CHAPTER 51
Eric and I rode home after exchanging hugs with a tired Steph, and once there I disappeared into the bathroom to get out of the support I had been wearing for nearly eighteen hours.
“This can’t go on much longer, love, I am going to be flat-chested even when I get proper tits. Like Chinese foot-binding, aye?”
“Doesn’t seem to have affected Steph’s…”
“Been looking, have we?”
“I might have noticed in passing…anyway, well done today, that was really good work. I think you might have turned him round”
“Eric, you didn’t see the bruises. It’s not done till we find out exactly who did that to him, aye?”
“I know. Look, come over here, lie down on the bed and I will do your back, yeah?”
He lifted the duvet on my side, I lay down, he started at my neck and the next I knew the alarm was going. I never even got a snog. This time he was out of bed first, to grab the toilet before me, and I had the delight of watching him trot naked out of the bedroom. Mmmmmm. Each day confirmed what Sally had predicted, that I was straight. Each time I saw or touched him, and not just there, or naked, I knew it in my heart. I was suddenly very annoyed at having to go to work and leave him here, and then I remembered that after the weekend he would be off back home. My bed would be empty again, and that was a real worry, and the sense of loss was already building.
He was back, in his boxers this time, and mentioned that the kettle was on. I didn’t have time to have a proper discussion, so just asked the question directly.
“What do we do after the weekend, love?”
He looked up at me as I stood in my dressing gown and he lay back under the duvet.
“Well, I go home and continue what I started while you were at work”
“Which is?”
He went slightly red. “A job search…there are jobs down here, lab work I can do, I am sure.”
He looked away for a second, then back, and there was just a hint of worry n his face.
“Annie, I sort of think we are in this for the long haul, so I started looking for work down this way. Save me having to commute to Clapham every day”
That got him the snog I hadn’t had the night before, and then a cup of tea, and another kiss as I went out the door to work.
Richard was already in, as I took the handover from the nights team.
“Morning, Sergeant Price, we had a lot of work yesterday, but we will be keeping you busy again today. Sorry”
I grinned at him. “If by busy you mean you might have the beater, then I will be more than happy. What you got?”
“Ah, it’s the usual story. We pick one up, spin their drum, and another address falls out, then another. You won’t believe this, but her mother has a council house”
“How old is her bloody mother?”
“Well, she apparently stopped aging five years ago, if you catch my drift. Christ knows how she managed it, but she controls two other council properties that she sublets illegally, one of which is in the name of her late mother”
“How the hell did that come out?”
“One of the boys folded. Darren isn’t the only one with bruises, there’s a Bill Sykes about as well as a Fagin. We are just off to pick up Joey Harber.”
“Ah, I know that name. Where is he?”
“Believe it or not, she has three council houses and he lives on a caravan site. You couldn’t make this up. We’ll be on channel two if you want to keep up”
This time the two carriers that went out were accompanied by a couple of dog units, and another carrier from the support group that would wait out of sight “just in case”
I switched on the radio and waited for the fun.
As there were still arrests to be made, Ma hadn’t been charged yet. I checked the review times, and she had been nicked at 1912 hours, first arrival at office 1945, first s40 review at2330 to allow for rest period, so I needed a skipper in to see her by 0830. Jim was the man, so I teed him up for it.
“Jim, I am not actually involved in her arrest, just Darren’s, so does that leave me free to run her?”
“Pretty sure it does, but I’ll run it past a CPS brief when I can. We are into s40, so there is already an assurance in place, according to the Codes, so stick with it for now. I will get the Super aware, just in case we need the s42, OK?”
I had one of the civilians do the breakfast run, and then just before the review was to take place her tame shyster appeared. I switched the radio off.
“Are you going to charge my client, Sergeant?”
“I have no idea. Enquiries are still continuing.”
“What enquiries, Sergeant?”
“I am not at liberty to say”
Jim came up behind him. “Morning Mr Harton. Come to make representations at the nine-hour?”
“My representation is that my client be charged or released immediately.”
“Well, I shall let you know when I have finished the review what my decision is. Shall we get it done?”
They took ten minutes, Jim endorsing the record to say that her further detention was authorised to allow for obtaining and preserving evidence, and Harton made his representations again, and Jim just smiled and said “No. Thank you for your time, my support worker here will let you out”
Once he was out the door, I got the radio back on, and the two of us listened in as the routine calls of our local patrols came in. I switched to channel 2, and there were the terse and clipped comments I knew so well.
“Charlie Tango three, on plot”
“Charlie Tango six, on plot. Charlie Delta four is with us”
The other units reported as they parked up, and then Richard’s voice came on.
“All units, Delta four one. Go go go”
There was silence for a while, and then the call came.
“Red red red! Shot fired! Officer down, ambulance required”
“All units, Delta three six. Get back from there. Charlie control, Delta three six”
“Go ahead, Delta three six”
“Shot fired, officer wounded. Ambulance to Buchan caravan park, but get them to hang back, so far?”
“So far”
“Richard’s in the open, and we can’t get him back. Armed support required as soon as. Weapon believed to be small calibre rifle, so far?”
“So far. Any other injuries?”
“One dog bite, animal no longer a threat. Believed one shooter only, but more than one occupant”
Shit. I heard the thunder of boots as every one available grabbed their kit and headed to the yard and the cars, and soon sirens were fading out as they set off for the site. Jim was pale.
“This is getting out of hand, mate. I’m off to the control room”
As soon as he was gone, Ma started buzzing, to make her usual demand for a cigarette, and after one too many mouthfuls of abuse, I very nearly lost it. Richard was lying outside some shitty caravan, bleeding out, while the thug who had shot him waved a gun around, and she wanted a fag. I marched into the waiting room and ripped down the poster, handing it to her and saying “Read that”
It said “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”
I looked at her, old, body slowly failing her, and I had no sympathy at all.
