Reprobates (8 page)

‘
It would help if we knew where her body was,’ said Paul.

‘
Too true it would. It’s looking like someone has attempted to remove all the clues that will lead us to finding out how she died, but don’t worry they will have made a mistake, they always do. It’s up to us to find it. Don’t forget we’ll need her DNA. Easiest place is probably from her hairbrush, the toothbrush or anything else we can find that you think will give us a profile. So that if, when, she turns up we have something to identify her with. Looks like your first day back is straight into a murder enquiry m’old son.’

‘
Aye and an unusual one at that.’

‘
Yeah it is. Now let’s get it sorted. Bloody hell,’ he said looking at his mobile phone. ‘Two calls from Jen and no bloody signal!’

‘
Maybe that’s why she didn’t have a mobile phone then, boss if there isn’t a good signal in the area?’

‘
I think we should keep looking.’

It felt good to be back at work for Jen, even work that included Avril. Jen walked in to the front office of Harrowfield Police Station for the second time that morning. The duty Police Sergeant Malcolm Bean stood at the desk attending to paperwork. He offered her a little flaccid smile.

A muscular man in builder’s boots and a cut away T-shirt leaned heavily against the counter. Jen pressed the bell and stood patiently at the internal door. Penny stood beyond the glass screen with her face pressed to the window. ‘Coming,’ she mouthed. Jen saw her friend scurry to the door. ‘You free for lunch?’ she said, as she opened it, duster in hand. ‘They’ve changed the code,’ she said apologetically.

‘
Must have been whilst I’ve been out on Avril’s errands.’

Penny smiled coyly over Jen
’s shoulder. Jen turned to see the man at the counter wink at her.

‘
Who’s that?’ she said.

‘I
’ll tell you later,’ Penny said. Her face was flushed. ‘It’ll be lunchtime shortly, can we catch up about twelve thirty before I take Max for his constitutional?’ she said, gushing with excitement.

‘
You won’t need to walk him today. I had to take him to the vets this morning and they’ve kept him in.’

‘
Oh God. Is he okay?’ Penny said, her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open.

‘
Truth is I don’t know yet. The vet thinks he might have been poisoned. He hasn’t been chasing rodents when he’s been out with you has he?’

Penny shook her head.
‘No. You okay, you’re shaking?’

‘I
’m anxious. What with Max and now I’m back to clocking in and out every time I go in and out of the building. It just doesn’t help having Avril on my case again.’

‘She
’ll understand surely?’

Jen pulled a face.

‘Oh yes, it’s Godzilla we’re talking about isn’t it?’

‘
Exactly.’

‘
Try not to worry. I’m sure Max will be okay,’ she said, patting her friend’s arm reassuringly.

A brief smile lit up Jen
’s face. ‘Yeah, hopefully. At least I’m only working part-time,’ she said.

‘It
’s alright for some.’

‘
Two and a half days a week. I can cope with that.’

‘
I wish I only had to work two and a half days a week. But walking Max for you isn’t really like a job, is it?’ Penny’s eyes danced with excitement. ‘I’ve got a new fella,’ she said, nodding towards the counter.

‘
What?’

‘It
’s early days,’ she said lowering her voice. ‘We’ve only managed to meet up a few times, what with the kids always being around. He buys me flowers,’ she said. A dreamy look passed over her face. ‘You could say I’m officially in love. Well, tell me what woman of a certain age wouldn’t say no to a toy boy?’ she grinned with a nod in the direction of the reception area.

‘No! You
’re a quick worker I’ll give you that. But if he makes you this happy then that’s good enough for me,’ Jen said taking a sharp intake of breath.

‘
What’s up?’ asked Penny.

‘Don
’t know. Call it a gut feeling but I’m having my back-to-work interview with Avril today and I never know what she is going to spring on me. I must go.’

‘Pessimist,
’ said Penny.

‘
You forget I know her of old.’

‘Ah, yes,
’ Penny said.

‘Avril
’s dry cleaning.’

‘
What did her last slave die of? You’re too bloody soft by half.’

