped between cars and started to run, obviously up to no good then, squeezing Oscars sides with her heels he bounded forward and they clattered after the man, rounding a parked car she saw the man sprawled across another man, fighting
"POLICE!" She shouted "STOP!" moving the horse closer she radioed for back up, so much for the super cops from Sunhill!
She drew her asp and dismounted from the horse, by which time the man on the ground was pinned by the man she had followed, Meg felt a shudder of apprehension, would he turn on her now that she was off Oscar? "Let go of him!" she ordered, the man ignored her and reached into his jacket tensing Meg struck at his forearm, but missed
"Hey!" the man said, brandishing a MET warrant card "Sergeant Smith, Sunhill!"
Oh No! Thought Meg, great.
"You ok?" panted Phil appearing from a different angle, giving Oscar a wide berth,
"Fine" replied Smithy, shooting Meg a dirty look "Apart from being ambushed by The Lone Ranger"
"I didn't know who you were!" she retorted, meeting the hostile green eyes "There was no radio contact!"
"That's why it's called undercover!" Growled Smithy, pulling the yob to his feet, "This one has a knife, and he could of got away if your aim was a bit better!"
"You should have called it in! What am I psychic?" Meg snarled, grabbing Oscars' reins as back up and the van arrived. "Well if you actually did some proper police work instead of farting around with my little ponies you'd have some idea what it was like!" Smithy was furious
"That's enough Smithy!" hollered Gina as she climbed out of the van, turning to Meg "Thank you for your assistance PC ?…."
"Sergeant! Meg Oliver" Meg told Gina "And you are?"
"Inspector Gold, and as you are now involved in this arrest I will expect you at Sunhill for a de-briefing after the match"
"Impossible" replied Meg "I have to return the horses and settle them" glaring at Smithy as he snorted with laughter.
"Well that's what you have PC's for, they can settle your horse, 4.30, Sunhill, one of this lot will give you a lift" Gina delivered her order and turned on her heel back to the van.
Meg remounted Oscar and started back to the stadium, fuming, though not sure with who, the moody sergeant or his Rottwieler of an Inspector!
"Make sure the farrier checks their feet and call me if there is a problem" Meg told one of the PC's that had accompanied her
"No worries Sarge!" replied the PC climbing into the cab of the horse box, Meg looked around her for her lift, the stadium car park was all but deserted by now, a silver MG pulled up next to her, Meg leant down and saw the hostile green eyes again
"Get in then I haven't got all day!"
Meg looked around her, sighed and got in the car
"I didn't think I'd be getting a lift with you" she remarked as the car shot off
"My Inspectors idea of a joke" Smithy muttered, looking at her.
The journey progressed in silence, Smithy occasionally looking at Megan.
"What!" she exclaimed after the fifth or sixth time
"Huh?" he grunted
"Why do you keep glaring at me?" she asked, "I didn't do what I did earlier to personally offend you!"
"I know" he said, looking again "and I'm not glaring I'm looking"
"Why?" damn, thought Meg should of kept her mouth shut
"You look different without your hat, less scary"
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She snapped
"No, an observation, that's what I do observe, being a police officer it kind of comes with the territory"
"Do you ever give up?" Meg asked annoyed again, Smithy didn't reply, just parked his car and lead the way to the custody entrance "After you" he said, holding the door open, Meg glared at him and walked through, wasn't this going to be fun!