Dave was woken late in the afternoon by Sally sitting on top of him. When she saw his eyes open, she leaned forward and kissed him. “How do you feel?” “I’m not sure, still tired I think, ask me again when I have had a coffee.” There was a cup on the table beside him. Sally stayed on top of him as he sat up. He gently pulled her head down to his and kissed her. “I love waking up next to you.” “It’s nearly 17:00. What shall we do for the rest of the day?” “I don’t think we need to move far from the bed, everything I want is here.” She smiled then moved herself to be lying next to Dave. “What happens when we are hungry?” “We’ll have breakfast then come back to bed, stay here until morning.” “You have a report to write,” “I’ll do it tomorrow, then travel down on Tuesday, we could go on Monday afternoon if you want to stay over.” “Let me think about it,” she snuggled into Dave and slept for another couple of hours before she wanted food. Dave was awake, he was sitting up, “are you OK?” “Yes, I’ve been going over what I will put in the report.” “Will you tell me what had taken place in the bedroom?” “I don’t think I should, it wasn’t pleasant, it will stick in my mind for some time.” “Surely it was only a dead body.” “How many dead people have you seen?” He realised as soon as he had said it, Sally identified her husband’s body after he was killed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He slipped down the bed to her level and kissed her gently. “I’m OK, it’s in the past, he’s the only body I’ve seen.”
Out of bed, they sat in the kitchen eating toast, Sally took a pizza from the freezer and put it in the oven. Neither of them were dressed. Sally was wearing a dressing gown, Dave had a towel wrapped round his waist. “Were you alright in the hotel room last night when you went there with Jane Goodley, she didn’t make a pass at you?” “She looked me up and down when I came out the bathroom in only my bra and thong, but it was so quick, if I hadn’t been looking at her I wouldn’t have seen it. She was quite friendly.” Upstairs in bed, Sally said she wanted to take a picture of the ring to send to Olivia. She took several pictures of her hand before she sat up in bed. “Sit up, the next one will be the two of us.” “You better cover yourself up,” The duvet was pulled up just enough to cover her nipples. She checked the image before sending them over, two minutes later her phone was ringing. Dave could hear her being congratulated. They agreed to meet up during the week.
Dave sat in front of a blank screen, he had phoned to say it would be tomorrow when he travelled down to London. Typing, he began from when he arrived in Birmingham, he missed nothing out, the only exception was the information supplied by Marius and the other gang leaders, this was put down as coming from ‘other sources’. He spent some time explaining why the body had been mutilated, and the connections to the Liverpool gang. When he took a break, he logged on to the Birmingham Mail website. The story was front page news. ‘Weapons recovered in police raid’. He read the article, most of the facts were there, no reference to him was made, the police, following the previous shooting, wanted all the glory. He didn’t mind. The report stated one of those arrested was the brother of a man found murdered at his home later that morning. He changed his report round to add the information from the paper. He read it through several times, changing words to emphasise certain points. Lastly he put a warning on the final page regarding the images. They were transferred from his phone and added in. He printed off four copies, sealing them in A4 envelopes. He password protected the document to prevent Sally looking. His last job was to upload it to the cloud in case he had to produce additional copies.
He phoned the Brigadier to let him know more weapons had been located, He had already been told, but thanked Dave for letting him know. “There are still three to four hundred missing, but we have people tracking them down. It’s slow work, but we will get there.”
He sat with his eyes closed, he heard the door open and Sally run upstairs. “Have you packed?” “No, you never said what we were doing.” “I did, you couldn’t have been listening. Have you done the report?” “Yes, I finished it a little while ago.” “Pack your clothes while I have a shower, ring the hotel and book for tonight.” Out of the shower. Dave said they had been upgraded to a suite. “The normal rooms we have are full, I might try leaving it until late again.” They were in time for a train just after 16:00, in the evening, they ate in the restaurant, had a couple of drinks in the bar then headed up to the room. “It’s very good, but not worth the extra money, the bed is huge, time to try it out.”
