CHAPTER ELEVEN
DAY FIFTEEN: 7th September.
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Hunter rolled his neck and flexed his trapezius as he made his way along the corridor. His muscle-toned frame felt tight but he was sharp this morning especially after the intense training session and three mile run into work.
He’d risen a good hour earlier than usual, promised Beth that he would get a flyer to take the boys to their football coaching session that evening and made his way to his father’s boxing gym and let himself in. He’d spent twenty minutes working the punch-bag, twenty minutes pushing weights and ten minutes with crunch sit-ups on incline before the run into work.
As he passed the Detective Superintendent’s open door he caught sight of his boss working at his desk; he’d obviously gone in earlier than his normal time as well.
“Morning boss,” Hunter greeted him as he passed.
He had only got a few yards further when DS Robshaw’s called out, “Hunter, have you got five minutes?”
“Sure boss.” He stepped back into the open doorway and made his way into the tidy office. He stood before him looking down. The Superintendent was just finishing off writing some remarks onto a CPS file. Behind him a sharp light cascaded in from a huge double-glazed window and backlit the SIO with a halo effect. His reflection bounced off the surface of his polished desk. Hunter glanced around the room. It was plush and looked organised. This is what he’d like to aspire to he thought.
Michael Robshaw signed off his paperwork with a flourish, clicked the top back onto his Waterman fountain pen and laid it square across his jotter. He slipped off his spectacles and lined them up straight alongside his pen. Raising his head he fixed Hunter with a serious look. “I’ve had a complaint about you.”
Hunter screwed up his face. “A complaint about me! What am I supposed to have done now?”
“David Paynton rings any bells?”
Hunter took a long hard look at his boss as he searched for a response. The last thing he wanted to do was give him any bullshit. He had known the Superintendent far too long, and also he trusted and respected him too much to pass off an answer which would be an insult to his intelligence. He had worked with him when he had been a detective constable at Headquarters and Michael Robshaw had been his DI. He knew he had achieved his current status because of his abilities over the years to juggle the management of many successful teams as well as handle the politics which came with the seniority of his rank. He had also on a regular basis spent some personal time with him, training at his father’s gym, and he had put in many a run with him during lunch-breaks.
He settled for, “what’s he said I’ve done?”
He interlinked his fingers and rested them in front of his pen.
“Apparently you and one other, and I’m guessing from the description, that the one other was Barry, waylaid him in the pub a few nights ago and gave him the third degree about your father’s hit and run. Says you were trying to fit him up with it.”
“Just a minute boss, I never…”
He unlocked his fingers and held up his hand; gave him the stop sign. “I’m not going to quiz you on what you did or didn’t say to David Paynton. I’m here to tell you to lay off him. He’s flagged as part of an ongoing drug squad operation. He’s giving them a couple of major local players knocking out cocaine so they want him around. Besides that, I can tell you he definitely wasn’t involved. I got a call from North Yorks police late yesterday afternoon, it would appear that the silver BMW involved in your parents’ road accident has been found in Scotland on false plates and two young thieves are locked up for aggravated vehicle taking. I suggest you give them a call.” He handed across a post-it that contained a telephone number. “That’s the officer in North Yorkshire who’s dealing with the incident.” He leaned back in his large swivel chair. “Hunter you’re a great cop, don’t put your career in jeopardy for that little shit, and besides you’ve still got an unsolved murder here to focus on. Now get ready for briefing you’ve got a busy day ahead after your interview with the doctor yesterday — haven’t you?”