A number of the scenes in this chapter are from 'Hammer to Fall' and I therefore don't own any of the dialogue.
5 May 1991
The atmosphere was terrible and, for once, it had nothing to do with his relationship with Christina. The last few days, the tension around the office had been more taught than the tightest wire, almost as though one wrong word, one spark, could ignite an explosion. Ever since SCS had swept in and swept out again, there had been a hope that things might return to some kind of normality, but he and Ted were as pig headed as one another, neither one willing to back down in the face of all that happened.
Deep down, Frank knew that he was the one in the wrong. He was the senior officer and what he had asked Ted to do was, he now realised, inappropriate. What he should have done was pulled the other man aside and apologised but then, that wasn't really his style.
"Reid wants to see you, Guv," Alistair said as he returned from yet another wander to the bogs in order to break up the day. Ted glanced at him from his position behind his desk before he turned and knocked on Kim's door.
"Come in!" she called breezily.
"Alistair said you wanted a word," he said, leaning in through the door.
"Yes…" she said, as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Sorry I haven't had the chance to discuss this with you sooner but with Special Crime Squad loitering, things have been a bit hectic."
"Understatement of the year."
"I want to know what's happening with you and Ted."
He made a face. "Not a lot."
"Are you making it official?"
"Official?" he echoed, confused by her question.
"I'm not having the department suffering because of your petty squabbles Frank, I want it settled. Either go or get off the pot."
"I'll talk to him."
"Do that," she said, as there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"
Ron Smollett appeared, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry to interrupt Ma'am."
"That's all right, what is it?"
"I've been having a long chat with a mate of mine over at Marsh Lane nick," he said. "You still looking to do Mick Whelan?"
"Well, Serious Crime Squad are still investigating him over the Lennie Powell shooting. Strictly speaking, it's not our ground."
"Could be all change. Bush telegraph says Whelan fancies a slice of Vic Palmer's operations."
"More silly rumours?" Frank said.
"I haven't finished yet sir," Ron said. "Do you know Greek Johnny Ma'am?"
Kim frowned and looked at Frank, "Palmer's minder?"
"Yeah."
"Well, bits and bobs of a body have been coming into Marsh Lane over the last fortnight, found scattered over the marshes. According to my mate, dental records have just confirmed that it's one and the same."
"Greek Johnny?" Frank echoed.
"That's about the size of it. Now, if he was done by Whelan's firm, could be the start of something nasty."
Kim looked at Frank and nodded. "Thanks Ron, that's very useful."
"Oh…yes, Ma'am," Ron replied before scuttling back out the door.
"So, what do you think?"
"Makes sense I suppose," Frank replied. "I know Vic Palmer quite well. I could over there, suss him out a bit, see how the land lies."
"Yes do, but don't put the wind up him," Kim replied. "If this is Whelan's doing, I want everything kept tight."
"Yes Ma'am."
"Oh, and Frank?"
"Ma'am?" he turned back to look at her.
"Don't forget about what I said, ok? I don't expect to be having this conversation about Ted with you again."
"No Ma'am," he said, opening the office door, conscious that reconciling with Ted was now the last thing on his mind. "Understood."
XXXX
"Don't be ridiculous," Ted said, lighting up a cigarette.
"Why is it ridiculous?" Christina asked, leaning over her desk towards him. "One of you has to break the stalemate."
"Why should it be me? He's the one who tried to force me into lying to SCS just to help cover up his own incompetence."
"You're the one who accused him of being bent! If you hadn't done that then the two of you would never have ended up physically fighting."
"Well, we all know who's side you're on at any rate."
She paused and glanced around, but no-one else appeared to be listening. "That's not fair."
"No? If he had asked you to lie, instead of me, would you have done it?" She said nothing. "No, I didn't think so."
"So, you're just going to let this ruin your friendship?"
"Friendship?" Ted barked with laughter. "Burnside and I are not friends, Christina, we're not even colleagues. He's my boss, just like he is yours. Something perhaps we all need to remember. He'd drop anyone of us in it at any time if he thought it would do him some good."
"You know that's not true! He has always had our backs and I don't just say that because…well…"
"Because he's had you on your back?"
She felt her face flame with embarrassment. "That's uncalled for."
"Whatever," Ted waved his hand dismissively. "If you want to roll around in the sheets with him that's up to you. It's always been up to you, nothing to do with me."
"We're not rolling in the sheets," she replied. "We're not together."
"Whatever you say."
