Just a quick update
Michael hadn't told anyone about the SD cards he'd found, he tried to open them, but they were locked. He knew the CS was right, this whole affair made Jackie look guilty of something, but of what? He was sure she wasn't bent; she was always so forthright in her opinions about corrupt officers, after all their years of friendship, could she really have been pretending?. Michael headed out to the bull pen; Brian's team had mobilised, and very quickly their office was filled with C and D officers reviewing their files, asking questions and taking notes. Brian came up to him, with a sympathetic look on his face, but remarkably more composed than he had been in his office.
"Mike, I know this is awkward, but we will need to have a formal interview!"
"I understand Brian." Michael nodded. He did understand, if Jackie was under suspicion, then so was he.
"I have insisted that your team remain on this case, if anyone can find Jackie, I know it's you! This is just theatre for CS Gordon and the assistant chief constable."
"I can be available in half an hour, best to get it over and done with!" Michael answered.
"Great!" Brian smiled seemingly relieved, he walked away.
Michael headed over to Stuart, uneasy with the amount of people in his office, Michael leaned over Stuart quietly asking "Stuart, any updates?"
"I had been digging into Jackie's background as you asked…. em Jackie has a gap in her service record!"
"what do you mean, a gap?" Michael leaned against Stuart desk crossing his arms.
"She started at Tulliallan in 1980, attended for a year, then disappeared until she was stationed here three years later as a WPC." Stuart read from his notebook.
"have you checked if DS MacDonald had similar gap in his record?"
"not yet sir!"
"ok keep digging, and look into Jessica Ryder, maybe it wasn't just a name she used for that cottage, in fact thinking about it, how did she pay for the cottage?"
"I did check that, it was via an untraceable online account service." Stuart flipped back through his notebook. Michael rubbed his forehead, another thing that does not look good.
"Stuart, I think it might be best to discuss our findings in a more, private setting." Stuart nodded, equally disturbed by the presence of complaints.
"come by my place after work, bring your notes with you, don't leave them in your desk, and invite Robbie too, but please do it discreetly"
"yes sir!"
Michael had received a message to meet Brian in interview room 4, as he entered the room DI Jamieson was sat at the table and Brian was pacing the room.
"I didn't think you meant this formal Brian?"
"CS Gordon's orders" He shrugged. "I believe you know DI Jamieson!" DI Jamieson was a similar age to Michael, he transferred in 3 years ago to replace DI Skinner. Michael smiled remembering Jackie jokingly checking his back for knives after they had met DI Jamieson for the first time.
"Tom!" Michael extended his hand.
"Mike!" Jamieson nodded shaking his hand. "Please take a seat!" Jaimeson smirked. Michael took a deep breath already feeling annoyed, that Jamieson was relishing the opportunity to be in charge of him.
"this is an interview of Detective Chief Inspector Michael Jardine, present is DCS Brian Holmes and DI Tom Jamieson, the time now is 15:20". Jamieson pressed record on the tape recorder.
"DCI Jardine, let's just go over the current case to start with.."
"why is this being recorded exactly?" Michael interrupted.
"we find it better to have a record of our conversations!" Brian stated. "when did you last speak to DS Reid?"
"The day she left for her holiday!" Michael responded.
"no other contact since then?"
"no!" Michael answered directly, already sensing this was a waste of his time.
"Did she give you any indication as to why she wanted 3 weeks leave at such short notice?" Jamieson asked.
"Since she went missing, I have wondered about that. Jackie never takes her leave. The only days off she actually books, is the anniversary of her mother's death and the odd long weekend. So, at the time, I was just happy that she was taking a break and I didn't need to schedule her leave like I normally do!" He shrugged.
"so you didn't question it?" Jamieson replied.
"Jackie is a private person, it's always best to let her tell you things, in her own time." Brian nodded in agreement.
Jamieson continued. "but it was incredibly short notice, did you have a theory as to why it was so urgent?"
"no, well, I had a few theories; I figured it was a family issue, or that she had either met someone new, or got back together with DCS Holmes! But as I said she is a private person"
"do you have any knowledge of the nature of DS MacDonald and DS Reid's relationship?"
"no, I have never met or even heard of DS MacDonald before!"
"you have visited her flat, since she went missing, why?" Jamieson asked. Michael paused, thinking to himself "DCI Jardine?" Michael shook his head.
"em my officer, my friend is missing! I remembered she gave me a key for emergencies a few years ago, this seemed like an appropriate time to use it. I wanted to see if there was anything there to explain her disappearance." Michael glanced at Brian, trying to read his expression. "and at that point it was a suspected suicide!"
"Did you remove anything from the flat?" Jamieson asked, Michael looked to Brian who immediately looked down at his notes.
"yes, I removed a photograph." Michael sighed.
"What was the photograph of, and why did you take it?" DI Jamieson asked.
"it was a photograph from a Christmas party in the early 90s, DCS Holmes saw it in my office earlier"
"was there any significance to that photograph?" Jamieson continued.
"no it is just a nice photograph of the two of us. I don't have many and I took it because my friend is missing!"
"ok, and at no point have you withheld evidence or not pursued a potential line of inquiry because they might incriminate DS Reid?" Michael thought about telling him about the SD cards, but he needed to know what was on them first.
"No" Michael answered.
"you didn't tell the CS about DS Reid's alias Jessica Ryder?"
"I am not in the habit of briefing the CS on every aspect of any investigation, in real time. This is no different! Until I receive orders directly from the CS to do otherwise, I will continue to run my investigations how I see fit!" Michael's voice was slightly raised, his frustration evident.
"ok, ok!" Brian raised his hand in surrender. "let's go back, when did you first meet DS Reid?"
"Brian you already know that!" Michael answered exasperated.
"DCI Jardine!" DCS Holmes said sternly.
"we first met when she was a WPC and I was a DS. Then she was seconded to CID and we've worked together ever since!"
"Have you ever witnessed DS Reid, not follow procedures?".
"only minor breaches which is normal for any officer coming through the ranks!"
"have you ever seen or suspected that she may be accepting bribes?"
"no!"
"is it true that you punched DI Skinner because he made a pass at Jackie?" Brian asked.
"WHAT IS THIS?" Michael asked.
"where you sleeping with her?" DCS Holmes asked.
"this is a waste of my time!" Michael stood infuriated.
"Sit back down DCI Jardine!" DI Jaimeson said.
"When you have real questions or are actually interested in finding DS Reid, I will offer my full corporation. But this is a fishing expedition, that I will not be a part of." Michael got to the door, turning back. "Brian, I wouldn't let jealousy compromise your investigation…. Again!" Michael walked out of the door.