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Chapter 35
‘This is very uncomfortable for me.’
Jennie is sitting opposite DCI Campbell in his office. She feels groggy and sleep-deprived. Furious, too, but she knows she has to stay calm if she’s to get through telling her boss. It’s early, and Martin hasn’t arrived yet, which she’s thankful for. The last thing she needs is him watching through the glass wall as she tells the DCI what happened last night. It’s bad enough having to come to Campbell with this anyway, especially since the last time they spoke properly she’d virtually blackmailed him to keep her on the case.
‘Take your time, I’m listening,’ says Campbell, putting his pen down on the desk and taking a quick sip of coffee. There’s an edge to his tone that didn’t used to be there in their interactions. ‘But I’ve only got ten minutes max before the weekly stats meeting.’
Jennie knows how much he hates the crime statistics meetings. She takes a breath. ‘Last night DS Wright and myself interviewed one of the suspects, Simon Ackhurst, at his narrowboat home on the canal.’
‘Did he give you some kind of trouble?’ asks the DCI.
‘Not Ackhurst, no.’ Jennie clears her throat. Feels the nerves fluttering in her stomach. ‘After the interview it was getting late, and DS Wright offered to give me and my bike a lift home. I was tired and so I accepted.’
Campbell nods. ‘Okay.’
‘After helping me get my bike out of the car, DS Wright escorted me to my front door. I thought it a little strange, but we were discussing the case and debriefing on the interview so it kind of made sense. What happened next didn’t. DS Wright grabbed me around the back of my neck and kissed me. When I asked him what he was doing and told him no, he lunged for me again. I had to physically push him away, twice, and he wasn’t pleased.’ Jennie pauses as her voice starts getting higher pitched.
The DCI is shaking his head, his lips pursed into a thin line as he makes some notes on the Moleskine notepad beside his computer.
Jennie can’t tell what he’s thinking or how he’s going to react. She’s never had to report anything like this to him before, and that it’s a member of her own team who sexually harassed her seems to make it all the more awkward. She keeps her tone professional. Keeps to the facts. ‘DS Wright told me I had been leading him on, which I assure you I had not. He also said I was a frigid bitch.’
The DCI waits a moment before he speaks.
Jennie’s aware of movement through the glass in the open-plan office space. She shudders, but doesn’t turn to see who it is. It feels as if they’re watching her.
‘I’m sorry that happened to you, but I want to commend you for coming and telling me. Obviously, I take any allegation of inappropriate conduct very seriously, so I’m going to look into this.’
Jennie bristles at his use of the word ‘allegation’. It happened. Martin needs to be dealt with. But rather than express this as strongly as she feels it, she bites her tongue, fearing that if she makes too much fuss, the DCI might feel the case could be compromised and pull her and the team off it. So, instead, she asks, ‘So you’ll be speaking to DS Wright?’
‘I will,’ says the DCI as he starts typing a two-fingered email. ‘Just as soon as I’ve spoken to HR for their view.’
Jennie sits for a moment, watching as he types. She thinks he’s taking it seriously, but he hasn’t asked her how she is, or how she feels about working with DS Wright. ‘Do I need to write a formal statement?’
He looks up at her, frowning. ‘Yes, probably. I’ll come back to you after I’ve talked to HR.’
‘Okay.’ Jennie gets up to leave. She feels weird, wrong-footed. The nagging fear returns: that she did lead Martin on, that she is somehow to blame for what happened last night. The guilt is like a heavy weight on her chest. But she doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t want to cause a fuss. So she leaves the DCI to his email and walks out of his office.
The open-plan area is busier now. Jennie sees Martin is at his desk, talking to someone on the phone. He turns away from her as she walks between the desks to her own, an action that both irritates her and makes her feel relieved. She isn’t up for another confrontation right now.
‘Elliott Naylor’s arrived,’ says Zuri as Jennie sits down at her desk opposite.
‘Great,’ says Jennie, smiling gratefully at her DS. ‘Thanks.’
As she reaches for the file in front of her, Jennie has the feeling she’s being watched again. Looking up, she sees Martin is glaring at her. The hatred in his eyes is unmissable.
Shivering, Jennie feels suddenly cold.
I need to get out of here.
Jennie looks at Zuri over the desk divider. ‘Shall we go and get started with Naylor then?’
Not waiting for her to reply, Jennie stands and grabs a file from her desk. Turning, she strides towards the stairs, desperate to be out of the open-plan and the close proximity to Martin.
At least in the interview suite, she’ll be safe.
Chapter 36
Elliott Naylor looks awful. There are dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes and dandruff flaking along his hairline. His solicitor, Geraldine Metcalf, a sophisticated thirtysomething woman in a smart black suit and cream blouse, sits beside him. Her poise and good posture are in stark contrast to the way Elliott is hunched over the Formica table.
