Human Frailty, a Detective Mike Bridger novel (34 page)

He had said it himself, Dunedin is a small
place and the name was the same. It was worth asking if he knew of
a Daniel Maine or his father, relations maybe. He was certainly
working in the area at the time all this happened. He pushed the
button for the ground floor and the doors closed, leaving Bridger
in the quiet confines, his mind working over the details.

Senior Sergeant John Maine was sitting
behind the desk in his office as Bridger walked in. He could almost
see the stale cigarette smoke rising off his uniform.

The man must smoke like a train, he thought,
at least he does it outside during the week.

"Mike, how are things going with young
Marion?
”

"We're making headway..., which is why I
need to pick your brains".

Maine looked puzzled. "How's that Mike? I'm
not sure I would know any more than you".

"It's more what you may know about the past
John..., Mrs. Watson, Matthews and Gallagher are all connected in
some way. I have just been upstairs with Matthews and Mrs. Watson,
from what I can work out, Gallagher and Mrs. Watson had an affair,
years ago. Matthews won't let on what his involvement was".

"Gallagher was screwing a lot of
people back then Mike, literally and figuratively".
Maine
’
s
expression showed renewed curiosity with a touch of
bitterness.

"I think this particular affair has
something to do with Marion's disappearance, something that
happened between them all a long time ago".

Maine sat quietly looking at Bridger,
waiting for something more.

"The man holding Marion has been
telling a story of an abusive upbringing, culminating in his mother
dying and him killing his father. Does that ring any bells with
you?
”

Maine
’
s face remained impassive, "It's not
something I recall happening around here Mike. How is Mrs. Watson
connected to the man whose holding Marion?
”

"I think that she's his mother".

Bridger saw something flash behind
Maine
’
s
eyes, small and imperceptible, but there all the same.

"What's Mrs. Watson's first name
Mike?
”

A question set off the alarm bells in
Bridger's head, the conversation had just taken a turn in the wrong
direction.

"It's June, it would have been on the
paperwork. Did you not read through it?
”

"I only had a surname when the job
came in; you have been dealing with it since. What else have you
worked out?
”

Bridger listed the points of
information they had pieced together so far, watching closely for
any sign of recognition or stress in Maine
’
s eyes.

"That's some story Mike; I still don't
know how I can help though. As far as I know, there was no other
Maine
’
s
living in the area apart from me at the time. It is farfetched
though, to link the two, a bloody coincidence that the stories are
very similar. You said it yourself though, that his mother and
father are dead. It's pretty hard to mistake that".

"The boy was pretty young at the time John,
his memory of what happened would have been tarnished by fear and
his age".

"Mrs. Watson says her son is dead...,
Gallagher told her so. It is a mess; I will give you that Mike. But
I think you are barking up the wrong tree". Maine was looking into
Bridger's eyes, a hard and menacing stare.

"We've known each other a while now
John, you
’
re a good copper, if there was anything you
knew about this I know you would tell me".

"What are you trying to say Mike,
because my last name is the same as the name that silly cow
upstairs gave you I must be involved. You
’
re better than that Mike, I would
expect more from you".

"I'm not saying that John, I'm just
following my nose. Marion is my priority".

"Well don't let that nose get you in
trouble, people have long memories Mike. They don't forget".

Bridger could not tell whether
Maine
’
s
anger was coming from guilt or the indignation of having someone
accuse him of something. He wanted to believe the latter. "Fair
call John, as I said I know you would let me know".

Bridger turned to go.

"There is one thing Mike, that little
problem with Jonas earlier, I've had a word with him and he isn't
taking it any further, as far as he is concerned he deserved it. I
am not even going to commit anything to paper. No need to get
Matthews involved. I'm sure the rest of the crew won't say anything
about it either".

Bridger did not really know what to
say. "Thanks John, I know I was out of order with him, but
it
’
s a load
off anyway".

Their eyes met and held each other in
conflict.

"That's what friends are for Mike, we
look out for each other. God knows that there are many out there
who would love to see us come crashing down". There was a knowing
smile on Maine
’
s face.

Bridger broke eye contact and left the
office, closing the door behind him.

Did that mean he was now indebted to
Maine for covering his screw up? It seems everyone has something on
somebody to use against them. He just hoped for
Maine
’
s
sake that he was not involved in the puppet masters little revenge
act.

Twenty-five years in the job had given what
Gillian liked to think of as her 'Bullshit radar', it had never let
her down. It was not that what Beth was telling her was untrue; it
is what she was not saying that had her intrigued. She knew there
was always something unsaid.

People held back for many reasons, privacy,
guilt, fear. Beth was just being obstructive. She had gone back to
the moody, silent, 'Poor Me' routine after revealing the name
Daniel.

Gillian was getting really agitated. Beth
was a silly little girl, tied up in her own unremarkable life. She
was obviously not used to looking after herself and did not have
the coping mechanisms that she needed. Maybe she was a daddy's girl
and she craved the attention of older males now that she was far
away from home. That would explain the relationship with Jonas,
apart from the drugs. Maybe this Daniel was older as well.

The room was beginning to spin a little as
she breathed in the stale air.

All this for a couple of broken windows,
Gillian thought.

She needed a break.

"If you
’
re not going to talk to me Beth then
I'm afraid there's not much I can do. You can sit there banging
your head off the wall all you want while I get some fresh
air".

