Disclaimer - I don't own Scott & Bailey.
This story accompanies Fa-arsed bitch. Emma hasn't been born yet.
Dinner at the Rutterfords.
"Hello Julie, thanks for coming." Roger Rutterford greeted Julie Dodson as she stood outside the front door.
Julie smiled, trying hard to keep herself from breaking out in a cold sweat. She barely managed to hold onto her composure. Her nerves only grew worse when he gave her a quick peck in greeting as she stepped over the threshold. This happened every time she was invited or met up with someone in seniority. Roger Rutterford was the Chief constable, and he and his family often met up once or twice with other high ranking police officers though at dinner the conversation was polite and informal, but it never failed to unsettle Julie for reasons even she couldn't understand. She just got nervous. Dear god, Julie suddenly stilled when a thought entered her mind, please say the Assistant Chief Constable Karen Zelinski wasn't here, the haughty woman made her skin crawl. Every time. It was embarrassing, here she was, a Detective Superintendent, she should be used to meeting officers in authority. She was one herself for chrissakes.
"Thank you, sir," she replied.
Rutterford smiled. "Oh, please Julie, this is an informal gathering," he cast eyes over Julie's comfortable and casual clothes, nodding in approval. Julie felt as though she were under a microscope in his gaze, but he let her in. "Here, let me take your coat," Roger offered, and Julie smiled though she was a little wary of his gentlemanly actions.
Rutterford led Julie through into the dining room where she saw at once that Karen Zelinski was there, looking haughty as ever even with her blonde hair down to her shoulders, and not looking particularly pleased by that. She'd clearly been told to be informal, but it was clear she didn't think it suited her. She probably slept in her own uniform. Julie saw at once that wasn't all she wasn't happy for, the way she looked at Julie when she saw her...
Bitch.
Fortunately, the rest of the family, the Rutterford girls Anne and Melissa, and the wife Margaret, and Rowan, the nephew of the Chief Con, were much friendlier than Zelinski.
"Hello Julie," Rowan smiled at her. Julie quirked a brow. "DSI Dodson to you, or ma'am."
The smile fell off Rowan's face. "Er...sorry, ma'am."
Julie's stern face disappeared into a massive smile. "Oh, I'm only joking with you. I heard you've gone on the beat."
Rowans' smile returned as he replied enthusiastically. "Yeah. First week." Julie knew the Rutterford family well enough for them to be on first name basis, and she'd told Rowan some stories of her time in the police.
Margaret came out with the girls, bringing the dinner. "Do you want me to help?" Julie asked them. She wasn't just being polite, she wanted to get away from a certain Assistant Chief Con.
Light shining on her silvering hair, Margaret started at Julie's offer. "No, you sit down Julie dear," She smiled kindly at Julie, and Julie couldn't help but smile back. Despite the closeness of their age difference, Margaret was a motherly figure to her. "We'll manage. But thanks for offering to help. It's nice to know someone has manners." She nodded subtly in Karen's direction, and Julie had to hide a smirk at the haughty woman who was oblivious. It was obvious that Margaret didn't like Karen Zelinski anymore than Julie did.
Even with the relaxing atmosphere, Julie felt as though she were a stranger, and it wasn't helped by the lack of good conversation. The Rutterford girls had taken away their parents attention though Julie knew she'd be talking police business with the Chief con soon, with the Assistant Chief Con of course. She wished someone like Gill Murray or Janet Scott was here to give her something to talk about. Anything, even something so basic would be a relief to her.
Julie felt lonely, but she'd forgotten Rowan. The young PC had also been forgotten in the dinner, and he'd noticed Julie's loneliness as well, and he decided to speak to her. Just between them. There was no way they'd speak to Karen Zelinski, who was just sitting on her part of the table, alone and quiet. She neither wanted nor needed company.
"I was involved in house to house, on the Susan Metcalfe murder," Rowan told Julie quietly to start the conversation. Julie turned to him. "Susan Metcalfe, wasn't she the one who was brutally raped and murdered?" She asked quietly so the others couldn't hear, afterall the subject of rape really wasn't cause for a dinner table conversation. There were so many murders and rapes that the various MIT syndicates had to solve it was hard for Julie to remember them all.
