As Jane walked away, Maureen stood frozen with shock. Then she started to cry, knowing what she’d been told was the harsh truth.
It was midday on the Monday and Jane was getting ready to go to her parents’ for lunch when the phone rang.
“Sorry to spoil your day,” a gloomy Teflon said, “but Murphy wants to see us right away in the office.”
“Why, what’s happened?”
“The Ripley job’s gone pear-shaped—Tony Nichols is alleging our search of the garage was illegal under Judges’ Rules.”
“That’s rubbish.”
“Murphy’s fuming. Because we knew there was no one there on a Sunday and weren’t making an arrest, we should have got a warrant.”
“But we were searching as a direct result of their arrests and didn’t need one!”
“That’s what I thought . . . If the cash, guns and other stuff we found is ruled inadmissible as evidence, the whole lot of them will walk out of court free men—apart from Nichols.”
Jane was mortified.
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She phoned her mother. “I have to go into work, but hopefully I can come over later.”
“That’s all right, dear. I’ll keep a plate of food for you and warm it up when you get here. I read in this morning’s paper about those men you arrested for the Security Express robbery. You must feel so proud.”
“I did, but it looks like I’ve messed up and they could get off.”
Jane heard an intake of breath on the other end of the line.
“Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.”
Jane trudged up the stairs to the office, knowing that Murphy was going to give her hell and probably then kick her off the squad. She opened the door and walked in.
“Welcome to the party, Treacle!” the Colonel shouted, raising his beer can.
Jane looked around the room. The whole squad was there, smiling and raising their cans.
“You bastard, Teflon—you had me worried sick!”
“I knew it would get you here quickly.” He grinned.
“We always have a piss-up after a good result and thought you needed cheering up,” Stanley said.
Murphy tapped his beer can on the table to get everyone’s attention.
“I want to thank you all for your hard work over the last few days—especially you, Jane. We wouldn’t have been able to charge the Ripley gang if it hadn’t been for your tenacity and attention to detail. Welcome to the Flying Squad.”
He raised his glass, then everyone clapped and cheered loudly and toasted her. Teflon opened a can of lager and handed it to Jane.
“Murphy’s recommending the Colonel and me for the Queen’s Police Medal for bravery,” he said.
“You deserve it—I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Cheers!”
She tapped her can of beer against his.
“I was wondering if you’d fancy going out for a drink or to the pictures some time?”
“Yeah, I’d like that, but just on a friendly basis.”
“I’m fine with that,” Teflon agreed.
“We got you a little present, Treacle.”
The Colonel handed her a large rolled-up poster with a red ribbon tied around it.
Jane unrolled it and everyone laughed. It was a blow-up of the Ripley family and friends photograph taken at the wedding, with her smiling and surrounded by the gang of criminals. Above it was the heading: A ROSE AMONG THIEVES. The Colonel took it from her and pinned it to the wall next to the Dirty Dozen poster.
Dabs approached her. “I had the pictures you took developed and thought you might like to have this one.”
It was the picture of a happy-looking Carl with his arm around Jane, taken by a guest at the wedding with Jane’s camera. She felt herself welling up.
“Thank you, Dabs.”
Jane gently touched the photograph of Carl and put it in her bag. For the moment, she was enjoying the thrill of finally being accepted as one of the Flying Squad. But she knew that once the elation had worn off, she’d have to ask herself whether it really was the right job for her. She’d seen some things that she’d never be able to forget, however hard she tried.
“You’ve certainly changed your tune about Tennison,” Kingston said.
Murphy shrugged, taking out a bottle of Scotch and pouring two large glasses.
“She’s a good detective, but a woman on the Flying Squad will always be a liability. She’d never have been able to take down O’Reilly or Nichols like the Colonel and Teflon did, or be any good in a street fight with people like the Ripleys. I’ll be telling the Commissioner’s office their little experiment isn’t working and I’m asking for a male replacement.”
The office celebrations were in full swing and Jane was feeling a little drunk when she went over to the Colonel to have a quiet word in his ear about the ten pounds he’d pocketed.
“Why did you only give Gentleman Jim a tenner when it was supposed to be twenty?”
He smiled. “You’re a sharp cookie, Jane, but I didn’t nick it. If I’d had to pay Jim a score I would have, but I decided to front him out and gave the tenner back to Kingston. He didn’t want it, though.”
“So, what did you do with it?”
“You’re drinking it, Treacle.”
She smiled and wagged her finger at him. “You’re as slay as a fox, Cooonel,” she said, slurring her words.
Stanley turned the radio up and the sound of the Bee Gees’ hit “Stayin’ Alive” filled the room. He jumped up on the table, then started doing point-and-shake moves and gyrating his hips like John Travolta. There was a loud cheer in the room, and everyone clapped and whistled to the music.
“Can you jive, Jane?” Teflon asked, holding out his hand.
“Can a duck swim?” She took hold of his hand.
There was a loud roar of encouragement from her colleagues as she did a walk-through move and a twirl with Teflon.