"Ted…"
"I'm not interested, Chris, ok? Your personal life is your business and as for him, well, I'm better off well out of it, as are you. What happened between him and I is absolutely none of your business."
He turned back to the paperwork on his desk, and she sighed heavily in frustration. Frank hadn't asked her to try and help smooth the waters with Ted, but she could tell the toll that not being on good terms was taking on him, even from a distance. Since his interview with SCS he had been quieter, more withdrawn and part of her had ached to comfort him more than she reasoned it should, more than a friend should. It didn't help that with each passing day, each passing hour, she felt the weight of her decision that they should just be friends press down on her. If she were to change her mind, she knew without thinking that he would agree, that she would be back in his arms, back in his bed before she could blink and yet, she also knew, that she needed the time and space that her decision had given her if she was ever going to heal from what had happened in the past.
As though thinking about him could wish him into sight, Frank suddenly appeared back in the office. Moving behind his desk, he lifted the phone and made a call, the words unintelligible to her ears, before coming back out into the main office again.
"Going somewhere Guv?" Alistair asked.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
"No," Alistair replied in genuine confusion. "I was only asking, that's all."
"Yeah well, sometimes it's best not to know." He glanced in her direction and gave her a tight smile before disappearing back down the corridor.
"Arrogant git," Ted muttered under his breath.
She opened her mouth to rebuke him and then decided against it. After all, he was probably right. It was none of her business.
6 May
Palmer had come good in the end, after a little gentle persuasion on his part. He'd known he could get the other man to crack given the right circumstances and, eventually, Palmer had told him that Whelan was due a delivery that evening, one which CID intended to intercept. It was ideal, perfect and he couldn't help but feel pleased that he had been the one to set it up. It was going to be a good night.
"Oh, there you are," Alistair said, coming into the toilets behind him. "Reid's back."
"About time and all. Where's she been this morning?" he asked, washing his hands.
"At the DAC's office."
"What, Hicks? What did she go and see him for?"
"They're mates, aren't they?"
"Oh yeah, the Brams Hill mafia. Backslappers unanimous. What's she after this time, superintendency?"
"I don't know Guv, but she's briefing the troops about the raid in your absence."
"Oh terrific," he replied, opening the door. "I get the info, she gets the glory."
"In light of current overtime restrictions some of you will be working split shifts. I'm only laying on the basic minimum cover…right the rest of you can book off. I've left a list of exactly who's doing what over there by the duty state. Anyone who's clear must be back here by six and that's six sharp, ok? Any questions?"
"Well, it's a bit short notice, isn't it Ma'am," Tosh piped up.
"Horses for courses Tosh, sorry. Right, have a good afternoon, see you later." She turned to walk out of the office and Frank fell into step beside her.
"You staying on?"
"I'm going to see if there's any chance of getting some back up from uniform."
"You must be joking," he laughed. "Del Boy wouldn't pee on CID if we were on fire."
"We bring uniform in on this and get lucky then the next time we need a favour, we could find they're a bit more upfront in the future."
"Stratagems and ruses."
"Stop and think about it." She paused at the door to Conway's office. "Oh, I've got you paired off with Ted for tonight's activities." Before he could argue, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"Great," he muttered, turning away and heading back in the direction of the CID office, only to meet Christina coming in the opposite direction. "Just when I think she can't piss me off enough as it is…"
"Why, what's happened?" she asked.
"Oh, she's only gone and paired me off with Ted tonight. I mean that's just brilliant, isn't it?" He paused. "Who are you with?"
"Tosh and Jim."
"Fancy a swap?"
"If she's deliberately put you with Ted then I think she'd noticed if you made a swap. I'm sure he's just as keen as you are at the prospect."
"I'd rather be with you. I'd rather be with anyone, quite frankly!"
"Cheers," she rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean. I'd rather be with someone who's on my firm, rather than someone I can't trust."
"Ted is on your firm, just like the rest of us."
"Oh yeah?" he glanced behind her to where he could see Ted through the open door. "Tell me that again when this is all over."
XXXX
"I wonder if they've killed each other yet," Tosh mused, unwrapping a bar of chocolate and offering it around the car.
"Who?" Jim asked.
"The DI and Ted. I don't think either of them were enamoured with the pairings tonight. What do you think?" he looked at her in the rear-view mirror and all she felt she could do was shrug. "Has he said anything to you?"
She paused slightly and looked back at him, well aware from what Frank had said in the past that Tosh knew, or at least suspected, that something had happened between them. "Who?"
"Ted."
