** For authors notes, disclaimer etc. see chapter 1
Blonds have more fun 5/?
"Alan it's Sandra I need all of the Marx file here at the hotel can you bring them over for me?" I was going to go into the office and look at the case there but I need to be able to do it objectively without the original team trying to explain it or influence my opinions on the evidence. He's agreed to bring it all over and I'm going to meet him in the restaurant downstairs for lunch. I will need some on the investigation background and he was the one who brought the issues to my attention when he really didn't have to so I don't mind spending an hour with him having lunch and getting the case details before I lock myself away in here for the rest of the day and see what's really going on.
"Jack it's me can you move away from the others and not make it obvious it's me you're talking to." Now that I've arrangements made with Alan I need to speak to one of them and I know the obvious choice would be Gerry but he'll panic and I don't need that right now. I need someone to listen and take what I'm saying in without going all "protective boyfriend" on me.
"OK I'm in the car park what's happening Sandra and why don't you want the others to know?" Another reason to tell Jack first is that , as you've just heard, he doesn't beat around the bush, he gets straight to the point and doesn't want pleasantries and small talk especially since he can already tell something is wrong.
"I'm going to give you the short version because I'm not even sure what the long version is yet myself but I don't want you telling Brian and definitely not Gerry just yet ok?" He's agreed and I've given him the abridged version of what I know and even though I can't see him I can tell you he'll be furious right now. He hates a badly run investigation and we see far too many of them in our line of work.
"What the hell was Forsyth thinking? Why didn't they pull the girl out as soon as they realised she was getting too close?" See I told you! When he was a serving officer he ran a seriously tight ship he let nothing slide hen the reason Hanson was so determined to get rid of him that he resorted to hurting Mary. Any hint that someone isn't working to the same standard infuriates him.
"He was too close to her, Anyway I'm going to spend the day looking at the case files to see if there's any way to save it and if there is I've told Strickland I want you three up here too so I thought at least one of you should be warned. Seriously though Jack you need to promise not to tell Gerry you know how he gets if he thinks I'm taking unnecessary risks."
"This time he'd be right Sandra don't you think you should just come home and let them sort out their own mess?"
"That's not what we do Jack you know that, we clear up other people's mess and we do it damn well." He knows I'm right and with a grudging promise not to tell Gerry he's gone and I need to get downstairs to meet Alan and see exactly how we're going to move forward and what , if anything, I can do here.
"Jesus Alan when I said I wanted to see the whole case I was expecting a couple of file folders not a small rain forests worth of stuff." I've met him in the lounge downstairs and he's sitting at the table with a pint and two large evidence storage boxes beside him. That's my afternoon, evening and probably most of the night sorted too.
"We've been working the case a long time and actually thought we were ready to nail him before all this started. I got you a glass of red and they'll bring over some menus now that you're here." I recognise the complete defeat in his tone and frankly the last thing I need with the prospect fo endless hours of work is wine but he was nice enough to get it so I should be polite enough to drink it.
"Look we don't know yet that your case is completely compromised that's why I'm going to work on it today if I think I can be saved my team will join us and we'll nail him2 I find it so hard to watch a fellow officer so upset by the collapse of a case we've all been there and it's the worst feeling in the world.
"Forsyth has cleared his desk and gone on leave. I can't see him coming back he's 2 years off mandatory retirement and could have taken voluntary last year if he'd wanted this has finished him off. He'll bide his time for a few weeks on leave then take his golden handshake and go."
"I know it's hard for you and you probably feel like you're being disloyal to him but I need to know as much as possible and not just the stuff that will be in those files boxes. Tell me about Forsyth why didn't he bring Cathcart in as soon as it was clear she was getting too involved with Marx?" I expected him to be reluctant to talk about his guvnor, to show some loyalty even though he knows there's nothing either of us can do to change what's already happened but he seems almost excited about spilling out everything he knows. This morning he genuinely seemed like a good guy who hated what he had to do but now I'm not so sure.
"Louise Cathcart was his prodigy, his "golden girl" he refused to see any wrong in her even when I told him what was going on he said he "trusted" her." There's real venom in his tone and I know it's hard at times to have your warnings ignored by your SIO but you live with it you don't take such obvious delight in it when another officer is dead and your SIO's careers is ending on such a terrible note. "Look I was supposed to be his number two on this case but he started shutting me out early on, no matter how hard I tried to convince him that he was making a mistake with that silly bitch he wouldn't listen and that just resulted in him shutting me out more."
