Shut Up and Drive: DI Ted Darling Book 4

by L M Krier

  'My office. As soon as,' was all that she said before she hung up abruptly.

  'The royal summons,' Ted grimaced, making to stand up. 'Give me those leaflets, Maurice, I want to have a long look at those now I've calmed down a bit.'

  'Finish your hot chocolate, boss,' Maurice told him, fishing them out of his pocket and handing them over. 'The condemned man's last nourishment.'

  Making his way to the Ice Queen's office when they got back to the nick, Ted felt a touch of prophecy in Maurice's words. He knew he could be in serious trouble, with the first ever complaint of his career against him. He was facing possible suspension, a disciplinary hearing and who knew what else. He couldn't even justify his behaviour to himself. He had quite simply lost it and he shouldn't have.

  The Ice Queen's tone was colder than ever when she called out to him to come in, in response to his knock. In the circumstances, Ted thought he'd better wait for her permission to sit down. It was not forthcoming, so he remained standing, not quite at attention, feeling more than a little awkward, and inwardly cursing his unaccustomed loss of self-control.

  The Ice Queen studied him long and hard, her expression somewhere between annoyance and disappointment.

  'I have to say, Inspector, that of all the officers in this station, you are the last one I expected to be the subject of a complaint from a member of the public.'

  Ted decided it was probably safest to say nothing at all until asked for a direct response.

  She regarded him a moment longer then said, 'I want you to go home, now, and stay on leave until Monday morning. You are not to make any contact with any member of your team, especially with DC Brown. I assume, from the description I was given, that was who was with you? I will brief the team on your absence, without giving the reason. I will then conduct my own enquiry into this matter and let you know my findings on Monday. Do not return to your office. Is there anything there which you need?'

  'Everything is in my car, ma'am,' Ted told her, feeling wretched. 'Am I suspended?'

  Again, the long look and the deliberate pause.

  'Not suspended at this stage, no. I have so far managed to persuade Dr Cooper not to make the matter official, therefore it is something, at the moment, which I can deal with without having to pass it on to Complaints. But that still remains a possibility, depending on my findings.

  'For now, go home, try to relax, and I will see you here at eight o'clock on Monday morning.'

  Chapter Seven

  It was rare for Ted to be home before Trev. His hours were often long and erratic, so it was usually Trev who did the cooking. It made a pleasant change for him to come home to delicious smells wafting from the kitchen.

  'You're home early,' Trev said, crossing the kitchen to hug his partner and look over his shoulder at what was cooking. 'Mmmmm, Thai green curry? Is this a special occasion I've forgotten about?'

  He glanced round the kitchen, spotting a new book, open on the table, with Ted's reading glasses next to it. Ted seldom read books; he hardly ever had the time. When he did, it was usually fiction, like his guilty secret pleasure of reading Agatha Christie and Ian Rankin. Trev could see that this was a hefty-looking non-fiction work.

  'I'm doing some detective work here. You're home early, making your signature dish, and buying books. What have you been up to?'

  Ted finished stirring his dish and turned to him with a self-effacing grin.

  'I was sent home from school early for being naughty.'

  'You're suspended?' Trev gaped in astonishment. 'What did you do?'

  'Not suspended, no, just told to take a long weekend and not go back in until Monday morning. So I'm all yours for a couple of days, if you want to do something? Do you want tea? The kettle's just boiled.'

  'Tea, yes, extra strong. I need it for the shock. Tell me what you did.'

  Ted busied himself brewing up for Trev. Just then, his mobile phone, on the table next to his book, rang. Trev was nearer so he looked at the caller display, and handed it to Ted, saying, 'It's Maurice.'

  Ted put a mug of tea down in front of him and sat down, but shook his head. 'I can't take it. Maurice is my witness and I'm not allowed to speak to him until the Ice Queen has completed her initial enquiries.'

  Trev took a swallow of his tea, his eyes wide. 'I can't believe I'm hearing this. Tell me everything, from the start.'

