"Nadir, Sim, whatever it is you're doing, leave it. There are a bunch of asylum seeking reprobates indulging in a little in-fighting down by the old docks, give uniform a hand breaking it up before the press get wind of it." DI Tanner breezed through the office, Jack's words washing over him like a rain shower, barely penetrating the surface of his mind.
"Good to see Jack's had some impact on him then!" Sam muttered to Jo as they sat hunched over piles of paperwork together searching for anything they could bring Somerton in for questioning on.
"DS Nixon, would you be so kind as to tell me why DC Masters is still working on this case when I distinctly remember removing her from it to concentrate on her paperwork?" James Tanner sneered at Sam as he attempted to humiliate her in front of her remaining colleagues.
"Because DCI Meadows ordered me to retain her services for this case, he felt she was the best officer to work on it." Sam felt both her colour and her temper rising in the face of his baiting but fought hard to swallow it down, knowing a reaction would play into his hands.
"Is that so? Well I've just had a very enlightening chat with DCI Meadows and it seems he has had a change of heart. DC Masters is to be assigned to another case with DC Webb. DS Hunter will take her place on this investigation. I suggest that you use the rest of your shift to bring DS Hunter up to speed on any progress although from what I can gather that won't take long." Throughout the exchange, Tanner's gaze never wavered from Sam's, seemingly oblivious to the attention he was attracting from the other officers.
"But Guv, DC Webb doesn't work the same shift pattern as DC Masters, won't it be a little difficult for them to collaborate on a case?" Sam pushed, her jaw set in a stubborn line, eyes flashing with barely concealed rage.
"He does now, or rather she does. Get your coat Masters, you're off shift, back on in 6 hours. I suggest you get some sleep, you'll be working ten 'til six for the next month." Tanner turned on his heel, not waiting to hear the outcome of his announcement. Sam sat stunned in her seat, not quite sure how one man could disrupt the working union of CID so effectively in under 24 hours. Suzie and Zain were threatening mutiny at being assigned their third ethnic relations case, Terry had left a message for Jack claiming he wanted a transfer back to the PPU and Mickey was apparently seriously considering asking for a transfer to Timbuktu, stating that it should be far enough away to escape Tanner's poison. Jo rose from her seat silently, face burning with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. She kept her head down refusing to make eye contact with anyone as she left the squad room. Sam tore after her not wanting to let her go without making sure she knew that she had Sam's backing in whatever action she chose to take.
"Jo wait!" Sam ran down the stairs, catching up with her friend in the foyer. "Come on, let's go in here for a moment." Sam indicated the interview room stationed at the front of the building, sensing Jo's reluctance after the last conversation she had had in that room. The sensitive blonde offered, "or we can sit in your car if you'd be more comfortable?" Jo nodded, not trusting herself to speak for fear of unleashing the torrent she was only managing to hold back with every ounce of her willpower.
As soon as the two women were ensconced in Jo's car, the brunette let out a long sigh, muttering a string of expletives under her breath. "He sure knows how to kick a girl when she's down, doesn't he?" Sam was taken aback by the weary resignation evident in Jo's tone.
"He won't last the week, not if he carries on in this vein. Stick it out for tonight and I'll work on Jack, see what this guy's problem is. I can't promise everything will be back to normal by tomorrow but I will do my best to make sure it is the day after, I don't care what it takes." Sam had twisted in her seat to look at Jo who was staring straight ahead at the wall in front of which she was parked.
"Don't risk your career Sam, it's not worth it. He strikes me as a man with influence, not someone you want to alienate unnecessarily. Let him hang himself, people like that always do sooner or later." Jo shivered into her jacket turning the key in the ignition to allow the engine to begin warming up. "I'd better be going if I'm to be in any fit state for tonight." Sam was still unsatisfied Jo's response to her situation but knew there was little point in pushing any harder, resolving to fight her corner regardless of Jo's warning to the contrary.
"I'll see you soon. I'll keep you up to speed with the case and if anything happens, you let me know immediately, ok? Promise me, Jo."
"I will, I promise but now I'm going to be out most nights chances are fairly slim aren't they?" Jo felt disheartened at the prospect of her idea falling flat.
"He's abducted the last three victims early in the morning, one was a nurse returning from a night shift, so we might still have a chance as long as you keep us informed and we can keep the surveillance going."
"Fat chance of that Sam, unless you can provide Tanner with something to prosecute with in the next 24 hours, he's not interested." Jo's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her white knuckles hidden by her black leather gloves. "I'll see you around Sam." The DS thought she heard a hint of a tremble in Jo's words, her shining eyes betraying her battle to appear composed. Feeling her own eyes welling up, Sam instinctively leaned over and placed a gentle peck on Jo's cheek resolving to find a way to still spend time with her favourite DC.
"Be careful Jo, stay safe." Sam whispered after climbing out of the car and watching Jo roar out of the station car park. She took a moment to regain her own composure before marching back into the station spoiling for a heated argument only to be intercepted by Phil Hunter.
"She ok?"
"What do you think?" Sam snapped.
"He was bang out of order Sam, we all know that and I've told the DCI as much, but there's nothing we can do for the moment. The best thing we can all do is get on with our jobs and not let him get to us. He'll soon stop throwing his weight around if we don't react." Phil guided Sam away from Jack's door, having already blown his top at the DCI for letting such a man run riot in the department, only to be told it was out of Jack's hands.