‘
Yeah, well, that’s me. I guess I’m not going to change now, am I? See you at lunchtime. And Penny,’ she said as she was leaving. ‘Be nice to Malcolm. He’s a lovely genuine guy. Treat him gentle,’ she said.

‘
Of course,’ said Penny with a puzzled look on her face. ‘Malcolm?’ Penny thought as she saw her friend run towards the steps.

Familiar faces nodded
‘hello’ to Jen as she walked on the top corridor towards the admin office.

‘
When you bringing Maisy in to see us?’ asked Margaret the disbursements clerk, sweetly when Jen reached the office. ‘Ah, it’s so lovely to have you back.’ Margaret reached out and gave Jen a motherly hug. ‘It must have been hard for you leaving the little one with the childminder this morning.’

‘Jack
’s doing that bit. It’s only three mornings a week, so it’s not too bad. I’m working two full days and Wednesday morning.’

‘
You are?’ Margaret asked, quizzically.

‘
Yes, that’s what I agreed with Avril, why?’

‘
Huh, another one with a kid who won’t be here in the school holidays,’ mumbled Donna from her desk in the corner. Rita who was filing some paperwork made a face at her behind her back. Jen tittered despite her anxiety.

‘Jennifer!
’ screeched Avril Summerfield-Preston from within the neighbouring office.

Jen half-smiled.
‘Well she’s consistent, I’ll give her that. Nothing’s changed?’ she asked. Margaret shook her head. Jen’s stomach sank.

‘You
’d better believe it,’ Rita said as she passed Jen. ‘Welcome back to bloody Auschwitz kid.’ Rita had her hands full of evidence bags that were all shapes and sizes. Jen opened the heavy fire door for her. ‘I’ll be in the property store if you want me,’ she said.

Jen stood at Avril Summerfield-Preston
’s office door, but before going in she stopped, lifted her head and took a deep breath. Having put a fake smile upon her face she knocked three times and entered. The room was warm, quiet and still. Avril’s fingers tapped gently on her desk as if transmitting a code in blunt, brief sentences. Her forehead showed its usual frown. There would be no allowances made for her staff with children, she’d agreed with Donna. A mother’s place in her opinion was in the home.

‘You
’ve been a long time, Jennifer,’ she said. ‘Sit down.’

Jen was prepared but she dithered.
‘The court was busy and the queue at the dry cleaners...’ she gabbled on mindlessly as she sat down in the chair opposite Avril. Avril’s face was turned towards the computer and for what seemed like an eternity she didn’t speak. Jen sat quietly with her hands clasped tightly on her lap. Her face was tense. She sensed no warmth in Avril’s greeting. Eventually Avril gave Jen a strange, dark glance as if she was peering from behind a curtain.

Jen moved her lips, but no noise came out of her mouth. How did this woman have the ability to render her mute?
‘I guess I’m going to be a bit rusty,’ she said eventually, giving the woman a nervous smile.

‘You
’ll soon get up to speed, when you’ve been on the courses I’ve booked you on at Headquarters,’ she said.

Jen squirmed inwardly.

‘Well, I guess I should welcome you back,’ she said mirroring Jen’s false smile. ‘I trust you won’t be making a habit of pushing the core time to the minute, like you did this morning?’ Avril’s eyes flickered.

Jen shook her head.

‘However, since you appear to find getting to work on time a bit of a bind, I may just have the solution.’

‘Oh no... It
’s not a problem. It was Max. I had to take him to the vets. I assure you I did clock in on time.’

‘
I know,’ Avril said as she fanned her face with Jen’s clocking in card. The card made a flapping sound. ‘I checked.’

There was a knock at the door.
‘Excuse me, drinks?’ Margaret asked, carrying two mugs into the office at arm’s length. Jen threw her a grateful look. Avril didn’t look up at Margaret but moved her arm to the side so Margaret could place the mug on her desk in front of her.

‘
Normally it will be fine,’ Jen said. ‘Thank you Margaret,’ she said softly.

