The call ended with Roberta still shocked by the news that Antoine de Scuderi was out of jail and given the evidence, he was now in the UK and even worse, on the hunt for her. The single fingerprint was a clear sign that he was coming for her.

The Super had told them that he’d be raising hell with the Home Office and especially, ‘Border Force’ and demanding to know how a wanted felon had managed to get back into the country. While that didn't solve Roberta's immediate problem, at least she knew that people wanted to help her.

“Does this Antoine de Scuderi character know about this place?” asked Colin.

His question brought Roberta out of the mental hell that she was in.

“Eh? Yes. Or he knows where we live but he has never been here.”

“Then this place is not safe. We have to leave… now.”

“I agree with you on that front. We should get packed.”

The Sergeant smiled.
“I’m ready to go. I’ll get Madam’s chariot of fire, warmed up.”

Roberta was about to object to his language, but she understood that he was trying to cheer her up.

She managed a small smile before saying.
“I need to call my father before we go. He may need to take some corrective action in relation to his own security.”

She looked at the clock.
“He should be done with the sitting in the House by now.”

“House? Do you mean the House of Commons?”

“I wish. I mean the House of Lords. My Father is Lord Regis.”

Colin thought for a second or so before saying,
“I met him a couple of times when he accompanied one of the Royals on a visit. One of them was to a re-settlement centre for Somali’s”

Roberta smiled.
“That’s Dad. He has a great interest in the welfare of immigrants. We have five Somali families working on the estate right now. They have even converted an old dairy building into a Mosque. They are great people and brilliant with the farm animals. They treat them like their own children. It is such a shame that they were driven out of their lands by the civil war.”

Mathew shook his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“With almost every breath, I learn something new about you that impresses me. What I can’t understand is why did you choose a career in the Police?”

Roberta chuckled.

“I’ll tell you all about it on the drive back to London. Now I must call my father.”

As they approached London on the M3, the Sergeant became vigilant again. Roberta noticed this.
“What’s wrong?”

“We seem to have picked up a tail after we stopped for a comfort break at Fleet Services.”

Roberta did as her training dictated, and looked in the passenger's side rearview mirror.

“The white Ford Transit Combo, with the black stripe on the roof. They nearly cut us off as we passed the Starbucks DriveThru, at Fleet services and have been pacing us ever since.”

“How could they have followed us?”

“This Antoine character knows about Dorset, so sending someone down there on a reccie, would make sense. They may well have seen us leave and head this way. Then a phone call or two and if this guy is organised, they could be watching for us as we came past Basingstoke. There were plenty of cars parked at the service areas on the A303 or the overbridges. Almost any one of them could have been watching out for this car.”

“Shit. What do we do next?”

“We head for a secure police compound. There just happens to be one just outside Heathrow. I used it a lot when I was with the Royal Protection team. They have lots and lots of CCTV. If I call ahead, they can keep an eye out for us on the M25 and then the roads from Junction 14 using the National Highways CCTV System. They may be able to identify the tail and especially the identity of the driver.”

“I’m in your hands, Sarge.”

He managed a smile before he made a series of calls to the compound and to the M25 traffic controllers. He made sure that they were aware of the registration number of the car that they were driving as well as the number of the Ford Transit.

Roberta grew noticeably more uncomfortable the closer they got to London. For once, she had to rely on the sergeant to keep her safe. She wasn’t in control and it showed.

He slowed down and kept in lane 2 as the M25 junction approached. The Ford followed suit.

The sergeant suddenly said,
“I have an idea. Hold on tight.”

As the divider that identified the end slip approached, he suddenly swung the car to the right. They just made the turn and they were on the M3 going into London. Roberta watched their rear and the Ford swung to follow them but were too late and had to take the slip road onto the M25.

“That just about proves it… We were being followed.”

“Where too now?”

“We should still go to the compound. I know many of the people who are based there from my days with the Royal Protection Squad. They can give this car and us, a scan over.”

“That is a good idea. I found a tracker in my bag the other day. I associated that with a case that I’m working on, on the QT back at Tottenham
but after this, I might be wrong.”

The sergeant managed a smile.
“You seem to attract trouble don’t you Constable Galbraith?”

