Still he thought, “Perhaps I have missed something”.
He returned to his seat, looked at his watch, noted that ten minutes had passed.
Meanwhile on the first floor Sergeant Striker was knocking on the door signed Chief Superintendent, Craig Denton-Smyth.
“Come in”
Striker opened the door and entered, his boss was seated polishing his shoes, he looked up and said “Striker, what is it?”
“I am a little tied up getting my stuff ready for you know what”.
“I appreciate that Sir,” said Striker “but there is something I am forced to bring to your attention”.
“That is?” Replied Denton-Smyth
“An old guy at the counter insists he has an appointment with you, he refused to give any details”.
“An appointment, I don’t think so, where is my diary?”
He looked around the desk, and then in two drawers, the diary was nowhere to be found.
“Ah, excuse me Chief”.
“Yes Striker”
“Ah, it’s your diary, its over there Sir, your shoe polish and soft cloths are on it.”
“Ah”, yes of course. Yes, get it Striker; see if there is anything in it about this fellow”.
Striker went over, carefully removed the shoes thinking, “He is lucky he has loads of bloody shoes all hand made and highly polished”.
He opened the diary and found today’s date then said “Ah yes Sir, it says, “Chief-Constable, Woodcock, HMI, Richards, dead cops”.
“Oh yes now I recall, just sit down Striker and hear this bullshit”.
Striker was seated and waited patiently, whilst the last shoe was finally finished and replaced with the others behind the desk of the ultra clean and tidy boss.
“Those two traffic officers, Striker, you recall who died some weeks ago, from natural causes well it seems there have been several others, all natural, nothing suspicious in any of them. That pratt Woodcock I used to work for when I came from Bramshill learned of the deaths and has mentioned it on high.”
“Mentioned it,” said Striker, “I thought there was nothing in it at least in our case”.
“Exactly Striker nothing in it according to our Chief, there is nothing in the others either.”
“It seems that at the last meeting of the HMI’s, Woodcock stated that they were natural but suggested they were unusual”.
“It would be pleasing entertainment at the annual conference of the HMI’s and Chiefs to have this Richards fellow give what amounts to an after dinner speech on the deaths, purely entertainment.”
“To make the thing seem real I have been instructed mind you, instructed to cooperate with Richards, give him an office and a senior detective to bag carry for him.”
“Well sir”, replied striker, “we are pushed here we have that rape case still going on, the detectives are all tied up on that. Same goes for office space with the rape oh and the armed robbery and the extra officers coming and going I can’t see we have such a room”.
“Exactly Striker, exactly, this bloody fool, Woodcock”
“I didn’t realise you thought so little of him sir, I thought you having worked for him and he getting you this job you would have been up his arse, so to speak, I mean”.
“Not so Striker. One has to play the field, run with the fox and hounds you see, to get promotion, I simply tolerated him”.
“I will be bloody glad when he retires; our Chief is too bloody weak to have told him and Richards to piss off.”
“What will you do sir?” asked Striker.
“I will give you a lesson in diplomacy Striker, sit and learn.
“Hello Ling, Chief Super here, leave what you are doing get the Richards fellow up to my office forthwith”
“There Striker, he will be here shortly just watch the stick and carrot working”.
Inspector Scott-Ling put down the phone and went immediately to the visitor.
“Mr Richards?”
This caused him to turn and he saw the very lady Inspector who had just been verbally abused by Striker.
“Yes” he said, “that is I”
“If you would care to follow me, I will take you to the Chief Superintendent”.
He looked at his watch he had been waiting nearly twenty minutes, it seemed Striker was correct in his assumption the wait would be some time.
“Thank you Inspector” he replied and followed her through the corridors and upstairs.
“Yes, come in” was the instant reply to her knocking on the door of Denton-Smyth.
She entered, Richards behind her, “this is Mr Jack Richards sir, you are expecting him?”
“Ah yes Mr Richards how pleasing it is to meet you, please be seated. “ Striker stood up giving his seat to Richards.
“Now Mr Richards I have been briefed by the Chief-Constable on your mission to look into these perfectly natural deaths as a sort of entertainment for the next conference and after dinner thing a me jig, for the Chiefs”.
“I regret to say that due to operational requirements we do not have a spare office here from which you can operate, neither do I have a detective of any rank let alone a senior and experienced officer available to assist you, again, due to operational circumstances.”
“I am however very keen to assist you, I have therefore decided to allocate Ling here to assist you between her normal duties here in Chester.”
“As regards an office, this will be arranged, Sergeant Striker will arrange for you to have an office next door in the police museum”.
Jack made no comment; his forty years of experience told him, that this was a case of keeping ones mouth shut until at least the lay of the land was clearer.
“Well now” continued Denton-Smyth “I am rather busy, if you would take Mr Richards to the museum Ling, show him around”.
“Striker you will telephone them and ensure the staff there are fully aware and I mean fully”, he winked as he spoke.
“Oh by the way Mr Richards, please keep me updated as to any developments, I await the result with interest,” which caused him to laugh and Striker with him.
Richards looked and replied, “You can be assured sir; I will keep you fully aware of all you need to know”.
“That’s it Richards, good man, do your best on a losing wicket eh, good show”.
With that, he looked down; the interview clearly was finished as far as he was concerned.
All three left the room and once in the corridor Striker said, “I see, so you’re both on a mission for an after dinner party, a who dun nit thing”.
This caused him to laugh loudly then he put his hand over his mouth.
Richards made no reply but was thinking a lot.
Once down stairs Striker called, “Ling get him into the museum and remember when you are there doing this comical enquiry and there is no staff on you leave the keys here in key cupboard at the end of each day, got it”.
“Yes sergeant”, she replied
Seated at his desk Striker smiled when his phone rang, he picked it up and said “Sergeant Striker?”There was a pause,
“Oh, hello sir, you handled that well I thought”.
“Yes, thank you Striker, it’s all a bloody waste of time but we will have to play a long with it for now, try not to rattle him too much. I thought what a great way to get shut of Ling”
“Indeed it was sir, you certainly have a way with you boss.
“Thank you Striker”.
“Oh, sir?” said Striker “one final thing”.
“And that is Sarge?”
“Ironic you should think of sending the old has been and the new dopey woman to the Museum of all places, I like it, you have a sense of humour boss”.
Denton-Smyth shook his head, smiled but thought privately, “yes true but if I told the truth a simile hadn’t struck my mind before Striker mentioned it.”