Whisper For The Reaper, Jack Gatland [good books for high schoolers txt] 📗

‘So?’

‘So, the story’s biggest flaw was that Kirk needed to be out there, but they promoted him out of the chair. In the end he’s rewarded for saving the universe again by being demoted back to Captain. Getting him back out there.’

‘You’re Kirk in this scenario,’ Doctor Marcos suggested.

‘I’m a man who needs to be where the action is,’ Monroe admitted. ‘Not behind a desk all the time. I saw that happen to Patrick, Declan’s dad. Once he was out of the field, he lost all interest.’ His eyes brightened. ‘But we could get anyone we wanted in there, I’m sure of it. We need to convince Bradbury that the best candidate is someone we don’t want.’

‘Because then he’ll promote them into the position, and let you carry on in a more reduced role,’ Doctor Marcos nodded at this. ‘So who do we want as your new boss?’

Monroe grinned. ‘I already have that in hand,’ he finished.

Billy walked up Fleet Street towards the City. He’d felt bad lying to Anjli about his role in the central Cybercrime Unit; but at the same time he knew she wouldn’t understand. She was a dyed in the wool beat-cop turned detective, while Billy had grown up in the world of code monkeys and developers.

Now passing St Pauls and heading into Cannon Street, he stopped at the entrance of a large chrome and silver building. Taking a deep breath, he entered, walking up to reception and giving his name. They passed him a small paper printout with his name and an image of his face on it and, after sticking it to his lapel, he followed directions to the fifth floor and the offices of Harrington Finance.

Rufus Harrington was waiting for him as the elevator doors opened, a smile on his face. Wearing an expensive Ted Baker suit, Rufus wore his brown hair shaved at the sides and slicked back, the amount of gel in it making it look like a Lego hair piece as he nervously played with the large masonic cygnet ring on his left middle finger.

‘Excellent, you made it,’ he said as he led Billy past the reception desk and into an expensive-looking day trader’s office, banks of monitors all showing graphs, stock prices and company profiles as the men and women at the desks talked animatedly into headphones.

‘Look, I said I’d chat, but I’m not sure if I’m cut out for this,’ Billy admitted as they walked into Rufus’ office. White walled with a full-length window looking out onto London, it had movie posters in black frames contrasting with the brown leather and black wood of the decor; 300, Inglorious Bastards and The Wolf of Wall Street, all with Gerard Butler, Brad Pitt and Leonardo Di’Caprio staring down at Billy as he sat on a brown leather sofa, Rufus now lounging in a similarly designed armchair facing him.

‘You haven’t told anyone you left?’ he asked.

‘Not yet,’ Billy admitted. ‘It’s easier to move on and then explain.’

‘I must admit, it surprised me when I got your call.’

‘I don’t know why,’ Billy replied. ‘You were the one that told me to get out.’

‘Sure, but then you didn’t,’ Rufus laughed. ‘I meant to get out before the shit hit the fan, not after they covered you in the bloody stuff.’

As if a switch was pressed, Rufus went from amused to serious in the blink of an eye.

‘We could use someone like you in our cybersecurity department. I’d give you your own team, stock portfolio, whatever you needed.’

Billy looked to the side, out of the window, looking over London. ‘It’s nothing personal, you understand?’ he asked. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to be a police officer anymore. It’s just…’ he paused for a moment, staring blankly out of the window before turning back to Rufus.

‘I have these dreams,’ he said. ‘But they’re memories. I’m standing in a warehouse, about to be shot. I’m standing outside a Manor House about to be shot. Always about to be shot.’

‘But you weren’t.’

‘Yeah, but only by the grace of God,’ Billy admitted. ‘Declan jumped in front of the bullet, taking it in the shoulder. If he hadn’t, I’d be dead right now.’

He shivered.

‘I came from the Cybercrime office. I was a DC rank, but I wasn’t a copper in the same way that Declan and Anjli was. And then what I did with Frost and Sutcliffe, how I played them, pretended that I was on their side while gathering information…’

Rufus nodded. ‘I’m afraid that this could be quite a boring job for you then,’ he pulled out a piece of paper, passing it across to Billy. ‘However, stock options included, this would be your yearly salary.’

Billy took the paper and opened it, glancing at the number. He swallowed visibly, and then looked back to Rufus, smiling now.

‘When would you like me to start?’ he asked.

5

Rural Crime

Even though his father had been a Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent, that had worked primarily out of Maidenhead before his retirement a couple of years earlier, Declan had never visited Patrick Walsh at his place of work. Which meant that as he arrived at the Maidenhead Control Unit, he didn’t know what he should expect.

He’d woken up earlier that day with a hangover, even though he hadn’t drunk anything; he assumed that whatever they had sedated him with had caused this, but it still turned him into a bear with a sore head who had an equally apathetic teenage daughter in the house. To her credit Jess, already showered and dressed, had taken one look at Declan and taken the hint, retreating to her room with toast and a glass of orange juice as Declan half-heartedly tried to eat a bowl of cornflakes. The previous night they’d opted for Chinese in the end, and Declan had picked something stupidly spicy for his choice, probably because he had some deep-seated need to punish himself. Jess meanwhile had ordered