There was simply too much smoke for there not to be a fire. Charlie seemed innocent. Hand on heart, Mark had put up a convincing case too. And Simon Ashworth had been so compelling in his account. It all pointed to Whittaker’s guilt. But Helen knew that senior officers were very seldom hung out to dry publicly. And it was even less likely in this case, as the investigation that he had compromised was so sensational. These corruption cases tended to drag on behind very closed doors for months, even years. And what was the betting that at the end of it he would be pensioned off without any real censure or punishment. Helen hated the realpolitik of it all.
The process would take time to play out but two things were immediately apparent. First, that Helen would take over Whittaker’s role in an acting capacity. And second that she wanted Mark back on the team.
Helen took a deep breath and rang his bell. This wasn’t going to be easy, but there was no time for hesitation. Charlie was still chasing down Louise Tanner, there was no sign of Stephanie Bines and they were no closer to ending this nightmare. She needed all her best people round her.
‘Come on, come on,’ Helen muttered, as she listened for signs of life. A minute ticked by. Then another. She was about to cut her losses and go, when she heard someone fumbling with the lock. She turned, just as the door swung open to reveal Mark. Or what was left of him at least.
He was a sorry sight. Unshaven, red-eyed and unsteady on his feet. A daytime drinker with nothing – or no one – to make him stop. He was wearing a tracksuit, but exercise was not on the cards. He had shut down. Helen felt a pang of regret. She had offered to save Mark, then driven him to the bottle once more. He stared at her with a mixture of surprise and contempt, so Helen jumped straight in:
‘Mark, we’ve been through too much together for me to beat around the bush or try and dress things up, so I’m just going to say it straight. I know that you are innocent of everything I threw at you. I know I fucked up big time. And I want you back on the team straight away. If you don’t have the energy or can’t face being in the same room as me, I would understand, but I want to find a way to get you back in – you’re too talented a copper to be thrown on the scrapheap. I was wrong. But I’ve nailed the right guy now and I want to make amends.’
A long silence. Mark looked stunned. Then:
‘Who?’
‘Whittaker.’
Mark whistled, then laughed. He was incredulous.
‘We don’t know yet if it was a financial relationship with Mickery or a romantic one, but I’m totally convinced it was him. He lied about his alibi, pressured other officers to lie… it’s a big mess.’