The plan was Dave and Sally would spend the morning in MI5, after the meeting she would head off shopping, Dave would stay until 17:00 going over cases. It fell apart as soon as they entered the MI5 building, the meeting was to be held at the Home Office. They didn’t get a chance to take their coats off. It wasn’t far to walk, setting off, it was only a five minute walk. Passes were ready for them, an escort was called, a few minutes later they were sitting in a meeting room, no one else was present. Dave saw the coffee on a side table, he poured two drinks, no plate of biscuits, he found them in a white jar. As he handed Sally her drink, the door opened, Jane Goodley was followed in by the Home Secretary and one of his assistants. He sat at the head of the table, the assistant beside him. Dave sat opposite the head of MI5, Sally was beside him. “Good morning, shall we start, we all know each other, we can skip the introductions. Have you brought your report.” “It won’t be much of a meeting if I haven’t.” His attempt at humour was not appreciated. Taking the sealed envelopes from his briefcase, he handed one to each person, he opened the one for Sally and removed the last three pages. She looked at him, he shook his head. He didn’t open his, it was read in silence. He knew when the Home Secretary had reached the images, he put down the report and left the room. “Weak stomach,” the comment was made to no one in particular. It was several minutes before he returned. Sally tried to take the pages Dave removed, the look he gave her made her stop. Jane Goodley’s face had also drained of colour, she had seen the bed, but not the bathroom. “David, these images are barbaric. Who could do this?” The question didn’t require an answer. The door opened, a white faced Home Secretary returned, Dave wasn’t sure if he had been sick. He thought most people would. Dave poured him a coffee, he put in neither milk nor sugar, “here, drink this, he poured one for Jane Goodley. They all waited for the Home Secretary to regain his composure. From the looks on their faces, Sally was glad she hadn’t seen the images. “Mr. Stretton, thank you for your comprehensive report, and thank you for not killing anyone this time. Do you have any clues as to who murdered Stanley Fredericks?” “No sir, it’s a complete mystery to me.” “From the information supplied to me from the police, they haven’t been able to find any fingerprints other than the two occupants and their cleaner.” Dave thought she would have a load more work to do the next time she was in. “Possibly a drug crazed junkie looking for money. Who knows what goes through these peoples minds.” He was asked who had supplied him the information and later set off the alarm. “Every police force has informants, some do it for money, others do it to save themselves being charge for a crime. Revenge is another reason. I won’t and never will disclose my sources.” “Can the way you did this and how it was organised be written into some form of manual?” “I don’t think so, it’s either something you have or don’t have. I’m good at it, but then I’ve been doing it for years. Nobody taught me, I learned by making mistakes. You have to look from every angle, find out what might work, and what won’t. The Chief Constable complained some of what was planned wasn’t police policy. I didn’t knock, there was no warning, I picked the lock to gain access, I threatened to kill people, at no time did I say we were the police, all insignia and badges were covered up. It scares people, they have no idea who they are up against. The poor copper who lost his life, played it by the book, I don’t.” Jane Goodley asked if he thought there were any more stashes of weapons, I don’t think so, I spoke to Brigadier Storey yesterday, there are still a lot missing, but he thinks they are scattered about. He is trying to track them down. With regard to Birmingham, I think it will be quiet for some time, one of those arrested was the brother of the murdered man.” “Once again you have solved a potentially embarrassing situation, thank you.” With that the meeting was over, he left with his assistant and a copy of the report. “I can give you a lift back, I want to see you both.”
