Series 24, Episode 29: Going Under
Date: Monday 7th September 2009
Investigating Officers: DCI Jack Meadows, DI Sam Nixon, DS Stuart Turner, DC Hannah McKay
Hannah sighed exasperatedly, leaning against the doorframe to the living room and glancing at her watch pointedly as she waited for her brother to make his way downstairs. It was their first day back at school after the summer holidays and she was supposed to be on shift at nine. Theo was ready and eager for his first day in year four, but Max didn't seem to be in any rush to begin year eleven.
"You're going to be late, Max!" Hannah shouted, losing patience with the teenager as the time ticked passed. "If we don't leave in two minutes you will be."
"Oh my god, you're such a–"
"Don't you dare even finish that sentence." His sister warned him in a dangerous voice. "Get your ass in the car now."
Things in the house had become more and more tense over the past couple of weeks. Since Ellie and Freya had got their results and confirmed their places at Cardiff University it had apparently suddenly dawned on Max that he was going to be left at home with Hannah and the children. His behaviour had plummeted to the point where his sister could hardly do anything with him.
Calling goodbye to her sister and daughters the redhead closed the front door and climbed into the driver's seat. She pointedly ignored Max who, sitting beside her, had pulled his hood up and jammed his earphones into his ears. His music was turned up so loud that Hannah could hear it, but she had given up trying to tell him to turn it down. She smiled weakly at Theo as she glanced in the rear view mirror, before driving away from the house and heading in the direction of Canley Comprehensive. Max slouched through the school gates without a backwards glance, before Hannah drove to Canley Primary and dropped Theo off at Breakfast Club. By the time she arrived at the station, she was only just in time for her shift.
"Tough morning?" Stevie asked as her friend dropped her back onto her desk chair and walked straight towards the double doors intending to fetch a coffee from the canteen. "Max?"
"How did you guess?" Hannah replied sarcastically, pausing by the blonde's desk and rubbing a hand over her face tiredly. "He's been an evil little sod the past couple of days and dealing with him with a hangover yesterday was not fun. That is totally your fault and you're going to have to make it up to me."
Stevie grinned and shot her a salacious wink. "I will definitely do that."
Hannah chuckled. "Good. Anything interesting going on this morning?"
"A few things." The Detective Sergeant acknowledged as they headed through the station in search of coffee. "A hit and run, a couple of burglaries… mostly stuff that's being dealt with by Uniform. Sam's set me on paperwork. The DCI's got his teeth into something, though, by the looks of it."
"What?"
"Armed robbery on a corner shop." Seeing Hannah's expression, Stevie grinned. "Yeah, that's how it started. Then it moved onto stolen antiques which, apparently, the Guv has an interest in."
The two women had just returned to CID and settled themselves at their desks when the doors banged open again and the Superintendent walked in with Sam and Stuart. Seeing Heaton glancing surreptitiously in Hannah's direction, Stevie grinned and ducked down behind her computer, not trusting herself not to laugh when her friend glared at her.
"We could feed in an undercover cop as a customer who goes in to buy stolen antiques." Stuart was suggesting. The word 'undercover' made Hannah glance up from her paperwork with interest.
"That sounds interesting… who could go UC?" Heaton asked.
Sam glanced around. "Mickey? D'you fancy going undercover?"
"Yeah, I would, but I ain't got a clue about antiques."
"And I'm just too high profile from my TV work." Stuart said apologetically. Hannah laughed, hastily turning it into a cough as the Sergeant turned to look at her.
"Sam?"
"No… I know absolutely nothing about antiques."
"Hannah?"
Caught by surprise as the Superintendent said her name, the redhead blinked. "No… all of my furniture is Ikea, Sir."
"Well, presumably, this Palmer will, so whoever you use is going to have to have enough knowledge to hold their own."
As if on cue, Jack walked through the doors. Everyone looked at him and he glanced around, slightly warily. They explained the situation to him and the DCI immediately agreed to go undercover if Sam agreed to be his handler as well as SIO on the case. The blonde didn't look particularly thrilled by the prospect, but when both Jack and Heaton gave it the go-ahead, it didn't look as though she had much of a choice in the matter.
