43. Pull No Punches
Sally summoned a taxi by the time she reached the reactors. The rain thickened and the windshield wipers struggled to beat back the deluge. She called NCA Deputy Director McMaster and waited as the line rang endlessly.
After several minutes, he finally answered, voice gruff.
"Officer Rogers, I've barely had one bite of my breakfast black pudding, so this better be good. What do you want?"
"Apologies for the early hour, sir. I just need to know, am I still on the case?"
"Need to know, do you?" He cleared his throat. "Yesterday's infractions were serious, Rogers. There's a procedure for a reason."
"I know that, sir, but we're getting results. Liam and I caught the Rooks yesterday. We uncovered the second murder. We should have the right to run the interrogations. Only we can find this killer, and–"
"Lot of 'we' in that speech," McMaster interrupted.
"As far as I can see, it's only 'you' whose conduct's in question.
But let me set your fluttering heart at ease.
" He started chewing. "The provisional ruling came in last night, pending the full statement from O'Connell.
You're cleared for immediate duty." He paused a moment, and a rush of relief poured through Sally.
"That took out your head of steam, didn't it? "
"Thank you, sir. And about–"
"I'm not done. There will be repercussions, Rogers. A fuller, broader investigation into all conduct in this case. But for right now, you're good. As for finding the killer, yes please, go do that."
Sally took a breath. "Have you got buy in for this from DCI Mayhew? There's a personal issue there, and she's been obstructing our–"
"I am not some preschool playground monitor, Officer Rogers!" McMaster snapped. "We work within the bounds of reality, so handle your own shit. You're on the case, you have my backing despite the hurricane of press bullshit I'm already fending off, so that'll have to be enough."
"Thank you, sir."
He'd already hung up.
The taxi driver looked at Sally in the rearview, eyes twitchy. She followed up with a second call, to Liam again. This time it went to voice mail.
"Liam, it's Sally," she began. "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday.
Sorry I didn't listen to you, sorry that, uh…
" She trailed off. Trying to get everything lined up, as outside the outskirts of Rye came on.
"I'm working on it, you know? But maybe I'm just not wired that way.
So, maybe I'm sorry for that? I don't know. "
She ended the call before she could say any more. The driver's eyes flashed again in the rearview. What had she even said? She went back over it in her head. Half an apology, maybe? Maybe better if she'd said nothing at all. She cursed under her breath.
The Rye one-way system circled around them. Every street was familiar, now. Every pub, every bar, every alley. In moments, the taxi stopped at the station, at the edge of a burgeoning crowd of the press.
Sally exited into the hard rain and pushed through. Voices called out around. Tania Brown stood near the front, and their eyes met as Sally passed.
"Officer Rogers," she called. "You were the last person to see Nancy Cagen alive. Do you want to apologize to her family for failing to protect her?"
Sally pushed clear.
"Do you consider yourself a curse on Dungeness? Like you were a curse on Dark Peak?"
The words echoed after Sally as she went through the station's double doors and into the lobby, where PC Hawlin was on duty.
"Rick," she said tightly.
"Don't listen to her, ma'am," he said, buzzing her through. "She's filth."
Sally tried for a smile but couldn't manage it. "DCI Mayhew?"
"In her office, I think. She didn't leave last night."
Sally nodded and pushed through the barrier. In the bullpen at least a dozen officers were working at desks, while several were clustered around a whiteboard while DI Gemmell explained something.
He nodded to Sally and she kept walking to Mayhew's office, knocked once then pushed through. Mayhew was sitting behind her desk. She looked worn, her eyes slow and dull, the desk covered in paperwork, still wearing clothes fringed with yesterday's marsh mud.
Before her desk sat Liam O'Connell.
Sally stopped abruptly.
"Liam?"
He turned. He did not seem surprised to see her. Rather, he looked more composed than she'd seen him in months. His suit was sharp and pressed, his black hair glossy and neatly combed, his eyes bright and confident, his whole demeanor shifted.
It stopped Sally cold. She'd imagined him laid out somewhere unconscious, filthy, drunken still. Not already here.
"We're having a meeting, Officer Rogers," Mayhew said coldly.
"Without me?" she fired back. "This is my partner. Liam?"
Liam said nothing, just turned back to face Mayhew.
"Your presence would hardly be seemly at your partner's debrief, would it?"
Sally stared for a moment. Liam remained facing away. A strange feeling came over her; like she was missing something. As if Liam had already reached some decision, and it did not include her.
"I've been provisionally cleared," she said. "Deputy Director McMaster just told me." She took a breath. "What did you get from the Rooks?"
Mayhew held her gaze. "Provisional on your partner's full statement, I think you'll find. But I think I have enough." She looked at Liam. "Officer O'Connell, we're done here. Officer Rogers, sit down."
Liam stood. Sally did not budge. "What did you get from them, DCI?"
"Nothing yet, and I'll tell you why. The Rooks all have the same solicitor, and he's advised them to ask for you alone." Her irritation came through in her voice. "They won't say anything to anybody else."
Sally's heart sped up. There was only one reason for that. "They think I'll overstep. Force misconduct and get the case thrown out."
Mayhew exhaled heavily. "I'm sure that's their theory. It's a reach, but there could be grounds." She peered at Sally, exhaustion plain in her dull eyes. "What do you think gave them that idea?"
Sally looked at Liam again, but he kept his gaze fixed on Mayhew. It felt strange, like she wasn't really in the room.
"I broke his arm. He tried to throttle me. Both Liam and I are down a car. They're down a boat. I think we're about even."
Mayhew rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, that's not the way the law works. Every solicitor I've spoken with, and one magistrate too, advises me against putting you in a room with any of the Rooks. It can only lead to disaster."
Sally took a step closer. "Then they're misjudging me. The Rooks think they're laying a trap for me? They're wrong, DCI. It's my trap. Let me in there, I'll get us a real suspect and I'll walk out clean."
"Why do I not believe that?"
Sally bit back a rejoinder. For the moment, Mayhew was not blocking her directly, and she wanted to lean into that. "They're already not talking, DCI. How much worse can it get?"
"A lot. Much worse. But I'm out of cards.
" Mayhew gazed at her, some steel creeping back into her eyes.
"This is your last opportunity in my station, Officer Rogers.
There will be no maverick moves. No clever tricks that barely skirt the law.
You will follow PACE to the letter, barely a warm body in a chair, while I take lead. Is that understood?"
Sally looked at her. She'd clearly had little sleep, was somehow involved on a personal level, and stood no chance at cracking any of the Rooks. But they'd wasted too much time and energy already on each other.
"Perfectly, DCI."
They both stared, neither looking away, until finally Mayhew stabbed a finger toward the door. "Go shower. Put on another one of my uniforms. Get up to date, and for God's sake, sort out whatever this is between you." She gestured at Liam. "We'll go at Jerome Rook in an hour."