Hohenbruck, Germany
Day 2
07:00 hrs, Tuesday
Roper walked past the front desk, noticing something was amiss. It took a moment to remember that Angie was not there. He grimaced, hoping she and Bruce had a better time of marriage than he had.
He went into the incident room. Frost sat at her desk on the phone with Vicary hovering at her side. Jo was not there. He checked his watch, 08:05. He sat down at his desk.
"What's the news on the shooting yesterday?" Roper nearly jumped out of his seat. Burns stood next to his desk.
"Drugs are going to run with it for now. They'll continue to liaise with German police, seeing that we're short-handed right now. They'll keep me informed if they need any help." Burns stared down at him.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Burns asked. Roper frowned.
"No. Should there be?" Burns studied him hard for a moment.
"I hope not." Burns turned and disappeared back into his office.
Jo came storming into the office, blowing past his desk without even acknowledging his presence. She looked as though she had not slept. She looked as though she had been crying. She threw herself down at her desk, ignoring him and Frost who now popped her head up, taking in the scene. Roper fiddled with some papers on his desk, watching Jo out of the corner of his eye. She was pulling stacks of files out of her desk drawers, ignoring him. He needed to talk to her today, to explain himself, put her at ease.
"McDonagh!" Burns bellowed from his office. Jo ran in. Roper flicked through the stack of phone messages on his desk while watching through Burns' blinds. They spoke for a moment until Burns handed her a file. She nodded and they both turned coming out of the office. "We'll discuss your cases when you get back." Burns told her.
"Sir." Jo's velvet voice ran straight to the core of Roper. She walked out of the office. Roper knew her well enough to see that she was holding herself back from running. He looked at Burns for some kind of hint as to what was going on.
"What?" Burns barked, looking from Roper over to where Frost and Vicary were watching the scene unfold. Roper shrugged.
"What's going on, sir?" Frost asked the question. Burns glared at her.
"Mind your own bloody business." He snapped. Frost actually took a step back. Burns turned his attention to Roper. "Roper, you're to liaise with the base border guard."
"What for?" Burns had been heading across the room to the base map. He stopped and gave Roper his unamused look. Roper got up and followed him over. Burns pointed to a section on the west side of the base.
"We're going to set up and catch the car thieves at it the next time they strike, Friday. In the meantime, we need to leave the scene undisturbed. We need to have the guard watching to make sure nothing else is getting through there but they cannot fix the fence or the game is up. Make sure they understand that." Burns went over to Jo's desk, shifting through the pile of folders, pulling one out and handing it to Roper.
"And why am I doing this?" Roper asked, keeping his tone light. Burns stared at him. "Why isn't McDonagh doing it?" Roper pressed.
"She has other things to do today. All of her notes are in there." Burns turned and disappeared back into his office. Roper made a face at the closed door.
"Burns is in a mood, isn't he?" Frost remarked, coming over. Vicary dutifully followed behind her. Vicary's devotion to Frost was a bit creepy to Roper. Roper did not respond to her, flipping open the file. "Its those cars that have been getting stolen." Frost informed him. Roper gave her a glance then went back to the file. She took the hint and went back to her desk.
Roper sat down at his desk and started going through the file. Jo had all the reports of the stolen cars as well as a page of notes in the file. A slip of paper fell out and landed on the floor. He picked it up, turning it over. The paper was caked with dust, showing a rough sketch of some buildings, pavement and a trail out to the fence, with exact coordinates. Roper pulled out the evidence bag, noting that it was a plastic flex tie without opening it. He read down through her notes, not able to hide the grin on his face. A simple stolen car and Jo jumped to the most illogical conclusion and then proved herself right. He shook his head in amusement.
He looked up for a moment, looking out the windows. Something was not right. Jo would never give up one of her cases, not even to him. Burns had sent her out somewhere and did not seem disposed to telling them what was going on. Roper got a very bad feeling. He needed to talk to her today. In the meantime, there was nothing else to be done except to talk with the guard.
Roper was met by a very disgruntled colonel.
"What the hell does Howard mean that I can't fix it?" Colonel Foxworthy bellowed at Roper without preamble. Roper pasted on his best politically neutral expression and steeled himself for the oncoming barrage. "Is he insane? God only knows what else is going out through that hole, or worse, what's coming in!"
"We need to catch the thieves in the act in order to bring them up on charges." Roper reasoned without helping much.
"What the hell do I bloody care if they're brought up on charges? They ought to be shot." The corporal behind the main desk cowered as Foxworthy's voice echoed off the walls. "In the meantime, I have a gaping hole in my perimeter."
"Which we know about and can watch to make sure nothing else is going on."
"So now I'm supposed to spare more men that I don't have enough of to begin with to watch a section of fence that I can't fix?"
"I'm sure we'll lend any support that we can to make sure the perimeter is still secure."
"Bollocks!" The corporal toppled a stack of sign in books. The noise boomed throughout the hallway. "And how are we supposed to watch it without the thieves seeing us?"
"You have heard of camouflage, Sir?" The corporal snickered.
"Sergeant Major!"
"Sir!" A gruff voice answered from one of the offices.
"My office!" Foxworthy stalked down the corridor. A bear of a sergeant major came out of one of the offices, looking down the hall after him. He shook his head, heading after. Roper fell in behind him.
"Cross," the sergeant major introduced himself.
"Staff Roper, SIB." Cross shook his head.
"You lot have caused us a world of troubles over here. The colonel's been screaming at everyone he comes across since Howard called last night."
