Fatal Love

by Michael Patterson

  Tom took hold of Julie’s hand, gave it a gentle squeeze, and, along with Sir Peter and Superintendent Birch, they made their way outside, where a large number of cameras were waiting for them. Jane led them to a pre-agreed position. A line had been drawn on the ground indicating where they should all stand. Sir Peter stood in the centre with Superintendent Birch to his right. Tom, together with Julie and the two children, was on his left.

  ‘Is everyone ready?’ Jane asked, directing her question at the newspeople. After they had all given her the thumbs-up, she turned towards Sir Peter and simply said, ‘Sir Peter.’

  ‘Good afternoon, everyone,’ he said, reading from a statement. ‘Two days ago, one of my officers was killed when carrying out his duty. Detective Constable Gary Bennett joined the Metropolitan force almost twenty years ago, and in the time since then he always sought to uphold the values which characterise each and every one of our officers: professionalism, integrity, courage and compassion.’ He paused and then, looking directly at the cameras, said, ‘His death has, once again, brought home to us how those values sometimes come at a high price. At this distressing time, the thoughts of myself and all of my officers in the Metropolitan police force are, of course, with his wife and family.’

  A short silence ensued, and Tom took this as his cue. ‘Good afternoon. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Tom Stone, and DC Bennett was a key part of my team. I personally have known Gary for many years, both as a colleague and, in recent times, as a friend. Like most people here today, I have many regrets, but, without a doubt, one of the biggest ones is the fact it took me so long to count him as a true friend.’ He paused. ‘Sir Peter just mentioned the key values to which we all aspire, but no one really knows if they would be able to meet those values until the situation arises. I can tell you that DC Bennett not only subscribed to those values but also applied them when the situation demanded. He died when, despite he himself being unarmed, he unhesitatingly went to the assistance of a member of the public who was being viciously attacked by two men, both of whom were wielding knives. He knew the odds were not in his favour, but, in that split-second moment, he still decided, without regard for his own personal safety, to go to someone’s assistance. That is the true meaning of courage.

  ‘DC Bennett will be sadly missed, not only by myself and the other members of my team, but also by all his friends and colleagues here at West London police. But, of course, none of that can compensate for the loss which his wife, Julie and their two children, Karen and Peter, are feeling.’ He then turned away from the cameras and, looking directly at Julie and the two children, said, ‘But you should be hugely proud of what Gary did.’

  Chapter 54

  It was later that same afternoon and Tom was just arriving back home. After everything that had happened, he was, unsurprisingly, once again feeling both physically and mentally exhausted. The adrenaline that had carried him through the previous twenty-four hours had now expended itself.

  After the official statements had finished, they had all gone back into the conference room at the station. Although some people had eaten some of the food provided, he, personally, hadn’t. He just didn’t have any appetite at all and made do with a cup of coffee.

  He had spent most of his time there with Julie and her two children. After a short while, though, she had decided to leave and return home. She had told Tom how she was struggling to handle all the nice things that people were saying about her husband. She said, despite everyone’s best intentions, all it was doing was reminding her of how Gary was no longer around.

  As he parked his car on the drive, the front door suddenly opened. He got out of the car and walked towards Mary, who, without saying anything, put her arms around him. When she finally pulled away from him she said, ‘I’m so proud of you. That was so lovely, what you said about DC Bennett.’

  ‘You saw it, then?’ he asked.

  ‘It was on the news. We all saw it.’

  ‘All?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. Paul and his family are all here. As you suggested, I let him know you wouldn’t be able to meet up, so he suggested that they come over here.’ She paused briefly. ‘I think they wanted to support me.’

  ‘Are they still here?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. They are inside.’

  He followed Mary into the house and then into the main living room, where they were all seated. Both Paul and Kerry stood as he entered the room.

  ‘This is a pleasant surprise,’ said Tom, unable to think of anything else to say.

  ‘How are you?’ asked Kerry, in a way which suggested genuine concern for him.

