by J. S. Law
‘The big man testing your patience?’ asked Blackett, ignoring her question about Ryan Taylor.
Dan smiled at him and it hurt. She could see out of both eyes now and although her face was still swollen, it was her ribs that caused her the most discomfort.
‘He means well, Danny. I think he’s just glad to have you back,’ said Roger.
Dan nodded. ‘I’m glad too.’
‘He told me you never opened his letter?’ Roger said, his eyebrows raised as though Dan had better have a good reason.
She watched him for a moment and then raised her eyebrows, mimicking him, and reminding Roger that, on some topics, she didn’t have to answer to him. She waited for him to get down to business and answer her question, but he continued to wait.
‘For goodness’ sake,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘He’s here now, we’ve spoken, I don’t need to read it. Anyway, he said to me this morning that I should keep it and open it when he’s gone. I’ll do that.’
Roger seemed to accept her answer, relaxing and leaning back in his chair.
‘No,’ he said, returning to Dan’s original question. ‘No sign of Ryan Taylor, but he can’t stay on the run for long. He’s no money, or if he has it’ll only be whatever cash he had, and the police are watching for him. I think we’ll have him in custody before long.’
‘They’re going to walk, aren’t they? Aaron Coles and Melvin Bradshaw?’
Blackett sat down behind his large desk and opened his drawer.
Dan knew he was looking at the flagon of expensive whisky that he kept there, but he must have decided against it.
‘Dan, we haven’t a single shred of evidence, aside from your word, that Aaron Coles was involved in this.’
‘He broke two of my ribs.’
Blackett raised his hands in surrender. ‘He says he didn’t. He says he tried to save you from Jago Maddock, and the statement from the Chief Stoker – Ashley Campbell if you’ll believe that name – states that he saw Coles trying to stop Maddock from getting you. He says he saw Coles fighting with the Coxswain to protect you.’
‘It was dark,’ said Dan. ‘And then they both conveniently fell into the water, and Maddock drowned.’
‘Again, Danny, Chief Campbell, who by the way almost certainly saved your life, says that he believes that Coles tried to save the Coxswain.’
‘It was dark,’ said Dan.
‘It was,’ agreed Blackett. ‘And the Chief Stoker entered the water to drag you out; that must give his testimony some credibility.’
Dan walked across to the large leather chairs and slowly lowered herself into one.
‘I don’t deny what the Chief Stoker did for me then, but that doesn’t undo his actions before that; it doesn’t wipe the slate clean.’
‘I agree. I agree completely,’ said Blackett. ‘And if you make a complaint against him for his previous actions, then there’ll be an investigation and I’m sure that, on balance of probability, your complaint will be upheld. But using your same logic, what he did to you before shouldn’t wipe away the fact that he put his life on the line to save yours when he didn’t have to; the Hamoaze at night is no place to be swimming.’
Dan leaned back, silent for a moment, wondering whether Roger might spot her some of that whisky in his drawer, a drink she hated, but which might feel good now if it numbed some of her pain.
‘You know the Chief Stoker’s wife left him only a few days before you met him? Left him for another woman. Took the kids and is taking him to the cleaners; their house, his pension …’
‘That doesn’t excuse—’
‘I know, Danny,’ Blackett interrupted. ‘I know it doesn’t excuse his actions. But it is context. If your actions during the investigation had been looked at cold, without any context, then you could be facing criminal charges and discharge from the naval service; context isn’t an excuse, but it always needs to be considered.’
Dan looked away. As was so often the case, Blackett was right.
‘As for the other two, Aaron Coles and the Old Man, we’ve been through everything, every detail of their lives, and there is nothing, not one single scrap of evidence, to support your accusations that they were involved in this. The drugs were recovered and there were no fingerprints or evidence on any of that packaging; they’d all been very careful.’
Roger pursed his lips apologetically.
‘But other evidence shows that Jago Maddock, Ryan Taylor, Ben Roach and Stewart Walker were importing significant quantities of narcotic into the United Kingdom to fund their lifestyles. Things got out of hand.’ Blackett looked out of the window. ‘Money, power, love and revenge,’ he said. ‘I’ve never known a crime that wasn’t connected with one of them.’