"But you were there right through the whole things with Cathcart and Marx so you must have seen how the case was going didn't you think it might be a good idea to push your concerns a bit more? Didn't any of the rest of the team share your worry about the effect her relationship with Marx was having?"
The food has arrived and as he talks I'm eating in silence trying to take in every intonation or detail and something feels off about it, about him and I can't wait to get lunch over and get upstairs to form my own opinions.
"So he told them all I was over reacting, that she wasn't that involved and the team was pretty much split down the middle a lot of the team believed him because they'd known him and worked with him for years and they didn't want to face up to the fact he was past it and had screwed up." Ok now I really need to get out of here before I lose it with him completely. No one knows better than me that when it comes to detective work there's no such thing as "past it" and I'm getting the distinct impression that the "split" in the team was entirely engineered by him.
"Yeah I can understand that would have been frustrating for you. Well nice as this is I really should get upstairs and start working on all this stuff. I'll get one of the porters to bring those boxes upstairs for me." Shit he's on his feet before I even have a chance to call someone with a box in his hands heading for the lobby.
"No need for that we can take a box each I'll take this one you take the other what floor are you on."
"Second but honestly I can manage and that's what the porters are here for," He's ignoring me completely and is already at the lift waiting for me to catch up. God the sooner he goes and I can actually look at this stuff and see if the feeling I'm starting to get about him is right the better.
"Well this is nicer than I thought it would be. You never know from the outside of these hotels what they're going to be like inside." I tried to get him straight back out the door but instead he's managed move so I'm between him and the door and I'm starting to feel more than a bit uncomfortable I don't like this at all.
"Yeah look thanks for bringing the files up and for the extra information and everything but I really need to get working right now so…"
"You know it's a shame to spend the whole day with your nose in those files when you have this lovely room with what looks like a very comfortable bed to make the most of."
"Alan you really need to leave now before…." Oh my god I can't believe this he has me pinned against the wall and is trying very hard to stick his tongue down my throat as he paws at breasts through my jacket and I try to push him away. Bastard I swear if he doesn't get away from me in three seconds he'll not be walking out of here at all he'll need a bloody ambulance.
"Come on Sandra you know you've been give me all the right signals since we first met this morning why bother playing hard to get?" Signals? What the hell?
"Get out of here and do it now before I make you wish you'd never been born. I haven't been giving you signals I happen to be in a relationship with someone I love who would never dream of being as much of a bastard as you clearly are and even if I wasn't in a relationship you wouldn't stand a chance now unless you want to be talking several octaves higher and facing a sexual harassment charge I suggest you fuck off and don't come back here again. If and when I need to speak to you again I'll do it at the station." He's actually sneering at me, god my gut feeling over lunch was clearly bang on he's a complete tosser.
"You know what you are? A fucking tease, well fine when you fuck up this case as well I'll watch you get buried and enjoy it even more than that geriatric idiot Forsyth." He's finally left slamming the door behind him and now that he's gone I'm shaking and I can't catch my breath. I can't believe he did that, I can't believe that he thought pawing at me and kissing me like he was somehow entitled to would get him anywhere. I really need Gerry to be here right now, actually I need them all but him in particular and …..shit he's persistent the bloody door is knocking and since no one else knows I'm here it has to be him pull yourself together Sandra don't let him see that he got to you.
"Look I've already told you to….Oh sorry I was expecting someone else." Now I'm really surprised because instead of him on the other side of the door it's Forsyth and I can't decide if I'm relieved, confused or furious that they all seem to think it's fine to just wander into my room!
"I saw Richards leave you look upset what did he do to you?"
"What makes you think he did anything and I'm sorry if I sound rude but what are you doing here I'm supposed to be trying to sort this mess out and none of you seem to want to actually give me peace to do that." I know I sound like a complete bitch right now but I'm starting to get seriously pissed off.
"Experience, he's a slimy bastard and you are a good looking girl he's assume you would just fall at his feet. Look I'm not her to interfere I just wanted to leave this off it might help. I kept some notes of my own, good luck with the case I really hope you nail Marx. Louise Cathcart was a good copper and she's been badmouthed out of turn. Anyway you'll see what I mean when you look at the notes."
"Michael come in, I'm sorry, you're right Richards crossed the line and it shocked me but that's no reason to treat you so badly." Don't ask me why I've suddenly decided to let him in because I don't know., Maybe it's because something about him reminds me of Jack and my gut is telling me he's a hell of a lot more trustworthy than Alan Richards. Whatever the reason I think I should at least hear him out, get his side of the story before I potentially tear his working methods and case apart.