"According to DC McKay's informant, the deal is set to go down at 10pm on Thursday at the old warehouse on Standon Street." DCI Meadows told the assembled officers at the morning briefing the next day. "That gives us three days to ensure we're prepared to close this supply chain down."
Hannah had phoned the DCI after breaking down in front of Jake and told him she was ill and wouldn't be coming back to the station. He almost definitely hadn't believed her, but he'd agreed that she could go home on the condition that she made sure she was back at work promptly and on form the next morning. After her conversation with Jake, Hannah couldn't face seeing Jo straight away in case she broke down again.
That morning, despite her promise to her boss, she was struggling to concentrate. She had yet another hangover thanks to consuming two bottles of wine and, with all three children playing her up before she left for work and what little she remembered of the night before, she was in a terrible mood.
"Well?"
"What?" Hannah snapped, finding everyone looking at her expectantly. With a start, she sat up straight and blushed. "Sorry, Guv…"
"I was just asking whether we know for definite whether both Dockery brothers, Carr, Filler and Patterson are all going to be involved in the handover." The DCI informed her, his eyes narrowing at the glazed expression on his DC's face.
"Oh. No, Guv. My informant couldn't be sure; she didn't want to promise anything."
The briefing continued and Hannah sank back into her seat, barely listening. When it finally ended, the red-head found herself being firmly guided out of the room by Sam, who took her straight to her office and closed the door.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sam shouted as soon as Hannah had sunk down into the chair in front of her desk. "I might be your friend, but I won't give you preferential treatment, Hannah. And don't even think about giving me any bullshit about you being fine. I know you too well for that."
"I don't know what you want me to say, Sam."
"I want the truth, Hannah. How much are you drinking?"
The Detective Constable frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Everything! The Hannah I know and love doesn't go around kissing boys young enough to be her son, let alone me, however drunk she gets!"
"I've already apologised for that." Hannah reminded her, wincing slightly and unable to stop a blush creeping over her cheeks.
"I know that and I don't want an apology. It happened and it's not going to affect our friendship. I just need to know that you're in control. If I think you're likely to put this operation at risk I won't think twice about sending you home."
Her threat seemed to shake Hannah out of whatever daydream she was in. "You can't do that, Sam! It was my informant's information that gave us the Dockery brothers and the others to begin with."
"The way you're acting at the moment you'll put yourself or someone else in danger and I'm not going to let that happen."
"I'm not leaving." She warned her superior. "What if Stella rings with more information?"
"Is Stella your informant?"
Sighing, Hannah nodded. "Stella Webster."
"Webster? Not Jake Webster's mother?" Sam asked frowning. When the red-head nodded, she perched on the desk looking confused. "How do you know her?"
"Jake is Ellie's dad."
"What?"
"Jake Webster is the father of my daughter." Hannah told her slowly. "Sharon, my mother, and Stella Webster were best mates and Jake and I grew up on the Larkmead together. We both said that we'd never get into drugs and end up like them. Ellie was an accident… He was… I got mixed up with a gang and Jake got me out. He looked after me and one thing led to another. He's my oldest friend… he's always been there when I've been lonely or just… needed someone."
"Except when he was in prison." Sam pointed out.
Hannah glared at her. "Like your choices have been so perfect?"
Taking a deep breath, the petite blonde chose not to react. "Does Ellie know that Jake Webster's her father? When did you last see him?"
"Yeah, Ellie knows. Whatever else he is, he's a good dad." She insisted, ignoring her superior's second question and the disbelieving look on her face. "He's such a good dad that Ellie phoned him recently and she hasn't bothered to even answer my calls."
Glossing over the subject that was an incredibly sore point for the younger detective, Sam repeated her second question, suspecting that the answer she would receive was not one she'd want to hear. Hannah tilted her head so that her hair swept across her face and covered most of it from view. When she answered her voice was so hushed that Sam couldn't hear.
"I'm not a bat, DC McKay… please speak at a volume I can hear."
"Last night."
"Hannah… we think that Jake might be involved in the drugs supply chain. Last night Stuart and Stevie saw someone matching his description entering the warehouse we had under observation with the Dockery brothers." Sam told her softly. "So I really need to know exactly when and where you saw him."
"Jake wouldn't do that."
"How can you be so sure? He's got convictions for drug offences and he's been in and out of prison since he was eighteen."
The red-head nodded. "Yeah, I know all that; I arrested him three times when I was at Barton Street. But I've known Jake for thirty-three years, since I was born. Jake knows that his mum is my informant and he knows what she told me. He wouldn't get involved in dealing drugs. Besides… he was with me last night, so it can't have been him."