"We'll owe you a couple of pints." Roper placated him, getting a wicked grin for his effort.
"No doubt. Here we are." He motioned into an office. Foxworthy was stalking back and forth behind his desk. "I have two of my lads out there now, checking the damage."
"They aren't disturbing anything? We don't want the thieves to know that we've caught on." Roper told him. Cross shook his head.
"No, just inspecting and keeping watch. I don't know how this got past us. We do a border patrol everyday." Cross seemed genuinely concerned.
"Well, it looks like these boys, whoever they are, covered their tracks pretty well." Roper consoled him.
"When are you planning on setting up on them?"
"It looks like Friday."
"Friday! That's four days away!" Foxworthy stormed.
"That's the pattern of the thefts. The next night is this Friday." Cross seemed not to notice Foxworthy's bluster, all ready deep in thought.
"I could keep one of the lads out there, rotating four hour shifts. Give them a chance to get out of the gates. They'll do. Are these thieves armed? I don't want one of my lads getting caught out there in the middle of the night without a chance. Do we know how many there are? Who is meeting them on the road?" Roper shook his head.
"All we know right now is where they're getting out, and it is more than likely that they're soldiers." Cross shook his head.
"The lads have radios. I don't like the idea of leaving them out there alone though. Night it might be best to have two out there." Roper grimaced to himself, hating to ask the question when Cross seemed a solid soldier.
"I have to ask, is there any possibility that one of your boys could be involved?" Foxworthy jumped up from where he had just seated himself.
"Outrageous!"
"If a patrol is done everyday, then how did this get missed? We have to at least investigate the possibility."
"We have kilometres of fence, Staff. If the job was done good enough, it is possible it might be missed. I don't like the possibility but nonetheless, its there. I'd like the possibility even less that one of my lads were involved." Cross answered, taking the question seriously.
"How closely do you check the fence?"
"Close enough but, as I said, there's a lot of fence. We keep the fence free from obstructions but its still possible. We won't know until we catch the thieves, will we? Or if they suddenly stop using the breach." Cross added. He nodded to himself, coming to some sort of decision. "We'll be able to keep the area secure until Friday. Will you need us in the operation?"
"I'm sure that we could use your help, after all, it wouldn't do for you not to be in on the glory when your boys are taking all the chances here." Roper softened the blow. Cross winked at him.
"Howard better hope nothing happens." Foxworthy groused to himself.
"Sir?" Cross prompted him. Foxworthy looked up, seeming surprised that they were still there. "Permission to brief the lads?" Foxworthy nodded, bestowing a baleful glare on Roper.
"Never much thought about being a proper policeman." Cross joked as they made their way back down the hall. "Rather a lark." Roper snorted. "Eh, well, you probably do this kind of stuff everyday. It was Sgt. McDonagh who spotted it, wasn't it?" Cross asked, shooting a sideways glance at Roper.
"Yeah."
"Quite a piece of work, that one is, isn't she?" Roper did not appreciate Cross' admiring tone.
"That's one way of looking at it," was all he said.
"Rather hoped she would be the one coming."
"She had other things to do today."
"My loss. She will be there Sunday, though?"
"Its her case. I'm sure she will be." Roper answered.
For as long as he could remember, the office had always been an escape for Roper. The steady influx of work to be done, things he could resolve and worlds he could enter misted over the intolerability of his home life. He sat at his desk, looking about him as everyone else went about their daily duties, wondering when the bars of this new prison would clank around him. There was nowhere for him to escape to now. Even when a moment's reprieve let him concentrate on the case before him, Jo's desk stood vacant right in his line of sight.
Roper caught Burns watching him through the window of his office. Roper rubbed his forehead, sorting the CCTV tapes from outside Danny Johnson's west side club that drugs had left with him, pretending that he did not know Burns was watching him.
"'Morning, Hippy." Thomas sauntered in, followed by Staff Sgt. Michael Donnell from the drugs team. Thomas perched himself on the corner of Roper's desk, toppling one of the piles of tapes.
"You're looking cheerful this morning." Roper groused. Thomas favoured him with a sunny smile.
"The locals in Hamburg identified our shooter. Looks like the theory was right." Mike told him. Roper frowned. "Hans Kimmel. He's a local shooter for one of the dealers over in Hamburg. Looks like Danny's causing such a stir over there they tried to take him out."
"Is Kimmel in custody?" Mike shook his head.
"I have notified my colleagues. They will be looking for him." Thomas answered.
"Well, so we know Danny's trying to expand his market but we still don't know who's helping him get the drugs in."
"Don't be so downcast, Hippy, with you on the case, I'm sure we'll know soon." Nothing seemed to burst Thomas' bubble this morning. The Germans had their shooter as good as caught and the dealer was British.
"If our theory is right, Johnson's club is where the deals are taking place but not where the shipments are coming into. The club is the perfect place for Johnson to meet with his contact from here on the base without raising any suspicions. A lot of our lads frequent it." Mike sat down in the chair next to Roper's desk.
"And why do we think the drugs are coming in from the UK?" Roper asked.
"A clever new trick the London task force has. They've matched the chemical make up of our heroin to stuff they've been pulling off the streets there. The easiest way to get from the UK to here is the army."
"Johnson has plenty of contacts in the UK. Isn't it possible that he's shipping it in himself?" Roper questioned.
