Authors Note: Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up!
Michael spotted him getting his morning coffee, his wife Michelle had told Michael that he stopped at this coffee shop every day. She joked she could set her watch by him. Michael had smiled at the information, deciding that it would be the perfect opportunity to get him on his own. Michael leaned his back against the wall waiting outside for him.
"Hello Rob!" Rob Gibson turned a surprised look on his face.
"Mike, ...eh.. Hi …it's been a long time!" He responded, walking backwards away from the coffee shop door, Michael pushed off the wall, following him.
"I wish I could say I was here for a reunion, but we both know that's not why I am here!" Rob looked at him confused.
"I'm not following!" Rob said nervously looking around stepping further away from the door to the kerb.
"Jackie!" Michael stated flatly, Rob stopped, turning to look at him.
"yeah, I'm sorry I did hear she was missing, any leads on finding her?" Rob asked sipping his coffee, clearly uncomfortable.
"Can we talk Rob?"
"sure, but I doubt I would be of help to you Mike!" Rob stated. Michael pointed to the park at the end of the road and began walking, Rob followed.
Michael took a deep breath "Rob, ….I know I was tough on you!" Rob stopped to interject. " but I always thought Jackie treated you well!" Michael looked forward aware that Rob was now looking at him.
"She did. I have a lot of time for her. You know that!" Rob was slightly annoyed. Michael calmly walked forward Rob reluctantly continued to walk with him.
"Then tell me your involvement in all this!" Michael said flatly staring straight ahead entering the park.
"Mike, I get that you are upset but I have no idea what you are talking about!" Michael could not help but feel disappointed. Michael took a deep breath and Rob stopped to look at him.
"is Jackie dead Rob?" Michael asked, the slightest flicker of emotion crossing his eyes as he said the words.
"I don't know!" Rob answered, again looking around nervously. They continued to walk through the park, when they arrived at a park bench, Michael exhaled loudly and sat down. Rob sat down next to him. "Mike, … I can't!" Michael looked at him and for the first time he could see the shear fear across Rob's face.
"How did you get involved in all this?" Rob exhaled loudly putting his coffee down on the bench next to him.
"They threatened my kids Mike, I had no options! I couldn't risk my family!" Rob whispered leaning forward cupping his face into his hands.
"tell me what you know!" Michael said in a sympathetic tone.
"if they even think I am talking to you, I'm dead!" Rob stood ready to walk away. "I can't.."
"Rob, this is Jackie, we are talking about here!" Michael said sternly. Rob paused, eventually sitting back on the bench.
"I never meant to get involved in something like this!" Rob said.
"I believe you!" Michael said his tone soft. "What is this all about Rob?"
"I am a very small cog in all of this!"
"I get that, but right now you know more than me!" Michael conceded that as much as he had found, as much as Jackie had left for him, he really had no way of getting to her. "Listen… I came to you like this instead of pulling you in because right now finding Jackie is all I care about!" Rob nodded, they sat silently for a few moments.
"Frankie McGovern!"
"What?!" Michael almost laughed "I thought he retired after he got off with the drugs trafficking charge!" Michael laid back on the bench.
"That is what you are supposed to think!" Rob shrugged, taking a deep breath. "Think about it, how did he get off that charge Mike?" Rob asked him. Michael shrugged.
"oh, some rubbish about mishandled evidence at the PF's office!" Rob shot him a look.
"wait,…. you were behind that?!" Michael was flabbergasted.
"At first, I was approached by two of Frankie's men and when they offered me money, I told them no! I even reported it to my superior officer, then a few days later they showed me photos of Michelle and Scott taking to the same men. She does not know anything; they had told her their car broke down and asked to use her phone! Michelle was heavily pregnant at the time with Jack. They told me they would could easily kill them at any time. I had no choice!" Rob exhaled. "then after I did that, they had me for life!" Rob sighed loudly.
"ok, ok, Frankie paid for someone to put the frighteners on you to fiddle with the evidence." Rob nodded. "I didn't think Frankie had that much pull, that much money to spare!" Michael stated confused.
Rob shrugged "When McLintoch and Howden where killed, Frankie and Frankie Junior took over their patch. The importing using the charity van was just one of many schemes to expand." Rob continued "What he really managed to do was something that no one has ever done before, he united all the major drugs gangs, consolidated them under his control. When you nabbed him he simply used McLintoch's contacts in the force to supress the evidence, which lead to me!"
"so Flash Frankie is in charge of the entire drugs network in Glasgow?" Michael said still not believing him.
"not just Glasgow and not just the drugs network!"