“That is probably because I look at the world in a different way from most people. That and refusing to suffer fools gladly.”

“I wish that we had more like you in the force. Many of the old fogies need putting out to grass and being forgotten.”

“That I can agree with 100%.”

[at the secure compound half an hour later]

The sergeant and Roberta left the car and all their belongings for the team at the depot to look for bugs. It didn’t take them long. Their team leader reported to the sergeant who in turn told Roberta.

“They found a bug in your luggage. It seems that whoever left that envelope at your flat also went inside. They probably predicted your flight home. What they didn’t budget for was for me to be part of the equation. I think that they were planning to kidnap you. From what you said about this Antoine character, he wants revenge for the past and he wants to see you suffer and control you. Is there something from your childhood that could make him want to do that?”

“All that sounds very CID stroke Psychologist to me?”

“Guilty. I did five years in CID before tossing my toys out of the window at my DCI who was a total idiot. I lost it big time and went back to uniform. As for the Psych stuff, I have a masters in it from Bristol.”

Roberta managed to smile and shake her head at the same time.

“At the risk of turning the tables, ‘why the Police?’”

“Touche.”

“Being all Psych was the thing that got me into trouble with my DCI. He was very old school and would not take my advice that the rapist that we were after was using psychological methods to torture his victims after the initial rape. He would rape them at the same time that a particular song was playing. Thereafter, they would have a mental episode whenever that song was played on the TV or Radio. He made sure that it was a popular song with people in their age group and their tastes. We suspected that he’d bugged their home while planning the crime and found out their musical tastes.”

“Ouch. Did they capture the rapist?”

“That bunch of idiots could not trap a fly with a swatter. I found the guy and followed him and after a couple of days, as he was about to rape another woman, I collared him. He went down for eight rapes and I got sent back to uniform much like you.”

“We certainly are a couple of square pegs in round holes.”

“That is one way of putting it.”

“What next?”

“We get out of here now that the car and your stuff is clean. One of the team here will leave before us and watch for a tail when we get onto the M4 but we need somewhere for you to stay.”

“Then, the M4 is going the wrong way. I have an aunt who lives just outside Brighton. But… don’t you have to give the car back and don’t you have a shift starting in a couple of hours?”

“No, and No. While the guys were scanning the car, I called the Chief Super who waved his magic wand and you are stuck with me for the duration.”

Roberta managed a smile.

“I hope that you will have the same opinion of me once you meet my Aunt Irene.”

He was about to say something but stopped.

“I’ll make a call to her just to give her a heads up,” said Roberta as she walked a few metres away from the car.

When she returned, she shook her head.

“There was no answer but she could be out shopping.”

“Does she have an answering machne?”

Roberta swore under her breath.

“I didn’t think… sorry.”

The sergeant smiled.

“Roberta, don’t let it get to you. Anyone else would have buckled under the pressure by now.”

Then he said,
“We should hit the road or we’ll get stuck in the M25 parking lot around Junction 11.”

[90 minutes later]

“Turn left here," said Roberta.

“This is a bit remote, isn’t it?”

“You can’t be remote in this part of the world. Sussex University is just two miles away. Brighton is four miles to the South West. Irene works there or rather, she did before she retired.”

“Ok, and you say that Antoine does not know about Irene?”

“As far as I know, no. When I knew Antoine, Irene was living in Boston and teaching at MIT. I never saw her between my… oh fuck.”

“Stop the car!”

The sergeant pulled over into the entrance to a field.

“Ok. What did I miss?”

“Not you, me. I am so stupid for not thinking of this earlier.”

He let her think things through.

“If he broke into our home in France to steal the photo of me at my confirmation then one of the other photos that were taken at the same time include Irene. There were letters from her to us as well. I hadn’t seen her since my christening until then. I never saw her again until just before my mother, her sister died. She was in the process of moving back to the UK when she died. His father came to her funeral out of respect. Irene’s address was on one of those letters.”

“You do seem to have a lot of baggage in your family.”

“That’s because we have been around for more centuries than I care to remember.”

“Ok. Do you think that Antoine could be waiting for us at your Aunt’s?”

“If I was him, that’s where I’d be. Irene’s is just about the only place that I could go once I left Dorset, and if we assume that my father’s flat in London is out of bounds.”

