The Dirty Dozen

by Lynda La Plante

Jane wondered if Murphy was deliberately trying to catch her out by not making his question very specific. She tried again, being as precise as she could.

  “From what I was told, the Flying Squad carries out surveillance on criminals it suspects may be about to commit armed robbery on business premises, banks and betting shops, then arrests the suspects before the commission of the crime. The squad also investigates offences already committed by armed robbers on the aforementioned premises.”

  Murphy frowned. “Basically correct. Flying Squad operations generally start with lengthy surveillance, followed by armed intervention and an arrest for conspiracy to rob prior to the offence being committed. That way Joe Public is safe from flying bullets and no one gets shot—not even the bloody suspects . . . unfortunately.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing, sir?” she asked, remembering the first thing she’d had drummed into her at Hendon training college, that the primary object of the police was the prevention of crime and the protection of life.

  Murphy sighed and shook his head, as if she’d said something stupid.

  “The professional armed robbers of today are wily, hardened criminals, Tennison. They know the law inside out, and pay through the nose for corrupt lawyers to represent them. If we arrest suspects before an actual robbery is committed, a shrewd lawyer can tear most conspiracy charges to shreds in court. Even if we make arrests after the fact it’s rare that any evidence is left behind. Unless your armed blagger sticks his hands up and says, ‘Fair cop, guv, you got me bang to rights,’ you’re often left with nothing but egg on your face. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you about how we need to carry out our work to be successful?”

  “That it’s preferable to arrest the criminal when they’re actually committing the crime.”

  “Exactly—my Flying Squad officers are specialists in the ‘pavement ambush.’ Sheer speed usually wins the day and arresting a piece of shit with a gun in one hand and a bag of cash or jewelry in the other is not only exhilarating but it also means the villain is, as we like to say on the squad, ‘well and truly fucked.’ ”

  Jane felt relieved she’d finally said something he agreed with. She could sense his loathing of criminals went deep.

  “My officers inevitably face considerable dangers on armed operations. Our methods are a high-risk form of policing and not for the faint-hearted—how strong is your nerve, Tennison?”

  Jane was quick to answer. “I received a Commissioner’s commendation for bravery when I was a decoy and attacked by a man with a knife. I also received a commendation for detective ability and devotion to duty during an IRA bombing investigation. The details are in my case file, as I’m sure you know. Also I—”

  He held his hand up, cutting her short.

  “I didn’t know because I haven’t read your file,” he said bluntly.

  Jane was surprised. “May I ask why not, sir, as I’m now one of your officers?”

  Murphy ignored the question. “Tell me, Tennison—why do you think you’re here?”

  “Because of my proven abilities in a number of murder investigations and the IRA case. I was recommended by DCI Moran after I uncovered a dentist who was a serial killer in Peckham.”

  He looked surprised. “That was your arrest? I remember the case in the papers. He murdered three women and a young man in Rye Lane, which the press started calling ‘The Murder Mile,’ as I recall.”

  “That’s correct, sir, and—”

  “Didn’t the dentist kill himself before he stood trial?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “So technically he was never proven guilty of any crimes.”

  “Correct, but it was definitely him and there were certainly no more murders after his death.”

  Murphy looked skeptical. “You may be a competent murder investigator—but have you ever arrested anyone for robbery?”

  “Yes, a few times when I worked at Peckham and Hackney.”

  “Street muggers, no doubt?” He smirked.

  “Yes, but some of them used knives in the commission of the crimes.”

  “Were they pavement arrests or a result of your investigations?”

  “One was pavement during a team operation and the others were through good detective work.”

  “Flying Squad officers are renowned for their knowledge of the underworld and cultivating informants within it. ‘Snouts’ are the jewel in the crown of our intelligence operations. Do you have any registered informants?”

  “No, sir, but I have been given information by people I have arrested, which has led to further arrests, convictions and the recovery of stolen property.”

  “How many years’ service have you got?”

  “Just over six and a half.”

  “And as a DS?”

  “Just over a year.”

  Murphy toyed with his glass for a moment.

  “Apart from DC Baxter, who was also a police cadet, there’s none of my team with less than ten years in the job. On top of that, Stanley has six years as a DS and the sergeant you replaced had been a DS for fifteen years. All of them are seasoned detectives . . . unlike you.” He said the last word as if it left a nasty taste in his mouth.

  Jane felt she was standing up for herself well but couldn’t help being a bit intimidated by his dismissal of her police record. Even though Murphy would have had to agree to her joining the Rigg Approach team, it was abundantly clear he thought she shouldn’t be on the Flying Squad and she wanted to know why.

  “I went through the selection process like everyone else who applied for the squad. There were many officers with more service than me who didn’t get selected. I was successful because of my abilities as a detective—not my length of service.”

  He laughed dismissively, shaking his head.

  Jane fought to control her anger.

  “If you don’t want me here, sir, why did you allow me to join your team?”

