Halfway through, Tyler leaned into Holland. “Like the old saying goes: ‘bullshit baffles brains,’” he whispered.
Eventually, the meeting turned political, and Tyler was pretty much ignored while Porter and Holland discussed community impact issues with the LAG members.
After the meeting finished there was just about enough time to rush to the canteen and grab a takeaway coffee before setting off for the press conference at the Yard. A train was pulling in as they walked onto the platform. To Jack’s relief, the Central Line was running without any delays, although the way the day was panning out, he wouldn’t be surprised if something happened during the journey and they didn’t make it to the Yard.
The press conference was to be held in the ground floor briefing room at NSY, which was already packed to capacity. As Tyler walked past the room, he spotted Miller standing in one corner talking to a colleague; she seemed to be following him around like a bad smell today.
The two detectives were led into an ante-room, away from the press, and told the assigned Press Liaison Officer would be with them shortly. Jack hoped it wouldn’t be the same one whose pager messages he had repeatedly ignored after Winston’s arrest. He was surprised to discover that Porter had also been invited and was due to address the camera when the individual interviews were given.
“What’s he going to say?” Jack asked.
Holland shrugged. “Someone’s got to do the community reassurance stuff, and that’s never been your strong suit.”
“I joined the job to catch villains, not be all pink and fluffy.”
Holland sighed. “Jack, assuming we still have jobs by the time this investigation is over, you really will have to broaden your outlook and start thinking more globally if you want promotion.”
“You say ‘think globally’, but I hear ‘kiss arse’,” Jack said, and immediately regretted it. Holland was right; the Job was changing, and if he wanted further advancement he would have to learn how to ‘play the game’.
Holland shook his head in despair. “Think globally, Jack. We’ve got a serial killer roaming the streets of Whitechapel, killing and mutilating female victims. That’s terrifying for the local community, and we need to reassure them before a general state of panic sets in.”
“Good job Porter’s here, then,” Jack said dryly. “I’m sure he thinks globally all the time.”
Before Holland could respond, a young Press Liaison Officer called Archie breezed into the room. He was pencil thin and exuded nervous energy from every pore; an unruly mop of brown hair bounced up and down as he walked. As soon as introductions were made, he began coaching them on what to say and how to respond to tricky questions. Jack noticed that the PLO’s eyes glinted with enthusiasm, and guessed that he was fresh from university. Give him a few more months and he’ll be as jaded as everyone else, Jack thought.
After running through the rules, Archie opened the door and peered into the corridor. “I just need to pop next door and get something,” he told them. “I’ll be back in two minutes. Don’t leave the room until I return.”
“Where do you reckon he’s going?” Holland asked, thinking it was probably a quick trip to the loo.
“Probably gone to get us some more eggs to suck,” Jack said.
When Archie reappeared five minutes later, he wasn’t carrying any eggs, but he did have a shiny new clipboard. “Forgot my notes,” he said by way of explanation, and promptly began flicking through them. This was to be a live broadcast, simultaneously filmed by all the major networks, Archie told them excitedly. The running order was: Holland, Tyler and then Porter. When the filming concluded, the detectives would be ushered away to sit down for a short question and answer session with the various tabloid reporters. Archie would invite anyone with a question to raise their hand, and he would nominate the lucky few who got to ask questions. That way, he could filter out potential troublemakers. Only when Archie was completely satisfied that they understood what was expected of them did he lead them into the crowded briefing room.
The press conference started promptly and, although it felt oppressive at times, both Holland and Tyler stuck to the party line, being helpful and informative without giving anything away. Like a proud parent, Archie gave little nods of approval to each of them as they came off camera. When it was Porter’s turn, he cleared his throat and began to speak. “I want to say two things,” he began, looking suitably solemn. “Firstly, I want to reassure the community of Whitechapel that we are doing everything humanly possible to catch the perpetrator. With immediate effect, there will be significantly increased patrols throughout the area, and these will remain in place until he is in custody.” He paused for a moment, looking straight at the camera while considering his next words. “Secondly, I would like to speak directly to the killer, who I am convinced will be watching this broadcast.”
Tyler and Holland were standing to Porter’s side, just off camera. “What’s he doing?” Jack whispered, alarmed.
“I don’t know,” Holland said quietly, “but this hasn’t been sanctioned by me.” Using a media broadcast to address a dangerous perpetrator directly was something that was generally best avoided. On the rare occasion that it was deemed necessary, the content had to be carefully scripted and properly approved.
Jack glanced around and spotted a very stressed looking Archie desperately trying to catch Porter’s eye so that he could signal the Borough Commander to stop speaking. Porter either didn’t see him or wilfully chose to ignore him. “You think you’re cleverer than us,” he continued, “but you are not. You’re just deluded. You think you have power, but you don’t. You are beyond pathetic. You think you can do anything you want. Well, take it from me, you