"Border has been watching for any of his known associates. They haven't seen a whisper." Mike chimed in. "And why is he courting the soldiers at his club if he isn't trying to get something out of the deal? Plus, if the drugs are just being smuggled over the border, why bring them all the way to Hohenbruck only to take them back up to Hamburg? The jurisdictions between here and there have all ready caught four shipments. Losing those shipments did not even slow down Johnson. He has to have a sure fire way of getting the drugs in, in quantity, which means they're probably coming through the base. It's happened before."
"Have we found anything here?" Mike shook his head. "So its back to trying to figure out who Johnson is meeting with at the club." Roper leaned back in his chair, seeing a day of sitting in front of a monitor, getting eyestrain. "We should concentrate on anyone in logistics or transport. If he's getting so much in that he can afford to lose four shipments, they have to be moving large quantities." Finding a person that you were looking for on a tape was hard enough. Finding a person who you did not know was near impossible. He needed the personnel files of all the soldiers assigned to the sections that could transport without raising suspicion.
"What's going on here?" Burns finally came out of his office, inviting himself into the discussion.
"We identified the shooter." Thomas informed him.
"That's bloody fantastic."
"I've got a corporal getting together the personnel records of anyone assigned to the warehouses and logistics here on the base." Mike put in. "We know the clientele at Johnson's club so we've narrowed our search down to the younger lads, twenty, twenty-five."
"Still a bit to go through though." Burns mused. "And we know the dead soldier wasn't the intended victim?"
"Doesn't look like it. We interviewed the other lads in his section. It was the first time he had been to the club."
"Hippy, how are you getting on with your other cases?" Roper shrugged.
"The only thing I really have going is the car thefts and we're moving on that Friday night." Burns mused to himself a moment.
"All right. Help out drugs but watch in case we need you here." Roper nodded as Burns walked away, back towards his office. He did not miss the pause in Burns' step as he looked over at Jo's empty desk. Thomas noticed, too.
"Where is Sgt. McDonagh this morning?" Roper glanced over at her desk.
"Busy."
"I must get back." Thomas slapped his hands on his legs, getting up. He shook Mike's hand, giving Roper a smile. Roper watched him leave. A thought occurred to him.
"When was the last time one of these shipments got caught between here and Hamburg?" He asked. Mike pulled a notepad out of his pocket, flipping through the pages.
"The eleventh, last Friday."
"How was it packaged? For sale or distribution?" Mike checked his notes again.
"Looks like large bundles. Distribution." Roper chewed on his lip.
"So, we're saying the drugs are coming in here and then being taken off base to somewhere in the Hohnebruck area then shipped out from there?" Mike nodded. "And they probably aren't repackaging them until they get to Hamburg? So what? On and off the base in a couple of days?" Mike nodded, brightening. "Let's start with the records on anyone working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and cross check them to the witness statements." Roper watched while Frost strode out of the office, Vicary at her heels.
"I'll get the corporal to narrow them down and we can take a look through." Mike got up, heading back to the drugs incident room.
Roper looked around the room. He was alone. He looked up to see if Burns was still in his office, watching. Roper could see him sitting at his desk, engrossed.
The thought occurred to him that if Burns had been so outspoken with him regarding their relationship, what might Burns have said to Jo? That question stopped him cold.
"We've got it narrowed down to eleven." Mike threw down a pack of files on Roper's desk. Roper went back to sifting through the clutter looking for the witness statements. A pile of tapes crashed onto the floor as he yanked the copies out. Roper pretended not to notice, flipping through each type written form, reading off the names. Mike checked them against the personnel listings for the days in question. "Private Richard Westlake and Corporal William Lightner." Mike pulled out the files of the two soldiers who were both working the depot the week before and gave witness statements after the shooting at the club. "What do you say to us going and having a chat with these two fine young men?"
Roper did not want to burst his bubble but they were still a long way from proving anything. Mike had been on Danny Johnson's trail for over a year. This was the closest thing to a lead they had ever gotten. Roper grabbed his coat; following Mike out.
"Its like someone died in there." Mike commented once they were in his car.
"Yeah," was all Roper could think to say as they got going.
A roll of duct tape careened through the air. Mike ducked. Roper did not have the chance. The tape roll smacked him in the head, falling to the floor. Mike managed, somehow, to keep a straight face as Roper rubbed the sore spot, glaring at the two young and not quite not laughing soldiers. The two boys tried to look contrite, failing miserably.
"Private Westlake, Corporal Lightner?" Mike asked in a neutral tone. The two nodded. They looked about fifteen. Their files aged them at nineteen and twenty-two. "I'm Staff Sgt. Donnell. This is Staff Sgt. Roper. SIB. We're here to talk to you about your statements from Monday morning."
"Listen, Staff, we're real sorry. We didn't know anyone was in here." Private Westlake, young, blonde with acne still, blurted out. Roper stopped rubbing his head, looking down at the boy.
"Answer our questions and we'll call it even." He growled in his best menacing tone. Westlake nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, Staff, anything."
"You didn't see the shooting?" Roper started off softly, relatively speaking. He had all ready read their statements. They both shook their heads. "Did you know the soldier that got shot?" They both shook their heads again, reminding Roper of marionette dolls. "Had you ever seen him before? Here or off base?"
"No, Staff, never seen him before. I heard he had just shipped in." Lightner piped up. Westlake nodded.
"Where did you hear that?" They both shrugged. Roper stopped himself from reaching over and shaking both of them.
"Around. Don't know." Roper nodded, looking over to Mike. Mike gave him a barely perceptible nod.
"So, you both hang out at the Blaue Tür regularly?" He asked lightly.
"Nah, too rich for our blood." Lightner scoffed, obviously the more courageous of the two. Westlake was nodding again. Mike actually reached out and held the boy's head still. Westlake froze.
