2nd June 1990
"So," Gordon sat back in his chair and surveyed her with a smile. "It's good to finally get to talk with you properly. I'm sorry I haven't been able to do so before now, but it's been quite hectic finishing up at the Squad and settling in here. My intention is to have these one-to-one meetings with everyone in the department over the next week or so, just to get a feel for the place and the people that work here. Of course, we have already met."
"Yes," Christina replied, "at the party."
"Yes, so I do know a little of your background, in addition to some of the things Stewart told me when we worked together. Nothing salacious, I assure you." He gestured to a file sitting on his desk. "I've read all your previous reports and they tell me good things about you."
"Oh, well that's good, I suppose."
"They tell me that you're a dedicated officer with a good record of arrests, no problematic sickness absences and, generally, a good team player."
She couldn't help but smile at the description, "Well, that's nice to hear. I try my best."
Gordon paused for a moment. "Inspector Burnside."
"What about him?" she asked, feeling a prickle at the bottom of her spine.
"How do you get on with him?"
"Are you asking me this now in an official capacity rather than a social one?"
He smiled, "You noticed."
"Well, you weren't very subtle about it at the party, if that's what you mean, sir."
"No, perhaps not. I already knew at that point that I was going to be stationed here, even before Operation Middleman. I suppose I wanted to take the opportunity of sounding someone out on my new ground."
"I'm sure you could have made your own assessment of the DI, sir. I'm guessing you already have."
"Well, yes, to an extent by way of the limited involvement I've had with him. Would you say he was a good manager?"
She paused, "I thought this was meant to be an evaluation of my work, not his."
"It is, but I find that officers perform best if they're given the right leadership and direction and I want to make sure that happens here at Sun Hill." He smiled at her again in a way that told her he wasn't about to drop the subject. "So?"
It was difficult to know what to say in response. Since the Middleman affair, and her support of Frank, it would have been natural to suggest that their relationship had gone back to what it had once been, that the close camaraderie they had shared had returned. But, in reality, there was still a distance there, one she couldn't help but feel, was being maintained more by him than by her. He had apologised for not turning up to the pub and, after finding out the reason why, she had of course forgiven him, but he had taken Gordon's appointment particularly ill-out and had withdrawn slightly as a result, almost as though he saw it as a personal slight.
"Mr Burnside is probably the best DI I've ever worked under," she replied. "He cares about everyone on the team, and he's stuck his neck out on more than one occasion for all of us. Yes, there were teething problems between him and I at the beginning, but those are long past."
"Such as?"
"Well…it was just a case of getting used to each other and to a different management style, that's all. He's different from how DI Galloway was."
Gordon glanced into her file. "I see that you sat the sergeant's exam a year past in January."
"Yes, and I failed."
"You've never considered having another go?"
"Yes, I've considered it…"
"But?"
"But it just didn't seem like the right time. I thought it was better to get my head down and do my job. I figured there'd be time later for promotion." What she didn't want to say was that she couldn't bear Stewart's attitude if she were to fail again but, more than that, she really didn't want to leave Sun Hill now after all.
"I would seriously consider it if I were you," Gordon replied. "We need more female sergeants in CID and, going by your record, you'd be an asset. There's another exam sitting coming up next month. I would support you if you wanted to put your name forwards."
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course, I don't want to pressurise you into something you're not keen to do, but it would be a great career move for you." He paused. "It would also be worthwhile for you to demonstrate that you're coming into your own."
She frowned, "I'm not sure what you mean, sir. I've been in CID a long time now and I think I've more than proved myself, as my record should show."
"Yes," he agreed. "What I mean is, it's never ideal to be in the shadow of another officer for too long."
"Sir?"
"Speaking directly, Christina, you need to come out of DI Burnside's shadow. Whilst, as you pointed out, this conversation isn't about him, there could be a perception that you're too closely aligned with him."
She felt a cold sensation in her belly and suddenly wondered if, by some means, he had guessed the thoughts she sometimes had about Frank. "I don't know what you mean, sir."