Hannah and Stevie watched as Jack, Sam, Stuart and Mickey headed into the briefing room to agree the sting. As soon as they and Heaton had left, Stevie wheeled her chair across the office and joined Hannah for a chat. They hadn't got much further with their paperwork, preferring to gossip about various things instead, by the time Mickey wandered over to join them, explaining what had happened on the sting operation.
"So Jack completely went off track?" Stevie asked with a frown when he finished explaining.
Mickey nodded. "Yeah… he handed over the money."
"I guess if we get this Summers guy it'll be worth it…" Hannah attempted to see the positive in the DCI's actions. "I mean, no point bagging the monkey if we can get the organ grinder."
"Well, yeah, but just going rogue like that is dangerous, Han, you know that."
"I know…"
"Surely the Guv knows that too, though?" Stevie pointed out. "He must have decided that it was worth the risk."
Mickey shrugged. "I'm not sure the DI sees it like that." He glanced up and saw the woman in question beckoning him towards her office.
They watched him go before exchanging a look and moving to perch on Stuart's desk to distract him and themselves from the monotony of paperwork. He sighed as they spent the next couple of minutes completely annoying him until he was on the verge of going to get a drink from the canteen just to get away from them.
"Who's the fitty in the tweed?" Stevie asked, nodding her head towards the man she had just noticed speaking to Jack in his office.
Stuart frowned. "You're not serious? Fitty?"
"I wouldn't kick him out of bed." Hannah shrugged, tilting her head slightly to apprise the man Stevie had pointed out.
"DS Ronnie Mayhew from the Arts and Antiques Squad. Sam asked him to come in and give the DCI a crash course."
"Fair enough… I suppose it's better to be over prepared."
"How's it all going, then?" Hannah asked, giving the Detective Sergeant a reprieve from the teasing to ask about the case. "Any closer to bagging them?"
"Not yet… the DI is about to call a briefing and she wants you two in there."
"Why?" Stevie demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"No idea." Stuart told her with a shrug. "But we'd probably better get in there because she doesn't look amused."
Following his gaze and seeing the petite blonde frowning at something with her hands planted firmly on her hips, the women agreed with his sentiments. They all hurried into the briefing room and took their seats, waiting for everyone else to file in and join them.
"OK, let's get this briefing started." Sam said authoritively, moving to stand by the board as soon as everyone was settled. "Our targets this morning are Arran Palmer… Roy Summers… they have both agreed to meet with DCI Meadows, who will go undercover to talk about stolen antiques."
"Now, both men are career criminals and both men have a history of violence." Stuart added.
"Palmer is Summers' number two. Summers likes to use aliases to run his front companies, but he still likes to get his hands dirty." The DI continued.
"Are either of them likely to be armed?"
"Well the DCI is only meeting them for a drink in a very public place, but surveillance will be kept very tight and there will be no deviation from our plan."
"What happens if they want the DCI to go and have a drink elsewhere?"
"Well if they suggest that then he'll say he's got another appointment to go to and he'll catch up with them later." Sam replied firmly. "Now, there are two aims to this operation. The first is to see if they offer to sell anymore stolen antiques from the murder scene; so far we only have one item that connects them to the Edgars' robbery. And the second goal is to put Roy Summers under permanent surveillance. That's going to be your job, Mickey. He's been underground for about a year or so, so with a bit of luck this meet will bring him out in the open. OK, thank you."
Everyone rose to leave, knowing what they were supposed to be doing on the obbo, except Stevie and Hannah. They paused, looking at their DI with slight confusion, wondering whether she had just pulled them into the briefing to stop them messing around in CID.
"Ma'am… what do you want us to do?" Stevie asked, voicing the question they were both thinking.
"I want you to keep a close eye." Sam told them in a low voice after checking that the door was closed and no one would overhear. "Not just on Palmer and Summers…"
"Jack?" Hannah frowned lightly at her friend, wondering what she meant.
The older blonde nodded slowly. "I'm worried he's not match fit… if he messes this up… remember what happened when he went undercover as my husband…?"
Both Stevie and Hannah winced, remembering that the DCI had given the game away on that operation and they had almost lost the suspect because of it. They knew that he wouldn't intentionally do anything to ruin the case, but after what Mickey had told them about the initial sting they both understood Sam's concerns.
"OK." Stevie nodded, glancing at Hannah who echoed her movement. "We'll get going now."
