31 December 1989

The door into the CID office slammed back against the wall and Frank stormed inside, the rest of the team trailing in his wake. It had been a long time since he had been as pissed off and he certainly wasn't above letting everyone know about it. The raid had been a complete wash out; a waste of time, a fool's errand and someone was going to have to answer for it.

"In case anyone is in any doubt," he rounded on them. "I am not a happy man!"

"You could have fooled us, Guv," Mike said, throwing himself down into his chair. "I'm not sure if it was the kicking over of the bins or the driving like a maniac that gave it away."

"I've been had over, and I don't like it. That information was good, that information was solid."

"Well, obviously, it wasn't," Tosh opined, "otherwise we'd be back here with bodies rather than empty-handed."

"He's never let me down before."

"Your snout?"

Frank nodded. "He's provided good quality information in the past. I don't understand why this time would be any different."

"Maybe the gang got spooked," Christina said, sitting down behind her desk. "Maybe Johnno let something slip by accident."

"Yeah? I'll be letting something slip if that turns out to be the case," Frank replied. "Like a knife across his throat. We were that close, that close, to getting this gang off the streets and now we just look like idiots. Or rather, I do and I'm the one who has to go in and explain to Conway and Brownlow why it was a washout! So," he leaned against the edge of Ted's desk and folded his arms. "Any ideas?"

"Well like Chris said, maybe the gang got spooked," Ted replied. "Maybe a whisper went round that something was up. Or maybe it was a set up from the start."

"Why though?" Tosh asked. "What would be the point?"

"Because it's New Year's Eve?" Mike replied, in a slightly wounded tone.

"Don't start, Michael. You'll be here until we sort this, party or no party," Frank said acerbically. "I am not letting 1989 turn into 1990 without getting some answers."

It had seemed like a good tip-off from an ever-reliable snout. Over the last few months, there had been a spate of housebreakings on and around the Jasmine Allen estate, all during the night, all committed with violence. Needless to say, Councillor Hammond had been up in arms about the lack of arrests, and Frank had had his ear bent on more than one occasion about it by the senior management team. So, when Johnno Smith had told him on the quiet that he could identify the gang and where they could be picked up, he had jumped at the chance of nailing the slags to the floor. The reality however, of empty beds and missing gear, had been the slap in the face he had not been anticipating that New Year's Eve.

"So, what do you want us to do?" Christina asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"For a start, you and I are going to go and see Johnno, see what he's got to say for himself. He better have a bloody good reason why this didn't go off! I want the rest of you to work your information on the ground; see if anyone knew about it advance. Maybe somebody heard something, maybe somebody knows something. Whichever it is, I want a result and I want one now. Everyone clear?"

"Yes Guv," they chorused in unison.

"Good, so get to it. I'm sure it's not just Michael that had better plans for the bells than hanging around here. I know I did." He turned to Christina. "You fit?"

"Absolutely," she replied. "Do you think we'll find him at home?"

"Well, he's not the brightest bulb in the box, our Johnno," he replied as they made their way down the stairs. "So, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't sitting at home with his feet up."

"If he is and he did set us up, he'd be pretty stupid to be where we could easily find him."

"Like I said, not the brightest bulb." They emerged out into the biting air and hurried over to the car. "I hope you didn't have any special plans for this evening."

"I did as it happens," she replied, sliding into the passenger seat. "But to be honest, if this runs into overtime, I'll be glad."

"Oh yeah, why's that then?"

"Stewart got us tickets to some posh bash at the Regent Hotel," she made a face. "He's very excited about it."

Frank glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out of the yard. "And you're not?"

"Well, don't get me wrong I'm not averse to getting all dolled up in a nice dress to drink champagne, but I can think of other people I'd rather do it with than Stewart's work cronies. To be fair, I reckon an evening in the pub with you lot would be preferable." She looked over at him. "What were your plans for tonight?"

"I hadn't really decided."

"I see," she grinned. "You haven't decided which beauty to spend the evening with yet?"

"Is that how little you think of me?" he replied.