“Then I suggest that we make a tactical withdrawal and regroup somewhere not so close to your nemesis. As for not thinking about this possibility… I am not about to write anything off as being out of bounds at the moment.”

“Good Idea.”

The pair regrouped in an empty car park at the nearby Football Stadium [1]. A Jobsworth on the gate tried to stop them but a flash of warrant cards and his resistance melted away.

“It could well be time for some backup,” said the sergeant.

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“Do you think that he is armed?”

“I have no idea. I’m sure that Irene would not open her door to a stranger willingly. One of the reasons for coming back from the US was that her home near Boston was burgled as she slept. That put the fear of God into her when the local cops told her that she was lucky. One of the previous victims was shot by the intruder when they disturbed the intruder. He was killed a week later by a homeowner who slept with a Colt-45 under his pillow but that was enough for her… She resigned from MIT and came back here. Until she retired last year, she worked part-time at the University.”

“Then we need to try to see if there is someone there who shouldn’t be. If there is or at least a high probability that there is before we call in the cavalry.”

“How should we do that?”

“Let’s have a look at the map on our phones and see if there is a way to get close but not too close.”

Roberta shook her head.

“If I’m right, the only jacket you have with you is your yellow police jacket? From the dark clouds gathering to the west, we might be in for some wetness. Then you’d have to go close on your own because Antoine would be looking for me. He’s seen me up close. That may not be the case for you.”

“Ah… I get you.”

He turned to look over at the gatehouse.
“Do you think that the guard would let me borrow his jacket for an hour or so?”

“There is no harm in asking.”

They spent almost 10 minutes looking at a large-scale map of the area on their phones. Together, they were able to work out a way to get to within 400m of the cottage without being seen and the vantage point should be able to see if there was more than one car parked at the cottage.

Twenty minutes later, the unmarked car was parked just over the hill from the cottage. The security guard had needed a little encouragement to let the sergeant borrow his dark green waterproof jacket. A £20 note was more than enough to let him agree to their plan.

Their plan was for Roberta to remain with the car while the sergeant walked along a footpath that passed near the cottage. She would wait at the drop-off point for twenty minutes before heading to the end of the footpath to pick him up. If the Sergeant was seen walking the footpath, the observer would see him going only in one direction and hopefully assume that he was a walker. Antoine did not know the sergeant and unless the people working with Antoine had sent him a photo of him to Antoine, he was safe from recognition. It was a chance that he was willing to take.

The rain that Roberta had predicted arrived just as she dropped him off. This, while inconvenient would allow him to put up the hood to the jacket that would further hide his identity.

Fingers were crossed all around, as he set off over the downs which were fast becoming covered in low clouds.

Three-quarters of an hour later, a slightly wet sergeant got into the car at the end of the agreed route.

“Let’s get out of here pronto,” was all he’d say.

Roberta did as he requested and drove them back to the Football Stadium. The guard on the gate was pleased to get his jacket back just in time for him to do his rounds of the ground.

They parked up well away from the structure of the stadium.

“There are two vehicles there. One is a small rented van. The rental company branding is clearly visible even if it is hidden around the rear of the property. It has a black stripe on the roof… I have to assume that it is the same van as the one that tailed us on the M3 and that it came here right after we lost the tail at the junction with the M25.”

“Does that mean?”

“I think that we can assume that she has at least one visitor. There was no movement around the cottage, but that does not mean that I was not being watched.”

“What next?”

“First off, I report to the Chief Super. I’m sure that he’ll be biting his nails by now. We should have reported in hours ago.”

“You can blame me for that.”

“We are both involved in this operation, so there is no blame to be taken.”

The sergeant left the car to make a call to the Chief Superintendent. The conversation got a little animated when he mentioned the possibility of a hostage situation involving the fugitive, Antoine de Scuderi.

Roberta looked on anxiously as the call went on for almost 20 minutes before he returned to the car.

“That didn’t seem to go very well?”
The sergeant chuckled.

“He used the term ‘another fine mess that you have gotten me into’ more than once. I have heard it before, but it does not matter. When I explained to him about our theory about your childhood friend, he called the Chief Constable of the local boys and patched them into the call so I had to explain our theory again. As a result, we should be getting re-enforcements very soon. We need to get our story clear and concise for this lot. They will only be interested in the situation at the cottage and the arrest of Antoine if he is there, naturally.”

