Dead or Alive Read Online Free Page A

you threatened to kick him in the bollocks?’
    Sep didn’t answer. He was annoyed that his colleagues had blabbed on him to this extent, although he knew who’d put them up to it.
    â€˜I’m also aware that his nickname was the BFB … the Big Fat Bastard. Are you aware of this DI Black?’
    â€˜Yes, I was aware of it but there wasn’t much I could do about it, sir. What I wasn’t aware of was that he was epileptic. I should have been told this at the beginning of the investigation against him, sir.’
    â€˜I’m not sure anybody knew.’
    â€˜So, how was I expected to know? It wasn’t in the file we had about him.’
    Ibbotson shook his head. ‘And are you aware that even if the IPCC find you not guilty of any misconduct, the media will be down on us like a ton of bricks, accusing us of protecting our own?’
    â€˜I’m aware that I’m about to be made a scapegoat to protect the police’s reputation.’
    â€˜Not quite, another matter had just arisen that doesn’t help your cause.’
    â€˜What’s that, sir?’
    â€˜Your wife has just accused you of assaulting her. She’s in St James’s hospital right now with facial injuries – injuries she displayed to the whole station when she came in to report the matter earlier today.’
    â€˜What?’
said Sep, shocked.
    â€˜She says you assaulted her.’
    â€˜I did no such thing. My wife and I are currently separated.’
    â€˜I wasn’t aware of that.’
    â€˜It’s not a permanent thing, just a bump in the road as far as I’m concerned. When’s this supposed to have happened? She was fine the last time I saw her, which was last night when I dropped my daughter off at home.’
    â€˜She’s not fine now, and what’s more the whole station knows about it. If you need any of them to speak up for you to the IPCC, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.’
    â€˜I think I’d like to go and see my wife, sir. Find out what this is all about.’
    â€˜You are not to go within a mile of her, Black. I order you to stay away from her and find yourself alternative accommodation or you’ll be arrested.’
    â€˜I already have alternative accommodation.’
    â€˜Good.’
    Sep hung his head in bewilderment. What the hell was happening here? He looked up as a thought struck him. ‘If I assaulted her, shouldn’t I be arrested and charged anyway, sir?’
    â€˜Yes, you should, but she hasn’t pressed charges as yet and I’m holding the matter in abeyance until I decide on the best way to deal with you.’
    â€˜I’m thinking you’ve already decided that, sir.’
    â€˜The best way to deal with this is for you to voluntarily resign from the force. That way we can satisfy the media that a man has been punished.’
    â€˜Will the media be made aware of Johnstone’s crimes, sir?’
    â€˜Did you call him Johnstone when all this kicked off?’
    â€˜I did, sir. I believe his hyphenated name was just pretentious rubbish. He was just plain Johnstone before he became an MP.’
    â€˜I bet that annoyed the hell out of him. Anyway, the media won’t be hearing about his crimes from us.’
    â€˜If I get the boot I might have a story or two of my own to tell them.’
    â€˜In order for you to avoid being prosecuted for his death you will be asked to sign a legal document preventing you from giving such stories to the media. The MP died before he was found guilty of anything. In the eyes of the law, which is us, he died an innocent man.’
    â€˜Sounds like I’m being stitched up well and truly, sir.’
    â€˜Just for the record, Black, I don’t believe a word of this nonsense about Detective Inspector Cope being corrupt.’
    â€˜Can I go now, sir?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    Sep walked through the station watched by a host of frosty eyes. No one