"Of course not. You're a single bloke, it's New Year's Eve, the end of the eighties…all I meant was…well…" she floundered slightly and when he glanced at her again, her cheeks had reddened. "Of course, if you preferred to spend the evening alone, that would be all right too."

"Thanks for the permission."

"I didn't mean it like that!" she turned to look at him, the earnest expression on her face only causing him to laugh. "Oh, stop it!" she laughed in turn and shook her head. "Sometimes, Guv, I have no idea when you're taking the piss."

"Well, that's deliberate, isn't it? Got to keep you on your toes," he replied, turning into the estate. "What are you wearing to this do tonight anyway?"

"Just a black dress."

"Long? Short?"

"Long."

"Very nice." He pulled to a halt at the side of the road and looked over at her again, his mind suddenly working overtime, somewhat inappropriate visions burning into his brain. "I'm sure you'll make Stewart proud."

"Yeah, well…" she unclicked her seatbelt. "Sometimes I can't help but wonder. I could turn up naked and he probably wouldn't even notice."

He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again. Platitudes about her surely not being right would just sound hollow and he would be lying if the thought of her naked hadn't stirred him just a little. Perhaps Ted was right after all; perhaps he did fancy her. As they walked up the ramp leading to Johnno Smith's flat, he refocused himself on the job in hand, namely finding out what the hell had gone so badly wrong that morning. His anger suddenly came swarming back and by the time they reached the door, all thoughts of being discreet had gone, resulting in him viciously demanding entry. "Open the door, Johnno!"

"Guv, maybe you should…"

"Open the door!" he banged again, ignoring what was surely the beginning of sensible, reasonable advice. "Open the door or I'll put it in!" The door opened a crack and he could see the familiar eyes of his snout. "Open up, Johnno. We need a word."

"Not now, Mr Burnside," Johnno replied, "Please, I can't…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Frank pushed the door open, forcing his way inside, Christina at his back. "Are we disturbing you?" he asked, moving through into the living room where the television was blaring. "Disrupting your lunchtime viewing, are we?"

"Look…Mr Burnside…" Johnno switched off the television and turned to face him. "I…I know why you're here…"

"Oh, do you now? Well, that's a start at least. Why am I here?"

"Well, I…I mean I…"

"Could it be that I'm slightly pissed off that a raid I led this morning, a raid that you told me would be successful, gave me absolutely bloody nothing?!" He advanced on the younger man. "Do you think that could be the reason, Johnno?"

"Uh…well, yes I…I suppose it could be…"

"Good, I'm glad we understand one another. So, why don't you tell me exactly what went wrong this morning. And I hope for your sake that it wasn't a case of you feeding me a load of old pony, so I'd make myself look like an idiot, because I hate looking like an idiot, Johnno. I mean, you can understand that, can't you?"

"Yes…"

"Right then. So, why don't you tell me all about why there was no-one there this morning when we raided the flats."

Johnno's gaze flicked between them. "I…I'm sorry I…they knew…knew you were onto them, knew that I'd given you the information and…and…"

"They threatened you?" Christina asked.

Johnno nodded. "They made me tell them when the raid was going to be, when I'd told you to go in, so that they could be…be somewhere else. I'm sorry, Mr Burnside, really I am, but I had no choice!"

"So, you'd rather be in their good books than in mine?" Frank asked, inching closer to him. "You're more scared of them than you are of me?" Johnno nodded. "Wrong choice, pal. You want to stay on my good side. I don't forget the people I've been wronged by, especially toerag informants like you."

"It won't happen again…I promise it won't…"

"Oh, you can bet your life it won't happen again, Johnno, because you and I are finished. If I can't trust your information, then I can't trust you. You see, I've got people to answer to, just like you have to answer to me and now I'm going to have to go back and tell them that I was made a prat of by a piece of excrement like you." He took hold of Johnno's shirt. "And that makes me very unhappy, Johnno, very unhappy!"

"Please…" Johnno twisted away from him and over towards the living room door. "You don't understand. I'm not…not well."