"Oh…no, nothing. Well, nothing I could repeat anyway." She sat back in her seat and looked out into the inky darkness. "I wish they'd sort it out though."
"Don't we all," Jim replied. "He needs to be the one to do it though, Burnside that is."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because he's the boss. With the rank comes great responsibility, including being able to admit when you're wrong."
She shook her head. "You say it as though you're speaking from experience."
"Well, come on, you've got to admit that Burnside was trying to pass the buck, like he usually does. I don't understand why he couldn't just own up to his decisions."
"I'm not saying what he did was right…"
"Well, that's a relief."
"…but have you ever stopped to consider how stressful it can be in that position? Ok, he made a decision about the cover, but how was he to know that Powell was going to get shot in the street? He couldn't possibly have known that and I'm pretty sure Powell's death is weighing quite heavily on him, actually."
"That's what he gets paid the big bucks for," Tosh said. "He wanted that level of responsibility, and he has to deal with the consequences. He's the one who has to carry the can at the end of the day."
"Right, while the rest of you stick the knife in. Don't think I haven't forgotten about 'Middleman.' Don't think he has either." She paused, suddenly aware she may have gone too far, and watched as they exchanged a look between them. "Anyway, can we change the subject? How about a game of i-spy?"
XXXX
"Old cow," Frank grumbled, shuffling his feet across the stones that littered the roof of the building he and Ted had been tasked to set up their observation point from. "I bring home the bacon and this is her idea of a reward? Stuck on a roof freezing me cods off with Paddy McGinty's goat for company."
Ted peered through the binoculars trained on the road below. "Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?"
"Not from where I'm standing." He shivered in the evening air. "Break me neck for a slash."
"One thing I won't be sorry to see the back of; your cheery Cockney humour."
"You put in for some leave then Ted?"
"Would it matter to you if I had?" Ted straightened up and faced him and Frank knew that the moment had come. He needed to fall on his sword, for everyone's sake.
"I've told her we'll sort it between us."
"Oh, that's very big of you."
"All right," he held up his hands. "Asking you to perjure yourself in front of SCS…well that was out of order. But you know me; attack is the best form of defence!"
"Yes, but not me Frank, I don't deserve it," Ted bit back. "I've backed you up too many times in the past for that. Not to mention the fact, I've kept your dirty little secret all these months and tried to give you advice when I felt it was needed."
"Advice? Is that what you call it?"
"Yes, and I'm glad you appear to have taken some of it finally and called the whole sorry mess off, even if she does still have the overwhelming look of love in her puppy dog eyes."
"Don't talk about her like that."
"Fine." Ted looked at him expectantly.
"Well, there you are."
"What's that supposed to be, an apology?" the other man laughed.
"Mitigating circumstances, Ted. Well, they had me between a rock and a hard place!"
Ted sighed. "Well, it'll have to do I suppose."
"Well, you weren't exactly backwards in coming forwards yourself."
"Oh, it was the heat of the moment. I mean if you hadn't…"
"Hang on!" the sound of an approaching vehicle caused Frank to interrupt and dash to the edge of the rooftop, pulling out his radio as he did so. "Reid from Burnside. We've got some movement."
"Yes, we see it," she replied. "Sit tight for the time being."
Over the course of the next few moments, he remained where he was, breath held in anticipation, until the signal to move in was given and then it was a free for all. Bodies running left, right and centre, people grappling in the darkness until everyone involved was under arrest and the delivery van had been searched to reveal what appeared to be a large quantity of drugs. The only disappointing factor was that there was no sign of Whelan.
"Right, well, looks like we missed the main man," Frank said, falling into step beside Kim. "Still, we've done him some damage. I mean if each of those cans has got resin it the same size as the first block, well we're talking about a nice few bob up in smoke."
"Yeah, good result," Kim sighed.
"Well don't sound too happy about it."
"I wanted Whelan."
"Yeah well, he'll have got the message. Best leave him to Petch and his boys, if and when they're ready."
"Yeah, you're probably right," she replied. "Some other day, eh?"
Back at the station, the laborious work of processing all the bodies began, but Frank couldn't help but feel a sense of vindication, even if they hadn't managed to get their hands on Whelan. His credit had been restored, at least in his own eyes, after the SCS debacle. In the melee, he hadn't been able to keep track of Christina but, seeing her in the custody area, he pulled her to one side. "You all right?"
"Fine, you?"
"Yeah, nice result."
"Whelan won't be too pleased."
"That's just tough, isn't it?" he glanced around. "I buried the hatchet with Ted."