"Try not to… I don't want Jack to know I've asked you to do this."
"We'll be discrete." Hannah promised.
"He likes you, Han… see if you can work out where his head is."
The redhead nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
Leaving CID together, they made their way across town to the bar where Jack was supposed to be meeting the suspects. They kept out of sight as Jack spoke to Palmer, nodding as Sam met their eyes. When they heard Jack agree to pay fifty grand for something that the suspect had shown him a photograph of, they glanced quickly towards Sam. She looked as though she was internally seething.
Stevie nudged Hannah's arm and motioned towards the exit. With a nod, the taller woman followed her through the back door and around to the pool car they had driven to the bar in. As they headed back to the station, they chatted about what had happened; wondering just how pissed off Sam would be with the DCI for his latest move. Hannah could understand why he had agreed to the sum, but she knew the DI would be less than impressed that he had veered so drastically from the plan.
"Hannah?" Sam called her as soon as she walked into CID.
"Ma'am?"
"Go and speak to Jack… see what he's thinking."
"Yes, Ma'am." The redhead agreed at once.
She turned on her heels and made her way quickly to the DCI's office. He wasn't there when, not receiving an answer to her knock, she poked her head around the door. Frowning lightly, Hannah headed down to the canteen, wondering whether he had gone to get some lunch. Her hunch proved to be a good one when she spotted the man paying for a couple of sandwiches.
"Guv?" She hurried over to join him, grabbing a sandwich for herself and dropping some coins onto the counter. "Can I have a word?"
Jack looked slightly bemused, before nodding and signalling that they would have to walk and talk. Hannah chewed her lip, wondering how to start the conversation. Instead of diving straight in with a question about how he was coping with being undercover, she decided to ask him for some advice.
"You've got a son, haven't you?"
"I have?" Jack agreed, looking totally bemused.
"I was just… Max is…" She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what to do. He won't talk to me… he deliberately goes against everything I say… he blames me for Jo and me breaking up, but I just…"
"He'll come round." The DCI told her sympathetically, ushering her into his office. "He's a teenage boy; it's practically in the job description to make your life difficult."
"It's not just him, though. Ellie and Freya aren't speaking to me and I just… I don't know what to do about it."
"My advice is to just let them get over it in their own time. Let them know that you're there for them, but let them come back when they're ready. And trust me, Hannah, they will."
"I wish I had your faith."
He chuckled. "Experience, rather than faith. They'll soon realise that they're better off with you on their team."
"Mmm…" Hannah sighed and picked at her sandwich, tearing a small piece off and chewing it thoughtfully. She looked up, watching Jack for a moment before speaking. "How are you feeling about this undercover op? Are you excited?"
"I suppose so…" He agreed. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to take such an active role in a case… it beats paperwork any day!"
"Tell me about it! But… you're going to be careful, aren't you, Guv? I mean…"
"Don't worry about me. I might not have done this for a while, but I'm no probationer. I know what I'm doing."
Hoping that he was right, Hannah dropped the subject of conversation, asking about his interest in antiques instead. He talked passionately about it for a while, before glancing at the time and pointing out that they should probably be getting back to work. Almost reluctantly, thoroughly enjoying spending time with the DCI, Hannah nodded and followed him back towards CID.
Stopping before they reached the doors, Jack squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Everything will work itself out in the end. You just need to be patient and stay strong."
"Thank you, Jack."
He winked and pushed through the double doors. As he went into Sam's office, Hannah dropped down at her desk and pulled her mobile out of her bag, hoping to have at least a text message from one of the teenagers in her life. There was nothing, however, so she dropped it back out of sight with a dejected sigh.
"Hannah?"
"Yes, Ma'am?" Hannah's head shot up and she blinked at the DI, as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't.
"I want you to go to this club with Stuart and pretend to be a prospective buyer."
"Umm…?"
As the redhead looked between them in confusion, clearly having no idea what they'd been talking about, Sam sighed. "The club where Summers and Palmer met Bob Edgar, the man who died, is up for sale. We need someone to go and have a good look around without drawing suspicion."
"Oh, right, OK." Hannah nodded, standing up and moving to join them. "I'm in."
Stuart grinned at her as they walked down to the yard. Hannah arched an eyebrow at him as she read over the details that they had printed out from the estate agents' website. She knew that he was itching to say something, but presumably holding back because he knew it would wind her up. Wondering what it was, Hannah shot him a look.