Jen watched Avril slowly take some papers out of a large brown envelope.
‘These are for you to sign,’ she said stroking her long, beak like nose with her finger that Jen noticed had an ink stain on it. She handed them over in a very stilted, deliberate fashion. A strong smell of her heavy, pungent perfume came Jen’s way and made her eyes water. It smelt like a concoction somewhere between potpourri and church incense. ‘We’ve, that’s Chief Superintendent Hugo-Watkins and myself, have decided it would be best all round if you worked every afternoon, Jennifer. That’s over five days and not necessarily always weekdays either in the future,’ Avril smiled, a real smile and when she did Jen noticed the angles of her mouth lifted in an odd way, almost as though she was unaccustomed to smiling.

Jen winced.
‘Ah, that might be a problem...’

Avril
’s eyes seemed to narrow. ‘Then find a solution,’ she said, with a slight turn of her head and a lift of an eyebrow. Jen felt as if she had been slapped in the face. ‘Lesley, our new lady who will be working the other side of your post will be doing mornings. You can pick up the work that she is not familiar with, at least until she is fully up to speed.’

‘But,
personnel is a new role for me, too. We agreed two and a half days a week, Avril. I’ve arranged it with the childminder and Jack...’

Avril
’s stare was deliberate. She was obviously enjoying the altercation and her command of it, which made Jen feel all the more uncomfortable.

‘Oh, I‘
m sure Dylan will be fine with it once you explain. Sign here,’ she said leaning over her desk to point on the dotted line.

Jen
’s heart was racing but she didn’t pick up the pen. ‘No, actually, this is nothing like we agreed,’ she said. Jen became conscious of the stopping of the tapping on Donna’s typewriter keys in the adjoining admin office. Avril seemed to grow ten foot tall in front of her eyes. Dylan had warned Jen that she should be under no illusions of thinking that Avril would have mellowed after the experience at Maisy’s birth. Jen threw a whimsical smile of sadness in her direction.

‘I
’m not signing anything. This feels like the start of constructive dismissal to me.’ Jen stood.

‘
Well, I don’t see an alternative.’

Jen walked out of Avril
’s office without looking back. Tears of rage filled her eyes and she wiped them from her cheek. Donna looked on. Damn, why did she always cry when she was angry?

***

Jen had never seen Penny so effervescent. So much so that she allowed her skinny latte to go cold and the cheese that dripped from her Toastie congeal on her plate as she talked and talked about her new-found happiness. ‘It might just be a cleaning job to you, Jen but it’s opened up a whole new world for me. You never told me working at the nick was so exciting? There is never a dull moment.’

Jen couldn
’t help but smile at her friend’s eager face. ‘You’ll change your tune when the novelty wears off.’

‘
Well it beats stacking shelves at Tesco any day,’ she said smiling broadly. ‘Cleaning will do until I get a job in admin like you. Malcolm is very kindly showing me around all the computer systems. He says the more I know about how to use them and what they are used for, the better for me when it comes to the application and interviews. He’s going to help me with my application too when a job comes up. Maybe Dylan could put in a good word?’

‘
I don’t know if he can if I’m honest, but you can ask him.’

‘
How’s Max?’

‘I
’m just on my way to the vet now. Penny could I ask you a favour?’

Penny nodded as she gulped down the last of her cold coffee. She grimaced and put the cup down hurriedly.

‘Look, I haven’t thought this through yet, truth be known she’s just sprung it on me, but the bitch...’

‘Beaky?
’

‘
Yes, Beaky. In her infinite wisdom she wants to change my hours. I’ve told her I can’t, but in my experience if she wants something she usually manufactures a way of getting it. Do think you might be able to walk Max more for us if we need you?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘Oh, gosh. I don
’t know. What with me working, the kids and my new fella...’ she said.

‘It
’s a hell of an ask, I know. Don’t worry, I was just sounding you out.’

‘
I will if I can.’

‘
Look, don’t worry. It’s not your problem. Dylan and I will work something out.’

***

Jen’s face was glum when Jack Dylan walked through the door that night. She was sitting on the sofa.

‘
Not a good day?’ he asked.

‘
We need to talk,’ said Jen. ‘Over dinner?’

‘
Ouch, that bad?’

Jen gave him a weak smile.

Dylan kissed the top of her head. He felt the slight twitch of her shoulder. She rose, stretched and yawned.