“I’ve been thinking that I should call Irene. I should have done that when I first thought of coming here. I know that I called once before but I did say that I’d call back later. It is ‘later’ right now.”

“But your brain was not firing on all cylinders?”

She managed a smile.

“Something like that.”

“When the SIO (Senior Investigative Officer) gets here you can suggest that. It might give us a hint about her being alone or not. When did you last see her?”

“Why?”

“Think about what you are going to say and try to phrase her possible answers to your questions. That may give you a hint as to her being alone or not. Only ask closed questions that give a yes or no answer. That way, things are less open to interpretation.”

“I get you.”

The first of the local Police arrived a few minutes later. The guard on the gate soon got the message that other vehicles would be joining them. He did something that kept the barrier in the raised position all the time.

One of the arrivals came over to us.

“I’m DCI Warrender. I’ve been assigned to be SIO for this operation. Are you Sergeant Heaney?”

“Yes sir. This is DC Galbraith. It is her Aunt’s Cottage where we suspect that Antoine de Scuderi is holed up with her aunt.”

“That’s the brief that I received from my Chief Constable. What is your reading of the situation?”

“Sir,” said Colin,

“I took a walk past the cottage on a nearby footpath. There are two vehicles at the cottage. One is a rental van. One of those small ones not the size of a large Transit. The problem is that the van is from one of the national chains so getting information about who rented it and where from etc, from them could be difficult in a timely manner especially as we don’t have the vehicle registration number.”

The SIO didn’t say anything in response so Colin continued.

“Sir, in case you didn’t know, Constable Galbraith knew the suspect from their childhood and was responsible for his initial arrest on art smuggling charges before he was deported to France to stand trial for more serious crimes. He has made a viable threat against her life in recent days.”

“That background helps a lot. Has anyone called the aunt?”

“Sir,” said Roberta.

“So far, we have not. We didn’t want to spook Antoine if he is there especially if he could just get in the van and leg it.”

Colin shook his head.

“Sergeant?” asked the SIO.

“Sir, PC Galbraith might just be an ordinary PC, but she is one hell of an investigator. She is right. Until we have a perimeter setup and especially get the lane to the cottage blocked off, we should not contact the cottage. Mr de Scuderi had proven himself to be a wily character.”

“I’m starting to get the idea that there is a lot more to this case than I thought. Correct?”

His question was directed to Roberta.

“Yes sir. There is a lot more. The French Police charged him with murdering his mother. He was 15 years old at the time. We used to spend the summer holidays together in France. Somehow, he got out on bail and came here to settle a score with me.”

“Let me get the lane blocked off and then you can make the call,” said the SIO.

Fifteen anxious minutes went by before a radio call caused the SIO to react.

“The lane is blocked at both ends. Time to make the call, Constable.”

Roberta took a deep breath and called her aunt.

She put her phone on speaker.

It rang.

After four rings, it went to the answering machine.

After the bleep, Roberta said,
“Aunt Irene, it is Roberta. Dad asked me to call because he thought that you needed cheering up. I am sad as today is the anniversary of Mum’s death. I’m going to put some flowers on her grave later. I’m sorry to have missed you. I’ll call back later.”

Then she hung up.

“Are you sure that there is someone home?” asked the SIO.

“I am,” said the Sergeant.

“There was a wisp of smoke from the chimney when I walked past.”

“Ok. Then we need to get a team close to the cottage.”

Roberta was getting a little frustrated. It seemed to be taking a very long time. She looked at her watch. Twelve minutes had elapsed from the time she made the call.

Just as the SIO was in the process of giving orders to that effect an urgent call came over the radio. A radio burst into life on the secure channel that the Sussex Police were using for the operation.

“A white Transit Combo has just tried to get past us.”

That was followed by.

“The vehicle saw us but as it was going at speed, it could not stop and it ended up in the ditch. A single male occupant is in custody. He has some minor injuries. We have called for the Paramedics.”

Roberta breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Constable, can you identify this Antoine character?” asked the SIO.

