Page 78 of Copper Script
Joel wasn’t the stuff of which righteous avengers were made.He’d never felt he had the time and resources to look after anyone much beyond himself.But he was properly outraged now, not just for Aaron—honest, dedicated Aaron who cared about doing the right thing—but as a matter of principle.This waswrong, and he was angry in the sick deep-down way he’d been angry about his trial and conviction, with the impotent rage that came from watching powerful people wreck lives for advantage or profit or fun.
He fretted the rest of the day away, and was grateful for a couple of clients to distract him.He used the rest of his time putting his things in order and packing a bag so that, if need be, he could run.
He wasn’t to contact Aaron unless it was an emergency.He didn’t expect to hear from him that day, and duly didn’t; he did hope for something the following afternoon, say.Or evening, or night, but the clock ticked remorselessly on and no word came.
By the third morning Joel had chewed off all the fingernails he had available and was cursing the Germans for depriving him of the other five.Ought he try to get in touch with Aaron?Why wasn’t he saying what was going on?Had he found anything?Was he keeping Joel out of it to protect him, and how hard would Joel need to kick him?
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be protected; he absolutely did.But he wanted even more to be useful.He wanted to be Aaron’s partner in this, and he wanted to know what was going on, because Aaron ought not to be facing this alone.
When the knock came, he ran for the door.Whether it was a telegram from Aaron, or Eddie Twigg, or Darby Sabini himself, he needed to seesomethingwas moving.
It was none of those.It was a young woman in a long sensible serge skirt.
“Mr.Wildsmith?I’m Detective Constable Helen Challice.May I come in?”
Joel stepped back.Miss, or Constable, Challice entered, shut the door, looked around with every evidence of disapproval, and said, “I need to talk to you, Mr.Wildsmith.DS Fowler sent me.”
“Is that right,” Joel said.This was the woman copper Aaron had said he’d talk to, that he felt he could trust, but Joel wasn’t inclined to extend the benefit of the doubt to anyone right now.
She was eyeing him up shrewdly.“I expect you want to know if I’m telling the truth.”
“Er—?”
“About DS Fowler,” she clarified, as though Joel were slightly slow.“He said you probably wouldn’t take my word that I was here on his behalf.He told me to say—let me get this right—‘dolce Torino’.I suppose that’s Italian for something?Anyway, he said that would prove I was from him, a sort of password.It’s all terribly cloak and dagger.”
That was the chocolate sweet Aaron had watched Joel eat with an expression of such naked longing that Joel had all but thrown himself on the table there and then.“Yes, I see,” he said carefully.“Why did he give you a password?I mean, why are you here, and not him?”
“Because he’s in rather a lot of trouble,” Constable Challice said.“May I sit down?”
“Of course, sorry.Tea?”he added automatically.
“He said you’d thrust tea on me,” Challice remarked.“He said you wouldn’t be able to help yourself.If the house was burning around your ears, he says you’d put a kettle on the flames.”
“Yes, all right, you’re definitely from him,” Joel muttered.“What trouble?Is he all right?How do you take it?”
“No tea.Sit down.”The instruction came in the sort of voice that took a man right back to school, and Joel dropped into the nearest chair as though she’d cut his hamstrings.Challice took the other seat and folded her hands neatly in her lap.
“Well,” she said briskly.“First of all, DS Fowler has given me a series of quite remarkable allegations about DDI Colthorne.I understand you know that.”
“Yes.”
“DS Fowler believes that the DDI was behind the murder of Gerald Marks, because he feared Marks had something on him.Was perhaps even blackmailing him.”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe that?”
“DS Fowler believes it, which is what matters,” Joel said.“He’s the copper, he knows about the case, and he thinks it’s what’s going on.”
“And what do you think?”she said implacably.
“I think he’s an honest man.I know that someone is leaning on me to get at him.And I understand this started after the Marks murder, which Colthorne told DS Fowler to stop investigating.So yes, I believe it.”
She nodded slowly.“Interesting.Because the thing is, DDI Colthorne has accused DS Fowler of gross misconduct, on both personal and professional levels.He’s offered to let Mr.Fowler resign quietly for the good of the Met, if he signs a full statement admitting to disgracing his office.If he doesn’t resign, the DDI will take it to a formal disciplinary.”
“He’s trying to shut him up.Isn’t that obvious?”
“Unless DS Fowler knew he was going to be accused, and trumped up this story against the DDI first in an effort at self-protection.”