"How did you wind up there Sunday night?"
"Mate of ours, Shane, hangs out there. Likes the local ladies. He's been having a rough go of it lately. We just wanted to cheer him up. We know its off limits, Staff, but Shane's, well, he's been having a tough couple. We just wanted to cheer him up."
"This Shane, he works here with you two?" Roper asked, careful now to keep everything on a friendly level.
"Yeah. Corporal James Shane." Mike made a note on his pad, then checked back through his notes.
"Shane didn't give a witness statement Monday morning. Was he still there when the shooting took place?" Mike asked. Roper watched the two closely.
"Don't know, Staff. We lost track of him early on. He was…uh…doing some bird work, if you know what I mean." Lightner actually winked at him. Mike clear his throat, giving Roper a look that barely concealed his amusement.
"So you don't know what time he left?" Lightner shook his head. Westlake started to, too, until Mike stopped him with a look. Westlake froze again. "How did he get back to base?"
"Don't know. He was here when we got back Monday morning so maybe he got a lift. I haven't really talked to him this week. We've got a big shipment coming through." Mike made a noncommittal noise, making notes in his pad again.
"This Shane, he works here with you?" Lightner nodded. "Where can we find him now?"
"He's probably at the barracks, sleeping. He works the night shift."
"Right. Well, you two think of anything else, you'll let us know?" Mike closed his pad, looking between the two of them. Westlake started to shake his head again. Roper pressed his lips together to keep from grinning.
"Yeah, Staff, we know where to find you. Hope it all works out." Lightner answered.
"We can get back to work now?" Westlake asked, shakily.
"Oh. Is that what you call it?" Mike asked. "Carry on." The two of them scampered off. Mike looked over at Roper. "What do you think?" They started out.
"You don't want to know what I think." Mike snorted.
"If those two idiots are drug smugglers, I'll eat my little red cap." They got into the car. "What do you want to do? Go back to the office first and check this Shane out or just go talk to him?"
"Let's just go talk to him." Roper did not really want to go back to the office just yet.
Shane's barracks stood on the west side of the base. The car park was nearly empty. The inside of the building lay still and quiet. They found Shane's room easily enough. Mike knocked on the door, getting no answer. He knocked again, harder.
"What?" Someone bellowed from inside.
"Corporal Shane? SIB. We need to talk to you." Mike shouted through the door. The door flew open and a soldier with a blanket wrapped around his waist stood there.
"What do you want?" the soldier growled.
"Are you Corporal James Shane?" Roper asked.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"I'm Staff. Sgt. Roper. This is Staff. Sgt. Donnell. SIB. We need to talk to you about Sunday night." They held out their credentials. Shane glared at them.
"Can't this wait? I'm on nights. I'm barely getting enough sleep as it is." Shane's tone was less than helpful.
"No. I'm sorry. This can't wait. Are you going to invite us in or are we going to do this here in the corridor?" Roper steadied his gaze on Shane to punctuate his point. Shane huffed.
"How long is this going to take?"
"It will take as long as it takes for you to answer the questions that we have."
"Fine. Come on. Get on with it." Shane edged his way back to the bed, not turning on the light. Shades over the window blocked out most of the sunlight. Roper turned on the overhead light. "Do you mind?"
"Corporal, keep your tone in check and this will go a lot faster." Mike commented.
"Whatever. What is it you wanted to ask me?" Shane asked, sitting on the bed.
"Where were you Sunday night?"
"I don't know. All over. The boys took me out for a few pints." He grumbled.
"Does 'all over' include the Blaue Tür?"
"Yeah, maybe, I don't know. I was slightly pissed, you know."
"Well your mates said they took you to the Blaue Tür, that you're a regular there." Roper looked around the room while they talked.
"We could have been there. I don't remember." The room was sparse, even by army standards. There were no personal mementos, no pictures save a picture of a BMW sports car on the mirror. It looked like a snapshot rather than a professional shot.
"But you are a regular there?" Mike pressed. Shane grumbled.
"No. I don't know where they got that idea. Been there once or twice but that's it. What's all this about?"
"A soldier was killed there Sunday night, Corporal." Roper interjected, leaning back to see through the tipped door of the wardrobe. The only clothes he could see where standard issue army stock.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard about that. I didn't see anything."
"So you were there?"
"I told you, I don't remember. I had a few, you know."
"Well, how did you get back to base? Your friends said they lost you but that you were here when they got back."
"I walked back." Roper frowned. Shane had no computer. There were not even any magazines or books lying about.
"You walked back? Why? Why didn't you just wait to get a ride back?"
"I told you. I was pissed. I wanted to get back and sleep it off."
"So you left before the shooting occurred?"
"Yes. Listen, I've told you all I know. Can I get back to sleep now?" Roper took another sweeping glance of the room, finishing off by looking at Mike. Mike just eyed him sideways. Roper nodded.
"All right. If you think of anything else, you'll give us a call."
"Yeah, right. Whatever. Close the door on your way out." Shane was back in bed before they had even gotten out the door. Both Roper and Mike kept quiet until they were back in the car.
"Do you think he's just not a day person or was that about something else?" Mike mused out loud.
"There wasn't a thing in his room except what he got from the QM other than the picture of his dream car." Roper added.
"He's definitely worth a look." Mike pulled up in front of the SIB office. "You coming?" He asked when Roper took his time about following. Mike headed back to drugs' incident room. Roper headed back to his own desk.