“Is there anything in the public notice that you have difficulty in understanding, Mrs Pickstock? Would you like me to explain it in simpler terms? No? Good”
I went back to the radio.
“Tango Sierra three, on plot”
“Tango Sierra two, ETA two minutes”
“Charlie control, Tango Sierra three. I have a sight on the shooter. Patch me through to incident room please”
“Incident room operational in five, I say again, five, minutes, Tango Sierra three”
“Thanks control, listening out”
“Tango Sierra two on plot”
“Dave, John. Two occupants at least. I have a possible on one male.”
“Tango Sierras, Charlie India. Await Charlie Sierra authority. ”
“Understood. John, I’ve got the back window. Weapon appears to be small bore rifle as described by Charlie Deltas. I have a shot. Awaiting authority”
“All Tango Sierras, Charlie Sierra one. Delta three six, where is Richard?”
“On the ground in front of the van, boss. He’s moving but BANG oh you fucker”
There was a pause, then “Charlie Sierra one, Delta three six. Just been shot at. No injuries”
Another pause. “Tango Sierras, what do you have?”
“Tango Sierra two, I have a shot”
“Tango Sierra three, so do I”
Another pause. “Tango Sierra units, Charlie Sierra one. It is 0823 hours. I give you authority to open fire. I say again, it is 0823 hours and I give authority to open fire”
“Charlie control, Tango Sierra two. Two rounds. Target is down.”
“Charlie control, Tango Sierra three. Two rounds also. Confirm target is down. Tango sierra two, watch me, I am going in with side arm.”
“Control, Delta three six. Armed officers in van. Paramedics now attending casualties”
There was quite a long pause, then. “Second ambulance required, control. They have called it in. Richard is stable, Harber is now deceased. One other occupant of the van is going to hospital. I will need at least two female officers to attend the Royal East Surrey and they will require a rape kit. Boss, we will need this site secured, but the natives are not friendly”
“Report when you can, Andy. Incident room is up and running, I will alert the press office. Tango Sierras, good shooting, you know the drill now. Debrief at 1400 hours. Charlie Sierra one out”
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Comments
Oh ! Boy ,
ALISON
'that sure got the old adrenalin going.Scenarios like this are never good.
ALISON
This is
one of the best stories that I have had the privilege to read on here. There are many writers on here that I really enjoy reading but this story is excellent.
I am totally hooked & look forward to every chapter that comes out.
Well done, Cyclist, & keep it up.
That's the gist of it.
All the elements add up. So often it isn't just one simple crime but there a whole raft of offences and illegality accumulated in the one case that often keeps growing like topsy.
Still when guns get involved it gets a bit iffy, well, a lot iffy and there's rarely a happy ending. The last thing a child abuser wants is to end up in clink labelled as a nonce. It wouldn't surprise me if he chose to take the ultimate escape because he knows what's waiting for him. So many of the people in prison were abused themselves and a nonce cannot protect himself 24/7 for ten years.
Well done Annie.
Good story Steph.
Love and hugs.
OXOXOX
Bev.
Growing old disgracefully.
Ride On 51
If she is worried about flattened breasts, she just might want to invest in an Egyptian pyramid bra. It is speculated that a pyramid shape has beneficial properties that retard spoilage.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Annie
I think just now she is more concerned about a shot colleague, a dead thug, two traumatised firearms officers and a very young rape victim.
Please
I totally agree with the author here. Your comment is patronizing to say the least, and it completely ignores the point of the story.
Very good!
You had my heart racing! Wow, that's pretty intense, and I loved it! I can't wait for the next chapter!
Wren
Ramifications
What appears to be a simple crime often isn't. Here we have a child shop-lifting that is actually an abuse case stemming from systematic theft and multiple property frauds compounded by assault and very likely rape which leads to a shooting and then to retribution.
Make no mistake; there are evil arseholes in this world who give a shit for nobody. You can say one just got his reward, but it's one less to testify against the black widow spider at the centre of the web, and, yes, he would have certainly got an even greater reward in prison.
Powerful stuff and the effect on Annie well pointed out,
Joanne
must have been hard
for Annie to have to just listen, and not be able to help.
"You can survive a couple of weeks without food. You can survive a couple of days without water. You can even survive a couple of minutes without air. But you cannot survive for even a minute without hope."
Dorothycolleen
couldn't happen
to a nicer, more deserving bunch
Hmmm
The police, or you know whom?
hmmmm
the bad guys of course. I was a cop for 35 years before retiring. That's why I seem to have an attitude sometimes.
My brother-in-law's best friend
...is a police officer. I think of the real folks who serve whenever I read a story like this. My metaphoric hat is off to you for continuing this fine story. Absolutely compelling. Thank you!
Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
How agonizing!
To have to sit there and listen, knowing noone was even in a position to help for all that time!
It seems so odd to read about how they do such things in the UK, being an american and used to the way our cops have a tendency to shoot first and not bother with questions. Do they really do raids like that with no armed backup at all?
All that aside, it is encouraging to see Annie grow into herself, and into love.
Beautiful and touching story.
Thank you.
Weapons
Yes,they do raids like that with no armed back-up all the time, unless there are reasonable grounds to suspect there may be firearms involved.There are armed response units, and being so close to a major international airport there are a LOT of armed coppers about.
Policemen wear stab vests, no more, on normal duties.
oops!
Double post
Loved the action.
this really charged me up. I loved the bit with the poster, it's the same at work people only read when it's to their bloody advantage.
Bailey Summers