  Before he could reply, Sam, in an obviously excited tone, suddenly said, ‘Granddad! We saw you on TV. I can’t wait to tell all my mates about it.’

  Paul, looking towards Tom, simply raised his eyebrows, as if to say, That’s kids for you.

  It was the first time Tom had been called Granddad byeither Sam or Emily. Mary, suddenly conscious of the effect this was having on him, said, ‘Why don’t we let Granddad Tom take off his coat, and then we’ll decide what everyone wants to do?’

  Taking this as his lead, Tom took off his coat and walked towards the kitchen.

  Paul followed him. When they were alone, he said, ‘Are you sure you’re okay? You look totally whacked.’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Tom answered. ‘It’s all been a bit hectic over the last day or so. It’s probably only now catching up to me.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. Mary mentioned to us how you’ve been involved in a murder investigation and that it was all coming to a head. Are you able to tell me what the outcome was?’

  ‘Well, we’ve made arrests and they have admitted their guilt. We just need due process to now take its course. You won’t know this, but you actually helped in solving it.’

  ‘Really? What did I do?’ he answered, a look of puzzlement on his face.

  ‘It was when you mentioned that you always wore a cap when playing golf.’ He then explained how Glyn Burton neverwore a cap when playing golf, but was apparently suddenly wearing one when he was supposedly leaving his house on the day he disappeared.

  ‘So you were able to prove who did it just on that basis?’

  ‘Well, not just on that, but, in cases like this, it’s important to try and find an anomaly or discrepancy. Something which doesn’t fit in with what you already know. That then makes you think about alternative scenarios.’

  ‘And what about the murder of your colleague? Was that related or a separate investigation?’

  Tom hesitated before answering. ‘I can’t really go into detail about the specifics, but, again, arrests have been made, so I’m hopeful that justice will be served.’

  ‘That’s good news, then, especially for his wife and family.’ He paused. ‘By the way, I was really proud of you today. It can’t have been easy,’ he said, with what was clearly genuine feeling.

  ‘No, it wasn’t, but I appreciate you saying that.’

  ‘We were thinking of having dinner together later, but I would imagine, after the day you’ve had, that’s the last thing you want to do.’

  ‘I’m sure I can keep going for a bit longer yet,’ Tom answered, with a slight laugh. ‘Where did you have in mind?’

  ‘Nothing too flash. We passed a family steak restaurant not too far from here. I think the kids would like that. We are planning to travel up to the Midlands tomorrow. It’s a bit earlier than we had originally planned, but Uncle Raycalled to say something had cropped up – someone who he knew has died and their funeral is next week – and so it would be better if we could come up a day or so earlier. It does mean, though, that we will be returning a bit earlier. Anyway, I just thought it would be nice to spend some more time together before we travel up there.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Tom answered. ‘Just give me a few minutes to change into something else and I’ll be ready.’

  It wasn’t long after that that they were all seated in the restaurant. After the combination of some
food and a few drinks, Tom suddenly began to feel tired again. He had declined to have a dessert, but the kids were tucking into their chocolate sundaes with real gusto. Suddenly Emily began to giggle and point at Tom.

  ‘Look, everybody, Granddad Tom is asleep.’

  Chapter 55

  The following morning Tom had woken early and, realising that he would find it difficult to get back to sleep, had decided, rather than just lying there, to get up and have an early start at the station. When he arrived, Milner was already there.

  ‘Could you not sleep either?’ Tom asked, half-jokingly.

  ‘Not really,’ replied Milner, unwilling or unable to respond in kind to Tom’s attempt to lighten the situation.

  ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ Tom asked.

  ‘Not really,’ he again replied, and Tom took this as a sign that Milner didn’t want to talk about what was clearly bothering him. So they spent their time tying up all the loose ends with regard to the arrests of Mrs Burton and Jim Mason.