Roper headed to his desk, going through the pile of personnel records. Shane's was among the ones that Mike had brought. He had been working last week in the depot. Roper flipped through the pages of the file. Shane had all good write ups. His fitness reports all showed an active young soldier. There was nothing outstanding but nothing damaging either. Shane appeared, at least by his records, just one more of the thousands of soldiers in the army. Roper frowned to himself. Something was not right. He just could not put his finger on what the 'something' was. He dialled Thomas' mobile.
"Ja? Das ist Strauss." Thomas picked up right away.
"Thomas, its Roper."
"Hippy, what can I do for you?"
"Did any of your officers report talking to a Corporal Shane Monday morning?" Roper could hear Thomas flipping through papers.
"No. Did you not find his statement in the papers we sent over?"
"He's saying that he left before the shooting, that he never talked to anyone. I just wanted to check."
"I am sorry. He did not talk to one of our polizist."
"Thanks anyway." He hung up and started fishing through the tapes to find the one of the night of the shooting. He pushed it into the tape player. An image flashed on the screen, noting the time near nine in the evening. He picked up the phone and dialled the number for the depot, asking the clerk who answered for Corporal Lightner.
"Lightner." The cheerful voice answered the phone.
"Corporal, this is Staff Roper again. What time did you get to the club Sunday night?"
"Hey, Staff. Um, I think we got there somewhere around twenty-three hundred." Roper hit the fast forward button on the tape player.
"Thanks." He hung up before Lightner could say anything else. He hit play when the timer hit twenty-three hundred.
This tape was one of the surveillance tapes, not from the CCTV, which had been disabled before the actual shooting. The picture was slightly grainy but still quite usable. The undercover was watching Johnson, who was holding court near the far end of the bar, not the front door so Roper did not know if he would even catch sight of the marionettes and their belligerent friend. He hunched over his desk, concentrating on the moving picture, holding the control in case he saw something.
An hour into the tape, he hit the pause control. Moving right across the screen, between where the undercover stood and Johnson sat, were Lightner, Westlake and Shane. He looked closely but he was not mistaken. The time stamp read 00:05:13. He hit the play button. The trio stayed on camera, going to the bar, fooling about while they waited for their drinks. Shane had said that they had been 'all over' and that he had several pints. On the tape, he did not appear to be all that drunk. He stood straight, holding his glass easily. Roper watched him carefully. If Shane was a drunk, he was a coordinated one. He moved out of the way for a bar maid, checking her out while she picked up her order. He did not lean on the bar but stood without assistance, without swaying. The two others appeared a good deal more sloshed than Shane did. He watched as the two tumbled off, back out of the frame. Shane stood by the bar a moment longer then moved to follow, walking straight, no meandering. Roper rewound the tape and watched Shane walk again. He would bet that Shane was not even near drunk.
Shane appeared on the tape several more times. Roper noted a total of three drinks he picked up from the bar. Lightner and Westlake never reappeared on the tape. From the position of the camera, Roper could not see if Shane had finished all three drinks or if he had just bought a round for his friends but each time he appeared in the picture, he still did not appear to be as drunk as he said he was. Roper made a note to himself to find out what Shane was like when he was drunk. The last shot of Shane that Roper found on the tape was just after one hundred hours, ten minutes before the shooting took place.
Considering that they were trying to find Johnson's connection to the base, Roper hoped Shane might approach Johnson but knew it would not be that simple. Drugs had been on Johnson for years without pinning anything on him. Shane never even looked in Johnson's direction. Johnson never moved from his perch in the corner, surrounded by his cohorts.
"It isn't his dream car." Roper nearly fell out of his chair. Mike grinned at his start.
"What?"
"The BMW – it isn't his dream car. He actually owns it." Mike held up a clip of paper.
"What's that?"
"Shane's financials." He handed them over.
"How did you get these so fast?"
"You say drugs, people say how high? He bought the car about a year ago from a local dealership."
"How can he possibly afford a car like that on a corporal's salary?" Roper scanned through the sheath of papers.
"Well, he could, if he wasn't doing anything else with his money. He's been regular on his payments until one four months ago that he missed." Mike slid down in the chair next to Roper's desk. "Everything in his barracks was basic, no luxuries, no comforts, maybe he is legitimate."
"So what happened four months ago that made him miss a payment? If he wasn't spending money on anything else, why did he miss that payment?" Mike shrugged. "Look here, did you get this far?" Roper pointed out the page for the month after Shane had missed the car payment. There were several large withdrawals of cash.
"Maybe drinking away the love of his life? You know what they say about boys and their cars." Roper did not answer, looking back through the papers.
"The large withdrawals stop after three weeks. So do his car payments."
"It definitely warrants another look. Another look tomorrow." Roper looked up. Mike tapped his watch. "I don't know about you but I would like to go home and eat dinner with my kids for once." Roper frowned. "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad."
"You have no idea."
"Get the little woman some flowers and get home. Get some sleep. You look like you could use it." A bouquet showing up would definitely get Jo's attention. Unfortunately, flowers would not help him get any sleep tonight. Sas would be on him again the minute he walked in the door. Mike stood up. "Get some sleep."
"Yeah. Okay." Roper assuaged him. Mike shook his head, unconvinced, and headed out.
"Staff, I thought everyone had gone home." Vicary walked in, sans Frost for the first time that day.
"I was just getting ready to go." Roper knocked over another pile of tapes. "Hey, Sir, what are you working on?"
"Just helping Staff Frost with some of her cases. Why?"
"Would you like to give me a hand with something?" Vicary brightened.