“Yes sir. I would be honoured to do just that.”

“Sergeant, would you follow me to the scene?”

“Gladly Sir.”

The two cars arrived at the scene of the incident around 10 minutes later. Roberta hung back while the SIO received a report on the incident. A white transit ‘combo’ van was almost on its right-hand side in the ditch. The recent rain had filled it with muddy water. The passenger door was open which to her meant that the officers on the scene had to rescue the driver.

The SIO signalled to Roberta.

She walked over towards one of the Sussex Police cars. A shape was huddled up in the back of it. A local Sergeant opened the rear door so that Roberta could see the occupant more clearly.

She smiled as the passenger lifted up their head.

“Sir, I can confirm that this is Antoine De Scuderi.”

Antoine glared at her and then spat in her face. Luckily, she was too far away for it to hit her but the intent was clear.

“Thank you, Constable,” said the SIO.

“We can handle this character from now. I think that you should go and see your aunt and make sure that she is ok. One of my officers will go
with you just to check on her physical state.”

He turned around and called on a Constable.

“Constable Hughes. Please accompany Constable Galbraith to the cottage and check on the occupant.”

“Sir!”

Then he turned to one of the officers guarding the suspect.
“Constable, please fit a spit hood onto the subject. We have seen him try to spit on an officer. That is more than enough justification for the hood.”

“With pleasure sir,” said the officer.

Roberta and the female officer walked along the lane in silence. Roberta was in deep thought. She was hoping that her aunt had not been harmed by Antoine. She need not have worried. As they approached the cottage, the front door opened and a woman emerged.

“Roberta is that you?”

“Yes Aunt, it is me.”

The two hugged and the three of them went inside.

Constable Hughes got a statement from Aunt Irene about the incident over a cup of tea, before disappearing back to the scene of the accident almost half an hour after they had arrived at the cottage. A few minutes later, Sergeant Heaney drove up in his car. He was smiling as he
walked up to the front door.

“You look happy?” remarked Roberta after she had introduced him to her aunt.

“You should be even happier when you look at this.”

He showed Roberta a report on a news site on his phone.

The article was about a whole string of arrests in Tottenham relating to the distribution of hard drugs and that two serving officers had been arrested at the same time. One paragraph mentioned the suspicious death that Sergeant Hill had been so reluctant to investigate. Two people from those who had come down from Leeds were being charged with his murder and one of the officers who had been arrested was also charged as an accomplice to the murder. Roberta knew that they were talking about Sergeant Hill. He had been very reluctant to get involved with any investigation. The man had been identified as Omar Ferguson, a native of Leeds and suspected of being a key figure in the gang struggles that were going on in the city. It all began to make sense to Roberta.

Irene made the two of them stay for a very welcome cup of tea before they left and headed back to London.

As Colin drove them north, he said,

“That phone message of yours was brilliant. It certainly flushed him out.”

Roberta shook her head.

“I only thought about mentioning the anniversary when we left the stadium to take you on that walk earlier. There was this big sign promoting their next match that is tomorrow. It had the date. Then it clicked. I’d forgotten the date until then.”

The sergeant laughed.

“See what I said about not thinking like other officers? That my friend, is a perfect answer.”

Roberta blushed.

Inside, she was not looking forward to the attention that that the arrests of Inspector Barnes and Sergeant Hill would more than likely generate.
The next morning, Roberta reported for duty. The station was besieged by the media but they seemed more interested in CID and senior uniformed officers. She’d hardly set foot inside the building when the duty Inspector, called her into his office.

“Welcome back from wherever it was that you went. No one was saying anything. All my enquiries were met with a wall of silence. Care to explain Constable?”

“Sir, if you would read this.”

Roberta handed the officer a copy of the Daily Telegraph. On page two, there was a report on the recapture of Antoine de Scuderi and that he was going to be charged with false imprisonment. It also said that the French authorities were going to extradite him to Paris as soon as the relevant papers had been drawn up and signed by all parties.

“Were you somehow involved with this?”

“Yes Sir. He also made a direct threat on my life for the second time.”

Roberta showed him photos of the photograph and the hangman’s noose drawing.

“I think that I begin to understand a little more.”

Roberta shook her head.

“Does that mean that there is more?”