It suddenly hit her that despite their rough edges, they were not only a great bunch of guys, but bloody good at what they did. And one thing was guaranteed: there was never a dull moment in the Flying Squad.
Yes, she thought, the Flying Squad is where I want to be.
If you enjoyed The Dirty Dozen, why not join the LYNDA LA PLANTE READERS’ CLUB by visiting www.bit.ly/LyndaLaPlanteClub?
A message from Lynda La Plante . . .
Dear Reader,
Thank you very much for picking up The Dirty Dozen, the fifth novel in the Jane Tennison thriller series. I’ve been so pleased by the response I’ve had from the many readers who have been curious about the beginnings of Jane’s police career. It’s been great fun for me to explore how she became the woman we know in middle and later life from the Prime Suspect series, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In The Dirty Dozen, Jane has started a new job in the Sweeney—a boys’ club who dub themselves “the Dirty Dozen.” Throughout her policing career, Jane, like many other women in the 1980s, has faced barriers to climbing the career ladder, and these difficulties are what have helped her to become the tough woman she is at the beginning of the book. The Sweeney is a whole different ballgame, though, and Jane really struggles to prove herself, before eventually being instrumental in taking down the criminals. As I’ve consistently said, I very much enjoy writing strong female protagonists, and it’s been wonderful to have the opportunity to keep delving into Jane’s story and to see her going from strength to strength in her policing career.
If you enjoyed The Dirty Dozen, then please do read the first four novels in the Jane Tennison series, Tennison, Hidden Killers, Murder Mile and Good Friday, which are now available in paperback and ebook. There is also a lot more going on. I reworked my first ever novel, Widows, which was published in 2018, and was also turned into a major feature film written by Steve McQueen. I followed this up with Widows’ Revenge. The third book in the series, She’s Out, will be publishing later this year
. I’m now working on a whole new series, a spin off from Widows, with a central character who has really taken hold of my imagination. The first book in the new series will be coming in 2020 and I’m looking forward to revealing more in due course.
If you would like more information on what I’m working on, or about the Jane Tennison thriller series, you can visit www.bit.ly/LyndaLaPlanteClub where you can join My Readers’ Club. It only takes a few moments to sign up, there are no catches or costs and new members will automatically receive an exclusive message from me. Zaffre will keep your data private and confidential, and it will never be passed on to a third party. We won’t spam you with loads of emails, just get in touch now and again with news about my books, and you can unsubscribe any time you want. And if you would like to get involved in a wider conversation about my books, please do review The Dirty Dozen on Amazon, on GoodReads, on any other e-store, on your own blog and social media accounts, or talk about it with friends, family or reader groups! Sharing your thoughts helps other readers, and I always enjoy hearing about what people experience from my writing.
With many thanks again for reading The Dirty Dozen, and I hope you’ll return for my new series in 2020.
With my very best wishes,
Lynda
The groundbreaking thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama
WIDOWS
Facing life alone, they turned to crime together.
Dolly Rawlins, Linda Perelli and Shirley Miller are left devastated when their husbands are killed in a security van heist that goes disastrously wrong.
When Dolly discovers her husband’s bank deposit box containing a gun, money and detailed plans for the hijack, she has three options. She could hand over the ledgers to the detective. She could hand them over to the thugs who want to take over Harry’s turf. Or, she and the other widows could finish the job their husbands started.
As they rehearse the raid, the women discover that Harry’s plan required four people and recruit hooker Bella O’Reilly. But only three bodies were discovered in the carnage of the original hijack—so who was the fourth man, and where is he now?
Now a major motion picture
Available in paperback and ebook
WIDOWS’ REVENGE
Dolly, Linda, Shirley and Bella are back. And this time it’s a fight to the finish.
Against all the odds, Dolly Rawlins and her gangland widows managed the impossible: a heist their husbands had failed to pull off—at the cost of their lives.
But though they may be in the money, they’re far from easy street.
Shocked by her husband’s betrayal, Dolly discovers Harry Rawlins isn’t dead. He knows where the four women are and he wants them to pay. And he doesn’t just mean getting his hands on the money.
The women can’t keep running. They have to get Harry out of their lives for good. But can they outwit a criminal mastermind who won’t hesitate to kill?
Especially when one of them has a plan of her own . . . to kill or be killed.
Available in hardback and ebook
SHE’S OUT
A thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking thriller, Widows.
After serving a lengthy sentence for the murder of her husband, Dolly Rawlins is free from prison. And she’s only got one thing on her mind: the diamonds she stashed before the police caught her.
But there are people waiting for Dolly on the outside—tough ex-prisoners who know about the diamonds, and they all want a cut.
Also waiting for Dolly is DS Mike Withey. He holds her personally responsible for the death of his sister in the diamond raid ten years earlier. And he wants her back inside.
Dolly Rawlins has other plans. But can she realise the dream that kept her going all those years in prison and avoid those who are after her?
Coming November 2019
The Dirty Dozen Page 45