"Of course." Roper handed him Shane's id picture and pointed to the piles of tapes.
"I need to know where he shows up on any of these tapes." Vicary seemed to go paler than his usual pallor, if that was possible.
"But-"
"It would help me out immensely, Sir." Roper patted him on the back before Vicary had a chance to truly protest.
He did not want to miss Jo if she did come back. He pulled out his witness statements from the previous morning, starting to go through them.
Sas would take Andrew and Claire, of course. Roper stared down at the papers without seeing them. She had custody of them. She would use that to try and drag this out. Roper wanted her out of the flat. Burns had been completely out of line calling her. Roper felt like strangling him but Burns had been very outright about his thoughts regarding Roper being involved with Jo. Burns did not see Jo in the same light Roper did. Burns only saw the headstrong soldier. He did not see the woman underneath the uniform. He did not know her the way Roper did.
Roper had no idea on how to convince Sas to leave. He had thought that the knowledge that he was involved with someone else would have been enough to leave him forever. Competition seemed to bring out the worst in her. The knowledge only seemed to make her more determined to keep him by her side even when he had not really been at her side for a very long time. She blinded herself to his disgust. Physically tossing her out was out of the question. For one, he could not forgive himself for the last time he had touched her, years ago. Secondly, the effect that would have on Andrew and Claire would be too much. No, he had to figure out a way to get her out without so much as touching her. He could try changing the locks. The landlord knew that she was his wife, though, and seemed rather taken with her. The old man could have her. He would probably hand over the keys if she asked. It would not be that easy.
The office door opened and Jo walked in. Roper opened his mouth to call her over but she took one look at him and escaped into Burns' office. Frost came in behind her. Frost watched Jo go into Burns' office, flicking a glance at Roper, as if he knew what was going on. Roper stayed at his desk while Burns and Jo came out together and headed over to her desk. He forgot to pretend to be working, watching while Jo went through the files on her desk, handing some to Burns and putting aside others. She mumbled something each time she handed Burns a file. Frost walked over to Roper's desk, watching, too. Burns and Jo did not seem to notice the attention they were getting.
Burns headed back into his office with the pile of files Jo had given him. Roper and Frost watched while she took the other pile and headed to the filing cabinets, methodically stowing each folder. Frost shot a questioning look at Roper. He got up and went over to Jo.
"Jo, what's-"
"Not now." She cut him off, slamming the filing drawer closed. She stood up, looking him directly in the eye, close enough for him to touch her. Her look stopped him. Her brown eyes had that steel that told him she was not in the mood. She held his gaze for a moment, making her point clear before turning away to go back to her desk. Not knowing what else to do, Roper went back to his own. Frost still stood there, watching everything. She finally went to her desk without comment.
Jo started straightening up her desk. Roper did not even bother to look down at his witness statements. Howard came in from the corridor, heading straight over to Jo's desk. They spoke in low tones. Roper could not hear a word. Jo took a look over her desk and stood up. She stood at attention. Howard acknowledged her with a nod, and then held his hand out. Jo shook it and left, without even a glance at Roper. Roper was out of his chair the minute Burns came out of his office with all the files Jo had given him.
"Here, Harriet, you take the quick handed QM sergeant." Burns handed over one of the files to Frost. "Take Mr. Vicary with you on that one." Burns did not seem to notice Roper standing right in front of him. He flipped through the files, tossing most of them on Bruce's desk. "That'll teach him to go and leave us short staffed." He handed the last file to Roper. "Hippy, you take the marauding APC soldiers. Make sure they understand it isn't proper to gallivant about the base half in the bag. And keep the stolen cars." He stopped, realizing Roper had not taken the file. "Is there a problem?"
"What's going on? Why are you handing off all of McDonagh's cases?" Roper growled. Burns looked at him in surprise, and then glanced at Howard, who nodded. Burns looked at Frost and Vicary who were both staring at him, too.
"Oh. Well, I would have thought McDonagh had told you."
"Told me what?" Burns looked decidedly uncomfortable.
"She's accepted a posting to Basra." Everything stopped for Roper. The world faded to black.
"Iraq? Was she requested?" Frost ask somewhere in the distance.
"No, not specifically." Burns answered, muted.
"Is this with SIB? Why wasn't the posting offered to me? I have seniority." Even barely audible, Frost's voice grated.
"I decided to offer the posting to McDonagh." Howard's voice rumbled through the blackness.
"Staff? Are you all right?" Vicary's light touch on Roper's arm brought him back to reality.
"I'm fine." Roper managed to say. He looked around. Only Vicary seemed to notice his reaction. Frost engrossed herself in her annoyance that she had been passed over. Burns appeared irritated at her reaction. Howard looked less than pleased. Vicary just looked concerned for Roper. "When's she leaving?"
"She'll be on a flight out tomorrow morning." Howard said, sending Frost a reproving look before turning to leave.
"Sir, I must protest." Frost started again.
"Protest away, Harriet. The paperwork's been done. McDonagh is going." Burns told her. He fixed a studious glance on Roper a moment, and then disappeared back into his office. Frost stomped over to her desk, throwing herself down in the chair.
"Staff?" Vicary asked again. Roper looked down at him.
"I'm fine, Sir. You'd better make sure Frost is, too." Roper turned, heading to the locker room.
He had to talk her out of it. He needed her here.
He started the car, almost hitting a truck as he backed out of the space. He took a page from the Close Protection manual of driving, making it to the front of her barracks in record time. He did not even bother to lock the car doors, running inside. Her door was closed. He pounded on it with his fist.