She got up and left the room, making
sure the lock was on as she did. Stomping down the hall, she put
her head in the open door of spacious office they used as a muster
room and yelled at the back of Steve
’
s head.

"Your turn babysitting, I'm going for a
break".

Steve turned and wiped his mouth as a piece
of meatball fell onto his lap.

"Ok partner", he coughed.

"I didn't know you were a smoker Mike, I
should know I'm out here most hours of the day and I've never seen
you here before".

"I'm not Gill, I just needed some air".

"You and me both", Gillian said letting out
a deep lungful of smoke.

Mike had known Gillian Holler since the
first day he had arrived in Dunedin; she was the next person he had
met after Julie Downie in the front office. She was the officer
assigned to showing him the patch. He had found her
straightforward, pragmatic approach to the job refreshing. She was
tough, but she also had a touch of the 'Mother Hen' about her. Deep
down she had the best intentions for everyone she encountered,
although she hid it well beneath her tough outer shell. The need to
hide her emotions was a hangover from past times, when she had to
fight for respect in a job full of testosterone.

They were both standing under the
shelter of the high roof next to the armed
offender
’
s
squad room in the rear yard of the police station. The hulking mass
of the mobile command unit parked behind them.

"Penny for them, Gill?”

"I'm sure you have got more than enough on
your plate with the missing girl to have me add to your woes".

"Sometimes I find not thinking about the
problem for a short while helps me. I can cleanse my brain a bit
and see it from a new angle. Lay it on me Gill; you will only be
helping me". Bridger attempted a smile.

"I've got our mutual friend Beth upstairs;
Steve and I picked her up breaking windows at an empty house in the
Leith Valley. She is playing her teenage angst routine again and is
really starting to piss me off. People have to realise that they
are responsible for their own actions and take ownership for once.
People are too quick to blame their upbringing or the fact that
they were not loved enough as a child. This girl has that act down
to a tee".

"Sounds like you have your hands
full
…,
why
was she breaking windows?
”

"I don't know. The only thing she has
told me in the last couple of hours is that she was breaking
Daniel
’
s
windows because he is a tosser. I have not even been able to find
out who Daniel is and why he is a tosser. When we arrested her, she
was just repeating, I am the one. I’m beginning to think she is a
real fruitcake".

Alarm bells were ringing loudly in Bridger's
head. Connections were firing in the right order producing
scenarios that started to sound plausible. Outwardly, he was
staring open mouthed at Gillian.

"Are you Ok Mike?
’

Bridger was trying to suppress the
excitement, it was not the first time today that he had felt this
and each time it resulted in a dead end.

"It's not the first time I have heard the
name Daniel today Gill; and Beth has come into this investigation
one way or another since the beginning. Beth connected to Marion by
way of her flat and the play, and now Marion connects to a Daniel…
I believe he is the person holding her".

After he had said it aloud, it sounded
more and more plausible. Bridger had his cell phone in his hand,
"Where are you holding her Gill?
”
he asked as he was dialing.

"She's in the interview room on the
first floor. Steve
is
with her. We're just waiting for the mental
health crisis team to come for her".

Becky answered his call. "Becky, get down to
the first floor and talk to Beth, she's back again, locked up for
breaking windows this time. I think she knows Daniel, and he is the
one holding Marion. Do not let the crisis team anywhere near her,
you already have a good rapport with her; get her to tell you where
he is. I'll be up soon".

Gillian was looking at Mike uncertainly.
"You know she's having some sort of episode Mike, I'm not sure that
even what she has said already is true".

"You said it yourself Gill, she's only
throwing a tantrum. I trust your instincts, and I am willing to run
with it. It's too much of a coincidence".

Bridger turned and jogged over to the rear
door of the building, fumbling in his pocket for his electronic key
tag.

Gillian inhaled deeply, holding it for a
second before blowing a steady stream of smoke into the air.
Stubbing the butt out on the ground, she followed Bridger up the
stairs.

The atmosphere was icy in the rear of the
command unit parked in the shadows somewhere in the Leith Valley.
They had just been going over the final risk assessment for the
operation they were about to commence. "I don't want a repeat of
what went on this afternoon Mike, by rights I don't even think you
should be here. It's not on, putting my men in that position".

Bridger was distracted a little with the
events of the last hour; it had taken more out of him now that the
initial adrenalin had worn off. The last couple of days were
starting to take a toll.

"I know Gaz, he said, rubbing the stubble on
his cheeks. I am at a loss for what to say. It will not happen
again. This whole thing is getting to me".

Gary Stone looked at Bridger in the semi
darkness of the command unit, he was looking very tired and
stressed. He had known him since they were both uniform constables.
Work hard, play hard was the section motto in those days.

"Maybe the drinking is catching up a bit
Mike; we’re not as young as we used to be".

Bridger thought of the mess his life was in
right now. He had no idea.

"Maybe it is Gary.... Maybe it is".

"We go back a long way, I've got your
back Mike
…
The boys will not say anything about this afternoon. Just
don't let me down".

What had he done to deserve this closing of
ranks around his indiscretions?

Bridger just grunted a reply, his mind
running over the events of the past hour. It had taken Becky about
5 minutes to break through to Beth, using a combination of bad cop
and angry cop. Once Becky had put her in her place, Beth let the
floodgates open. Bridger had listened to Becky and had been
impressed with her technique. She was clearly very skilled at
reading and dealing with people.