Rowan nodded. "That's the one. Anyway, this DS. Andy something-"
"Andy Roper." Julie confirmed for him. Gill's DS. She knew that Gill's syndicate had solved the murder of Mrs Metcalfe. "Yeah, that's him." Just as Julie was hoping for Rowan to get to the point, he finally got to his part of the story. "I was with the DC responsible for the arrest of the little weirdo." He finished, looking back at her proudly.
Julie looked impressed. "Were you? And on your first day as well." It wasn't unusual for newbies to work house to house with more experienced coppers, and those who watched an arrest because of a lead then they thanked their lucky stars. "Who was this DC?"
Rowan rubbed his face. "I think DS Roper said her name was Rachel, but I don't know her full name."
"Rachel? You mean Rachel Bailey?"Julie said, recognising the name at once, her mind going through the list of officers in syndicate 9.
"You know her?" Rowan asked, and Julie caught the look in his eyes. She'd seen it before, on many young police officers. Hero worship. He clearly thought a great deal of Rachel, even if he barely knew her.
"No, we haven't met, though I hope so soon. But Gill, DCI Murray to you, sings her praises a lot, she's apparently a bright copper, really good." Julie replied, not noticing that the others around the table were beginning to take an interest in the conversation.
"Anyway, go on Rowan, tell me what happened?" Julie felt herself stop shaking from her nerves with the talk about work. Rowan took a sip from his drink. "Well, she told me that she'd been doing the job for ten years already, and she'd once met someone who gave them a lead, but it started out simple when we knocked on the door of the Farrell house.
"I think Rachel noticed the watch; we all knew about a watch from CCTV, showing Mrs Metcalfe being stalked by someone wearing a hoodie, but in one picture there was a distinctive watch. Luke Farrell wore one, and I think, when he passed Rachel her pen back after she dropped it by accident, and she saw it. Just a glance. She asked the usual questions and he answered them, but he sounded off, like a retard or someone not really there, though his mother seemed to be like an organ grinder and he was the monkey, and his sister contradicted him by saying he'd been out during the night."
Julie nodded. She was still unaware of the attention she and Rowan's conversation was getting.
Finally Rowan got to the part she wanted him to reach. " You should've seen her," the young constable said not even bothering to hide his excitement. "She just took one look at the watch. The next minute - WHAM! She was arresting him. I just stood there like a lemon. I was still stunned when she snapped the cuffs on him, and she snapped at me to get going reporting it to the station. Afterwards I went to apologise for not doing anything, but she stopped me and said she'd once done the same, but she'd learnt from it, and if she could then I could. She was really nice about it, she told me to learn from it. Rachel's what I think being a cop's all about. She just glanced at the watch, now it looks like the guy she arrested killed two other people."
"Margaret and Barry Whelan," Julie said at that moment. Finally she noticed the attention she was getting when the Chief Con himself took a deep breath as he thought about that murder. The sheer brutality of a downs syndrome sufferer having to watch as his sister was brutally raped and murdered before being killed himself...The Chief Con, and indeed the MIT syndicates, had had no choice but to put the case under unsolved.
Roger Rutterford leant forward. "DC Rachel Bailey? That's her name? I think I can arrange to give her a commendation, especially if she's what you think being a cop's all about," he added with a smile.
Julie smiled as she glanced at Rowan, and her smile became a mischievous smirk when she saw the look in his eyes. He clearly fancied Rachel, and his aunt saw it too. "You look like you fancy this girl, Rowan." Margaret observed.
Rowan shrugged, but there was a faint smile on his face.
Julie shook her head. "She's pregnant."
"What?" Rowan asked. Julie felt kinda bad for the sudden look in his eyes.
"Apparently she told Gill a couple of days ago,"Julie said, hoping she wasn't breaking the lad's heart. "It's due in August. She told me when we had tea at her place."
Rowan looked sad, but he took it well, and he said to his cousin that he hoped the baby was happy.