"Jo!"
"I think she went out for a run." A sergeant told him, passing by. "She left a couple moments ago."
Roper watched the sergeant head down the hall. He had not seen her on his way over, which meant that she was out running in the woods. He would never be able to find her out there. He tried the doorknob. The door was locked. Roper banged his head against the doorframe, trying to think what to do. He was not going anywhere until he had a chance to talk to her. He stood in the corridor for several long moments before it occurred to him that if she had gone out on a run, she could be gone hours. He settled down on the floor outside her room to wait.
He should have known better. Jo was a loose cannon. She had probably jumped on the posting the moment they offered it to her. It got her back on the front lines where she always wanted to be. She was not the kind to be trapped behind a desk. Her sheer physical strength was one of the things that attracted him to her. Roper was kidding himself if he thought she would give up the chance for him. He would not be able to talk her out of it.
He shook his head. He could not talk Sas into leaving and he could not talk Jo into staying. The irony was not lost on him.
The thought of not seeing her everyday yawned before him. A string of days loomed out, unending, unbearable. He did not know if the transfer was a permanent one. He did not know when he would see her next, if he would ever see her again. The prospect seemed too bleak to think about. His heart lurched. He did not know the next time that he would be gently needled by her when he was getting on her nerves. He did not know when the next time would be that she covered for him without him even asking or thanking her. He might never see her bright smile again, letting him know that she was happy to see him, too. The shy, sweet smile that he had only just come to see, that yanked at his heart, he wanted to see that smile again and again. He wanted to see that hunger in her eyes that told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He wanted to see that need every day for the rest of his life.
He stopped himself. She had wanted him. He had not been mistaken. She had told him that she knew what she wanted. She had come when he called. She had faltered, wanting her space, but she had given him another chance. If it had not been for Sas pulling her surprise return, Jo would all ready be firmly entrenched in his life. Jo would all ready be completely his. Sas had come back though. Jo had run, run as fast as she could in the other direction and he could not blame her. He had let her down. She had given him every opportunity. He was the one who could not make it work.
It irritated him that after all the times she had put herself out on the line, put her feelings out there, she could not do that now, for him. The accusation was not fair. Jo had placed herself on the firing line for him. It would be too much to ask for her to completely expose herself for him. He wanted her to do all the same. He wanted her to shed her armour and give herself over to him. She would never risk it. That made him angry. He was ready to lose his kids for her. She could at least be straight forward with him. He was not being fair. He knew it. He just could not stop himself from being angry.
"Get you a chair, Staff?" one of the residents joked, coming down the hall and seeing him sitting there on the floor. Roper realized how it must look. He stood up as the sergeant went into the shower room. His knees complained as he stood. He looked at his watch. It was nearing five o'clock. He could not sit out in front of her room all night. He glanced up the hall as a breeze came through from someone opening the outside doors.
Jo jogged around the corner and stopped when she saw him. She looked around as if searching for some way to escape before slowly starting down the hall. She did not look at him as she unlocked her door from her key hanging around her neck. She went in, throwing her key on the desk as he closed the door behind him. She stood, facing away from him.
"Were you even going to tell me?" He asked. The question came out colder than he intended.
"I was." She did not turn around, her voice colder.
"When?"
"Last night."
"Really? I don't remember anything but ' I'll see you in the morning.' " She turned around.
They stood there staring at each other for a long moment.
"Why?" he asked. She exhaled loudly, pulling off her jacket and tossed it on the bed.
"Because I might never get the chance again." The statement fit but she would not look at him as she said it. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning back against the wardrobe.
"How long have you known? All this time? What was I, some distraction while you waited for the paperwork to be done?"
"Don't do this." She warned him, shooting him a glare. "Not everything is about you."
"How long?" She paced in the small space. "How long, Jo? How long have you been stringing me along?" She stopped.
"Stringing you along? What's that supposed to mean? I'm not the one who can't figure out who he wants to be with." She shot back. Roper would have taken a step back if he could at the venom in her voice. This was not going exactly the way he planned.
"How long?"
"Burns talked to me yesterday morning." She whispered, turning away again. "I talked to Howard last night." She pushed the loose strands of hair away from her face as she watched her steps across the floor, pacing again.
"That fast?"
"Yeah." He just looked at her for a moment.
"You didn't even think it was worth talking to me first?" He pushed her.
"Talk to you about what? What, Roper, exactly is it that you want me to say to you? What is it, exactly, that you want from me? Do you want me to say that I don't want to go? I'd be lying. Do you want me to say that you were anything more than a tiny consideration in my decision? Is that what you want?" She raised her voice at him.
"So, that's how it is?" He growled.
"Yeah. That's how it is. You knew who I was before this thing started." She squared off with him.
"Fine. Then you go run off and play soldiers. I hope you have fun." He turned to go.
"Fine." She shouted after him.
"Fine." He yelled back at her.
He had her up against the wall in an instant. Even as she pushed him away with her hands, her teeth grazed his lip, the softness of her tongue against his. He pulled her very breath from her, pushing her hands away. He used his entire body to hold her there. She dug her nails into his chest, through his shirt, trying to break away, while still holding him to her with her kiss. He grasped her neck, pulling her up. She sobbed a breath in the instant he lost touch of her, reaching up herself, fitting her mouth against his again. He waited until she stopped fighting, until she had her fingers running through his hair, to pull back, looking down at her. She was supported only by the weight of his body, gazing up at him. That hunger that he needed to see clearly softened her eyes.
"Don't leave." He whispered.