  In truth, apart from ensuring all their evidence and statements were in order, it was one of the more straightforward conclusions to an investigation Tom had been involved in, not least because of their readiness to admit their guilt. But Gary’s shadow still hung heavy over the entire station and Milner, in particular, seemed to be affected by his death.

  As the morning progressed, Tom had tried, on a couple of occasions, to speak with Milner about it, but had met a bit of a brick wall every time. He recognised, though, that perhaps, given his own personality, he wasn’t the most qualified to initiate this type of discussion. He made a mental note to speak with Jenny about it. It might be a good idea if Jenny and Milner took some time off together. Just getting away from the station for a few days, and from all of the memories that it held, might help Milner’s mental state. Tom suspected, due to some earlier conversations, that Milner was taking some personal responsibility for Gary’s death, and his current behaviour seemed to reinforce that feeling. He’d decided, therefore, that what Milner probably needed was some time and space in order to finally come to terms with what had happened. But that strategy was just about to be blown out of the water.

  ‘Are you serious?’ asked Tom, with undisguised incredulity in his voice. ‘You and I both know that is absolute rubbish.’

  Tom was now seated in Superintendent Birch’s office, on the fifth floor.

  ‘I couldn’t believe it myself,’ Superintendent Birch answered. ‘When I found out about it I called DCS Small straight away. Unfortunately, his hands, like mine, are tied on this. You know there’s an independent internal investigation whenever a police officer dies whilst on duty. I must admit, I simply thought it would be a fact-gathering exercise with conclusions as to the lessons learnt. Not for a single moment did I think DS Milner would be personally subject to investigation.’

  Tom didn’t immediately respond as he thought through all of the implications of such an investigation for Milner, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

  Finally, Tom said, ‘Has it started yet?’

  ‘No, not yet,’ replied Superintendent Birch. ‘I only received the email this morning. It simply says that an investigation will start shortly, at which point DS Milner will be suspended from all duties until the investigation has been completed.’

  ‘And what has he actually done to warrant this? What are they looking for?’

  ‘It doesn’t mention any specifics, just that it will involve his suspension.’ Superintendent Birch hesitated, his face now betraying his concern. ‘In the past, when this type of internal investigation has occurred, the investigators have usually been looking for any procedural errors or even some degree of negligence in the way the case has been executed.’

  ‘Negligence?’ repeated Tom, his voice rising in step with his anger. ‘How on earth could DS Milner be accused of negligence?’

  ‘Tom,’ replied Superintendent Birch. ‘At this point, I’m only speculating. Let’s wait and see what happens before jumping to any conclusions.’

  Rather than having the effect of providing reassurance for Tom, all this did was reinforce his anger. ‘Well, I’m not going to accept this. I will speak to the Commissioner if I have to.’ He shook his head. ‘If anyone should be suspended then it should be me. After all, I was the SIO on this case.’

  ‘Tom, I know you are angry – and you have every right to be – but that is only likely to make things worse. You were on official holiday. You had assigned responsibility, whilst you were away, to DS Milner, and DC Bennett reported directly to him. If we follow your logic then it should be me who ought to be suspended, as it was me who agreed to you taking a few days’ holiday.’

  Tom’s earlier anger had surprisingly abated when he next spoke. ‘I hear what you are saying,’ he said, making it clear that he didn’t agree, ‘but I’m not going to let this go.’

  By the time Tom had returned to his office on the second floor, he had already decided what he would do, and that was why, later that same afternoon, he was standing outside Metropolitan Commissioner Sir Peter Westwood’s office.

  ‘You were lucky to get hold of him today,’ said Sir Peter’s PA. ‘He is at a chief constables’ conference in Manchester tomorrow and not back until later in the week. Can I get you a coffee whilst you’re waiting?’

  ‘No, thanks,’ he answered. His intention was to make this as brief as possible.

  ‘I saw you on television, the other day, with Sir Peter. That was just so sad,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, it was. It’s not something I would ever want to repeat.’

  Just then the door opened and Sir Peter was standing there. He offered his hand to Tom, who reciprocated.

