The Bill: Corruption

Chapter 14: Another Night Out.

      Several hours later in HQ after Beech and the others had been interviewed and put in cells for the night; the staff was just heading home.

      "Is it such a good idea for John to be left in the same building as Beech?" asked Marion.

      "Um ... you've got a point there but there may also be some of Beech's mates on the outside that could be just as big a threat, if not bigger," stated Stephen.

      "So what're we gonna do then?"

      "He could stay with me," suggested Claire joining in the conversation.

      "Or," suggested Marion, "We could all go out for the night and celebrate Beech's capture.  Last night was kinda fun don't ya think?"

      "You just answered my next question Mar, or should I say asked it?"

      "What do ya mean?" asked John walking up behind the group.

      "Well I like both ideas, so we can all have a night out again tonight and then can you look after him till this whole operations cleared up Claire?" said Stephen, "that's if no ones got any objections."

      "Sure no problem," answered Claire and so they all finished off what they was doing and headed out for a night out.

      "Let's go to the other end of town this time.  I haven't been down there in years," suggested Marion.

      "I agree Mar," added Stephen after thinking about it for a while; "Y'know Mar, this is beginning to sound more like the old days every minute."

      "That's the whole idea," whispered Marion conspiritually.

      They decided to just take the one car and stay the night in a hotel.  This time they booked in advance to make sure there were vacancies.

      Now we've just got to hope we don't get stranded, not that it would be such a bad thing, I need a day off but I doubt the others would like it much. thinks Stephen as they set off.

      "So gov," starts Claire, "Tell us what you mean when you say the good old days.  It sounds like there could be some interesting stories there."

      Stephen gulps before saying, "It's just a saying and you don't wanna hear about all that.  It's pretty boring actually."

      Sure it is. thinks Claire, He's just trying to put me off the trail cause he doesn't want anyone to know about it; and I wander what Marion has to do with it?  The way he puts it, she is a part of it, and what's with the nicknames?  Maybe John has a point.  Maybe there is something going on between them.

      "I've just noticed something," started John, intrigued by the conversation, "You two act like you've known each other for years, what's the story there?"

      Stephen and Marion looked at each other, gulped and shrugged.  You've got em there, thought Claire.

      "Just old friends," they answered eventually.  I hope they just drop this now, they both thought, They're getting to close to the truth.  It was hard enough then, without someone bringing it all up again.

      "Oh come on," pushed John, "There's gotta be more to it than that.  I'm not blind you know."

      Yeah, there's a lot more to it, but I'd rather not say anything about it.

      "We're here," said Marion trying to divert away from Stephen.  It worked.

      "Thanks Mar," he whispered when the others weren't listening, or at least he thought they weren't.

      "No problem Ste," Marion replied.

      They all got out of the car and headed inside the bar.  They found a seat in a corner after ordering there drinks they sat down and chatted away.

      "Y'know," said Marion about an hour later, "I just noticed that none of us has had anything to eat all day."

      "You're right Mar, I'm starving."

      "Me too," said the others.

      They all ordered something to eat from the restaurant section of the pub.

      "Well this definitely beats cooking," stated John.

      "I agree," added Claire.

      "Particularly my cooking," commented Stephen.

      "I'll agree with that," stated Marion.

      "Hey I thought you was on my side Mar."

      "I am but what you call cooked food the rest of us call burnt food and you know it Ste."

      "I suppose them sausages I cooked that time were pretty black."

      "Black?  I'd call em charcoal.  They basically fell apart, Ste." Giggled Marion.

      "I always said men aren't much good at cooking," joked Claire.

      The girls laughed while John and Stephen just looked at them like wounded puppies.

      Time fled by and it was approaching 3am.  "We'll have to do this more often." One of them commented.  They all agreed and headed off to the hotel.