Broken Silence by Danielle Ramsay Page B

his head. He wasn’t sure where the hell this was going but he knew it wasn’t good.
    ‘Better to have him on the inside pissing out, than on the outside pissing in. If I had my way, you wouldn’t be capable of pissing ever again. But for some unfathomable reason Chief Superintendent O’Donnell likes you. I don’t know what your hold over O’Donnell is, but be warned, when he goes, you go.’
    ‘Yes sir,’ acknowledged Brady, accepting that DC Simone Henderson’s transfer on personal grounds hadn’t won him any favours with Gates.
    He had found out from Conrad that Simone had put in for a transfer while he’d been laid up in hospital. He couldn’t blame her. He would have done the same if it were possible. But with Brady’s record no one would have him.
    ‘What do you know about Matthews?’
    Brady shrugged.
    ‘Come on, Jack. I know you two go back a long way. I’msuspecting your late arrival at the briefing was down to him. Am I right?’
    Brady didn’t answer him. He couldn’t.
    ‘I don’t know why one of my best DIs lost his nerve but I can promise you this, I’ll find out. And mark my words, if I hear that you know what’s going on with him, you’ll find yourself in uniform walking the streets of Blyth until the day you retire!’
    ‘Yes sir,’ dutifully answered Brady.
    ‘Right, firstly you should know that I’ve called in Amelia Jenkins.’
    Brady instinctively flinched. ‘Sir?’
    ‘She isn’t overly keen at the prospect of seeing you again either.’
    Brady refrained from replying.
    ‘We could do with all the help we can get right now. The last thing I want is a repeat of the Megan Carter investigation. I want this turned around ASAP. Understand? And if that means you working with Jenkins then that’s what you’re going to do.’
    ‘With all due respect, sir, she’s a psychologist. What can she bring to a murder investigation like this?’ questioned Brady.
    ‘A hell of a lot as far as I’m concerned,’ answered Gates impatiently.
    He placed his elbows on his desk and leaned forward.
    ‘If you’ve got a problem working with her, then just say. I can take you off this investigation and hand it over to someone else, Jack. I know for a fact that DS Adamson would be perfectly happy being partnered with Jenkins.’
    ‘No sir, I have no problem working with Dr Jenkins. I’m sure she’ll prove to be invaluable,’ replied Brady, resisting the urge to tell Gates exactly what he thought.
    ‘Good, pleased we’ve cleared that up. Jenkins should be arriving here in the next half hour. I’d appreciate you being around to brief her.’
    ‘Actually sir, there’s a couple of leads I need to check out as soon as possible,’ Brady replied uneasily. ‘I’ll make sure DS Harvey is around for when she arrives.’
    ‘If you can’t do it personally then I’d rather Adamson filled in Jenkins,’ replied Gates. ‘No disrespect to Harvey but I believe Adamson would be a better choice.’
    Brady didn’t answer. He knew Gates was playing the old graduate card; as if that made Adamson a better copper. Harvey had worked his way through the force just like Brady, from the bottom up. No formal education, no favours, just long hours and hard graft.
    ‘Obviously, this is your call,’ Gates said as he waited for Brady’s agreement.
    Brady shifted slightly. Gates had him over a barrel. It wasn’t his call, Gates had left him in no doubt.
    ‘I’ll instruct Adamson to brief Jenkins when she arrives,’ conceded Brady, standing up.
    ‘Before you go, Jack, I wondered if I could have a word with you? Off the record?’ Gates asked, gesturing for Brady to sit back down.
    Brady’s mouth felt dry. He had no idea what was coming. Only that it had to be bad for Gates to be delivering it.
    ‘It’s about Claudia,’ Gates began.
    Brady waited, barely breathing.
    ‘I’m sure you already know that O’Donnell’s sanctioned Claudia’s proposal?’
    Brady numbly shook his head. He hadn’t even