"you mean he has got control in the force" Rob nodded, again looking around the park nervously.
"who in the force is involved?"
"I don't know" Michael looked at him with a sceptical look on his face "I really don't! Jamieson, was who I reported their approach to, he was my DS at the time, I didn't know he was part of it!"
"DI Jamieson is working with Frankie McGovern?" Rob nodded in response.
"he was actually promoted to DI on the back of me getting Frankie out! There is a few PCs and desk sergeants that I know are under control. But I honestly don't know who else, but it goes much higher up the chain than Jamieson!" Michael nodded.
"Why did they put you with Kinsella?"
"you found Jackie's tapes?" Michael nodded and Rob smiled. "they put me with him after you got a hold of those counterfeit plates. They were going to kill him, but he managed to earn a reprieve"
"so you knew about the surveillance tape?"
"yes! Jackie came to see me a 7/8 months ago, told me about tapes. She knows a lot more about it the network than I have ever been told, she been working on this for years! They killed a friend of hers, a u/c. I tried to warn her but she wouldn't stop! Said she couldn't!" Rob stated and Michael smirked fully believing that Rob had warned her but that she would not have listened, remembering how stubborn she could be. Michael took a deep breath.
"Do you know what she was planning to do with them? Do you know anything that can help me find her?" Rob shook his head.
"All she said was that she was gathering evidence! And trying to work how to use it!" Rob shrugged.
"ok, she was working on this for years right?" Rob nodded "then why abduct her now?" Michael asked.
"I don't know!" Rob paused, before smilling "What I do know is this DNA database crusade she started, the national roll out, has everyone nervous!" Michael looked at him confused. "for every patch, every department there is someone like me, to manage evidence, files, and database searches. If someone in the network is involved in a 'sanctioned' crime then it's my job to bury it. But…. with Jackie changing the rules, so that the management of the databases is undertaken nationally and the system that would be auditable, that puts the entire network in jeopardy!" Rob scoffed "it is a pretty smart idea!"
"how to take down the network without telling everyone that is what you are doing!" Michael smirked.
"Mike, if I knew where she was, I would tell you, I swear but I really don't know." Michael nodded; sure he was telling the truth. "I do think she is alive! If she were already dead!" he cleared his throat "I think I would know. They used Chris's death as warning, and I don't see why they wouldn't do the same with Jackie! Other than Jackie is well known and liked" Michael nodded.
"Listen .. when this all comes to ahead, I want you on the right side of this!"
"Mike, I want out of this, but I need my kids safe!" Rob pleaded.
"I'll call you when I am in a position to insure that!" Michael looked to Rob, whose face had dropped "what?"
"it's just that's what Jackie said!" Michael nodded before standing. "I'll be in touch!" Michael shook his hand before walking away.
Michael arrived back at his office, sitting down and picking up the files that had accumulated on his desk, working his way through them. He was relieved by the knock on the door. "Come in!" He smiled to see Robbie come in, close the door and sit across from him.
"so..how did your chat go with Kinsella's pal?" Robbie asked, clearly frustrated that Michael hadn't told him who he was meeting.
"Fine, Robbie... Listen...he was an old friend of mine and Jackie's. I don't want to throw him under the bus until I have too." Robbie shook his head, unable to contain himself stood back up and paced away from Michael's desk for a few moments before turning back to face Michael.
"so he is a bent officer!" Michael reluctantly nodded, what he would normally see as a black and white issue, good cop and bad cop was now not that simple. "how can you read me the riot act when I just had a friend that was an armed robber, and this you are turning a blind eye to?" Robbie said angrily but in a whispered tone.
"Robbie, you are right!" Michael held his hands up, and Robbie was again surprised by Michael's attitude. "but...Jackie's abduction, changes everything! And if I do what I normally would do, what I really want to do and go charging in." he paused "I will get her killed, that's if ...she is still alive!" Michael nodded, rubbing his hands in front of him, trying to not think about the prospect that his actions could already be too late. Robbie sat down his frustration subsiding.
"this is not just about two bent officers, is it?" Robbie stated and Michael nodded in response.
"If it makes you feel any better, I think that's why she didn't tell me! It wasn't necessarily about protecting my career, although you are right it would have been part of it. She knew this needed more strategy, more cloak and dagger! Less ego!" Robbie smirked again surprised by his Boss's honesty. "Speaking of ego, how did it go with Skinner?" Michael smirked.
"Ah... that's actually why I came in, I didn't speak to him!"
"Why not!" Michael obviously annoyed interjected, cutting him off.
"Because he is dead Mike!"