10 The New Partner

Serina closed the door firmly behind her, and stood with her back to the door. She glanced at Frank. He was in his late fifties, with pale skin and short grey hair that was steadily receding from his thick eyebrows. He was standing next to his large desk, which took up nearly half of the office. It was home to the usual cluster of objects. Frank's workstation had been positioned to one side, to minimise the glare from the sunlight coming in through the large window in the far wall.

She noted that there was a short stack of case files on the desk, prominently positioned next to the screen and the desk phone. The top file lay open and empty, the loose papers that it previously contained having been scattered across the full width of the desk, almost entirely covering his keyboard and mouse. Clearly, whatever it was that Frank wanted to tell her, it had something to do with an old case.

She frowned, and turned her attention to the younger man. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had lightly-tanned white skin and blond hair, which looked to have been recently trimmed to just above his shoulders. He was wearing a smart black suit that appeared to be a size or two too large for him, with a pressed white shirt underneath and a neatly-knotted plain black tie. He was sitting motionless in his chair, looking intently at Frank. He didn't appear to have noticed her.

"Yes, Frank?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the younger man.

"Come in. Sit down." Frank replied brusquely.

She glanced at him quizzically, but he just stood there impassively, waiting for her to comply with his order. Like a sergeant major waiting impatiently for his men to get in line and stand to attention, she thought to herself. She sighed, and sat down in the vacant chair, to the right of the younger man. She was getting increasingly concerned with Frank's demeanour. Had she done something wrong? She wasn't being investigated by Internal Affairs, was she?

She looked at him, a worried expression on her face. "What is it, Frank?" she asked uncertainly.

Frank's shoulders slumped, and his entire manner changed. Gone was the upright, businesslike stance of a senior officer, replaced by the friendly, relaxed posture of a kindly uncle. He leaned forward towards her, a look of concern on his face. "You alright, Jinx?" he asked.

She glanced at the younger man again. He was still sitting motionless in his chair, his gaze still fixed on Frank. He still did not appear to have noticed her. Her eyes flicked back to Frank. He suddenly appeared agitated. She nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm fine." she replied. "Just wondering what this is all about."

He nodded. She could tell that he wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer. "I mean, you seem excited. Like you've got big news to share with me." she continued. Her eyes narrowed, and she regarded him with suspicion. Did he have bad news for her? Or was he just worried about how she would react to whatever it was he was about to tell her?

"And you're also a little nervous." she frowned. "Why? Worried about how I will react?"

He laughed nervously. A faint smile crossed her lips. Clearly, whatever it was he wanted to tell her, it wasn't that serious. She gestured towards the younger man. "So, are you going to introduce me?" she asked.

Frank smiled broadly, and nodded. There appeared to be something about her behaviour that he found mildly amusing. He gestured towards the younger man. "This is Cahill."

She looked at Cahill with curiosity. He turned his head and looked intently, almost blankly at her for a few seconds. Then he turned back to look at Frank, almost expectantly.

Frank nodded and gestured towards Serina. "Cahill, this is Jinx."

Cahill looked back at Serina and smiled faintly. "Hello, Jinx." he said. His voice was a surprisingly flat monotone.

"Hello, Cahill." she replied with a cautious, uncertain smile. At least he now had a name, although she was still unsure who or what he was. She frowned, and looked questioningly at Frank again. There was certainly something unsettling about Cahill, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly.

"Cahill is your new partner." Frank stated flatly, as if that was the most obvious fact in the world and he was surprised that she hadn't already realised it.

She looked shocked. "Partner?" she echoed. "But you know I don't do rookies, Frank."

She felt a slight movement to her left. Cahill had abruptly turned in his seat, and was now looking expectantly at Frank once more.

Frank nodded, his manner suggesting that he had anticipated her reaction. "Well, you're doing this one." he told her insistently.

She scowled at him. Clearly, she didn't have any say in this. "He had better be good, then." she told him, her voice containing more than a hint of a threat.

Frank sighed wearily and picked up a paper cup from his desk. He glanced down at it to check that it was empty, then tossed it almost absent-mindedly in Cahill's direction. The younger man remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the cup as it flew through the air towards him. At almost the last second, he reached up and plucked the cup out of the air just before it hit him directly in the face.

Serina gasped in shock. She had never seen anybody react quite like that. He didn't even flinch! She looked quizzically at Frank, who smiled faintly at her. "Go fetch us some drinks, lad." he told Cahill. The younger man nodded and stood up. "She likes her coffee black, no sugar." Frank added, gesturing towards Serina.