Dave and Sally sat in Jane Goodley’s office. “I understand congratulations are in order, sorry to have messed up your day. I hope he treats you better than he does those in authority.” “Oh he does, he is a different person when he isn’t working.” David, I owe you an apology, I shouldn’t have excluded you from the case or blanked you when you were working here.” “It’s OK, I carried on working on it, I didn’t go to Birmingham, I had people on the ground feed me intelligence. I would have been spotted within minutes if I had gone snooping, I don’t exactly blend in with the crowd.” “Can we start again, try to have a working relationship?” “Jane, when I’m here you are my boss, I do what I’m told,” Sally laughed, “well sometimes. When you give me a case to work on, it’s usually because it’s urgent, or there is a threat. I don’t play by the rules, I have one simple goal, to resolve the issue. The way I do it, is what gets results, people have to do what I tell them, if they don’t then they are no good to me. It may come across as rude, arrogant and maybe disrespectful, I don’t care. It is, as I have said, the end result that matters. If you can accept that, then we won’t have any issues. I love this country, I will do what it takes to keep it safe. You know I’m good, if there were better people, I would be sitting in my Uber right now. I’m the one you call when you don’t know what to do. When Sally is trained up, we will make a formidable team. She’s a bloody good researcher and puts up with me, we work well together.” “I know how good you are, I have a tightrope to walk, the security of the country and working within the constraints set, it’s not easy.” “It’s why you are paid so much. There are times when the rules have to be ignored to achieve the required result.” The phone on her desk rang, “I have another meeting, thank you for everything you did, moving forward, it will be different.”
Eating lunch in the canteen Sally asked what he thought about the meeting, “I was going to ask you the same question. I think she realises if we had been kept on the case, there wouldn’t be a dead policeman, but she has to live with that. She regrets the way she treated me, I’m not bothered by that.” “I think she likes you, but can’t or won’t admit it. She admires the way you stand up to authority. As you said if there was anyone better, you would be out of work.” They kissed before going their separate ways, Dave said he would meet her in the hotel lounge after 17:00.
In St. Pancras station, Dave picked up a free paper to read on the train, he had the suitcase and his briefcase, Sally had yellow Selfridges carrier bags. The Birmingham story was no longer on the front page, it was page seven before Dave found anything. It was about the policeman’s widow, a ‘Just Giving’ page had been started and was sitting at over £1.25m. She had two children under ten, he passed the paper over for Sally to read. “It’s very sad, your husband kisses you goodbye as he goes off to work, never to return,” she wiped her eyes. Dave stared out of the window into the darkness, Sally carried on reading the paper. His phone was ringing, he mouthed ‘Marius’ to Sally, the train was busy, he didn’t want to say too much. He said he would phone him later. While Sally was cooking, Dave called Marius back, she was listening to Dave’s side of the conversation. “No, I’ll come to a business meeting, but not a dinner, no Sally won’t be coming, not the nightclub, somewhere during the day would be better,” He hung up and thought before he spoke. “We were invited to dinner, you heard me say no. I will go to their meeting, but nothing else.” “Why do they want a meeting?” “I have an idea, but I will wait and see.” Marius rang back, “tomorrow, 15:00, the Marriot Hotel, a private meeting room has been booked, ask at reception for directions to the ‘Birmingham Together’ meeting.” Dave passed the information on to Sally. “Take care, will you take your gun?” “Yes, I’ll wear my suit, it’s got plenty of room.”