  “I don’t think you’d like the answer. Besides, you’re on the squad now so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

  He took a sip of his whisky and a long drag on his cigarette.

  But Jane was determined to get a straight answer.

  “Being frank and honest matters to me, sir. As a female officer I’ve put up with more than my fair share of insults and male chauvinism during my six years’ police service, so let me assure you, I’m not easily offended.”

  He leaned forward and looked her in the eye.

  “I don’t doubt that, but do I have your word that what I say goes no further than this room?”

  “I’m not one to complain about fellow officers, so if that’s what you want, then yes, I won’t say a word to anyone.”

  “I don’t have anything against you as a person, Tennison, and from what I was told you are a very competent divisional detective, but the truth is your appointment to the Flying Squad is nothing more than an experiment, which I personally disagreed with, but to no avail.”

  He leaned back in his chair to let her digest what he’d said.

  She was surprised. “What do you mean, I’m an experiment?”

  “Have you heard of Commander Kenneth Drury?”

  “Yes, he was a former head of the Flying Squad, who was found guilty of corruption a few years ago.”

  She wondered what on earth that had to do with her.

  “Several other officers were also arrested and convicted for taking bribes—a couple were from the Flying Squad, but the majority were from Obscene Publications and the Porn Squad. Have you heard of Operation Countryman?”

  Jane nodded. “Yes, it’s an investigation by two county forces into police corruption in London. They recently arrested and interviewed some Flying Squad officers—”

  He looked annoyed. “None of them were on my squad, and not one of the officers arrested has been charged with any offences. The fact is the whole Countryman investigation is a bloody farce, based on the uncorroborated word of a career criminal who has it in for the Flying Squad because h
e was caught committing armed robbery. The two county forces investigating are on a fucking crusade to find some dirt on the squad—and it’s pissing me off.”

  He paused to light a cigarette.

  Jane could understand Murphy not being happy about Countryman, but he seemed to be protesting a bit too much. It made her wonder if he knew, or suspected, Countryman were investigating members of his team.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t see what Operation Countryman has to do with me being an experiment.”

  He inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out in Jane’s direction.

  “Some idiot in the Commissioner’s inner circle persuaded him having a woman on the squad might be a calming influence and make the men think twice before giving a suspect a slap, fitting them up, or taking a bribe. The Commissioner decided a sergeant would be better as they have the authority of rank as well. Out of the sixteen WDSs in the Met, you were the only one who applied to join the squad when my DS got a promotion.”

  Jane tried to hide her shock. For a moment she wondered if he was making it up just to belittle her, but from the way he spoke it sounded true. She presumed Murphy had goaded her into demanding the truth, so she’d know the “experiment” was not his idea.

  “Have you told me this in the hope that I’ll resign from the squad?”

  He shrugged. “No, not at all. You asked me to tell you the truth, so I did. Personally I don’t think it’s fair on you to be put in a position where you will be out of your depth—but as I said, my hands were tied by the top brass.”

  “Is that why no one on the team knew I was starting today?”

  “Partly, but I can assure you none of them know the real reason you’re here. If I’d told them before you started there would have been uproar and I’d have had a barrage of questions wanting to know why. I probably still will, especially from the Colonel.”

  Jane remembered Kingston asking her if she was Tennison when she first met him on the stairs that morning.

  “Does DI Kingston know about me being an experiment?”

  “Yes, but he’s the only one besides me. He believes what’s done is done, therefore we should accept it and move on.”

  “What will you tell the rest of the team if they ask why I was accepted for the squad?”

  “I know you’d like me to say it was on merit, but they’ll smell a rat as soon as they find out your length of service. They’ve got women in traffic patrol now, mounted branch also and in the dog section as handlers, so I’ll say the Metropolitan Women Police Association made a complaint to the Commissioner that none of the central squads had any females on it and—”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “Thinking they have a token female in the office should fill them with bags of confidence about my detective abilities and leadership skills. It’s not much better than telling them I’m an experiment!”

  “Don’t get me wrong, Tennison. I don’t have a problem with woman police officers in the CID, and I appreciate they can often resolve a difficult situation with the least possible upset or confrontation—but that’s not a lot of use when a violent criminal is pointing a gun at you, is it?”

  “I won’t know until it happens—will I?” she said, making it clear that she was staying put.

  “It won’t happen, because you won’t be on the front line during a pavement ambush.”

  “I want to be treated the same as my male counterparts—”

  “You’re not firearms trained—”

  “Then maybe you could send me on a firearms course . . . as another experiment,” she added with deliberate sarcasm.

  Murphy shook his head. “I don’t want my men worrying about your safety in an armed situation as it will reduce their effectiveness and put their lives at even greater risk. Even if the suspects weren’t armed, you’re not as strong as a man and could be badly injured in a one-on-one arrest situation.”

  “You should ask the rape suspect I put down with a kick to the groin if I can handle myself.”

