Knockout! A Passionate Police Romance (4 page)

“Anna – Ma’am... err...” Judy stuttered.

How she hated to be called “Ma’am”! She had not designed the police rank structure and she had no time for self importance.

“Anna... plain old Anna or mate for God’s sake,” she beamed “it will be great to be on the same team again – but I had no idea.”

She continued delightedly. Quickly she got an update on the baby, the three year old and her husband Brian who was a community cop.

“I spotted the assignment at the last minute and managed to rearrange childcare, so we could work together on this new squad. I only heard a couple of days ago that I'd got the job and thought I'd surprise you!”

Other members of the team drifted in. Some were shiny new detectives just out of the box. A couple were world weary old cops, glad to get out of the trenches for a while. The FBI had provided a bank of bright young analysts and a posse of special agents. Around the conference room conversations sprang up in French Italian and American. Anna joined in, well - she knew she was showing off, warming to her role as an Interpol liaison point between all the various groups. Finally the room fell silent. She looked up to see a familiar figure taking his place at the head of the table. Her heart sank and she found herself choking back rage. This had not been billed as part of the show! Her new boss was none other than her rejected ex lover, Commander Beaumont Locke.

He stood by his chair, motioning with his hand in an upward gesture indicating that everyone should stand in recognition of his rank and importance. Anna glanced across at Judy who returned a scornful roll of her eyes. This man was so in love with his image that if he had been gay, he would have married himself!

Anna suppressed a wave of loathing and cursed herself. She had let him inside her. Together they had dog rolled in the shit of the Love word. Her mind dragged back to that day. That day when she had left the court, cleared of manslaughter. That day when the suddenly present mothers of the dead kids screamed for her blood as the TV cameras focused in on her tears. That day when Commander Locke had tried to crawl back into the henhouse now that the fox was gone.

When everyone had stood up and fallen silent he graciously motioned them all to sit down. In the context of international squads, few senior officers stood on their dignity. Beaumont Locke was a “Sir”. It was only a matter of time before the Queen realized he was right and made it official.

Various officers who had already worked on the enquiry for months gave their briefings. Despite her concentration she found herself drifting into a daydream. Freddie was looking into her eyes. His gaze moved to her mouth as he pushed his own lips forward and looked back to her eyes. She raised her chin to receive the warmth and caressing touch of his kiss...

A distant voice was pulling her back into the present. A Chief Inspector from the National Criminal Intelligence Service had been tasked with assigning roles within the squad.

“Detective Inspector Leyton will be responsible for all European police liaison. I have a note that she will report directly to Commander Locke with her own daily briefing.” He said in a flat monotone.

Reporting directly to her ex-lover! The rat who had abandoned her then returned wanting sex the day she was safe. So he had fixed the whole deal. He had wanted her dangling on his string. She fired a glance in his direction and saw a smirk living its stinking life on his hateful face. Something venomous twisted in her gut. The fact that she had language skills and the track record as a top detective meant nothing to him. He had engineered her presence there for his amusement and in order to control her. She stared back at him with a contemptuous raise of her eyebrow. He avoided her eyes and looked away. It was a small victory - but a victory.

At last the meeting broke up for lunch. She collected Judy, grabbed a sandwich from the canteen and headed out of the building. The day was bright and clear and they found a bench overlooking the Thames.

“Come on Anna - what’s on your mind?” Asked Judy.

“Its just, you know after what happened... and having to work for Beaumont again?”

“Well, we all knew Anna,” said Judy, touching her arm “look, it could have been anyone. We’re cops honey... we run on reflexes. We can all say if only this or if only that...”

“Maybe I should have gone to jail. Maybe I deserved that.”

“That’s rubbish Anna... look honey - it’s over. It happened”

She smiled tearfully back at her friend. Judy just did not do sentiment.

“Beaumont is a piece of slime... he’s got me here out of spite... because I rejected him.”

“Well - you can deal with that I’m sure. Are you certain there’s nothing else bothering you?” Asked Judy with an open sympathetic smile.

Anna took a deep breath, she still felt the same trust and ease in her friend's company. As she thought carefully she checked her mobile in case she had missed any calls. She noticed the mystery number from the previous night.

“Could you get a number checked discreetly?” She asked, scribbling on a business card and passing it to her.

“Of course, but come on Anna. Let’s pretend we’re on night shift at Brixton and we’re sitting up waiting for the next nightmare.”

Her mind turned back to how they had shared every danger and every personal secret. Okay - she would not short change her old comrade and anyhow, she needed to talk like never before.

“I met a guy - I met a guy who’s left me wondering about everything - about what I am and what I want.” She said, relieved to have opened her heart. Just the act of talking about him brought him alive.

“How long have you known him?”

“About an hour.”

“About an hour - are you serious? This is strong medicine! Give me the whole gorgeous picture.”

Anna gave her the story of their meeting, his humor, his looks and sexual presence. Listening to herself she realized that if there had been no more than this, she would have merely shrugged it off.

“But there was more than that,” she continued, “I wanted him completely. I wanted to care and give him everything - really absolutely anything- and I’d only just met him. I felt kind of enslaved and filled with power all at once. But I do know he’s some sort of crook.”

“God - what’s his name? Does he have a brother or at least a close relative?” Asked Judy with a theatrical wistfulness.

“Frederic - Freddie, Freddie Freddie, Freddie,” she replied letting the name bubble out joyfully as if to say his name brought him alive at her side.

