‘I’m offering: me taking the job and sorting Simon out,’ said Charlie. ‘That’ll give you everything you want: Simon back on form and working well, me in charge, keeping everything under control. That must be what you want, or you wouldn’t have offered me the job.’
‘Do you know where DC Waterhouse is at the moment?’ the super asked.
‘No.’
‘Neither does anyone on his team. He isn’t responding to anyone’s attempts to contact him.’
‘Oh – yes, he has.’ Charlie was pleased to be able to share good news. ‘For a while he didn’t, that’s true, but I spoke to Sam just now. He saw Simon this morning, brought him up to speed.’
‘After a day of his being inexplicably missing, and after he encouraged a young woman to kill her stepmother the previous evening – a stepmother who, as it turned out, had recently been stabbed to death in her garden.’
How the fuck did she know Simon had told Jemma to do it? Sam would never have told her that.
‘I’ll be honest, Sergeant. I’m disappointed by your request. You must know that you don’t get to come in here and offer me a deal. That isn’t how this organisation works.’
‘Yeah, I know,’ said Charlie wearily.
‘I’m sure you alsoknow that your husband has beenuncontrollable and unaccountable since the day he first set foot in this building.’
How do you know? You weren’t here then. You’ve only just gerbilled your way in.
‘For some reason, no one before me has felt inclined to tackle the problem,’ Whittingham said. ‘I’m not sure why. Nobody seems able to explain it to me.’
‘So you are planning to fire Simon.’ Charlie felt something as heavy as a rock inside her, slowly sinking.
‘I’m not discussing my plans with you, Sergeant Zailer. And, though I’m sorry to have to say this, please consider the offer of the DS position withdrawn. I’ve been scrupulously fair with you – I didn’t want to tar you with any brushes just because you’re his wife—’
‘Who the fuck do you think you are?’ The words were out of Charlie’s mouth before she could stop them. ‘To be clear,’ she went on smoothly, ‘I know you’re the new super, but youdon’t get to talk about Simon as if everyone agrees he’s a piece of shit. I don’t agree, because he isn’t. Lots of people here know he’s irreplaceable, even if you don’t.’
‘Nobody is irreplaceable.’ The pouchy cheeks just couldn’t wait to squeeze out that time-worn platitude.
‘Yes, they are,’ said Charlie. ‘You’re not, but lots of other people are – people like Simon who think for themselves. Don’t all the cases he’s closed pretty much singlehandedly count for anything? His one hundred per cent success rate?’
‘He’s undoubtedly talented, yes,’ said the super. ‘The problem I have is that other things matter too.’
‘If you fire Simon, or he goes, I’m going too,’ Charlie told her.
‘Of course.’ Whittingham smiled. ‘I completely understand. You must do what’s best for you.’
‘Maybe I’ll go and be the new CEO of Dickhead Quotes on Wedding Pictures. How about that?’ Charlie pointed to the framed photograph.
That got a reaction. Pink blotches appeared at the top of the super’s neck.
‘“A princess from a dream”, really?’ Charlie couldn’t stop herself. ‘That a typo? Was it meant to say, “Fran looked like an abscess from a nightmare”?’Juvenile. She needed something sharper, that would go in deeper. ‘I’ll tell you one thing,’ she said. ‘There’s no way he still loves you as much as he did then. He’s known you too long, and you’re awful, aren’t you? He must have noticed by now.’
The expression on the super’s face wasn’t one Charlie could stand to look at for more than a fraction of a second. No need to ask herself if she’d gone too far.
She left the room as quickly as she could, slamming the door behind her.
JULY 9, 2023
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Olly says. ‘I don’t know any man with grey hair and a ginger beard … I don’t know the person you’re describing.’
‘You’re lying.’ I lean forward in my chair. ‘Thought you weren’t going to do that any more. It’s okay. I keep lying to you too: you’re fair game, aren’t you?’
‘What have you lied about?’ He doesn’t like the sound of this at all. Good. Serves him right.
‘This isn’t the first time I’ve booked to see you under a false name,’ I tell him. ‘Do you remember a missed appointment two weeks ago – new client? Cindy Riley?’