"Oh, really?" he sneered. "I'm sure it's nothing a night or two down the nick wouldn't cure."

Johnno's eyes widened, "Down the nick? But…but I can't…you can't…"

"You just watch me. I'm going to nick you for wasting police time, Johnno, and given that you're already out on probation, I reckon that means that you'll soon find yourself back in the Scrubs, where all your little friends will be waiting for you."

"No, I can't…I can't go back inside, Mr Burnside, I can't! That's why I agreed to help you! To keep out of trouble!"

"Well, now you're in trouble big time, Johnno, and there's nothing I can do for you." He glanced at Christina. "Nick him."

"No, but…" Johnno's eyes danced between them, sweat breaking out on his face as she reached into her pocket for a set of handcuffs. "No, you can't…you can't…!"

"You're only making this more difficult Johnno," she said, moving towards him. "Come on, the sooner we do this…"

"No!" he darted away from her, over towards the bookcase in the far corner before reaching for an item and then spinning around, a black handgun in his hand. "You can't do this! I won't let you do this! You can't take me away, you can't!"

XXXX

The moment she saw the gun, Christina felt as though all the air left her body in one fell swoop. All she could see, all she could focus on, was the weapon in Johnno's hand, the hand that was trembling as he pointed it at her. She felt a cold sense of panic start to sweep over her and her throat suddenly went dry. "Ok…ok Johnno…" her voice sounded reedy, as though it wasn't really coming from her own body and the handcuffs in her hand started to clink together as she herself began to shake.

"All right Johnno, take it easy…" Frank's voice came from her right-hand side. "There's no need for that now, is there?"

"No? What would you know about it? You don't know nothing!"

"All right, maybe I don't know anything, maybe I haven't a clue what's going on, but I do know that whatever it is, this isn't going to sort it." She sensed, rather than saw his movement and, seconds later, he slowly positioned himself in front of her, shielding her from the angle of the weapon. "Why don't you just put the gun down, yeah? Put it down and we can talk."

"No!" Johnno's hand continued to shake. "We can't talk! Not now! Sit down!" They both hesitated. "I said, sit down!"

"All right," Frank replied calmly. "I'll sit down and you and I can see if we can't sort this. I'm happy to do that Johnno, I don't mind. But it doesn't need all of us to have that conversation, does it?"

Johnno frowned, "What…what do you mean?"

"Well, we don't need WDC Lewis here for this, do we? She only came with me to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. After all, you're my snout. Why don't you let her go and then you and I can talk?"

Christina felt her heart thump loudly in her chest. She was closest to the door…she could try and make a run for it…but how could she leave him, and what if she didn't make it? Unconsciously she turned slightly in the direction of the door, only for Johnno to move back into her line of sight and wave the gun at her. "Don't move! Don't you move!"

"Ok, ok…" she replied, raising her hands. "I'm not…not moving."

"Both of you, sit down!" He was between them and the door now, waving them towards the couch and when she glanced at Frank, he nodded imperceptibly. Following his lead, she sat down, him next to her, his leg pressing against hers. Whether it was deliberate or not, she couldn't tell, but she was grateful for the connection alone.

"Stupid…stupid…so stupid!" Johnno hit his hand against his forehead. "I should never have listened to you, never trusted you! You coppers are all the same! Only out for what you can get!"

"Listen Johnno," Frank said calmly. "You know how it works between informant and handler. You give me information, I help keep you out of trouble. You scratch my back and I scratch yours. That's the way it's always been."

"Yeah, and I've given you good information, Mr Burnside. I've always come over for you."

"I know that, Johnno, and I've always appreciated that. I thought we had a good relationship, a good understanding. That's why I don't understand what went wrong today. I don't understand why you would give me a bum steer."

"I told you, they were onto me!"

"So, why didn't you come to me? We could have worked something out, the two of us. I could have changed things around, made different arrangements, ones that wouldn't have seen you involved. But, instead, you made me look like an idiot. That isn't like you at all."