“Freddie... I think I heard that name recently... something Brian said perhaps, but all he does is read the back page of the paper. But heck... what are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing to do. I won’t hear from him again.”

“Do you want to bet on that? We are on the gambling squad.” Laughed Judy

Anna laughed too, unable to resist the delicious possibility that she would see him again. Judy reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Look, this guy’s gonna call. Just look at you - slim - Miss World looks, educated and from a rich family. Damn near makes me sick!”

“Would you swap lives with me Judy?” She asked seriously.

Her friend looked out across the river and appeared to be thinking before she replied.

“To be honest - No. The two horrors at home drive me nuts and it’s an uphill slog to work and be everywhere else. But now it makes sense - at last something makes sense.”

“How come?” Asked Anna, surprised to have received such a philosophical answer.

“Do you remember all the dead junkies, all those cops and robbers chases, all those desperate folk who’d just been robbed raped or worse? Well, when you hold your baby - all new and innocent with a life ahead where anything is possible - it kinda tells you why we do it - why we care. Anyway that’s what they told me on the Home Office woman awareness course. It also tells you that something weighing ten pounds can contain twelve pounds of shit.”

Just when you thought Judy had found God she hit you with some excrement. She smiled at her friend. Those dead kids in that car had been babies once. Her own professional life was back on track. Two years ago she could have been in that big truck on the way to Holloway prison.

They wandered back to the office in the warm sunshine still living on its memories of summer. Their friendship had been re-born and this unexpected reunion meant more to her than she could ever have imagined. Just as they reached the door she felt the vibrating alert of her cell phone. She snatched it out of her pocket and looked at the number. It was an unknown contact with an international prefix of 33. The caller was on a French phone. Her heart leapt and thumped. She stared at the phone without moving. It continued to buzz in her hand. All her conflicting feelings were beginning to shout at once.

“Answer it!” Ordered Judy with a bemused frown. “You know you’re gonna die if you don’t see him again. If he’s a crook you can still shag him and then lock him up. It’ll only cost you money if he rings off and you have to call him back!”

With that her friend went on into the building and Anna did what she had to do... she pressed the answer button.

“Madame Leyton. I am calling about the boat you have advertised for sale. Is it still available and could I come round to see if it floats?” Came a delicious deep voice in a deliberately hammy accent.

Anna laughed with nervousness and at his offbeat humor

“Yes, of course” She stumbled...

“Ok, I will come straight round. I have to leave London tomorrow and maybe I can be sailing back to France if the boat is good?”

“No... look Freddie you can’t do that.” She replied with a grin in her voice.

“Ooh la la. So you remember me. You must be a top girl - but isn’t it usually the sales people who chase the client?”

Her mind raced with all the consequences of her next move. She knew that her plain lust for him would pull her along as if she had no more will than a bottle bobbing in the Thames. Perhaps he had realized that there was something very odd about a sales type with no business cards and who didn’t try to close a sale. And come on woman - he just has to be a crook.

“The Nereus sells itself to the right quality of buyer.”

“So I must prove my quality eh? Well, we had better fix a date then.”

“I’m waiting for a call from my father. He’s down in Antibes right now” She lied.

“Well, call him again and you can tell me the result tonight.”

The sexy sound of his voice was pressing on all her doors. Maybe she could peep out.

“Tonight?”

“Yes…it is that wonderful period in our lives that will happen between now and tomorrow.” He said with such obviousness it was like a wet lick from a Labrador.

And still she was being swept along. She was falling for it for Christ’s sake. If she was going to see him - and she knew that she was - she would need to get home, get herself made over, and find some kind of composure.

“It’s a kind offer... I have to work quite late- maybe I’ll be free at about 8.30.”

“I’ll pick you up... just give me the address.”

She faltered. She didn’t want this guy to know her address. She had known him for an hour and she knew nothing about him. She thought quickly. If she knew a date of birth she could check him out with French police. She hated the way her mind had come to work - with everyone under suspicion. If ever he wanted to know why she didn’t tell him she was a cop, this would be reason enough.

“I’ll be at Queen’s Park tube station.” She blurted out, knowing that she could walk there easily from her flat.

“Ok - it must be tough selling boats. Be hungry - I have something to show you.”

She imagined him holding the phone. His voice soothed and seduced her. She imagined the hard strong feel of his body, the brush of his lips. She brought her mind back to a police check.

“Freddie - what star sign are you?” She asked, hoping she sounded girly.

“What - do you do all this destiny stuff? If you must know - I’m a Gemini - 23rd May. Do I fit with your chart?”

She felt a little ashamed and kind of dirty. He had answered so innocently and openly. Here she was- using an old police trick to get a handle on his ID. When she had met him she had snatched the chance to be simply herself as a woman. She would have to tell him the truth before things went too far.

“Yeah - you fit my chart. Will you be standing at the station?”

“You won’t be able to miss me. À bientôt Cherie.” He said, and was gone.

God! She was already late. She had to check him out. He was rich - seemingly minted up to his eyes. Certainly he didn’t run a corner store or fix washing machines. Any woman would wonder, let alone a Scotland Yard detective. When a woman wonders it’s curiosity, but when an Interpol detective wondered - it was suspicion. She knew that it was against police regulations to mix with anyone undesirable. She smiled at the word since Freddie was the most desirable man she had ever met. One thing she knew - this was no regular guy. And if he were a crook - what would she do or care?

It was mid afternoon when she got the chance to call Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. Just as she was about to lift the handset, Judy walked into the office.