"You supported him admirably through what happened a few months ago. Perhaps, a little too admirably. I'm aware that you spoke on his behalf to Mr Conway and Mr Brownlow."
"Well, I just said what I thought, sir. Everyone else seemed to have Frank…Mr Burnside…down as the leak and I knew that wasn't true."
"Well, you didn't actually, you were just assuming."
"I…"
"I'm not criticising you, Christina, and I really don't want you to take it that way. I just want you to think about whether the allegiances you make are really the best ones in helping you further your career, that's all."
She simply nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. Had someone said something? Alluded to something? Made a comment that had got back to Gordon? Had she done or said something? Had Frank? Had her unswerving loyalty to him been seen by others as more than simply that?
"I'm glad we understand each other," Gordon said. "I look forward to working with you."
"Yes sir," she replied, getting to her feet. "As do I."
XXXX
"Oi!" Frank called out when he caught sight of her coming back into the office. "In here." As he waited for her to join him, he couldn't help but think once more about how much he liked his own new office, now that the station refurbishment was complete. It was bigger, which was never a bad thing, and was a good distance away from Gordon's that he didn't have him in his eye-line all the time. Again, never a bad thing.
"Yes Guv?" Christina asked, hovering in the doorway.
"Come in, shut the door. So," he said, once they were alone. "How did it go?"
"Fine."
"Just fine?"
"Well, he was just going over my service record and he mentioned about me taking the sergeant exam again. Apparently, there's one next month."
"Oh yeah, and what did you say to that?"
"I said I'd have to think about it."
He sat back in his chair. "You're turning the big 3-0 this month, aren't you?"
"Thanks for reminding me," she made a face. "Yes, on the 16th."
"Maybe it's time you did have another crack at the exam, if you think hubby would be more supportive this time around."
"I doubt it, though he's been talking about going for DI lately. There's a board in September and what with Gordon having moved on here from the squad…"
"Yeah, worse luck for us." Frank paused, his curiosity getting the better of him and well aware she was the only one who might satiate it. "Did he…did he mention me at all?"
"In what way?"
"In any way."
"He asked me what I thought about you as a manager."
"And?"
"I told him the truth; that you were a very good manager, or so I thought, for what it's worth."
"It's worth a lot, actually," he replied. "I'm grateful, though I doubt it'll change his opinion of me." For a moment, she looked hesitant, as though she wanted to say something more but wasn't sure that she should. "What?"
"Look, I never told you this before and I'm not really telling you now but…well…when I met Wray at that party with Stewart earlier this year, he asked me about you. Wanted to know what I thought about you."
Frank frowned, "But that was long before he came here."
"I know, but he told me just now that he'd known at that point that he was coming here, and he also said…"
She trailed off and he sat forwards, "He also said…? Come on, you know you can tell me. I'm not going to shoot the messenger."
"No, I know but it's just…oh I suppose it doesn't really matter, but he also said that I should be thinking about my own career and about how being in your shadow might not be the best thing for it."
Frank sat back, "Did he now?"
"He said that he knew I'd spoken up for you to Conway and Brownlow during Middleman and that he thought perhaps being closely aligned with you wasn't the best thing for me, career wise."
He met her gaze, "And what do you think?"
She looked at him for a long moment. "I think loyalty goes a long way, and both ways, I think we've supported each other over the time we've worked together and, well to be honest, I don't see it having done any harm, do you?"
He smiled at her, confident in her support. "That's my girl. We need to stick together on these things, show Wray he can't just come barging in here and think he's got the measure of us."
"Well, he is our DCI."
"Yeah, and I'm your DI. Don't forget that."
She got to her feet and smiled wryly, "As if I could forget, Guv."
He watched as she walked away back into the main CID office, his gaze lingering over the curve of her bottom encased as it was in the grey fabric of her pencil skirt. There were times when he couldn't help but imagine…
"Guv?"
Jim's voice broke into his thoughts. "What is it, Carver?"
"I've just been speaking to uniform. Apparently, Billy Draper's been seriously assaulted. He's in intensive care at St Hughes."