Dave was at the hotel at 14:00, he sat with a coffee watching reception, he was reading a newspaper, but looking at those arriving, he remembered some of the faces from their previous meeting. With two minutes to spare, he asked at reception for directions. Two minders were sitting outside the room, Dave recognised one from the last time. The door was opened for him, inside he could smell coffee. He was greeted by the five others in the room, with a coffee he was asked to sit down. The chair at the end of the table was pulled out for him. The others sat down, two each side and one at the end opposite him. Marius was the only one who’s name he knew. The one at the far end was obviously the spokesman. “Thank you for coming, we want to thank you for the work you did the other night. There isn’t anyone here who doesn’t appreciate the work you did.” Dave said nothing. “The reason we invited you here this afternoon is to offer you a position working with us. Marius said you were good, we all now know that to be true. We would want you to act as a liaison person, smooth over disputes, stop quarrels from escalating and sort out anyone who tries to muscle in. The position would be well rewarded. We don’t expect an answer now, take your time, think about it.” “I don’t need any time, the answer is no. There are several reasons, I didn’t like what you did to Stanley Fredericks, I know why you did it, but it’s not my way. My bosses have asked me who I think did it. I suggested it might have been a junkie. Second reason is I like the job I have now, I won’t be giving it up. Third, I’m not a hired gun. The last reason is perhaps the most important, I don’t want to end up dead. The job you are offering would be good to begin with, but eventually someone won’t like a decision I’ve made. I’m flattered you think I would be an asset for you all, but no, I won’t accept your offer. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t help you, not in a physical way, but anything I hear, I may pass on. What I can say is, if you keep your heads down, don’t upset the police, then you will be left alone. They know who you all are, but while there is no trouble, you aren’t bothered. Finally, and before I go, I have friends who would think what you did to Stanley Fredericks was child’s play. If anything was to happen to me, they would come calling. It’s not a threat, I just like to have every angle covered. Thank you for the coffee and good afternoon gentlemen.”
In the hotel reception, he stopped his phone from recording. The meeting had gone the way he thought it would, he drove home in silence. Sally hugged him when he got in, “how did it go?” “They offered me a job, I declined.” Sally listened to the recording, “It all sounded very businesslike, similar to a final interview.” He looked at the time, he had two calls to make, it was too late for one of them. Scrolling through his phone, he stopped at Marius. “Am I in any danger?” He was assured he wasn’t. Marius went on to say they were disappointed he didn’t accept. “I told them you wouldn’t take the job, but they insisted I contact you.” “I don’t like your friends, they helped me solve a problem which in a way helped them, I appreciate their assistance. I will still deal with you when I need anything.” With that the call was ended.
In the morning, he rang Jane Goodley, told her about the meeting then emailed her a copy of the audio. Later he had an email with details of a meeting on Friday morning at 09:30.
Dave and Sally travelled down on Friday morning, while Sally was training he was waiting for 09:30, he knocked on Jane Goodley’s door, coffee and biscuits were already on a side table, she poured out two coffees, and passed him the plate of biscuits. “I passed on your audio, I had no response from the Home Secretary, I did what you would have done, I sent it together with your report to the Prime Minister. Within reason, he instructed me to make sure we retain your services along with Sally. Do you know how much they would have offered you?” “I spoke to one of them later, £5k per week, with bonuses, I can guess what the extra would be for.” Between you and the MOD, I receive £7.5k per month and the same per week when working on a case, the basic is £90k per year for both of us. I think we are worth more than that, especially as I am here two days per week and Sally one day. More important than the money are some of the restrictions placed on me, I have to have permission every time I need to carry a firearm, it’s the same with access to some government departments, I have to ask for access, I’d appreciate it if you could sort these out for Sally and myself.” “How does £180K as a basic and £20k per week when on active duty. The other parts of the deal I will have to work on.” “Agreed.” “I will have the contract typed up today for you to sign.
What are you talking to the researchers about this morning?” “I thought, with regard to this week I would discuss ‘Loyalty. What it means to me’.” “I think I might sit in on this one. Here’s something for you and Sally.” She took out a bottle of champagne from behind her desk. “I understand, you never finished off the bottle you opened last Saturday.” Dave took the bottle, thanked her, leaning over the desk, he kissed her on the cheek. Her face coloured up. “The talk begins in around fifteen minutes, if you want to come, she was facing away from Dave as he left her office.
The train back to Loughborough was packed, even first class was busy, it was only when they were sitting eating a Chinese, he told her how his day had gone. “We have a massive pay rise and a bottle of champagne. I think we are doing quite well.” Sally interrupted, “we have each other, there isn’t anything more important than that.”
Case closed.
© 10210ken 2025