‘There’s more to this,’ said Dan. ‘More people involved.’
‘Dan, we have nothing that even circumstantially links Aaron Coles or Melvin Bradshaw to any wrongdoing. Nor that other officer who was in your sights – McCrae, was it?’
‘My word?’
‘Your word against theirs, when your actions in the preceding weeks bring your word into doubt.’
Blackett wasn’t agitated, but Dan could tell that he was getting fed up of going over this ground with her.
‘People died, Roger. Cheryl Walker, who had no part in smuggling drugs, was killed over this.’
‘And by your own hand, we know who did it. Searches at Ben Roach and Jago Maddock’s homes uncovered evidence on clothing, blood and hair. They were there when Cheryl Walker was attacked. They killed her. We may never know which one actually did it, but we know one of them did. The length of air-hose that Cheryl Walker was beaten with was recovered, hidden beneath Maddock’s mattress on board Tenacity.’
Dan shook her head.
‘What? Danny, honestly, what? We know who killed Cheryl Walker and we know broadly why. You broke a drug smuggling ring that was using UK government assets to smuggle drugs into the country. How can you be unhappy with this? How can you still be shaking your head?’
Blackett’s voice was rising, his frustration starting to grow. He looked into his drawer again, eyed up the whisky even as he was speaking.
‘Just four sailors, all on their own, were able to get hold of that quantity and quality of narcotic?’ Dan asked, not expecting or waiting for a reply. ‘They were able to get it sold on and manage the huge sums of cash that would be involved in that type of transaction …’
Roger raised his hands; he didn’t know any more than he’d told her the past dozen times.
‘Danny, we don’t know everything, we may never know. Maybe this one isn’t a big conspiracy, maybe it’s just exactly what it looks like. Every case isn’t Hamilton.’
Dan was silent.
‘Sorry,’ said Roger. ‘I didn’t mean it that way.’
‘And no one’s interested in looking into it any further? No one’s wondering—’
‘Jesus, Danny, will you stop? We’ve looked. There’s nothing to find, nothing. There’s no conspiracy, no cover-up, no evidence. The civil police looked too, Branok Cornish and his team, and while he’s no fan of yours, he’s as straight as they come.’
She looked away, turning from him to look out of the window.
They sat in silence for what seemed like a long time, Dan looking out of the window, aware that Blackett was watching her.
The nuclear exclusion zone around Tenacity had made way again for a security zone, which had eventually been relaxed as evidence was gathered and the details of the incident became clear.
‘So why did Aaron Coles attack the Coxswain? Explain that,’ said Dan.
Blackett must have finally broken. He pulled open his drawer and lifted out his crystal whisky glass and flagon. He poured himself a long measure without offering any to Dan and then placed the bottle carefully back in its place. He raised the half-full glass. ‘A willing foe and sea-room,’ he toasted, swirling it, sniffing it, and taking a sip.
‘Well?’ prompted Dan.
‘T
o protect you,’ he finally answered.
‘I didn’t need protecting.’
‘No? When I got to the hospital you looked as though you’d been doing just great,’ said Blackett. ‘I really wasn’t sure when, or if, you’d wake up. That’s why I called Taz.’
She ignored him.
‘It still doesn’t explain why Walker contacted me. Why Tenacity also asked for me by name. Why me, the only female investigator in the Special Investigation Branch.’
There was a knock at the door.
Blackett opened his drawer and carefully placed his quarter-full glass inside, sliding it carefully closed to prevent any possible spills. He stood, tucked in his shirt and wiped a hand around his mouth.
‘Roger, look at Tenacity’s running, look how much power the Old Man had over the ship’s programme and its crew. There had to be involvement at a level above the bloody Coxswain, there had to be involvement above the Commanding Officer, there’s no other way this could happen.’