"Oh dear, that is a shame," Frank replied. "Well, I suppose you and Viv better get down there and see what you can find out. Top priority investigation, of course."
Jim smiled knowingly, "Of course."
"Oh, and if you see DS Church hanging around the hospital, wringing his hands at the prospect of losing his snout, give him my best wishes."
XXXX
By the time she got home that evening, Christina couldn't help but feel as though her head was in some sort of tailspin. Her chat with Gordon that morning had unsettled her, in more ways than one. The fact that he felt she should go forwards for the sergeants exam again was flattering if a little disconcerting given how closely he and Stewart had worked together, especially as she couldn't quite gauge what her husband's reaction might be this time around, but the things he had asked her about Frank still lingered in her mind. Even leaving aside her suspicions as to how others might characterise their relationship, the fact that it was being suggested that being aligned with him was a bad thing, irritated her beyond belief. What was wrong in demonstrating loyalty? Surely it was better than the days when they had been at loggerheads, when she had hated the very sight of him, and his daily mission had seemingly been to run her out of Sun Hill? So, she supported him, backed his plays. It wasn't as though she wouldn't call him out if she thought he was wrong. Where was the problem?
Stewart was in a vaguely irritated mood when she got home, muttering something about one of his snouts being badly done over, but she found she had little attention span for what he was talking about, her mind fully occupied with what else had transpired that day.
"How did you get on with Gordon?" he eventually asked her when they were having dinner.
"Oh, fine," she replied. "I reckon he's looking to shake things up a bit. I get the impression he doesn't think too highly of us as a department at the moment."
"Well, that's not exactly a stunning revelation, is it? I mean, with Frank Burnside in charge, what does anyone expect?"
She bristled at her husband's words, yet told herself not to rise to the bait. "Well, it'll be interesting to see what happens over the next few months. He…uh…suggested that I should sit the sergeants exam again."
Stewart paused, fork halfway to mouth and looked at her. "Did he now? What did you say?"
"That I'd have to think about it."
"And?"
She shrugged. "I don't see the harm in maybe giving it another go. Maybe I'll pass this time."
"And maybe you'll fail again."
"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I don't mean it like that. I just mean that you were pretty crushed the last time, and I would hate to see you go through that again." He reached across and squeezed her hand. "But if you decide to go for it, I'll support you."
"Will you?"
"Of course, just as you'll support me in the run up to the DI boards."
"You're definitely going to go for it then?"
"Absolutely," he nodded. "I've been a DS long enough. It's time to take the next step on the ladder, and with there being a vacancy on the squad for a DI, it seems like the optimum time. But, speaking of timing…" he reached across to the kitchen counter and lifted an envelope. "I know it's a bit early, but I thought I'd better give you this now so you can make arrangements."
"What is it?" she asked, taking it from him.
"Open it and see."
Slicing open the envelope, she pulled out two airline tickets, dated 15th June from Heathrow to Charles De Gaulle. "Paris?" she said, looking up. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious," Stewart replied. "It is your 30th birthday after all."
"I didn't do anything as outlandish for your 30th," she replied. "I feel a bit guilty now."
"Well don't. I'm getting to benefit too so we can consider it a joint celebration if you want. I hear it's a lovely city at that time of year."
"So, we're going for my actual birthday?"
"Yep, we fly out the day before, three nights and then we're back. I'm only telling you now so that you can ask Burnside for leave. He can't say you haven't given enough notice, not if you ask him tomorrow, and I'm sure even he can't begrudge you a romantic trip for your birthday."
"I…" she paused, feeling a wave of emotion engulf her. It was such a kind gesture, and he knew that she had always wanted to go to Paris. "It's lovely, thank you."
"You can thank me properly later," he grinned as she leaned across the table to kiss him. "Maybe we'll even get lucky in Paris and you might come back with someone a bit more than duty free."
"Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a croissant in the oven?" he laughed.
