Weapon of Choice

Chapter 7: 7 O'clock Briefing

Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter. I hope you like this one, too! Reviews are always appreciated. :) xx


Kerry and Smithy exchanged a look and he nodded slightly at her as their laptop connected with the web cam at the station. After a few moments of static, they came face to face with DCI Jack Meadows' face on the screen before them. Both of them were a little surprised to see that he was alone.

"Good evening." He greeted formally, to which Kerry and Smithy replied with 'good evening, sir's.

"How was your first day?" He asked, with the trace of a smile now; a hopeful one. This case was important to him too, just for slightly different reasons. Two of his officers would be away from their usual duties for an indeterminable amount of time, and his force was already stretched far enough. He was a eager for a quick resolution.

"Both of us have met and become acquainted with Jasmine Black. Smithy taught her football this morning and I overheard a conversation between her and the English teacher Mr Harrison." Kerry re-told the story of what she had heard pass between them. Jack did not seem to be as interested in this piece of information as Smithy had been.

"That's interesting, but it doesn't prove anything."

Kerry and Smithy exchanged looks of surprise and barely concealed outrage. "But sir!"

"What we need is evidence. I know it is only day one but it is imperative that you get them to trust you, to open up to you."

Kerry huffed out a breath. So far she wasn't finding this briefing helpful at all, she had yet to learn anything that she didn't already know or hadn't been told before. She could sense that Smithy was also frustrated at the lack of information coming from Meadows' end of the conversation, he was just doing a better job at hiding it.

"I do have an idea," Smithy began, engaging both Kerry and Jack's interest. "If we assume that Jasmine Black is having an affair with Joe Harrison, and it seems that she is the dominating force in the relationship, it could be that she may move onto someone similar. Especially if Joe begins to get cold feet."

"What are you suggesting?" Jack replied, before Kerry could even get her lips to form words.

"Perhaps if I were to spend time getting closer to Jasmine she might open up to me and let me in on whatever her father is up to."

Kerry was surprised and disappointed to see that Jack was not wearing the same facial expression as her. What Smithy was proposing was risky for more than one reason. If Jasmine was capable of the murder of Kathryn Walker, it was unlikely that she would have reservations about harming Smithy. On a more practical note, she and Smithy had been introduced to the school as husband and wife, and it seemed strange to Kerry that a happily married man would be seeking the attentions of a teenage girl. From what she had gleaned from researching Joe Harrison, he appeared to be single and a couple of years younger than Smithy.

"It's an idea." Meadows allowed. "Just try to be friendly to her, encourage her in your lessons and see what happens from there."

"I don't like this." Kerry piped up. Her willingness to bring the Black's to justice and to find closure for Kathryn's parents meant that it was important to her that this operation was carried out with as few holes as possible.

Meadows ignored her reservations. "Kerry, if you could form a friendship with Joe that might make him open up to you about what's going on. If he's not forthcoming, you can always play the wildcard of knowing about his affair with Jasmine."

She did agree with this idea and she was in the prime place to form a bond with Joe seeing as they shared a classroom for six hours a day.

"You seem to be making a fairly solid start," Meadows said, looking more relaxed than when they had started the web chat. "I'll check in with you at the same time on Wednesday to check your progress. Good night."

Kerry and Smithy said goodnight and cancelled the conversation, shutting the laptop screen and looking intently at each other.

"Why didn't you tell me about your idea to seduce Jasmine before telling our superior?" Kerry almost exploded, her voice raising as the words tumbled out.

"I'm not planning to seduce her, Kerry, she's a girl. I just meant getting close to her might be beneficial."

Kerry glared at him, not pacified by his words in the slightest. "I don't like it, Dale. She's a piece of work, that girl and I don't like the idea of you getting sucked in."

"Are you jealous, Kerry?" He attempted to lighten the atmosphere between them that was rapidly deteriorating. His green eyes sparkled with humour but a smile did not touch her bright blue ones.

She waited a moment before she replied. "Damn it, Smithy! This is dangerous, I thought you realised this. Joe is being forced into doing God knows what for Black because he was sleeping with her daughter. I don't want Black to target you too. Please don't make this more complicated." Her voice began to soften again., she placed her hand over his on the kitchen tabletop. "I care about you Smithy, and I appreciate you sticking up for me and supporting me on this investigation, but I don't want to have to worry about you too."

Smithy looked down at their hands, the memory of pressing his lips of her's in the school corridor that morning rose to his thoughts without warning. He gently moved their hands apart.

"I know what I'm doing Kerry, and I won't take any more risks than necessary." He laughed a little. "I really thought I'd be the one having this conversation with you!"

She managed a small smile. "Remember, it's only the first day."


A while later, Kerry and Smithy found themselves together in the living room. Smithy watched with interest as Kerry slid the back off of her phone and took out the sim card, replacing it with another.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his brow furrowed.

She looked up, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. "I'm about to call Cameron."

"Oh," He replied, wishing he hadn't bothered to ask. He did, however, want to ask if she thought using her phone from her 'real life' was a sensible move. "I'll give you some privacy." Was what he chose to say, leaving the room and closing the door after him. He felt a bitter pang low in his abdomen, a feeling which he refused to identify as jealousy. As he kept reminding himself, Kerry was not his wife, not even his girlfriend. It was essential that he kept the case and their personal lives separate.

Feeling frustrated and a loose end, Smithy poured himself a drink of water and stood looking out over the darkened garden again. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Kerry come out into the kitchen until he heard the kettle start to boil.

"Everything alright?" He asked, though he realised that he didn't really want to know.

"Fine, thanks." She smiled weakly, heaping two spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder into a large mug.

Smithy leaned against the kitchen counter. "You can tell me if you want," He paused, his trademark cheeky smile tugging at his feature. "We are married, after all."

Kerry smiled again at this, but it was as weak as before. "It's Cameron," She explained. "He's still not happy about me doing this, or." She stopped abruptly, concentrating in pouring hot water into her mug.

"Or, what?" Smithy asked, intrigued.

She gave a short laugh but refused to face him; to meet his gaze. "He doesn't trust me alone with you."

"Well, I know I'm charming and irresistible, but he doesn't have anything to worry about." He had meant it to be a statement, but it came out sounding more like a question.

"Of course not." She replied, grateful when Smithy left the room. She couldn't help but wonder if Cameron had a point though, and if that was why she was so upset by their conversation.