Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Helen stood in front of her superior's desk, like a student summoned to the head teacher's office. It was a profoundly odd dynamic, her new boss Chief Superintendent Rebecca Holmes fully ten years younger than Helen and the very image of fast-track success. Despite her relative youth, Holmes had presence, intelligence and dynamism, not to mention good looks, a winning package that had seen her rise through the ranks at impressive speed. She was known to be efficient, purposeful and politically astute, skilled in ensuring blame always landed elsewhere. Her record was spotless, her conduct exemplary, perhaps because she had had very little front-line experience during her meteoric career. This had worried Helen when news of Holmes' appointment had been confirmed, as had their very different outlook and methodology. Helen sensed the contrast keenly now, feeling like a grizzled old gunslinger in front of the shiny new sheriff. Holmes was a desk jockey, albeit a successful one, whereas Helen had spent more time in A&E than she had shuffling papers. Time would tell if this might prove a winning combination, but right now Helen felt ill at ease in Holmes' pristine office, in which everything was perfectly ordered, everything in its rightful place.

Holmes, by contrast, appeared relaxed and calm, dispensing with the formalities and cutting to the chase. This was their first proper interaction, barring the official hand-shaking a few weeks ago, and she seemed determined to hit the ground running.

‘So what do we know about last night's shooting?'

‘We believe it's part of an ongoing turf war for control of the supply of illegal drugs in the Freemantle area,' Helen replied briskly. ‘That part of town has always been under the control of the Cobras, but a new unit, the Main Street crew, want to muscle in. They've recently beefed up their numbers and seem more than happy to mete out the necessary violence to make their point.'

‘A bad business,' Holmes replied, nodding thoughtfully. ‘Which we don't want to spiral out of control. Do we have any leads?'

‘It's early days yet, ma'am, but I'm confident we'll make swift progress. Whilst we're chasing down leads, I'm planning to pull in some of the main faces, put some heat on them, make sure they know that we will not tolerate the public being put at risk in this way.'

‘Exactly so. Last night's shooting could have been significantly worse. A firefight could have developed, which would have been catastrophic in such a densely residential area. We will need plenty of uniformed officers in and around the area today, to reassure locals that they're safe and that we remain in control throughout the city.'

‘I've already requested a doubling of uniformed presence there, and suggested we deploy as many support officers as we can, to answer questions and reassure the community.'

‘Good. We need to calm and reassure, but we also need some results. This is the third such incident in as many weeks, something the police and crime commissioner was at pains to remind this morning.'

‘No one's taking it more seriously than me, I can assure you,' Helen replied evenly, masking her irritation at this mild reprimand.

‘Even so, we need arrests , Helen,' Holmes continued, flashing a smile. ‘In situations such as this, it's my experience that what one needs is visible justice. News footage of thugs being dragged away in cuffs deters the bad guys and reassures the locals, not to mention our paymasters, so let's move as quickly as we can on this one. Some public arrests, some lengthy interrogations and then some solid charges – that's what's needed.'

Helen resisted the temptation to reply ‘be my guest', instead nodding her head firmly.

‘Excellent, then we're in agreement. I want all available resources redirected to this case, every member of your team working night and day to bring this one to a close.'

Helen was tempted to agree and depart, but something made her pause. She didn't like being told what to do, nor did she make a habit of lying.

‘I would like to reserve some capability to explore other urgent investigations.'

Holmes looked up from her desk, having already returned her attention to her paperwork, clearly assuming the meeting was over. Frowning, she replied, ‘Such as?'

‘Anything important that comes in. We've got a missing persons case that's just been flagged, which I feel needs attention.'

‘What are the details?'

‘A fifteen-year-old girl who's run away from home. Been dossing down with a twenty-two-year-old boyfriend, a junkie and minor dealer, but they split last night. She was known to be in the Hoglands Park area around 8 p.m., but hasn't been seen since. Her mum was in reception this morning, very distressed.'

‘So she's been missing for a matter of hours?' Holmes queried, surprised.

‘Overnight, yes. It's obviously freezing, wet, and with the situation on the street as it is, I think it's potentially a very dangerous situation.'

‘Well obviously I respect your instincts, DI Grace, but I think we'd need more evidence of an imminent threat before we deploy CID resources to this. Let uniform handle it.'

‘Normally I would, ma'am, but I spoke to the mother personally and I think it needs a speedy and concerted follow-up. This kid's got nowhere to go and her chances of finding a safe space to bed down in are remote.'

‘Even so, I think we should wait longer before making a decision on this. We don't even know that a crime's been committed,' Holmes replied, growing irritated.

‘With respect, I don't agree. In cases like this, the first few hours are crucial.'

‘Be that as it may, we have to make choices, Helen. And you know the rules – a shooting, an attempted murder, trumps a missing persons case every day of the week.'

‘Try telling that to her mother.'

Holmes took a moment to respond, visibly taken aback by Helen's tart response, her refusal to roll over. Rising, she looked directly at Helen, as she replied, ‘Helen, I would hate our first proper conversation to end in an argument, so let me be plain. Given our scant resources, we are forced to prioritize. It's not ideal, but it's the world we live in, hence why we have grading systems, protocols. Protocols which I expect you to observe. So let's background the missing persons for now and focus all our energies, all our endeavours on making the streets of this great city safe again. OK?'

‘Yes, ma'am.'

Even as she said it, Helen knew she had no intention of obeying her superior's directive. Helen had the front-line experience, the nose for danger, the gut instinct that had saved many lives over the years. If she felt something needed urgent attention, she would double down on it, whatever the consequences. It was reckless, foolish and potentially damaging, but she knew no other way.

She had never been very good at following orders.