  “That’s different—you were a decoy and no doubt had male backup close at hand. It’s true that when we carry out static observations on premises we think are about to be robbed, we can’t be sure the robbery will take place. But when it does, speed and surprise is of the essence on a pavement ambush—if you don’t want to get shot.”

  “I hear what you say, sir, but I won’t be going back to Division to appease you or anyone else on this squad. If you won’t let me be involved in arrests, can I be part of the surveillance team?”

  “The mobile surveillance team often find themselves in a position where they have to react quickly and some of them are armed. Have you done static observations before?”

  She nodded, determined to persuade him she could be a useful asset to the squad.

  “Yes, both in premises and an observation van. Some of them were with DS Stanley, who, as you no doubt know, is an experienced and highly respected surveillance officer from whom I learned a lot.”

  Murphy paused, and Jane could feel her heart beating as the silence lengthened.

  “You’ve got balls, Tennison, I’ll give you that. I’m OK with you being a silent observer to start with, so you can see how we work—but if you fuck up, the experiment is over, and I will be the first to recommend your return to Division.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jane felt a mixture of dismay and anger as she left Murphy’s office, but she was determined to show him, and the other squad officers, that she was a good detective and not just a token female. She didn’t doubt what Murphy said about getting rid of her if she messed up and knew he would be watching everything she did closely and going over her paperwork with a fine-toothed comb. She also realized that being accepted by the team was going to be hard work, especially if Murphy and Kingston told them she was nothing more than an “experiment,” but even if they did, she’d make sure they got the message that she was staying put and they could like it or lump it.

  At the back of her mind, though, was another thought that had come from Murphy’s mention of Countryman. What if the real reason he didn’t want her on the squad was because they had something to hide? She hoped it wasn’t the case, but if she did stumble across any evidence of corruption, that would put her in an even more difficult position.

  She saw Dabs sitting at her desk and looking through the open exhibits book as he tapped away at her typewriter.

  “What’s the problem?” she snapped, still angry with Murphy and suspecting Dabs was scrutinizing her entries in the book.

  Dabs looked up in surprise. “Nothing—I was just looking through everything we collected today and typing up the lab form for the priority exhibits for submission and forensic examination.”

  Jane took a deep breath. “Sorry, Dabs, I didn’t mean to be rude and snap at you. Are the entries in the exhibits book OK?”

  “They’re excellent. I wish the rest of the team were as thorough when listing and describing exhibits. I’d like to use this book as an example to the others, then they can see how it should be done.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not sure they’d appreciate that.”

  Dabs looked at Jane more closely. “Are you all right, Sarge?”

  “I’ve got a bit of a headache from dealing with all that burnt material.”

  He stood up to let her sit down.

  “So did I earlier. The smell of burning rubber from that car was really nauseating. I’ve got some strong aspirin in my office if you want a couple.”

  She thanked him but said she’d already taken some. As she was a supervising officer, he asked if she’d sign the lab form when he’d completed it. Jane knew a DS’s or DI’s signature was required before the lab would start any forensic examination.

  “I think it’s best you ask DI Kingston since he’s running the investigation.”

  “OK, but as the exhibits officer you should be present when we discuss the submissions. I think he’ll be quite impressed when he sees the exhibits book and hears about your idea to s
eize the garage lock in case we find a key that fits. I’d appreciate your input regarding the forensic strategy as well.”

  She shrugged. “If DI Kingston wants me to be present, I’m sure he’ll ask.”

  Murphy had put her in a position where she was nervous about any form of confrontation with her superiors, and it really annoyed her.

  Dabs leaned forward and spoke quietly. “Don’t let it get to you, it’s just—”

  “Let what get to me?” she interjected, worried he knew the real reason she’d been posted to the squad.

  “The Colonel’s childish behavior with the poster. Everyone gets a bit of stick when they start here. God knows I did—they kept calling me Nick Nack. At first I thought it was something to do with the fact I was a civvy and couldn’t arrest anyone, but then I found out it was because of my height.”

  “Your height?” She was confused.

  “Yeah, Nick Nack’s a dwarf villain in a James Bond film.”

  She remembered the film and had to stop herself smiling at the comparison as she didn’t want to offend Dabs.

  “Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine with a bit of banter. Besides, I didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms by everyone.”

  “From what I’ve seen so far you’ll soon settle in; you’re a thinker and a hard worker—and that’s what counts most.”

  He picked up the typewriter and said he’d use one of the empty desks next to Teflon to complete the lab form. The way Dabs treated her with respect made Jane feel even worse about the way she’d snapped at him, and now she could feel a real headache coming on. As she took out her pocket notebook and pen she noticed a blue folder in one of her filing trays. She supposed Katie must have put it there. She looked inside and saw that it contained the completed house-to-house forms, none of which had been signed or marked up for further, or no further, action. She assumed Cam would have been checking and supervising the forms as he’d told her DI Kingston wanted him to organize the house-to-house enquiries. Jane glanced up and saw Cam watching her out of the corner of his eye, then say something to the Colonel, which made him grin. She walked over to his desk and put the folder down in front of him.