The Bill: Corruption.
Chapter 6: Nightmares and Lazy Mornings.
"No, no, don't hurt me," cried John who was having the same nightmare that he had the previous night.
Claire jumped up startled by the sound and ran to his side. "Are you ok?" she said trying to comfort him.
John who was shaking with fear pulled her towards him and grabbed a hold on her top. "He's after me, he's gonna kill me," he cried out panic clear in his voice.
Claire tried her best to calm him down and after about 15 minutes of endless crying John begins to relax. "I dunno what I'd do without you," he whispers crawling closer. He gives her a small kiss on the cheek before settling into a peaceful sleep in her arms. Soon they are both fast asleep.
Morning comes quickly and Stephen Hodges and the rest of the staff members arrive at the office ready to start their day. After getting himself a steaming hot cup of coffee and a biscuit he heads upstairs to the residential suite to check on John and Claire. They were fast asleep, cuddled together in a pile of blankets. He hadn't the heart to wake them so he sat silently in the corner sipping his coffee and pondering over what work he had to get done today.
About an hour or so later Claire started to wake up. "What time is it?" she asked groggily whilst blinking her eyes to get them used to the light.
"10 o clock!" he answered her looking at his watch.
"How long have you been here?" she asked a little concerned about the time.
"Not long," he assured her before getting up and towards the door to go to the coffee machine. "D'ya want one?"
"Yes please!"
He exits the room to get the coffees. Meanwhile John wakes up and brushes the sleep out of his eyes. "Morning," Claire greets him.
"Morning," he replies giving her a small kiss.
At that very moment Hodges walks back in with the coffees. "Interrupting something am I?" he asks starting to turn around.
Both John and Claire gulp in shock not knowing what to say or do. Oh God, now we're in for it thinks Claire. The room turns silent as nobody knows what to say next. Just then there is a knock on the door. "Come in," someone from the inside calls.
"Sorry to bother you guv, but I thought you might want to see this," the person at the door says handing a report file to Hodges who then reads it.
The other man strolls off down the corridor and Hodges sits back down in his place staring at John and Claire who had both turned as red as beetroots. "Time to get to work," Hodges says, "right Claire, can you stay here today I'll need your help and don't worry about Sun Hill, I've already sorted it. So if you two can get tided up in here and get downstairs to my office in 15 minutes I will explain what's going to happen." He said walking out the door towards his office.
Claire begins to pick up the cushions and fold up the blankets Thank God he didn't throw a fit just then. That was to close. He'll probably bring it up later though. I hope not; thinks Claire. As soon as everything is tided up, they head downstairs and knock on the office door. "Come in," Hodges calls them.
"Ok," starts Hodges when they are all seated comfortably around his desk, "we've got a lot to do and not much time to do it in. To start with we need an official statement, then we need to figure out how we're gonna trap Beech, then there's all the other paperwork," he concludes breaking off.
Just then the telephone started to ring. *ring ring, ring ring, ring ring.* "Give me a minute," says Hodges before picking up the phone. "Hello, Detective Superintendent Hodges, CIB3, how may I help you?"
"Sorry to bother you," came a voice from the other end of the line, "but I was hoping you could help me out with a small problem."
"Well I'll see what I can do but I've got a lot on at the moment, what was it you wanted help with exactly?"
"Well I'd rather not talk about it over the phone if you don't mind; it's kind of delicate."
The two arranged to meet by the old bridge over the river in about an hour's time to discuss it.
"So, as I was saying," said Stephen, readdressing John and Claire, "there is a lot to and I've gotta nip out. Claire can you run things while I'm gone? I'll be back as soon as I can and I believe we've got something to discuss," he added hinting to the incident in the residential suite. With that he left the building and headed towards the meeting place.
"So," said John, breaking the silence that had descended on the office, "what are we gonna do about that little problem."
Can he read my mind? thought Claire, all she said aloud was, "I wish I knew."