  'Just in brief, I went to see some sort of a therapist who reckons she can cure young people of being gay. I wasn't expecting that, I went to talk to her about something else. She just mentioned that side of her work. There are some leaflets there, with the book. It's one she wrote. I bought it on the way home.

  'Look, would you mind if we talked about this later, over supper? I promise I will talk to you, properly, but right now, I really feel the need of an hour or so doing some Krav Maga.'

  Of the four martial arts in which Ted had black belts, Krav Maga, the fastest and potentially most lethal of them, was the one he relied on when under the most stress.

  'Where are you going?' Trev asked suspiciously. At Ted's own club, training sessions were strictly controlled. On occasion, when he was in a bad place, he had a habit of venturing over the Pennines to another club where the rule book didn't exist and there was no referee.

  'Don't worry, just my own club. No rough stuff, I promise. I just need a hard work out. Then we can eat and I'll tell you all about it.'

  Trev wasn't happy, but their relationship was built on trust, and he knew that Ted wasn't lying to him. He also knew Ted always needed physical release when he was under stress. He didn't suggest going with him, either. Krav Maga was Ted's thing. If that's what he needed, Trev would let him go. He had an idea of his own of what he might be able to do to help, while his partner was out.

  True to his word, Ted wasn't gone too long. He looked physically tired when he came back into the kitchen, dumping his kit bag in the hall on his way. Trev had cleared away the book and laid the table ready to eat when Ted got back home.

  Trev looked at him anxiously. 'Are you all right?'

  Wordlessly, Ted pulled up his sweatshirt, exposing his well-muscled torso, and did a slow pirouette. 'Not a mark, as promised,' he said, as he sank wearily into his chair. 'I just needed the outlet.'

  'Sal phoned me,' Trev said, as he dished up the food Ted had prepared. 'The team are all worried about you. It seems Maurice has been sworn to secrecy and the Ice Queen must have put the frighteners on him as even he is saying nothing. I just told Sal there was some personal stuff you needed to see to and that you'd be back on Monday.'

  'I hope I've not made trouble for Maurice,' Ted said, sounding glum, as he took his plate. 'And I hope he doesn't have any ideas of bending the facts when the Ice Queen talks to him.'

  'Is it going to have to go to Complaints?' Trev asked him anxiously, sitting down with his own plateful.

  'I won't know until Monday. The Ice Queen will do her bit, then let me know her findings. Which may mean I'm not going to be the best of company this weekend, so apologies in advance.'

  Trev stopped eating and put his fork down. 'That's why I've arranged something for you, for the weekend. Something I thought might help. I phoned Annie. She's got the weekend off, so I've fixed up for the two of you to go to Wales.

  'You pick her up at nine on Saturday morning and I've booked the two of you in at a cheap and cheerful B&B somewhere unpronounceable, down in the Amman Valley, near where she's from. I thought perhaps a bit of mother-son bonding might help. She was absolutely thrilled at the idea. She's not been back to Wales for years. I hope that's all right?' He sounded anxious again, not sure of Ted's reaction.

  'That's kind, thank you for the thought. But I've got paperwork I want to go through, and I want to finish this book and look into what, if anything, I can do about this woman.'

  'So do it in a different place. A change of scenery might help. Please do it, Ted. I think it might be good for you, and Annie was so pleased when I called her. She's really looking forward to
spending some quality time with you. And you'll have all day tomorrow to sort out your paperwork.'

  Ted was up at his usual time the following day, even though he was going nowhere. He consoled himself with the thought that at least he could dress as he pleased for a day of working from home, and for a weekend away. Now that he was resigned to the idea, he found himself quite looking forward to spending some time with his mother. She had been missing from his life for a long time and they were only just getting to know one another properly.

  He wanted to give Mike Hallam a call, although he knew he shouldn't, and he thought it would be best to catch him at home, before he left for work.

  'Mike, sorry to call you at all and especially at home. I expect you've been told I'm currently a pariah who's not to be spoken to,' Ted began, trying to keep it light-hearted.