"Oh…well, yes, maybe…" she laughed too, his meaning hitting her square in the chest. They had spoken little about potentially having children of late. Since her pregnancy scare over a year ago, she had found herself desiring a family less and less, to the extent that she had renewed her prescription for the pill without telling him. And, of course, if she were to pass the sergeants exam this time around…
"Here's to us," Stewart said, lifting his glass and holding it out to her. "And here's to Paris."
"Paris," she echoed.
XXXX
"Paris? Very nice."
"Yeah, it is." She hovered in front of his desk. "I hope it's all right. I know it's shorter notice than I would normally have to give, but Stewart only told me last night."
Frank cocked his head on one side, "And if I said no?"
She paused, "I'd probably just call in sick and go anyway."
"Well at least you're honest. Never been myself. Not sure it's somewhere I'd be interested in going."
"It's meant to be the capital city of romance."
"Yes, well we can't all be as loved up as you, can we? I can just imagine the kind of things that Stewart has in mind while you're there. You better watch; I've heard rumours about the French."
She laughed, "I don't think we'll be doing anything too racy, Guv, only what ordinary married couples do."
"You'd be surprised." She laughed again. "Did you tell him our new leader was trying to persuade you to take the exam again?"
"Yeah, he was a bit half and half about it. Not completely supportive but not completely against it neither. I think he had other things on his mind to be honest. Apparently, one of his snouts got done over yesterday?"
"Yeah," Frank grinned. "Billy Draper. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke."
"What, our Billy Draper? How did that happen?"
"He got jumped on the estate. Beaten up pretty badly apparently. According to Jim and Viv, he looks like he's gone ten rounds with Tyson."
"Did he identify anyone?"
"No, didn't see them." He paused. "I told you there was more than one way to skin a cat, didn't I?"
She paused and regarded him carefully. "Guv…you're not saying…"
"I'm not saying anything, bar what I've just said. But let's just say, I reckon old Billy's going to think twice before leading any robbery gangs in the future, so the residents of that estate can probably breathe a bit easier." He paused, thinking again of Johnno Smith, as he often did. "Pity it happened now and not six months ago."
Christina glanced behind her into the CID office before lowering her voice. "Did you ever, I mean, get any help for what happened that day?"
"What sort of help?"
"You know, professional help. Counselling."
He sat back in his chair, "What would I need counselling for?"
"Well, you were held hostage at gunpoint, Guv, and you did see him get shot."
"So did everyone else on the estate. Besides, you were held hostage too. Did you get any help?"
"No, but…"
"There you go then."
"You were the one who tried to persuade me to get help after what happened at Patterson's club…"
"And you didn't, did you?"
"No, but…well…maybe I should have." She paused. "I still think about it sometimes. I still think about Johnno too, so I can only imagine what you…"
"I don't think about him at all," he lied. "He was a slag, Chris. He ran with the crows and he got shot, literally. There's not much else to say about it, is there?" Meeting her gaze, he could tell that she knew he was being liberal with the truth but was practiced enough in his ways not to say it.
"No Guv, I guess not."
"Good! Well, trips to Paris aside, I think you've got work to be getting on with, don't you?"
"Yeah, I suppose." She turned for the door and then turned back. "Oh, if there's any overtime going over the next few days, Guv, I'd be up for it. Stewart's got some top secret operation going on and he's told me I'll hardly see him, apparently."
"I would have thought you would have welcomed the peace and quiet. A chance to watch whatever you want on TV and eat your weight in chocolate biscuits with no-one to criticise you."
"How do you know I eat chocolate biscuits?" she asked in mock indignation. "Anyway, you're half right. I do like the peace and quiet, but I'd never say no to a little extra cash, not to mention your scintillating company, Guv."
He felt the familiar stab in his gut, the one he always seemed to experience when they talked casually, and had to remind himself of what he knew was for the best. Distance, especially in light of what Gordon had been asking her about him. If he felt that she was too closely aligned to him, it meant that there was something obvious about their relationship which he knew, for her sake as much as his, needed to be stamped out.
"Yeah, all right, I'll let you know," he replied, watching as she made her way back into the main office and making a mental note to put her last on the list.