Weapon of Choice
Chapter 4: The First Morning
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Kerry had expected that she wouldn't sleep well at all that night, especially not with Smithy beside her in the unfamiliar bed. She was surprised to find that the first time she woke up was when the alarm clock went off at six o'clock the following morning. She yawned, stretched and regretfully climbed out of the bed. Smithy groaned sleepily beside her and she decided to let him be, setting the alarm for another ten minutes.
Putting on her slippers and a light dressing down, Kerry went down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. While she waited for the kettle to boil, she opened the kitchen blinds and looked outside. It was still quite dark but as she pottered around the kitchen looking for cereal and milk, the sun began its slow rise.
Kerry was stacking her empty cereal bowl and spoon in the dishwasher when she heard Smithy coming down the stairs.
"Morning." She smiled, pressing the button on the kettle to re-boil the water for Smithy's coffee. She idly wondered how he would manage throughout the entire undercover operation without his beloved West Ham football club mug.
"Morning." He replied, feeling less at ease than he had the night before. It wasn't really because of Kerry, it was more because of the nerves he felt at the prospect of their first day at school, undercover. Of course, he didn't tell Kerry this. He was her superior officer and he wanted his presence to be a reassuring one.
While Smithy had his breakfast, Kerry went back up to the bedroom to wash and dress in the clothes she had picked out especially for the operation. Nothing she had already owned seemed to suitable for a teacher's assistant.
Smithy whistled when he came upstairs to see Kerry dressed in a skirt suit of black pinstriped material. He had never seen her dressed in anything like this before.
"Is it too over the top?" Kerry asked, tugging at the jacket which she wore over a long sleeved white shirt.
"Not at all, you look great." He replied, meaning it.
Kerry smiled at the compliment, but couldn't help but be a little jealous when she realised that, as the new PE teacher, Smithy could get away with wearing a tracksuit and trainers while she would no doubt get blisters from her new high heeled shoes.
At quarter past eight they were both ready to leave to walk the short distance to the school. Nerves were beginning to bubble in Kerry's stomach as they got nearer and nearer to the school, and she tried hard to keep her composure in check. The last thing she wanted was for her anxieties and apprehension to ruin the operation before it had ever really begun. Smithy seemed to pick up on her uncertainty.
"Are you alright?" He asked, gently, expecting a fiery response but Kerry simply nodded and gritted her teeth together.
They finally rounded the last corner and the school was standing there before them. There were very few students around as Kerry and Smithy had been asked to arrive early to meet with the Headmaster. The Headmaster was the only other person at the school who knew of Kerry and Smithy's true identity. It had not taken very long for their superior officers to convince the Head to allow two police officers to go undercover at his school. He had been shocked and appalled to know what was happening under his nose and Kathryn Walker's death had been a great loss to him.
Kerry and Smithy approached the reception desk and a pretty young woman looked at them expectantly.
"Mr and Mrs Jones to see Headmaster Edwards." Smithy said.
"Oh, the new teachers!" She beamed, phoning through to the Headmaster's office. Smithy surreptitiously rolled his eyes at Kerry, who tried not to grin. Even though she was nervous, Smithy had a way of reassuring her and making her forget about what was bothering her, almost like a real husband would. That thought shocked her and she was very grateful when the receptionist pointed them in the direction of Mr Edwards' office.
"Have a great first day!" She called after them.
Derek Edwards was pacing the length of his office when Smithy tapped lightly on the door with his knuckles.
"Come in!" He called, and Kerry followed Smithy inside.
"Ah, Dale, Kerry, nice to see you." He shook hands with both of them. They exchange pleasantries and took seats around Mr Edwards' desk. He handed them an envelope each which contained a map of the school campus, a timetable and a list of general instructions. "Kerry, you will be supervising Joe Harrison's English classes, offering any assistance that is needed." She nodded, and he turned his attention to Smithy. "Dale, you will be in charge of football coaching and helping to supervise the PE department." He nodded, also. "Any questions?"
Kerry looked at Smithy, who shrugged. Both of them really wanted to begin the day, the sooner they started the sooner the Black family would be permanently out of business.
They left the Headmaster's office together, stepping out into the corridor and consulting their maps. The English department and the sports facilities were in completely opposite directions. Kerry sighed, but perhaps if they had been forced to spend all their time together, both at school and home, they wouldn't be able to successfully make it seem like they were a loving married couple.
"See you later, love." Smithy said, aware that a few people were beginning to fill the hallways.
"Have a good day, Dale." She replied, and they kissed awkwardly, just the briefest touches of their lips. It was over in a second, and Kerry hoped it had looked believable. She tried to write off the increased thump of her heart rate as nerves about going to her first class, but she wasn't entirely sure that it was just because of that.
She watched for a moment as Smithy walked down the corridor, becoming smaller and smaller until he disappeared into a group of sixth formers. She turned around and made her way to the classroom where Mr Harrison's English lessons took place.