‘I will, ma’am. You can trust me on that.’
‘Really. I can trust you, can I? Why, then, am I hearing today about a complaint being made about you by a member of the public?’
Bliss became instantly wary. It was not the time to tiptoe around pretending he had no idea what this was about; it was time to get out in front of it. ‘If this is about Neil Watson, I can explain.’
‘I have no doubt about that. I’m sure you will if I order you to. And perhaps some of what you tell me will even be the truth. But here’s the thing, Jimmy: as of next Friday, I am on annual leave for two whole weeks. While you’re all here freezing your private parts off, I’ll be sunning myself on a beach in Barbados. What that means is, I won’t be here tinkering with budgets or pulling together crime stats or, heaven forbid, managing crimes. More importantly in your case, Jimmy, I won’t be here to protect you from yourself. So while I can make this complaint go away, I won’t – I’ll simply set it aside until I return. Meanwhile, I don’t think I wish to be burdened by the precise details of whatever vendetta you’re pursuing this week.’
Bliss blew out some air. ‘Understood, boss.’
‘But you should not regard that as permission to get your kicks in before midnight on Friday, either.’
‘As if I would.’
Fletcher’s gaze turned icy. ‘We both know damned well you would. Jimmy, learn your bloody lesson for once and stay away from the man. I don’t know everything you have going on with Watson, but I can tell it’s not going away easily. That said, I’m ordering you to make it easier – on everybody, but especially you. If you ignore my instruction, it will be DCS Feeley you’ll be dealing with and not me. I think we both know what that means.’
‘And meanwhile Watson walks around as if he doesn’t have blood on his hands. Literally. I’m sure you at least looked into him before you called me up here. You know what he did. What he’s capable of.’
‘I do. Which suggests he’ll screw up again. His kind always do.’
‘The trouble is, ma’am, when his kind screw up again they usually leave a dead body in their wake.’
‘That’s not what I meant, and you know it.’ Fletcher’s volume and tone distorted upwards.
‘I know what you meant. You meant he’ll step out of line again and someone will do the right thing this time and report him to us before his violence becomes extreme. But we both also know the reality is more likely to be that things will end up where they did before. He’s killed one kid already, and – ’
‘Allegedly. You keep forgetting that part.’
Bliss threw his hands in the air. ‘He did it. If you’ve even glanced at the relevant case file, ma’am, you know he did it every bit as much as I do. He beat that poor boy to death, and the mother was so terrified of him that she thought she’d be better off inside than out here with him. You know she’s already been got to by her fellow prisoners? Boiling hot water all over her throat and chest. That, to her, is preferable to a life with Watson.’
Fletcher shifted her stance a little, tilting her head. ‘And yet legally – which is still what counts, no matter how any of us feels about it – Neil Watson is guilty of nothing. In fact, you’re closer to being charged than he is. So far he’s made a complaint about you stalking him, claiming harassment. Right at this moment, I don’t want to know the details, Jimmy. And not only because I’m looking forward to my holibobs, nor because I don’t care what happens to you. I don’t want to know the details because I fear that if I did, I’d have to turn you in to the DCS myself.’
Bliss nodded, calming himself. ‘I appreciate that. Thank you, ma’am.’
‘For what?’
‘For giving me the opportunity to clear up my own mess.’
‘What mess? I know nothing about any mess; I told you, I’m the three wise monkeys rolled into one where this is concerned. You deal with it. And if you make a mess of it, you know what to expect. No thanks from a grateful public. No handshakes all round from a proud employer. Neither I nor DCI Warburton will be able to save you this time. You’ll be on your own.’
He gave a humourless smile. ‘That’s starting to have a familiar ring about it,’ he said.
‘Just you make sure you don’t bring anyone else down with you, Jimmy.’
Bliss shook his head. ‘Not a chance. I’ll get Operation Phoenix done with first, ma’am. Me and the team as a unit. Anything else is mine and mine alone.’
Twenty-Seven
After a time, Abbi came to realise she was close to a river or a wide drain. Locked away inside her cell, she couldn’t hear a thing emanating from the outside world. But during those infrequent occasions when Des opened up to drop her food off or collect her rubbish, or when she was allowed to visit the toilet or forced to endure the drenching and scrubbing, she picked up the odd noise drifting in on the cool breeze.
The gentle rush of flowing water was the sound that reached her most frequently. She thought its fluctuating strength might have something to do with the tide. Every so often a dog barked in the distance. On two occasions she caught the guttural grind of a large diesel engine, and immediately thought of a tractor or harvester.
Her initial thoughts were of her immediate surroundings prior to being drugged by Des.