He turned and looked at her, his face stern. ‘I went in to bat for you, Danny. You broke a big case, drug smuggling using nuclear submarines and a horrible murder, but you’re still in the shit. You broke rules, showed a disregard for military and personal security, and you could easily have had your ass thrown out the service to face criminal charges. I arranged this and I saved your job, which, frankly, is all you have while you rebuild the shipwreck that is your life. So you do me a favour now and shut up while they’re here.’
He’d rarely looked so angry and tense. Maybe once, a long time ago when she’d turned up on his doorstep in ripped clothing and covered in blood asking for his help. He was a friend and mentor, had looked out for her for years, and she accepted his message and stood up too.
Dan nodded once, gratitude almost on her lips as they looked at each other, then she turned away.
Another knock sounded at the door, this one louder than the last.
‘Come,’ Blackett shouted, and the door opened immediately.
Roger’s assistant peered around it. ‘Sir, Lieutenant Lewis, it’s Captain David Harrow-Brown, part of the Joint-Chiefs Investigative and Intelligence at GCHQ?’
Dan nodded, returning the hawkish stare of the Captain as he entered the room before the assistant had finished speaking. She immediately felt cold and a shiver forced its way up her back and out across her shoulders. She couldn’t hide or disguise it, and she was certain that her reaction brought a thin smile to the Captain’s pallid face.
She didn’t look at Aaron Coles and Melvin Bradshaw as they followed the Captain into the room.
Even without looking she could see that they were both smiling warmly as they shook hands with Blackett and took their seats, ignoring Dan entirely.
‘I hope Lieutenant Lewis is recovering well?’ said the Captain to Blackett.
‘I’m over here, sir,’ said Dan, unable to help herself. ‘But I’m doing very well, thank you for asking.’
‘I see this investigation has cost you none of your winning personality, Lieutenant Lewis,’ said the Captain, still without looking at her.
The room was silent for a few moments.
Then the Captain spoke again. ‘This investigation has been costly in many, many ways, for the Submarine Service, the Royal Navy and the armed forces as a whole,’ he began. ‘However, both the civil police and the Chief of the Defence Staff are content that the investigation is now complete and that those who are required to will answer properly for the part they played.’
Dan shifted in her seat. She finally felt able to glance over to where Aaron was sitting. To her surprise he was looking right at her, as was the Old Man; both were smiling, as though they’d been waiting for her.
The Captain continued. ‘Elements of Lieutenant Lewis’s complaint and allegations have been upheld, although her actions brought all of her assertions into question. As such, and henceforth, further Equality and Diversity training will now be routinely given to submariners as we move closer to females joining submarines in the coming year.’
Dan’s jaw dropped open.
Aaron and Melvin Bradshaw smiled broadly and nodded agreement.
‘After what happened, they’ll receive E and D training?’ said Dan, outrage clear in her voice.
The Captain stopped, but didn’t turn towards Dan. He paused before addressing Blackett. ‘Commander Blackett, have you not fully briefed Lieutenant Lewis on the precariousness of her position?’
Dan watched as Roger nodded, but said nothing.
‘In that case, I’ll continue. As you are all aware, Commander Bradshaw has resigned his command of HMS Tenacity, accepting full responsibility for what occurred under his command.’ The Captain nodded towards the Old Man as if to ensure everyone knew whom it was they were talking about. ‘Lieutenant Commander Aaron Coles has been commended for his part in attempting to apprehend Chief Petty Officer Jago Maddock and in rescuing Lieutenant Lewis—’
‘What?’ said Dan, eyes and mouth as wide as each other.
‘He will be reassigned to HMS Tenacity at the earliest opportunity, with all of our thanks, I’m sure.’ He turned to look at Dan this time, that thin-lipped half smile, half smirk, clear across his face.
Dan met his stare, refusing to back down even though the way he looked at her made her skin crawl. She fought back another shiver, this time keeping herself in check.
‘Which brings me to Lieutenant Lewis,’ he said, spitting her name as though it were a swear word he was being forced to repeat in church. ‘She may maintain her position as an investigator in the Special Investigation Branch’s Crimes Involving Loss of Life division, provided that she undergoes a full psychological assessment. No investigations are to be undertaken by her until such time as she is deemed fit for duty by the armed forces psychiatric team at Catterick.’