She had to admire the calm way he was dealing with Johnno, a man who was clearly two steps away from being completely unhinged. Frank's voice was calm and rational, his tone open and engaging. She knew he'd had no formal training in hostage negotiation, none of them had, and yet he was talking as though dealing with this type of situation was something he did every day. Swallowing hard against the lump in her throat, she had to admit that that was probably one reason why he held the rank he did. Faced with the same situation, she knew she would have physically crumbled, long before this moment. Even now, sat beside him, his body still pressed against hers, she couldn't think of one meaningful thing to contribute. But then, maybe he had faced gunmen like this before. Maybe if they made it out alive, she would ask him.

"I'm sorry," Johnno said, "I'm sorry, I…I know I should have come to you. I know…" he shook his head. "But I couldn't…I just couldn't. They said they'd kill me."

"And you believed them?" Frank asked.

"You've seen what they've done. You know what they're capable of!"

"They're cowards, Johnno. Why do you think they do what they do at night? They sneak in when everyone's in bed to commit their crime and, if confronted, they lash out. Robbing people at night is a coward's crime. You're not a coward, Johnno, are you?"

"I…"

"I know you're not. Pointing a gun at us? That's not a cowardly thing to do. Takes a lot of bottle and that's something I know you have, Johnno, bottle. You need a lot of bottle to be a snout in the first place, don't you?"

"I…suppose…"

"No suppose about it. I don't think I'd have the guts to inform if I was in your shoes. But the things you tell us, the police, well we rely upon that, don't we? We need brave people like you."

As she watched, she fancied that she could see the wheels turning in Johnno's head, listening to the words that Frank was saying and, gradually, the gun started to lower.

"I mean, what you've done today is a little bit stupid, but I can understand why you did it and there's no reason that we can't overlook it."

Johnno suddenly looked hopeful. "Overlook it?"

"Of course. This has all been a big misunderstanding it, hasn't it Chris? He looked at her, clearly willing her to agree, and she found herself nodding. "See? WDC Lewis and I can just forget this little incident happened, so long as you put down that gun."

He shook his head, "I…I can't…I can't go back to jail, Mr Burnside, I can't."

"Well, we can talk about that later. First thing's first eh? What about my original suggestion?"

"Original suggestion?"

"Well, like I said, it doesn't need three of us here for this, does it? You and I can talk business, man to man."

"No…"

"I said that you were brave, Johnno, didn't I? Being brave also means being able to recognise when you've made a mistake, and keeping the both of us here, well, that would be a mistake, wouldn't it? WDC Lewis has got a husband waiting for her and I'm sure he'd appreciate you being brave and letting her go home to him."

She turned to look at him, but his gaze was still focused on Johnno. The only indication of anything she had, was the sudden pressure of his knee against her thigh.

"Well, I…I mean…"

"Think about it, Johnno," Frank said, getting slowly to his feet. "It would be a brave gesture, one that would definitely be remembered when all this is over. What do you say?"

Johnno's gaze flicked between them again, before he advanced slightly on Frank. "You have to stay here!"

"All right, I understand that. I'm the one you've got the hump with after all, not her. So, can we agree that she can leave?"

For a moment, Johnno didn't say anything, just continued to look between them, the gun still shaking in his hand. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded. "Fine, she can go."

"That's a good decision, Johnno, a really good decision." Frank turned to look down at her and she felt her heart leap into her throat. "Well, you heard the man."

"I…" she got to her feet and looked between them, from the expression on Johnno's face to the one on Frank's. He met her gaze, and she felt something stab her, deep inside, something she couldn't identify. "I should…"

"On you go."

"No, but…I can't leave you." His eyes softened suddenly, and she knew that he had recognised the underlying meaning of her words, knew he understood that she was really saying she didn't want to leave him, even if she herself wasn't sure why.

"I'm a big boy," he said calmly. "Besides, Johnno and I are only going to talk, aren't we Johnno?" He glanced over at him and then back again. "Go on, Christina."

"Frank…" his name caught in her throat, a thousand emotions dancing through her body.

"Go," he urged, "before one or both of us change our minds."