  ‘Tom. Good to see you again. How are things back at the station?’ Sir Peter asked, with genuine concern in his voice.

  ‘It’s early days yet, sir, and emotions are still quite raw. Some officers are keen to talk about DC Bennett, and remember things he was involved in, whilst others are still finding it difficult to even mention his name. I’m sure, though, given time, the cloud will start to lift.’

  Sir Peter followed Tom into his office and closed the door, before speaking again. ‘And how about you? How are you feeling?’

  ‘I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I forget that Gary is dead. At other times it seems like everything I’m doing simply reminds me he is no longer around.’

  Sir Peter didn’t immediately reply, recognising that Tom, perhaps, needed a little more time. Finally though, he felt he could continue. ‘I never really got the opportunity to congratulate you on the successful conclusion of the investigation you were working on. Superintendent Birch mentioned it to me when I was at the station. Anyway, many congratulations.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ Tom replied. ‘But, as usual when there’s a successful result, it’s due to teamwork.’ He took this as the opportunity to raise the issue concerning Milner. ‘That’s why I wanted to meet with you, sir. I understand Superintendent Birch has been informed that there will be an investigation into DC Bennett’s death.’

  ‘Yes, I was aware of that. As you know, it’s standard procedure when an officer is killed on duty.’

  ‘I understand that, sir,’ he answered. ‘But I didn’t know it was standard procedure to automatically suspend the officer involved whilst the investigation was taking place.’ He carried straight on, not allowing Sir Peter to reply. ‘I can’t believe, at all, there is any reason for suspending DS Milner. On what possible basis could that be justified?’

  ‘Obviously I’m not aware of the specific details for this particular case, but I’m sure the investigating team have their reasons. And anyway, just suspending an officer doesn’t imply guilt. It’s simply to ensure that the investigation can be carried out in an independent and impartial manner.’

  Tom could see, expressed this way, the logic in what Sir Peter was saying. What hadn’t been factored in, however, was Milner’s current state of mind. ‘If that’s the case, sir, then it
should be me who is suspended. As I said to Superintendent Birch, I was the SIO. It was my investigation and DC Bennett died on my watch. So suspend me, not DS Milner.’

  Sir Peter looked intently at Tom before responding. ‘Tom, it’s not my decision. That’s why it’s an investigation run by an independent third party.’

  ‘I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t believe you have no influence whatsoever.’ He then tried another approach. ‘Suspending a young officer such as DS Milner at the start of his career can only be counterproductive. I have no doubt, if he stays in the force, he will go on to become one of the force’s most successful senior officers. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if one day he works from this office. The alternative is that he becomes so disillusioned with the way he has been treated, he decides to leave. What possible benefit is that to the force or the country?’

  If he had hoped his appeal would succeed, he was quickly disappointed. ‘I’m sorry, Tom, but, as I said – even though you might not believe it – I have no influence over how the inquiry is conducted. And anyway, the only way in which these inquiries can operate successfully is if they are totally independent and not subject to any third-party influence.’

  Tom’s earlier relative equanimity had now disappeared. ‘So it’s acceptable for two senior figures – and let’s face it, current establishment figures – to be quietly retired, on their gold-plated pensions, and with their reputations intact, whereas a young police officer will be subjected to the most public personal and professional scrutiny. Where’s the fairness in that?’

  ‘Tom, I know you are upset and angry, but that type of comparison is not going to help. And, anyway, we’ve already had this discussion.’

  But Tom was not about to let it drop. ‘So you’re saying that an instance where two people have been, at best, involved in the cover-up of the deaths of an innocent man and woman, or, at worst, actually complicit in their deaths, should not be subject to any investigation.’ He paused momentarily, as he tried to put all of the thoughts swirling around in his head into words, before continuing. ‘Whereas the involvement of a young police officer, who is not even leading the murder investigation, should be subject to the full force of an internal inquiry regarding his behaviour, with the possibility of it ending his career.’