  'Are you all right, boss?' the sergeant's voice sounded genuinely concerned. 'Nobody's saying very much. The Ice … the Super said you were just taking a couple of days off. Trev told Sal it was personal stuff and Maurice said he's been told to saying nothing or the Super will have his knackers for a necklace.'

  Ted had to laugh at the choice of expression, which sounded exactly like Maurice. 'I'm actually taking my mother away for the weekend, but there's more to it than that. I'll fill you in when I'm back on Monday.' He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping he would be back with his team on Monday.

  'This is asking a lot of you, and I don't want to compromise you in any way so I'll understand if you say no. But I'd really appreciate being kept in the loop if anything happens with this case while I'm away. Just a quick call or even a text. Not that I think you can't manage without me. I know you can. Just that, you know me, I like to be kept in the picture.'

  'No worries at all, boss. I may have a chunk missing out of one ear but thanks to you, I still have an ear, which is attached to a head which is still on my shoulders,' Mike laughed. 'Have a good weekend, and we'll catch up on Monday.'

  Ted rang off, hoping he was right. At least it was nice to be able to enjoy breakfast with Trev, for once. But after Trev had left for work, Ted was suddenly confronted with the prospect of a long day at home which he had not anticipated and was decidedly not looking forward to.

  He started reading through the leaflets the therapist had given him, then, on an impulse, he took out his mobile phone, made a call and arranged a lunch date.

  After a couple of hours of paperwork, he showered and dressed. He chose his relaxed chino suit and an open shirt, took the car and headed for a gastro-pub in Manchester. He had not been there for a few years and was, as ever, early for the meeting. He sat nursing his Gunner, looking around at his surroundings. They hadn't changed a great deal in the intervening years; they were just perhaps slightly more pretentious than he remembered.

  When the man he had come to meet came in, Ted could see straight away that he had lost a lot of weight. Ted stood up and held out an awkward hand, but the other man put his hands on each of Ted's upper arms, lent forward and kissed him on the cheek. Even at that time of day, Ted could smell the alcohol on his breath, barely disguised by the scent of expensive aftershave. He noticed the tremor in the hands, too.

  'Ted, it's lovely to see you again, after all this time,' the man said as he took a seat opposite Ted. 'How is that young man of yours? Tony, was it? Are you two still together?'

  'Thanks for coming at short notice, Philip. It's Trevor, not Tony. And yes, we are very much still together. What about you? Are you with anyone?'

  'Oh, one night stands are more my style since you, Ted. You broke my heart when you left me. I hope you realise that.'

  He made the remark lightly but Ted could see the pain behind his eyes, and knew that he meant it. He'd always felt bad about the break-up. But as soon as he'd met Trev, he had hoped there would be a future there, although he was not optimistic, thinking that Trev was way out of his league. He had at least wanted to be free to find out.

  'I assume this is more than a social call?' Philip continued, picking up the menu with a hand which shook badly. 'What can I do for you?'

  As soon as they had ordered, Ted outlined his visit to the therapist and showed him the leaflets, particularly the parts offering a 'cure' for gay people, especially younger ones.

  'Basically, it worries me that someone on my patch is doing stuff like this, potentially doing serious damage to vulnerable young people. I need to know if it breaks any laws, and if there's anything I can do about it.'

  Ted noticed that Philip hardly ate anything once their food arrived. He was just picking at his fish, mostly ignoring the chips and salad which came with it. He was certainly a lot thinner than when they had been together.

  'And you came to ask your former lover, a Chief Crown Prosecutor for another division altogether, rather than talking to someone on your own patch, because …?' Philip asked shrewdly.

  Ted grinned ruefully. 'Because I nearly lost it trying to talk to her myself and I'm currently under investigation by my Superintendent for possible misconduct.'

  Philip reached across the table and put his hand on one of Ted's.

  'I've missed that grin, Ted,' he said, and now there was an intense sadness behind his eyes. Then he withdrew his hand, seeming to shake himself, before pushing his plate away, barely touched. 'Leave it with me, let me see what I can find out. It's a new one on me, I'll need to look into it. Give me your phone number, I'll call you with my findings. Meeting up was a mistake, it just opens old wounds.'

