It was midnight in an abandoned supermarket car park. Two cars arrived five minutes apart. The second car rolled up to the first. Andy was the first to open his window; Rawson then followed.
"Hello, Mr Rawson. What's up ma duck?" asked Andy.
Rawson looked worried. Andy frowned. Rawson was generally happy-go-lucky, so there had to be a problem.
"We may have a problem upstairs," said Rawson
"Better than a problem downstairs," said Andy almost laughing. Rawson didn't even smile.
Oh, it's that bad
, thought Andy. "What's worrying you?" he asked.
"The Deputy Commissioner, John Bailey, is going to announce his retirement within the next 6 months," said Rawson.
"So?"
"The Deputy Commissioner is where the power is, not the Commissioner. The Deputy controls day-to-day operations, professional standards, and Investigations. The Commissioner is just a glorified PR man. My contact at the Home Office tells me that the successor will be one of the Assistant Commissioners," replied Rawson.
"And?"
"Normally I wouldn't be worried, but the current favourite at the Home Office is Lisa McMaster," explained Rawson.
Andy had vaguely heard of McMaster. She had just been appointed Assistant Commissioner from a provincial police force, but had made quite an impression there, having been appointed a Deputy Chief Constable at only 35. She'd apparently whipped that force into shape, boosting its solve rate to the one of the best in the country. At only 40, McMaster is now one of the most senior police officers in the country.
"Why her, and not one of the other 3 Assistant Commissioners?" queried Andy.
"Well, two are older than Bailey, and are already making the rounds for private sector work, so it looks like they are retiring. Burton might get it, but the Home Office think that McMaster is the new face to push out the old guard."
"So, why does this concern me?" asked Andy.
"She's a crusader against anything remotely dodgy - and it's not just that she can't be bribed. She goes out of her way to stop corruption, and ensure the prosecution of bent coppers."
Like you
, thought Andy, although he kept quiet.
"If she gets the job, you can bet your bottom dollar she will be after us," continued Rawson.
"You worry too much, Rawson, take a chill pill," said Andy. With that, Andy raised his window and drove away. Rawson thought for a moment, then he drove out of the car park too.
2 minutes after Rawson departed, another car's engine turned on. That car, too, left the park.
...
[Two days later.]
Rawson found himself in a meeting that was being chaired by Lisa McMaster. After two hours, the meeting finished and thanking them for their time, she dismissing them.
As the others shuffled out of the room, Rawson heard the AC say, "David." Rawson turned round to see the AC smiling at him. "Do you have a moment?"'
"Yes, Ma'am, of course."
"Shut the door please, and take a seat."
Lisa picked up the coffee pot and poured another cup, adding milk and sugar. She gestured to Rawson to see if wanted one; Rawson shook his head without a word.
"So, David," said Lisa, "well done on that drugs bust. A whole Colombian network rounded up. You've got good intel -- where ever it comes from." Rawson looked at McMaster and noticed that her blue eyes contained no warmth. He almost wondered if she was a robot - not married, no sign of any emotional dependency of anyone else. Not that Rawson considered Lisa McMaster ugly. Blonde, with nice cheekbones, she was in fact very attractive, but had deliberately made herself severe-looking to avoid any 'Officer Barbie' comparisons. Rawson thought he could detect a decent sized rack under that uniform...
"Thank you, ma'am," responded Rawson, wondering where this was going.
"There is just one thing." Lisa passed over a folder to Rawson. He opened the folder to find photographs of the meeting between him and Andy that had happened the other night.
Rawson tried to hide his emotions. "Yes, Ma'am that's me meeting a contact."
"One Andy McMinn," said Lisa, looking at her notes. "Suspected drug dealer, pimp, and fence."
"Yes Ma'am'," shrugged Rawson. "He's scum alright, but very low-level. More a rogue than a villain. He's been one of my main sources regarding the drugs busts."
"Is he the sort of person we should be having dealings with?" asked Lisa with an arched eyebrow.
"Well Ma'am, in a perfect world, not really, but he's helped us roll up a number of drug and other criminal gangs."
"I think you need to cut him loose, and stop using him for intel. I've got information that he is much more of a significant figure than you claim." Lisa's blue eyes bored into Rawson.
Shit
, thought Rawson.
She knows
.
In reality, Lisa didn't know anything; she just thought that Rawson's clean-up rate was a little too good to be true. Even without any visible emotion from Rawson, Lisa thought she could detect concern emanating from him. Was he bent, or did he think that without McMinn's tip-offs his reputation might suffer?