"Roper." She sighed his name, pulling his head back down to her.
This kiss was of a different kind, rough, full of lust. She pressed her whole body against his as she pulled him deeper into her. He grabbed the back of her head, loosing the hair band. Her hair spilled all around her face. He pushed it back, grazing his fingertips across her ear, earning a sigh from her. He lifted her entire being, setting her down on top of her desk. She never let him go, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. With just a slight movement of her hips, he found himself pressed tight against her, sending warnings throughout his body. He had her lifted again, yanking off her pants and panties even as she fumbled with his belt, all without ever letting go of his mouth. He held her by the nape of her neck as his trousers hit the floor. He grasped the warm, bared skin of her hip and pushed inside of her. A cry escaped her.
"Christ," he growled into her mouth at the sheer feeling of being inside of her at last.
He could not stay still, could not bear the sweetness of it. Jo grasped his hip, digging her nails into his flesh as he began pounding into her. Her soft cries only made his desperation worse. She had her arm wrapped around, holding on. He could not even find her mouth again. She pressed her cheek against his. He could barely open his eyes, seeing that she was lost in the feeling, too, eyes closed, lips parted, breath coming in rushes. He felt the shudder overtake her, even deep inside of her. She whimpered, biting blindly at his neck, not letting go, staying with him. He knocked his head against her, pulling her tighter to him, pummelling her harder with each push, causing her entire body to shudder. His mind stuttered and left him. All he could focus on was his body moving against hers, the velvet warmth of her that seemed to be swallowing him, wanting to crawl inside of her. His entire body stiffened as it felt like she sucked the very blood from him.
They stayed like that, clinging to each other, him shaking, her still being racked with shudders for a long moment. He pressed his face into the side of her neck, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight. Jo run her fingers up through his hair, sending more shivers down his spine, holding his head there. He stayed inside of her, not wanting to be separated from her just yet. She still had her legs clasped around his hips, holding him to her. He sucked in deep breaths of air, trying to get some kind of control back. Blindly, he found her mouth, gaining entry, kissing her so deeply. She kissed him back, pressing her hand against his cheek.
"Don't go," he whispered against her. She made a soft cry against his mouth.
"There are things you don't know," she whispered back, kissing him again.
He lifted her off the desk, loving how she wrapped her arms around his neck again, and placed her down on the floor, following her down, never pulling out of her. She brought her body up to meet his.
"Take this off." He told her gruffly, tugging at her running top.
Jo reached up, nipping his lip as she yanked the top off, baring her torso, pulling him with her back onto the floor. She pushed at his shirt, buttons popping off in her struggle with the fabric. Roper growled into her mouth, breaking away, yanking his shirt off, coming down against her bare skin.
Roper gripped her thigh, pulling her hips up against him. A soft cry broke from her under his kiss. He moved slowly this time, pulling back to watch her. Jo pushed her head back, her hair splaying all around her, arching her body up against his. The feel of her skin against his, her body against his, drove him mad. Jo writhed beneath him, running her fingers all over his chest and throat. He grabbed her wrist, pinning her down to the floor. Jo tried to fight him, pressing herself up to him. She bit his throat, licking the spot. He grabbed her neck holding her there as he moved his hips against her, strands of her hair wrapping around his fingers. Her hushed whispers brushed against his skin, travelling all throughout his body. She arched her neck, twisting her fingers in his hair, pulling at his head. Unable to bear the feel of her, he tore into her mouth.
Jo tossed and twisted, writhing under him, stretching like cat, wrapping her long legs around his hips, meeting each one of his thrusts. Freeing her wrist, he grabbed her head, making her face him. Jo opened her eyes slowly, gazing up at him. He held her gaze as he moved, slowly, deliberately inside of her, watching her face as he did. Her eyes were unfocused, seeing him but not. Her thick lashes brushed against her skin as her eyes closed with each move of his hips. He leaned down to kiss her again as sharp pleasure ripped through him. He grabbed her up against him, trying to stop her from moving, trying to make it last. Jo wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bumping her head against his. Those sweet whispers broke from her lips. He grabbed her mouth with his own, kissing her. He could not hold her tight enough. She whimpered beneath him, moving her hips against his, pushing him right over the edge.
Roper pulled his mouth away from her, sucking in deep breaths. Jo shuddered violently beneath him, her entire body stiffening, shaking. He held her down, hard, on the floor. He thundered into her. Jo threw her arms out, grabbing at the carpeting. Shudders kept racking her frame as she arched her body, crying out. Roper growled through his teeth as his release ripped through him. He collapsed on top of her.
They lay there, wrapped in each other arms, unable to move. Jo pressed her face against his shoulder, pressing kisses against his chest. He lifted his head barely, brushing her hair away from her face. He kissed her brow, her nose, her lips. She sighed, nuzzling her face back into his neck, holding him a little tighter.
He rolled them over, sliding out of her, immediately sensing the loss of her heat. Jo snuggled close to him, fitting her body tight against him, still holding him in her arms. He could feel her breathing deeply, a shudder still fluttering through her. Roper kept brushing her hair, playing with the blonde strands around his fingers. Jo made a soft noise, moving her body against him. Her arms loosened from his shoulders. He looked down to her. Her eyes were closed, her breath coming soft, even. He kissed her temple. She smiled in her sleep.
Roper could not bring himself to break away from her, not even to put her up on her bed. He did not want to let her go, ever. He watched her sleep, overwhelmed for a moment by the depth of his feelings for her. He wanted to fall asleep like this every night of his life, holding her in his arms.