"Oh good, I'm glad. Was it as traumatic as you thought it would be?"
"No, but don't tell him that. I'm going to take him for a drink."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"Yeah," he hesitated slightly. "You heading home?"
"Yeah, I assume so."
"All right. See you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Frank."
He turned back to where Ted was coming out of the cell area and clapped him around the shoulder. "Come on, I think we deserve a drink."
"Well," Ted nodded, "I won't say no to that."
XXXX
If she had been expecting to go home, job done, she had been sorely mistaken. Mere moments after Frank and Ted had left the station, the word had gone around that Kim wanted to see everyone back up in the CID office and so, she found herself perched on the end of her desk, listening to her superior's words of congratulations and wondering why Frank and Ted hadn't been included.
"You all pulled together tonight, you were a credit, not only to me and the job but more importantly, to yourselves."
"Thank you very much Ma'am," Alistair said. "I'm sure we all appreciate your comments."
"Good, because we haven't finished yet."
"Not finished? What do you mean?" Tosh asked.
"We're going after Whelan."
"He's not our ground," Viv pointed out.
"Not yet he's not but we're going to get him here."
"How?" Alistair asked.
"In half an hour Tosh will phone Whelan, an anonymous tip off telling him exactly who put us wise to his drop tonight. If we're lucky, and he takes the bait, he'll pay Palmer a visit at which point we'll have him."
"You can't pull stunts like that, Ma'am," Tosh said, "If it turns moody, we're all in it up to our necks."
"It's all right, I spent the morning going over details with DAC Hicks. He's behind us on this one. He's also sanctioned AFOs which is why Tony has joined us. Tosh, you and Tony will draw arms."
Tosh sighed, "Right Ma'am."
"Viv, you and Dave, obbo on Whelan's flat. If he's going to move, he's going to move quickly. I want you two with him all the way. Right, you haven't got much time, so you'd better get your skates on. The rest of you with me."
There was a moments pause before everyone started to get their feet and Christina found herself looking around, wondering if anyone was going to ask the question that was uppermost in her mind, if no-one else's.
"Problem Chris?" Kim asked.
"No Ma'am, I just wondered if we should alert the DI, that's all."
"I think not on this occasion."
"But…"
"After everything that's happened this week, not to mention their own little squabble, I think it's better that Frank and Ted are kept in the dark on this one, don't you?"
"I…"
"I mean, I'd hate for us to lose a big fish like Whelan because of a little male ego, wouldn't you agree?"
She felt weighed down by the pressure of Kim's gaze and though she was couching it in professional terms and relating it back to the investigation, she couldn't help but read the subtext.
Don't you dare.
"Ma'am," she said, her voice sounding reedy to her own ears, her eyes falling on the nearest telephone once the DCI had returned to her office. She didn't know exactly where he would be, but it couldn't be too difficult to work out, not if she tried hard enough. She had always been loyal to Frank and always would be, no matter who occupied the DCI's chair. She should tell him, rather than him find out later that she had been a party to it but, if she did tell him, what would that mean for her? Would she be disciplined, or just not trusted? Her career, so seemingly meaningless to her in the past, now held a certain prominence in her mind given all that had happened personally.
"You ok?" Alistair asked, jolting her out of her thoughts. "You look miles away."
"Yeah," she nodded, hoping to convince herself as much as him. "Yeah, I'm fine."
XXXX
It had only been fair to return to Vic Palmer's place, to tell him how well the operation had gone and partake of some of his generous hospitality. Being plied with scotch after a successful operation wasn't something Frank would have easily turned down, even though he could think of other ways he might have preferred to celebrate. Ways that involved a soft bed and the comely embraces of a pretty redhead. But drinking with villains would have to do and he was determined to make the most of it. That was, until none other than Mick Whelan and his henchmen suddenly burst into their own private area, wielding shooters.
"Come on Mickey," Palmer said placatingly. "There's no need for all this. Sit down and have a drink. I mean, what's the problem?"
"You're the problem," Whelan replied.
"I'm the problem? What have I done?"
"You screwed up my delivery."
"Delivery, what delivery?" Palmer demanded and Frank couldn't help but give him credit for his acting skills.
"Don't waste my time Vic. We'll go for a drive."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Palmer said. "You got it all wrong. Frank?"
He instantly felt a jolt rush through him at the mention of his own name.
"Don't be silly, nobody putting themselves out for you," Whelan said.
"No? Frank and Ted are from Sun Hill nick. They're filth you fool!"