"Spit it out, Sarge."
"I was just wondering how you wanted to play this… husband and wife… partners… business partners…?"
"Let's stick to business partners, shall we?" Hannah suggested with a smirk. "I doubt you could handle me as anything else."
Stuart chuckled. "Alright… I hope they don't recognise me…"
"Why would they?" The DC asked him, frowning with genuine confusion.
"My TV work…"
"Oh, yeah… that. Sorry, Stu, I forgot."
He huffed irritably at her, unlocking the car and sliding into the driver's seat. Hannah grinned to herself before sitting beside him. Stuart's touchiness lasted all the way to the club, when he finally appeared to let her comment pass. He held his hand out to shake the estate agent's before introducing them.
As they were shown around the building, Hannah allowed herself to see past what the agent was showing them and look out for anything suspicious. They had agreed in the car that Stuart would be the enthusiastic party and she would be the one to point out all the problems. The DS had muttered under his breath that she shouldn't find her role too difficult.
"The turnover is terrible… it's no wonder the owner wants rid…" Hannah muttered, still looking around.
"So we'll build it up." Stuart replied. "Listen, ignore her, it's perfect."
"Where are the toilets?" Hannah asked, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.
The agent directed her and the DS nodded, signalling that he was alright to carry on alone. Heading towards the door she had been pointed towards, Hannah slipped out of sight, combing over the plans of the building carefully. When she was sure that Stuart had taken the agent safely out of the way, Hannah doubled back and went in search of the office.
No one stopped her as she ducked through a doorway, so she kept going until she found the room she was looking for. Cautiously she opened the office door and peeked inside. Finding it empty, Hannah went in and looked around. Pulling the tiny camera Sam had given her out of her pocket, the redhead hid it on top of the expensive looking grandfather clock beside the door. She went on tiptoes to make sure it was completely concealed.
Finally satisfied, Hannah left the office pulling the door closed behind her. No sooner had she closed it and started walking away than Palmer appeared at the end of the corridor. He looked her up and down suspiciously, before taking a threatening step in her direction.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, my partner and I are thinking of buying this place." Hannah informed him smoothly, shooting him one of her most beguiling smiles.
"They're with me." The estate agent backed up her story, appearing with Stuart.
"Just make sure they stay with you." Palmer ordered gruffly. "Don't go nosing around."
"Charming." Stuart muttered as the man pushed roughly past Hannah and walked towards the office. As the agent glanced after Palmer, the DC shot him a wink. "Shall we?"
They left the club explaining that they needed to discuss whether they were going to make an offer or not. The agent informed them that they should make the discussion a quick one because the property was a very popular one. Shaking his hand, Hannah promised that they would let him know as soon as possible.
"Done?" Sam asked as the pair walked into CID.
Stuart nodded. "Done."
"Good, briefing room, ten minutes."
There was just enough time for Hannah to have a quick fag break and grab a coffee before she found herself back in the briefing room waiting to hear what the plan of action was. She wasn't sure whether Sam intended to use her again, or whether she'd find herself back on paperwork as Stevie had.
"Now, at six o'clock this evening at Summers' gaming hall, DCI Meadows will meet with Arran Palmer and Roy Summers. As soon as we get confirmation that Roy Summers is actually there, we move in and we make the arrests." The DI informed them. "However, Roy Summers has proven to be rather an illusive so we're anticipating that things may not be as simple as we'd like. Roy Summers may not even show up and the DCI may have to go to another location to view the antiques."
"There's not a lot of storage space, so Summers may not keep his stolen goods there."
"So, essentially, we have to be on our toes… we have to go with the flow."
"What's to stop Palmer or Summers pulling out a gun and robbing the Guv?" Tony asked.
"If there's any hint of a trap, we pull the Governor out, OK?" Sam assured them all firmly. "Hannah and DS Mayhew, who's our antiques expert will be with me in the van."
"We've also got a CO19 Trojan Unit backing us up in a covert vehicle." Mickey added.
"Roy Summers is a nasty piece of work. As well as sitting on a wealth of stolen antiques, he shot Bob Edgar in cold blood. We get the result; we're doing this man for murder. Let's go and get him."
