Page 36 of The Truth Will Out
“What? Why would she do that? Dumb question one thousand and one coming up. Do we know what was on it?”
Bob raised a finger. “As it happens, we do. It’s marked, REDACTED STAFF LIST.”
She shook her head and went over the information they had discovered so far. “What the fuck. We need to see if Mick at the lab will do us a second favour today. Can you sort that for me while I bring Armstrong up to date?”
“Go for it. I can send him the file rather than go over there. At least, I should be able to do it.”
Bob shot out of the room to deal with the task. Sam left her chair and followed him into the outer office and up the corridor, taking a chance that DCI Alan Armstrong was available to see her. Heidi, his efficient secretary, smiled as she entered the office.
“Sorry to disturb you, Heidi. I don’t suppose the boss can squeeze me in for a brief chat, can he?”
Heidi winked. “He’s just finished a call and doesn’t have another one lined up for about an hour. Let me ask the question.” She rose from her seat and knocked on the DCI’s door. “Sorry to trouble you, sir. DI Cobbs is here. She’d like a word with you, if you have time to see her.”
“I have. I’d welcome the break after dealing with the superintendenton the last call. Send her in. I’m sure the inspector wouldloveone of our special coffees, if you wouldn’t mind arranging that for us, Heidi?”
“My pleasure, sir.” Heidi walked away from the door and gestured for Sam to enter the room.
“A coffee would be a great idea. Thanks, Heidi.”
“I’ll get that sorted right away. Good luck.”
“Hello, Sam. This is a nice surprise. What’s up?”
Sam waited until she was sitting opposite him before she revealed the truth behind her visit. “This is hard for me to say, sir…”
“No, I won’t accept it.”
Confused, Sam said, “Accept what, sir?”
“Your resignation. If that’s what your visit is all about.”
“It isn’t, and I would never give up on the job I love more than life itself, sir. No matter how tempting it might be during a tough investigation.”
“Ah, okay. I was assuming that would be the case. Your expression is very grave today. Should I prepare myself for bad news?”
“It’s with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that a member of my team was killed last night.”
Her words hit him like a fist to the jaw, knocking him backwards into the chair. After a moment or two, he recovered and bounced upright again. “Tell me how it happened.”
She revealed what she knew about the incident and what she and Bob had discovered since they’d arrived at work that morning.
“Bloody hell. Are you all right, Sam?”
“I think so. I’ve slotted into professional mode. I’m conscious about keeping at it, fearing that if I stop, it might hit me harder.”
“Shit! I can understand that. I’ve never had a reason to tell you this before, but years ago, when I started off on the beat—I know, that was long before your time—my partner was stabbed by a youth. I was there, luckily, right beside him. I knew what to do in the emergency and managed to keep him alive until they got him to hospital. The youth had punctured my partner’s lung, and Ron faded fast once he was taken to A and E. I’ve always felt guilty about the incident. Iasked myself over and over: why did it happen to him and not to me? Ron was six months away from his retirement. All those years on the Force, and he never got to enjoy the benefits of his copper’s pension.”
“That’s so sad. I’m sorry to hear that, sir. It’s true what they say: we continue to put our lives on the line daily in order to protect the public, not that it’s appreciated by some members of the public.”
“It’s what we signed up for, but in reality, it knocks us sideways when we have to deal with the consequences of things going wrong. Are you and your team up for working the case?”
“I’m aware that we should hand it over, sir, but I’d feel bad letting someone else deal with it. Claire was a great officer and a close colleague. I know I’m speaking on behalf of the rest of my team when I say this, but we’d feel we were letting her down if we didn’t find the killer.”
“I’ll run it past the super and let you know what he has to say. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he appreciates the importance behind your decision to keep working the investigation.”
“Thank you. That means a lot, sir.”
“Sorry if this sounds flippant. How did her family take it? Was she married?”