Sam looked a little uncomfortable. "Han… you know how this works. I need to know about last night."
"When I went round to see Stella yesterday afternoon, Jake was there. I didn't know that he was out of Longmarsh so I was surprised to see him. Stella's a junkie and she went out not long after giving me the information on the deal." Hannah told her, still confident that Jake had done nothing wrong. "Jake mentioned that Ellie had told him about me and Jo and he wanted to know… well, he wanted to know about it. I ended up spilling my guts; Jake's always known how to get through to me… and then he came round to mine for dinner."
"What time did he leave?"
"I'm not sure… late." She sighed, knowing that Sam was about to tell her off for being evasive. "We went to bed about ten…"
"Together?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
Unable to meet her eyes, Hannah stared down at her hands. "I was drunk… I didn't want to be on my own. I was upset…"
"So you don't know what time he left?"
"No." The DC admitted quietly. "Look, Sam… let me talk to him, please. He won't lie to me. If he admits he knows something we don't then I'll bring him in and get him to tell us everything."
Sam considered her for a moment wondering what to do. By rights she should flatly refuse to even think about letting Hannah go and talk to Jake. If he was involved in the deal and tipped off the others then the red-headed DC would be in serious trouble.
"Please don't make me regret this." She answered at last, imploring Hannah as a friend.
Hannah shook her head. "I won't, Sam."
x-x
"Jake?" Hannah called cautiously, pushing the door of the Websters' flat open.
The door was already ajar, setting her on edge. Pulling her asp out of her jacket pocket and flicking it open, she advanced carefully into the flat. Keeping her wits about her, Hannah checked every room and discovered that it was empty.
"Han?" A voice called from behind her, making the woman jump and whirl around.
"Shit, Jake… you scared the crap out of me." She admitted, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. "What's happened?"
"You tell me. I've been out all morning. Mum probably just got high and forgot to shut the door again." He shrugged, apparently not bothered. "What brings you here? Couldn't wait to see me again?"
In the cold, sober light of day Hannah came to her senses and avoided the hug he was aiming her way moving to look out of the flat window, reminding herself that getting too involved was a bad idea and not what she wanted. "Were you at the old warehouse on Standon Street last night?"
"I was with you, babe." He reminded her. "Or am I that bad in bed compared to your girlfriend that you've forgotten about it."
"Don't mess me around, Jake." She snapped. "My colleagues identified you specifically. This is my career on the line. They're going to want to pull you in over this… Oh god…" She covered her face with her hands and groaned. "I'll be your alibi and then…"
"Then everyone will know that I spent the night with you, including your girlfriend."
Glaring at him, Hannah clenched her fists. "Stop calling her that! She left me, remember." Taking a breath, she started to think. "Look… why were you there? Have you got anything to do with the drug deal?"
"No!"
"Jake, if you are involved and the operation goes tits up, I'm screwed. They're going to think that I tipped you off."
"But you haven't told me anything."
"I know, but you were here when your Mum gave me the information on the time and location. You know that we know when and where and you could have passed it on to the Dockery brothers last night. If they suddenly change their plan I'm going to be number one suspect." She told him quietly. "I can't lose my job, Jake. If I lose my job I lose everything."
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "It'll be alright."
"Is this you promising you have nothing to do with the deal?"
"Yes, Hannah… I can't believe you needed to ask."
She winced. "I'm sorry. I just needed to be sure; there's too much at stake. So why were you there?"
"I wanted to warn them to keep away from Mum." He admitted, letting go of her and moving to stand in the spot in front of the window that Hannah had recently vacated. "She's trying to get clean. I know it doesn't seem like it, but she is and she can't if they keep tempting her. I went to the warehouse at about midnight to tell them to stay away."
"I believe you." Hannah told him, moving to stand beside Jake at the window. She slid an arm around his waist. "Promise me that you'll go somewhere that'll provide you with an alibi while the deal's taking place; preferably somewhere with CCTV."
"Surely me not being there will be enough?" Jake laughed.
She shook her head. "Don't risk it, Jake. They've seen you with the Dockery brothers and they think you're involved."
"Alright, princess, for the sake of your career I'll keep my nose clean."
"I'm not just thinking of me, Jake. You've just got out of prison… don't be stupid enough to go straight back in. You're forty… you need to start thinking about getting your life together. Please." Hannah pleaded. "I've arrested you three times before and I won't hesitate to do it again if I have to, but Ellie already hates me and I don't want to be forced into that position."
"I promise."
Letting out a long sigh, she nodded and smiled. "Right… I better get back to work before they get even more suspicious."