"Having an easy night, Sarge?" PC Tony Stamp appeared in front of the desk with partner PC Gary Best and a teenage prisoner standing between them with a mournful look on his face.
"Was until just now, 'Allo again, Billy. Don't suppose you're in to volunteer as a special?" said Matt. In front of him stood a teenage boy, about seventeen years old, wearing faded blue jeans, a light blue T- shirt and a grey hooded top with some ridiculous designer logo on.
"No, it's car theft again, Sarge" answered Gary.
"Yes I guessed that thank you, Gary. Young Billy's been hauled up in front of this desk probably more times than I've stood behind it and all of them for car theft. Proper little joyrider aren't we?" Matt said sarcastically. He yanked the boy's hood down from over his head.
"And take that off, you look like a monk!" he added.
"Picked 'im up in Dorrell Road in a grey Corsa doing 50," said Tony.
"Dorrell Road? Don't suppose you know anything about this," Matt asked indicating to the number-plate with his thumb.
"Oh yeah, that's the one Jon 'ad on 'is wall," Billy replied.
"Jon? Jon Whitley, you sure?"
"Who's Jon Whitley?" asked Gary.
"Butch to 'is Sundance for many a year," replied Tony.
"Yeah definitely. I 'ate the thing, it's been on 'is wall for ages. Apparently 'e 'ad a ruck with Tina the other day and she chucked it through the window!" replied Billy.
"Is there a problem, Sarge, only I'd like to get on. We're due on refs soon," asked Tony.
"No, no problem just another line of enquiry that's all. Something Sergeant Murphy's dealing with. Right, name?" continued Matt proceeding to book the prisoner into the station.
Once Billy had been checked in and with Gemma looking after the desk Matt visited him in his cell.
"What do you want now?" asked Billy sharply as the door was opened.
"Just some answers…like how Jon Whitley came by the number plate?" asked Matt coolly.
"Trying to pin somethin' else on me?"
" Anything you tell me will be strictly off the record, just something I'm trying to clear up for a friend. Up to you whether you decide to make it official or not, might even win some brownie points with the judge, remorse and all that."
Billy fixed Matt with a stare, "off the record – no comebacks?"
"You, me and these four walls, Billy."
"Why doesn't your friend come and talk to me then? You after a bit of glory hunting in your old age, Mr Boyden?" he said cheekily.
"Enough of the old. Listen if my friend saw you then everything said would be on tape for the world to hear. Now I'm giving you a chance to clear this up, we can close the case and everybody's 'appy."
"Alright then, as long as it is. Month or so ago Jon clocked this flash bloke by the taxi rank in the centre, outside that Asda's. Tall, nervous lookin' prat 'e was so he decided to do 'im over. No rough stuff like, 'e looked like 'e would fall apart if we shouted 'Boo' anyway. I was in the chip shop queue so 'e 'ad to rush over and pull me out."
" Ronnie and Reggie still alive and well I see," Matt quipped.
" You want me to spill this or what? Ok so we got there just too late, bloody cab showed up, so we decided to follow it and beat 'im up wherever 'e got off."
"Kept up on your bikes then?"
"Nah, we got wheel's now Mr Boyden," Billy snarled. " Jon's uncle gave us 'is old Fiesta when Jon passed 'is test. Anyway we followed the cab up to that old castle thing or some piece of crap, up Traffords Way…"
"That's an old Police Station," Matt corrected him.
"Sorry, a police station then, you see a ruin you think castle don't ya?"
"I suppose you spent time looking for the elephant too," Matt quipped again.
"Don't be stupid, anyway as I was sayin' we got out, looked inside and Jon clocks Frank Finlay so I told 'im to leave it and go back 'ome while we still 'ad our balls in the right place. Once the cabbie headed round the back with some bottles Jon thought it would be cool to nick it, well black cab's a cut above isn't it, he wanted to get at least somethin' out of the evenin' so 'e pinched it and I drove the Fiesta back."
"So what happened to it?" Matt asked.
"Don't know, I met 'im outside The Lord Banbury 'bout half an hour later and 'e was carryin' this plate. Kept it on 'is wall as a sort of trophy I suppose, he was well proud of it, keeps a lot of 'em. One of the things that pisses Tina off, bloke collects a lot of rubbish and I guess she just got tired of it. Don't know what 'appened to the cab, probably dumped it or burnt it out on Canley Common or somethin'. So is that the end of it?" Billy asked wearily.
"Yeah that's about it, you might get a visit from an irate, blonde, Irish Sergeant in the near future though," Matt replied smiling.
"Oh yeah, services have changed 'ere since I was last in then?" Billy grinned. " I still ain't makin' no statement though."
" Didn't expect you to," said Matt, walking out and leaving the door ajar, "Frank Finlay's in the next cell and I expect he caught most of it. Might even want a word sometime," he smiled.
"What! You B…" shouted Billy as Matt closed the hatch and went back to the desk.
The End