Secrets and Shadows

Chapter 17

‘Shut the door, take a seat.’

‘Yes, ma’am, Grace’

‘I want to talk to you. What the bloody hell is Fred Burbage all about?’ Grace asked, still angry at his racist slur, angry with DS Horton for suggesting such an obnoxious dinosaur as part of her team. ‘Is he always that way?’ she continued, ‘racist and offensive? He’ll not long be on my team if he carries on like that.’

‘Basically, Terry responded, after taking a few seconds to consider his answer, ‘he’s a year or two from retirement. He’s been in this nick and at Endeavour House since the days of the Ark. Two or is it three, or maybe even four marriages, all ending in divorce. He’s got three kids, but the ex-wives don’t let him near ‘em, because of his drinking.’

‘He sounds like a walking disaster zone to me.’

‘Yeah, I know how it seems, but there’s no harm in him, although, thinking about it, he can be a bit of a s**t-stirrer at times. But, and it’s a big but, he’s old school and sometimes just says what he’s thinking, without thinking, if you know what I mean?’

‘Well he’d better start thinking. But what I need to know, is he any good at his job? You recommended him, but I’m not impressed.’ Grace said, leaning forward in her chair to study Horton as he responded. Looking to see if he was giving her honest answers. She had to be able to fully trust her Deputy SIO and this was an acid test.

‘To be honest, Fred is not the greatest detective ever, but he’s a plodder. Punctilious to the Nth degree, thorough through and through. I know he looks like he’s been dossing on the streets, but he’ll do a good job as receiver, the indexing and collating, especially now you’ve given him a good kick up the backside.’

‘He’d better, he’s got a long way to go to get back in my good books.’

‘I’ll sit on him if necessary, but I don’t think it will be needed,’ Terry said, but he’d begun to have doubts, if Fred f***s up it’ll come back on me. ‘No.no, he’ll be fine,’ he insisted again.

, if Fred f***s up it’ll come back on me‘With that recommendation, I hope so for your sake. What about the others? I haven’t had time to get to know them yet.’

‘They’re a good bunch, sound and dedicated. Emma is keen and ambitious, wears her heart on her sleeve and would do anything for anybody. She’d make a fantastic mother, except that she bats for the other side, if you get my meaning. Nobody else knows that, by the way, especially Fred, so please Grace, keep that to yourself, you can imagine what he would make of that.’

‘Of course, it’s none of my business, or anybody else’s, what Emma gets up to in her spare time or who she does it with. And?’

‘Brian Endcliffe. Brian needs direction but once you tell him what’s to be done, he does a good solid job, much like the 2nd row forward he was in his rugby playing days. Brian is a follower, not a leader and I guess he’ll remain a DC all his career.’

‘We need DC’s as well as Chief Constables, we can’t all be bosses.’

‘More so in my opinion. As for Jessica, Jessica is bright, the brightest. She’s studying for a Degree in Criminology and she’ll go far and fast. And although you might think there’s not much of her physically, she can really kick ass. She could down you and me both with one hand tied behind her back; she’s got black belts in taekwondo, judo, karate, pilates, whatever, you name it. And knitting.’

‘Knitting?

‘Yeah, Jessica’s a ferocious knitter, when she’s not beating the s**t out of her opponents, she’s represented the county in taekwondo, she knits. And knits and knits, we’ve all had Xmas jumpers she’s knitted. No doubt you’ll get one soon.’

‘Not if I can help it,’ thought Grace, ‘I’ve no intention of hanging around here any longer than necessary.’

‘Not if I can help it, ‘I’ve no intention of hanging around here any longer than necessary.’‘The young lad, Danny Moss, I don’t know him.’ Terry said anxiously, not wanting any blame if the lad did not perform. ‘All I know is that the Office Manager told me he had been assigned to the team as part of his training and assessment.’

‘Well he seems keen enough, maybe we should get Fed Burbage to mentor him,’ Grace responded, not entirely seriously.

‘You know, that might not be a bad idea, despite his appearance he does know his way around down in the trenches.’

‘OK, set that up and monitor the pair of them.’

Grace made a note on her pad. ‘And you, Terry Horton? How do you rate in the scale of things?’

‘Me? I reckon I’m solid enough, would maybe like to get to DI, but probably not beyond, too much politics for my way of thinking. Then it’s all about budgets and targets. Strategies and man-management courses and who you know and arse-licking out on the golf course. I just don’t see that as proper coppering. Sorry,’ Terry, said, suddenly realising the big hole he’d dug for himself. ‘I mean present company excepted, of course.’

‘That’s OK, I know what you mean but personally, I have never licked anybody’s arse on a golf course. Or anywhere else for that matter.’

‘No, I’m sure not.’

‘OK, Terry, we’ll leave it there for now, but you make sure you ride hard on Fred Burbage if he gets out of hand again.’

‘Will do.’

‘I have to attend the autopsies on the Jarrett’s. If young Danny Moss wants to become a detective, he’d best come along with me, as Fred told him, it’s not all glamour, as he will find out soon enough.’

‘Aye, all that blood and guts is enough to put anybody off.’

‘OK, when I get back, we need to talk to David Jarrett. He was not forthcoming last night. Said he was too distressed.’

‘Me? I thought he was faking it,’ Terry said. ‘Crocodile tears, except he didn’t cry, you know what I mean?’

’My thoughts as well.’