Fat chance. But at least a man can dream.
The bacon sandwich tasted good anyway, and I was so hungry I even ate the apple down to the core.
At 9.15, Knox came into the incident room with a very tired-looking Welland. Welland sat down immediately and it looked like he needed to. Knox, meanwhile, addressed the rest of us. ‘We’ve just told Mark Wells about the latest developments and once again he categorically denies any involvement, but, to use the old phrase, he would say that, wouldn’t he? He certainly looks far more worried than he has been. As we all know, he’s a cocky bastard, and he’s lost a lot of that now. We should get the rest of the results on the shirt later this morning and they’ll tell us whether it belongs to Wells or not, although from the way he’s behaving, I feel fairly certain it’s his.’
‘So we’re going to be knocking out the champers later, then?’ This was Capper.
Knox smiled. ‘It’s far too early even to think about a celebration drink yet. We’ve done well, very well, and it’s been a team effort, but until you hear otherwise, it’s still business as usual.’
He strode into his office, leaving Welland where he’d sat down. One of the women DCs asked Welland if he was all right. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,’ he replied. ‘Just a bit under the weather.’ Someone suggested that he go home for the day, but he said he’d stick around and wait for Wells to be charged. ‘I want to see that bastard squirm,’ he said, with more vigour than I’d have thought his body would allow.
‘He looks terrible,’ said Malik quietly, turning to me.
‘Yeah, I know. He should take a few days off. He needs it. And the taxpayer owes him a break. He’s done a good job on behalf of society.’
Not that anyone had ever thanked him for it; or any of us, for that matter. It may be that it’s not accurate to describe all coppers as unsung heroes, but neither is it fair to view them as the constant villains of the piece, which is usually the way we’re portrayed whenever we get a mention on the box. And Welland, more than most, was one of the good guys. He’d put his all into policework, so now he might as well take something back.
‘If I was him, I’d go for early retirement,’ said Malik.
‘If I was him, I’d have gone for it ten years ago.’
He gave me a disbelieving smile. ‘No you wouldn’t. You enjoy the whole thing too much.’
‘Bullshit I do.’
My phone rang and I had a sudden rush of adrenalin, hoping it was Carla. But if she was the person I most wanted to speak to, then the person on the other end of the line had to be one of those whose voice I least wanted to hear.
‘It’s a Jean Ashcroft for you, Mr Milne,’ said the civilian receptionist.
Christ, what the hell did she want? ‘Thanks, can you put her through?’ There was a pause as she came on the line. ‘Hello, Jean. Long time no speak.’
‘Hello, Dennis. Look, I’m sorry to bother you…’ Her tone was strained, formal.
‘It’s no problem. No problem at all. What can I do?’
‘It’s Danny,’ she said. ‘I think he might be in trouble.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘Well he phoned me last night and, you know, he never normally phones me, so I knew something wasn’t right. He didn’t sound himself, Dennis. It was all very strange. I think he’d been drinking, or smoking something, and he was rambling, going on about changing his life, doing something different, saying that it was definitely time to make the break and go … and he said something about having saved up some money, a lot of money.’
‘Maybe he has.’
‘He doesn’t have a job, Dennis. He would never have been able to raise a lot of money,’ she stopped for a quick sniff, ‘unless he’s involved in something. You know, something criminal. That’s what I’m worried about. You know what he’s like. It would break my mum’s heart if anything happened to him again, especially after all that stuff before. And now with Dad gone.’
‘Look, I understand you’re worried about him. It’s only natural. And I know he’s had his brushes with the law, but he hasn’t been in trouble for a long time now.’ Malik was looking at me quizzically now, but I waved him away, intimating that it wasn’t business. Not police business, anyway. He stood up and walked off. ‘I don’t think you should let one drunken phone call get you too concerned. Seriously, Jean.’
‘You still see him sometimes, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, occasionally, but not as often as I’d like.’
‘You know, whenever we speak, which I know isn’t that often, but whenever we do, he always talks about you. I think he looks up to you. Would you do me a favour? Please. I understand what you’re saying about not getting too worried, but would you go round and see him, just to check things out? See that he’s OK.’
This was all I needed. ‘I really think you’re worrying unduly. Danny’s no fool. He’s done his time. He won’t make the same mistake again.’
‘Please, Dennis. I’m sure you’re busy, but it would mean a lot if you could just check up on him.’
‘OK, I’ll see what I can do, but I’m sure it’s nothing.’
‘Thanks. I really appreciate it.’ And it sounded like she did.
I took her number in Leeds and said I’d get back to her one way or another in the next few days. We talked for
