Chapter 8
986 Words
8
Martin Cummings unwittingly wound Culverhouse up even further by texting him to let him know he’d arrived, rather than calling him.
Here. See you in CC’s office.
The message seemed unbelievably curt, even for Jack, who had a reputation for getting his point across as directly as possible.
The county’s Chief Constable, Charles Hawes, chose to keep an office at Mildenheath Police Station for a number of reasons, not least that he preferred to avoid contact with the office-dwellers at Milton House as much as possible.
When Jack arrived to knock on the door, Cummings was already seated in front of the Chief Constable’s desk, with Hawes sitting behind it, also seemingly unaware of what was going on.
‘Sir,’ Jack said to Hawes, ignoring Cummings completely, before taking a seat.
‘Thanks for coming, Jack,’ Cummings said. ‘I won’t take up too much of your time. I just wanted to speak with you both. You know how supportive I am of the work you do.’
Culverhouse and Hawes shared a look which, thankfully, Cummings did not notice.
‘You’ll be aware my term is coming to an end soon, and I’ll be running for election again. I just wanted to see if you might be willing to endorse my candidacy.’
Hawes shuffled uncomfortably. ‘Sir, we really must remain apolitical. We can’t be seen to—’
‘No, I know, I know. I’m not asking you to come out publicly. I just thought maybe you could put the word about to your colleagues, or perhaps speak favourably about the work we’ve done and the progress we’ve made as a team.’
‘Team?’ Culverhouse asked. He knew damn well that Cummings had very much not been a part of any team he was involved with.
‘The rise in the local crime rate has been slowing, whereas neighbouring forces are having a lot of trouble. All projections are that we might even see a reduction in violent crime next year. That’s down to the efforts of the whole force, not just me.’
Culverhouse looked open-mouthed at the side of Cummings’s head. Hawes was trying his hardest not to laugh.
‘Of course, the alternative is that the Andrews woman gets in. I don’t think that’s in anyone’s best interests. She’s only ever going to toe the party line when it comes to slashing budgets and putting more pressure on our local officers. She doesn’t even have any experience of policing.’
‘With respect, sir, she’s in much the same position as you were when you stood for election,’ Hawes said.
‘The difference is, I’ve now had a term as PCC. I understand the job and what it entails. She doesn’t have a clue. She lost two general election campaigns in the arse end of nowhere, and now she’s muscling in on my job because she sees it as a safe bet. Her party’s much stronger here than it is in bloody Newcastle or wherever it is she came from.’
‘She’s from Sussex,’ Culverhouse said.
‘The seats she tried to win were up north somewhere. The point is, she’s not local. She’s not a police officer. She’s not got a clue. Do we really want someone like that trying to pinch my job?’
Hawes shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. ‘It is an elected position, sir. With all due respect, it’s not technically anybody’s job.’
Cummings sat back in his seat and exhaled. ‘What do you need?’ he said, finally.
‘Need?’
‘Yes. What about you, Jack? Your unit. What does it need?’
‘It needs to be left alone,’ Culverhouse replied. ‘We don’t have time for bollocks like this. With all due respect.’
Cummings raised his eyebrows. ‘The budget’s not unlimited. You know that. I’m being leant on from all angles. I’m well aware that some areas of the police force need more funding and focus than others. There’s a lot of waste that can be cut. Some people might say there are too many levels of management. Others might say we have to work together more closely with neighbouring counties and share resources. There are many who might even say we should centralise all the services in the county before anything else. This is prime land, right here. The amount a housing developer would pay for this site would put another ten officers on the beat.’
Cummings’s threats were more than clear to Hawes and Culverhouse, neither of whom said anything, but both could see the other was just as stunned and angry as himself.
‘Now, you know I don’t want to do that. In many ways it makes sense to keep a CID unit at Mildenheath. But cuts need to be made somewhere, and I’ve got to make big savings before the end of my tenure. If the job’s going to go to Andrews and her lot, I need to make sure I leave the county in the best possible shape so her decimation of the police force is as painless as possible.’
Jack tried to keep a lid on his rising temper, but he was struggling against the overwhelming temptation to call Cummings out on his blatant blackmail. Fortunately for him, Hawes spoke first.
‘What are you asking us to do, exactly, sir?’
‘Whatever it takes. Speak with pride about the progress we’ve been making locally. Spread a message of positivity. Ensure I’m returned to office after the ballot. I think you’ll agree it’s in everyone’s best interests.’
‘Or what?’ Culverhouse said, unable to keep quiet any longer. ‘You’ll close down Mildenheath and move us all up to Milton House?’
‘Savings have to be made somewhere, Detective Chief Inspector Culverhouse. Like I said, I have a few options available to me. As to which option I’ll go for, I’ve not yet decided. Perhaps I’ll have to see how my mood takes me at the time.’
‘You do realise you’re trying to blackmail two senior police officers, don’t you?’
‘I’m not blackmailing anyone,’ Cummings replied, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. ‘I’m simply pointing out that savings have to be made, and letting you know what some of my options are. Of course, if I’m re-elected there’ll be far less pressure on the police budgets because I’ll be fighting the cuts every step of the way. I’m on your side here, chaps.’
Hawes and Culverhouse looked at each other again.
‘Anyway, it’s been lovely catching up again but I really must dash. I’ve got an interview for the local news at one, so I’ll have to love you and leave you. Give it some thought, yes?’
Cummings gave Hawes and Culverhouse his finest s**t-eating grin and left the room.
- Writer
