Chapter 104

Chapter 104

They filed into the room silently, heads bowed, mouths shut. Was this purely a defensive tactic, not wishing to incriminate themselves further, or did their bearing denote embarrassment, even shame? Chief Superintendent Rebecca Holmes sincerely hoped it was the latter, wanting to believe that there was some goodness in these officers, but privately she feared it was the former. The trio of DCs had proved to be wholly unreliable, utterly unsuited to the position of responsibility they'd been given and, frankly, she now expected nothing of them.

‘Right then,' she said firmly. ‘This is your new home for the foreseeable future.'

DC Jennings looked around the musty, dimly lit room in horror, his shock and mortification evidently shared by DCs Reid and Edwards. They were in a resources room on the third floor, a holding pen for whiteboards, old office furniture and a couple of photocopiers. The curtains were drawn, dust danced in the air and the room had a strange odour, which was a mixture of decaying fabric and photocopying chemicals. It was clearly not intended for human habitation, but perhaps that was the point. The suspended officers had caused Chief Superintendent Holmes professional embarrassment, a cardinal sin.

‘It will take us a little while to process this "situation", partly as Professional Services already have their hands full dealing with other problem officers.'

DC Jennings looked up sharply, clearly not appreciating that description, but Holmes ignored him. She little cared what he thought or felt now.

‘You are not to set foot outside of this room without my say-so, and obviously you are not to communicate with anyone else in the building. Is that clear?'

Two of them nodded reluctantly, Jennings merely scowling.

‘On a personal note, I'd like to say how disappointed I am in all of you. I must confess I hadn't truly appreciated how deeply entrenched the boys' club culture was at this station. It could have cost us dear, especially if PC Reynolds had managed to make good his escape. Fortunately, DS Brooks and PC Beamer were on hand to ensure he didn't. Once he's been interviewed and charged, we will address your connection to him, and your unhelpful intervention in this investigation.'

Once more Jennings reacted. He was clearly itching to push back, but at the last minute thought better of it, biting his tongue.

‘In the meantime, I shall leave you to reflect on your actions. I imagine in the next few weeks and months you'll have a lot of time and space to consider what you've done, the damage you've inflicted on both your unit and this station. I'm afraid this is it, boys …'

She gestured to the uninspiring surroundings, sucking in the prevalent air of decay.

‘… this is your reality now. It will take me a while to get you out of this building, out of this force, so there'll be plenty of time for introspection, for personal growth. You will spend every day here, under my direct supervision until that process is completed and I would suggest you use that time to consider what your next career might be, if you are lucky enough to have one.'

She paused now, taking a moment to look at each transgressor in turn, letting them feel the full weight of her disappointment and anger, before she moved off smartly, walking fast to the door and slamming it shut behind her, leaving the trio of prisoners in the airless room.