Rachel thought of Dom – it was the same, doing idiotic stuff, no thought of the consequences. Decisions that ended with you banged up with the other lowlifes and hard men, the nutters and the knob-heads. Going slowly demented staring at the walls of a cell twenty-three hours a day.
‘He made a decision, a bad one. He pays the price. We all have to live with what we’ve done.’ Rachel drained her glass.
‘You should go,’ Janet said. ‘Sean’ll forget what you look like.’
‘He’ll be watching the game. No rush. Anyway, shouldn’t you be at home with Elise and everything?’
‘I should. I will. Soon.’
The door flew open and there stood Godzilla, a raptor waiting to pounce.
‘Oh, fuck,’ Rachel murmured, ‘now what’ve we done?’
She came over to them, stopped by the table. ‘The others gone?’
‘Yes,’ Janet said.
‘You’re still here?’ She fixed her beady eyes on Rachel. ‘Could have sworn I sent you home. So, you’ll have another?’
‘Maybe I should get going…’ Rachel reached for her bag, felt the tug of pain in her arm.
‘You’ll not have me drinking alone?’ Her Maj said brightly.
‘Course not,’ Janet said, ‘mine’s a white.’
‘Red, ta,’ said Rachel, giving in.
Godzilla nodded. ‘Chief super’s calmed down,’ she said. ‘Violent crime stats are through the roof, our place in the league tables may be shot to buggery but our clear-up rate is, as of today, bloody amazing.’
Rachel waited for the sting in the tail; it didn’t come. Instead the boss said, ‘You all right mixing red wine with whatever the hospital’s pumped you full of?’
‘Constitution of an ox,’ Janet said.
‘What is an ox anyway?’ said Rachel.
‘Half horse, half donkey?’ Janet said, like she wasn’t sure.
‘That’s an ass,’ the boss said, ‘which is more like it. Not known for their forward planning and risk assessment.’
Bingo.
‘An ox,’ Her Maj went on, ‘is cattle, a castrated adult male. Peanuts?’
They both shook their heads and she made for the bar.
Rachel turned to look at Janet, whose eyes were twinkling.
‘Cheeky bitch,’ Rachel said. Janet laughed and that set Rachel off. It hurt to laugh.
‘Do you think we’re forgiven?’ Janet said.
‘You, maybe. Me? Never.’
‘Oh, go on, look at how she stood up for you when all that stuff with Dominic went down. She knows you’re a good copper, could be great. Just need some fine tuning…’
‘I’d kick you if I wasn’t in such bloody agony,’ Rachel said.
Godzilla came back in no time, tray in hand. Deposited the drinks and sat herself down. Raised her glass. Rachel and Janet did the same.
‘To us,’ she said.
‘To us,’ they echoed.
‘And sod the lot of them.’