“Two things sir.

She swallowed hard.

“The arrest of DCI Barnes and Sergeant Hill.”

“Ah yes. The Drugs Squad and AC-12 swooped in on us and arrested them right here in the station just before the end of shift on Friday. The charges that they are facing, are mind-blowing. I can’t believe that we have two such bent cops right under our noses. They also arrested Sergeant Hill’s sister who worked as a receptionist at the AC-12 HQ on associated charges. AC-12 clearly had inside help but as no one is saying a word, I can’t help but think…think that you are somehow involved?”

Roberta smiled.

“Sir, they operated as cover for the main criminal operation. I’m talking about the art theft gang that we busted a while back. By operating very much on the periphery of our investigation, they were able to remain relatively inconspicuous. DCI Barnes was able to keep getting the SOCO teams involved with that case reassigned to other jobs. If SOCO had been able to give that lockup a full going over in one go, the CCTV system would have been found a lot earlier. That find was key in finding the solution to the murder.”

Roberta took a breath.

“Sir, I know that there will be more charges coming. I was working with AC-12 about their involvement in the art theft ring when I received information that they were now working with the gang from Leeds to flood the ‘Farm’ with bad smack and after the inevitable raids on the current drug dealers, the area would be wide open for them to move in.”

“You?”

“Yes Sir. I was just one of the sources of information that AC-12 used to make the arrests. They already had the DCI and Sergeant on their radar when I went to them with information. I can’t go into how I came upon that information I have to protect my sources.”

He shook his head.

“You said two things?”

Roberta took another deep breath.

“Two combined into one.”

After swallowing hard, she added,

“I want to be assigned back to CID. If you take this to the Chief Super, he can approve this.”

She handed him an envelope.

“Sir, that is my request for a transfer. If possible, away from the Met. I’m sure that more than a few people around here will only be too glad to see the back of me. Now that the DCI and Sergeant are under arrest, fingers will be pointed in my direction.”

“I will consider your request. In the meantime, I’m sure that the duty Sergeant has some nice tasks for you to do today.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Roberta had a lot of questions to answer from her fellow officers. Her sudden absence just before the arrest of two of their own was just too much of a coincidence. She did her best to deflect them with the article in the newspaper, but that simply raised more questions and rumours. She could not wait for the end of her shift. She needed some downtime.

That wish would have to wait as almost as soon as she’d dealt with her fellow officers, she was summoned back to the Inspector’s office. This time, he was not alone.

“PC Galbraith, this is DCI Munro from Edinburgh. He’d like to speak to you about the body that you and Sergeant Hill discovered on the Farm. As the Sergeant is otherwise engaged, it falls to you as you were first on the scene.”

His words puzzled Roberta.

“Sir? CID were all over the scene once he’d been declared dead. Surely, they would be better to ask than me?”

The Inspector smiled.

“Everyone in CID seemed to have taken the oath of omerta at the moment and are keeping their mouths firmly shut. The arrest of two colleagues has put the fear of God into them. None of them want to be implicated by accident. Besides, I read your report. You are exceedingly observant. It was only yesterday that the cause of death was made available. You were right, an injection in the neck.”

“Constable Galbraith,” said DCI Munro,

“The cause of death was an injection of Copper Sulphate. It was a lethal amount. The victim was well known to us. His name was Duncan MacLeod but went by a string of aliases including the now-deceased Omar Ferguson. He was part of a gang that worked the top hotels in the city. They’d prey on single women of a certain age.”

Roberta smiled.

“That explains the handmade shoes.”

“They were his signature.”

“Sir, how can I help you beyond what was in my report?”

“I understand that you look at crime scenes in a different way to most other officers. What was your take on the crime scene and the deceased in general.”

“Sir, it was clear to me that it was a body dump. What has bothered me is why Sergeant Hill spent so much time messaging someone while we waiting for the cavalry to arrive.”

“That is being investigated by AC-12,” said the Inspector.

“What else?”