Dan turned towards Blackett, her eyes wide; he had not fully briefed her at all.
‘Additionally, she will not be permitted to discuss or profit from any aspects of this investigation, nor to publish papers or reports with anyone not directly involved in it. She will sign a legal agreement to this effect. These are the terms on offer and they are only on offer for the next five minutes.’
He shuffled forward on his chair and reached a bony hand inside his briefcase, retrieving a folder from which he removed a sheet of paper then passed it to Blackett.
Blackett scanned it quickly and then passed it on to Dan with a pen from his desk.
She read it slowly, considered ripping it up and trying to force it down the Captain’s throat, and then clicked the pen as though ready to sign.
‘Quickly please, Lieutenant Lewis,’ said the Captain. ‘You’ve wasted more than enough of my valuable time already and I have a four-star briefing to deliver in just a few moments.’
Dan smiled her best fake smile and nodded. ‘Sure, thank you,’ she said. ‘But I do still have more than four minutes of your allotted time remaining.’
The Captain drew in a deep breath, making no attempt to hide that his patience was growing thinner.
‘I have an idea,’ she said, turning slowly to look at the Captain and the two men behind him.
‘You know, Lieutenant Lewis,’ the Captain said slowly, over-pronouncing her name for effect. ‘You have had time for ideas, now sign, or do not sign. I really do not care.’
‘But this is a good idea,’ she said. ‘You’ll want to hear it.’
She could feel the fury radiating from Roger Blackett, could almost hear telepathic messages from him as his eyes told her to stop talking and sign the agreement.
‘See, my idea is this. I won’t sign this, because it’s illegal, unfair and immoral. But I will accept your terms of keeping my job and status within the Special Investigation Branch. In return, I won’t write any papers that could be leaked, with horrible consequences, I’m sure, about this investigation and the misogynistic attitudes that have prevailed, not only during my treatment on board Tenacity, but afterwards and even now. I will also not
write in my paper about how I don’t believe for one second that four sailors alone managed to set up a complex supply chain, something that the Royal Navy is excellent at, to procure, transport and dispense significant quantities of high-quality, high-value narcotic into the United Kingdom. I won’t pontificate about how far up the command chain this type of conspiracy would need to go, for the programme of a British nuclear asset to be altered in order to allow this business to operate effectively. I won’t do any of those things.’
Dan paused and looked at the Captain.
Their eyes locked together for at least ten seconds, neither flinching, until Dan felt her fingers contract together and screw the piece of paper into a ball.
‘So, in summary, you can shove this up your arse,’ she said, enunciating every word slowly and carefully.
Then, without taking her eyes away from his, Dan tossed the balled paper at him and watched as it hit his waxy forehead, bouncing onto his lap and coming to rest at his feet, before she stood up, nodded at Roger Blackett, and walked out of the room.
John was leaning against the wall further along the corridor as she exited Roger’s outer office. His arms were folded across his chest.
‘How did it go?’ he asked.
Dan shrugged. ‘Hard to tell, really.’ She smiled and it felt genuine enough. ‘Where’s my dad?’
‘I got him a tour of HMS Torbay. She’s back alongside for a few weeks. Buddy of mine’s bringing him back up here when they’re done. Shouldn’t be long.’
‘Coles is in there,’ said Dan. ‘Maybe my dad shouldn’t come up here.’
John nodded and pulled out his mobile. ‘I’ll tell them to keep him down the boat. We can collect him from there. He’s invited me to join you guys for dinner tonight.’
She looked at him. She’d known he would come that night when she’d texted him from Ryan Taylor’s car. Known he would believe her. Known, or maybe suspected, that Ryan wouldn’t make the call.
‘I’d like to do that,’ she said. ‘But not tonight. Is that OK? I’m exhausted.’
He nodded. ‘That’s totally OK. That’s why I mentioned it now.’