  Wordlessly, Ted took out one of his cards and handed it to him. Then Philip was gone. The encounter left Ted feeling subdued for the rest of the day, which just added to his anxiety over his fate. He decided that perhaps Trev's idea of going away was a good one, after all.

  He filled his car up with fuel on the way home and carefully checked oil, water, windscreen washer and tyre pressures. The Renault was getting decidedly past its sell-by date so he tried to take care of it to the best of his limited mechanical ability. Any thoughts of replacing it would have to go on the back burner, now he'd taken out the loan to help Trev.

  On an impulse, he drove to a store with a decent deli selection to pick up something for the evening meal, and added a bottle of good French wine for Trev. He assuaged his conscience when he found something suitable which was only a tenner for the lot. That wouldn't break the bank, nor stretch the loan any further.

  'I know you're dying to get back to work, but I could get used to you being a house-husband and coming home to a meal on the table,' Trev smiled when Ted dished up the food and put the open wine bottle in front of him.

  'I had lunch with Philip today,' Ted told him as he sat down.

  'Philip?' Trev echoed. 'That's a blast from the past. You never said you were meeting him.'

  'I didn't want to worry you.'

  'Should I be worried?'

  'No, of course not,' Ted said, putting a hand on his arm. 'It was business, nothing more.'

  'Then I'm not worried. Go and have a fabulous couple of days with Annie, come back calm and collected, and I hope all goes well for you on Monday.'

  Except that calm and collected was not at all how Ted arrived home on Sunday evening, much later than he had anticipated. After a pleasant time with his mother, visiting her old home area, the Renault had broken down in Welshpool, he'd had to call the AA to get it started again, and there'd been a long wait for a patrol.

  'I didn't dare switch off again all the way home, not even when I dropped my mother off. I'll have to book a taxi for the morning. I doubt the car will start again and I'd rather not risk the bus at that time. I'll have to get the car into the garage sometime this week. It's due its MOT soon anyway.'

  Trev folded him in a hug. 'It's going to be all right. All of it. The car will be fine, you'll be fine. Try not to worry. Get a good night's sleep and everything will be all right in the morning. You'll see.'

  Chapter Eight

  Ted was obsessively punctual. He always arrived early for any appointment, e
specially for anything as important as his Monday morning meeting with the Ice Queen. He booked a taxi for seven-thirty, allowing plenty of time for the barely eight minute drive from his home to the police station.

  It all started to go pear-shaped when the taxi was late. After ten minutes, and several calls to the taxi office, Ted tried in desperation to start the Renault, which was having none of it, despite his best efforts.

  The taxi finally arrived twenty minutes late, by which time Ted was furious and anxious in equal measure. It was still feasible to do it in the remaining time. Except, of course, as everything was conspiring against him that morning, whatever supreme being was in charge of such matters decreed that traffic would be backed up bumper to bumper practically the length of Hillgate.

  Ted bottled out of calling the Ice Queen himself to say that he was running late. Instead he called the front desk, relieved to get the familiar tones of Bill on the other end of the phone. He asked him to inform Her Majesty that he was on his way, but stuck in heavy traffic. Luckily, Bill had already heard of a minor road accident in the area causing tailbacks, so he was able to convey the information to the Superintendent.

  In the end, Ted's nerves couldn't take the confinement in the cab any longer. As they finally crawled towards Spring Gardens, he threw a note at the driver, asked him to unlock the door, leapt out without waiting for his change, and sprinted for it. He would have bet that it was the biggest tip the driver would get that day, especially when he had arrived so late to pick up his fare and hadn't even come past the accident on his way, so didn't have that as an excuse.

  Ted arrived, breathless and flustered, nearly half an hour late, at the Ice Queen's office, where he panted out his excuses, hoping she wouldn't leave him standing up this time. She waved aside his apologies and told him to take a seat. Ted was relieved to sit down, but more than a little concerned at how much his heart was racing. He was in peak physical form, with all the martial arts and hill walking he and Trev did together in every spare moment. He could only assume that it was the tension of the moment which was making his heart pound at such an alarming rate.