“Sergeant Hill ordered me to drive into the Farm against standing orders. I questioned him but he was firm. We hadn’t gone far when we came upon the body. It was almost as if he expected to find the body there. He was very dismissive when I mentioned the injection mark in the neck. He was firm that the victim was a junkie who’d OD’d. I knew that something injected into his neck was the cause of death but Sergeant Hill made me exclude that from my report. From what you have said, I am puzzled as to why the victim was in London or why the body was dumped there. The only thing I can think of is that one of his targets was connected to this gang that was trying to destabilise the area. A dead body could have resulted in a much greater Police presence on the Farm yet we have kept our distance. So far it seems that the peace has been kept. That’s about all I know or can guess.”

DCI Munro smiled at Roberta.

“I think that you have summed up the situation very well. We know that the victim spent two nights in Harrogate before coming down to London two days before his untimely death.”

The DCI closed his notebook.

“Constable Galbraith, if you think of anything else, please give me a call. The Inspector has my number.”

“Sir?” asked Roberta.

“Who is running the investigation into his death?”

“Because this is a cross-border investigation, the NCA has taken control but we are running the show north of the border.”

“Thank you, sir. I will get in touch if there is something I have not mentioned.”

Roberta took her leave and went home deep in thought.

When she arrived home, Sergeant Heaney was waiting for her with a huge bunch of red roses.

“Are these for me?”

“Err… I don’t see anyone else around now do I?”

“Thank you. You had better come in.”

She let them into her home.

“It isn’t much, but it is home for the time being.”

“That sounds as if you are on the move?”

“I hope so. Things might get very awkward at the nick. DCI Barnes and Sergeant Hill have a good number of supporters on the job. I’m sure that they won’t go down without a fight.”

The sergeant smiled.

“Then it is time that you had some fun in your life. I owe you a meal, don’t I?”

“Oh! I’d forgotten about that. Yes, you do.”

“Then I’ll pick you up the day after tomorrow at seven. We are going posh ok!”

Roberta then did something that was totally out of character for her. She kissed him on the lips.

It was a struggle for Roberta to get to work on time the next morning. After the tensions of the previous few days, both of them needed something to relieve the stress. For Roberta, it was a day to remember, a day that she lost her ‘virginity’.

When she signed on for her shift, the duty Inspector took her aside.

“The Chief has approved your transfer request.”

He glared at her.

“Quite who would take such a misfit like you is beyond me!”

She shook her head. He was very ignorant of the real facts behind the recent upheavals at the station. The longer that went on, the better.
That made her day.

Two days later, Roberta received a summons to go to New Scotland Yard the next day. Her Inspector gleefully gave her the news.

“People only go there to get a real rocket from the big brass especially as the request mentions ‘full dress uniform’. I don’t know what it is that you have done, but many of us are only too glad to be seeing the back of you very soon.”

Not everyone at the station agreed with the Inspector. A few uniformed officers made it discretely known to her that she would be missed. They had guessed that she was behind the recent arrests of their fellow officers. Those two officers were not well-liked and would not be a loss to the station.

The icing on the cake was for her to find a large bunch of flowers propped up against the door to her home. There was a note.

“You will be missed. You came up with the goods when needed. Thank you. Leroy.”

That brought a tear to her face. He might be the boss of a gang of criminals, but he did have a heart.

Her meeting at New Scotland Yard was low key which pleased Roberta.

The Police Commissioner presented Roberta with a commendation.
“This is the second time that you have earned one of these. I know your wish for this to remain out of the Police Gazette. As per your request, no announcement will appear in the Gazette, but your record will be updated to show that you have earned two commendations for work above and beyond the call of duty. For a Constable, that is extraordinary and I am honoured to have met you. I wish that we had more officers who approach policing like you do, on the force.”

Roberta's Father and the Home Secretary were there to witness the event.

After she had received the award, the Commissioner introduced her to an officer who had kept very much in the background during the formal part of the proceedings.

“Constable Galbraith… or rather Detective Constable Galbraith, this is Chief Superintendent Callan of Thames Valley Police. I think that might be interested in what he has to say.”

[the end]
[1] Home to Brighton and Hove Albion aka ‘the Seagulls’.
[Authors Note]
This is not the end of my ‘Roberta Galbraith’ stories. I have one under development but it is a long way from publication.

I'm posting this a day early as I'm off on Holiday to France tonight. I'll be on the 20:15 ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. Tomorrow, I have a 350 mile ride ahead of me.