In that moment, he suddenly realised that it was all about to go horribly wrong. "Cheers Vic." Whelan moved around to behind where he and Ted were sitting and grabbed them both by their jackets. "Don't be a prat, Whelan!"
"Shut it!" Whelan said, dragging them all outside and down the emergency exit stairs to where his car was parked. Frank instantly turned towards his own, only to be dragged back. "Don't worry," Whelan said. "Nobody will find it." He opened the boot and forced Palmer to get in, before turning back to Frank.
"Look, it's not too late you know," he said.
"It is for you," Whelan replied.
"Well, you'll have to do it here then, cause I ain't getting in the motor." His heart pounded as he said the words, his throat dry as he turned to face the man who was clearly about to blow his head off. Whelan didn't care who he killed or how he did it, Powell's murder was testament to that. What was a couple of police officers? In that instant, he wished that she was there, wished that he could see her just one last time, wished that he could tell her everything he felt for her.
"Suits me. Give my love to Lennie…" Whelan cocked the trigger and pointed the gun directly at his head, only for the sound of Kim's voice through a loud hailer to make him suddenly pause. From behind, Tosh and Tony suddenly appeared, armed themselves, yelling at Whelan to put the gun down and get on the ground, where he was quickly disarmed and arrested.
He felt as though his body had turned to jelly and the only thing he could do, was lean against the boot of Whelan's car and think about how close he had come to being in it and driven away to an unmarked grave. Once the shock had started to subside, the anger took its place. He was the DI for heaven's sake. He had set the whole thing up and yet Kim had seen fit to go behind his back…
As if reading his mind, she suddenly sidled up next to him. "All right?"
"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked tightly.
"I didn't know you'd be here. If you can't keep better company..."
"You thought we'd have put Whelan wise?"
"Puts you in the clear though now, doesn't it?"
"Oh, that's all right is it?" he snapped. "Thanks very much!"
"It was the only way to get him on our ground."
"We'd already had a result! Dope…bodies. Isn't that enough for you?"
"Joh unfinished."
"Serious were onto him. Only a matter of time."
"You really thought I'd let Petch lift him?" Kim looked at him sternly. "Nobody walks into my department and treats my officers the way they did. Don't you forget that." Her words ringing in his ears, he turned to look at Ted, leaning against the railing, chalk white, and smoking a cigarette. All he could do was lift an eyebrow in response, clearly as shocked as he was by how close they had come to sudden death.
"Frank?" Turning, he saw her standing a few feet away, watching him nervously. "You're not hurt, are you?"
He blinked as realisation dawned that Reid wasn't the only one who had kept secrets from him. She had been in on it. She had known. "You knew about this, didn't you?" he said, advancing upon her.
"I…"
"You knew that she was coming after Whelan, and you didn't think to tell me?!"
"I wanted to tell you, I did but…"
"But what?" She looked at the ground and he felt the bitter tang of betrayal, one that he would never have expected from her, not like this. "And I thought you were supposed to be on my firm."
"I am on your firm!" she met his gaze indignantly. "I've always been on your firm, you know that!"
"Yeah? Funny, it doesn't feel like that right now. There was me, facing down a shooter, awaiting imminent death, and all I could think about was you. How much I wanted you."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Look, please…"
"And you stitched me up!"
"I didn't!"
"No? Then you should have sought me out, told me about this, made sure I was in on it the moment you knew what she was planning! Things could have gone very differently in there if I'd be wise to it! But I suppose you were thinking about your career, weren't you?"
"It wasn't like that Frank, I…she said that if you knew, that it might make things worse. We needed to get Whelan, any way we could, didn't we? Well, didn't we?"
He shook his head, "All that flannel about still being in love with me…you only said that to get yourself off the hook with me about the rape allegation. You've just been waiting for the moment to stick the boot back in."
"Why? Why would I do that?!"
"I don't know, but you have!" he paused as he saw Kim looking over at them. "This conversation is finished."
"No, Frank…please…" she made to take hold of his arm, but he brushed her off.
"Get out of my way. I know now who I can trust, and it's not you. Ted?" The other man looked over, as though pretending he hadn't heard the exchange. "Come on, let's go."
"But wait…Ted…"
"Not now Chris, yeah?" Ted said, moving past her and then falling into step beside him. "You sure you want to do that?"
"What?"
"It's not her fault."
"No? You were just done telling me on the roof how glad you were I'd called the whole sorry mess off."
"Yeah, but…"
"Just leave it Ted, all right?" he said, "you don't know what you're talking about."