Cahill nodded again, and strode towards the door. Serina turned in her seat to watch him as he walked out of the office. She noted that although he moved swiftly, his movements were unusually stiff, as though he was unable to bend his knees properly.

Once Cahill had left the office, Frank slumped in his chair with a weary sigh. "He's a good lad. Just needs a steady hand to guide him." he announced to nobody in particular.

Serina looked at him, her eyebrow raised in a quizzical fashion. Yes, she had questions. But she wasn't entirely sure which question needed to be asked first.

"I need you to look after him for a bit. Keep him out of trouble." he told her.

That resolved the question issue. "Why me?" she asked.

Instantly, he replied. "Because you're good at that kind of thing."

She scowled and looked out of the window. This was true, of course. She had an exemplary record. She didn't break the rules, or even bend them. No corners were cut, no short-cuts taken. She did everything by the book. She was generally considered to be a good example for all up-and-coming detectives. And yet...

"Oh come off it, Frank. I'm a detective, not a baby-sitter!" she snapped angrily.

"I'm not asking you to baby-sit him." he replied tersely. "Just keep him on the level."

She scowled again, and continued looking out of the window at nothing in particular. She could sense that Frank was starting to get more than a little irritated with her. She bit her lip, and waited.

"Come on, Jinx." he sighed wearily, leaning forward in his chair. "Think of all your previous partners."

She glared angrily at him, but said nothing. There were certain events in her past – a certain event – that she would prefer not to be reminded about.

"They have all..." he continued, his voice tailing off under the weight of her glare. He swallowed hard. Serina bit her lip again, and dropped her head to stare at the floor.

Frank sighed sorrowfully. "Well, most of them..."

"Apart from Louise." Serina responded almost instantly, without looking up.

Frank nodded slowly. "Yes, well." he continued, his voice tinged with sadness. "Apart from Constable Godwin." He sighed again, and made the sign of the cross. "A sad state of affairs, that." he concluded.

He slumped back in his chair again, and stared out of the window. Serina's gaze remained fixed to the patch of floor in front of her feet. After a moment's silence spent in remembrance of their fallen colleague, she lifted her head and looked at him, forcing a smile to appear unwillingly on her face.

"But the rest of them..." she began, her voice tailing off in an attempt to encourage him to finish the sentence.

Frank smiled weakly at her, perhaps relieved that she wasn't too upset with him. "Yes, the others." he replied, his face brightening somewhat. "They've all gone on to better things, haven't they?"

It was the turn of Serina's face to brighten. It was probably best not to dwell on the past for too long. She nodded and smiled again, more naturally this time. "Bigger, but not necessarily better." she noted. "Right, Frank?"

He laughed sarcastically for a moment, before leaning forward across his desk towards her, a serious look on his face. "Right." he said soberly. "And that's all because of you. You brought out the best in them."

She turned away, almost embarrassed. She couldn't really take all the credit. She had been fortunate enough to have been partnered with good officers. They'd all have been successful without her input. Well, probably.

She smiled to herself. She tried to keep her ego in check. Kept reminding herself that she wasn't a superhero, just a regular detective. But good things tended to happen to everybody who crossed her path. Well, except for Louise... She sighed mournfully. What had happened to Louise was a good corrective. Kept her grounded. Reminded her that she wasn't infallible.

She smiled weakly at Frank. She had been close to quitting after Louise's death. Frank had somehow managed to convince her to stay. In truth, she had been rather glad he did. She wasn't sure what she would have been if not a detective. It was all she had ever really wanted to do, despite the reality not measuring up to the way it had been portrayed on the television, or to her imagination.

Frank nodded. It was as if he could read her mind as well as she seemed to be able to read his. "And I want you to do the same with Cahill." he told her.

"What's so special about him?" she asked.

"Like I said, he's a good lad." he sighed. "Just been led astray."

She frowned. "What do you mean, led astray?"

He sighed again, and returned to staring out of the window. After a few seconds of silence, he turned back to look at her. "You remember Martin?" he asked. "Sergeant Lawless?"

She grimaced briefly. Sergeant Martin Lawless. It didn't seem right to call him that. Not any more. She looked at Frank and nodded to confirm that yes, she remembered the name.

He smiled wryly. "Turned out he was well-named, didn't it?"

She glared at him again, but remained silent. There were some things that shouldn't be joked about. Martin was one of them.

"Well, Cahill was one of his new lads." he continued hesitantly. He seemed to have belatedly realised his error. "Only been there for a couple of weeks when... well, you know."

He paused and looked uncertainly at her. She nodded to indicate that she was fully aware of the events he was alluding to. There was no need to go into any of the details. They both knew what the former Sergeant Lawless had done.

He sighed. "Anyway, the investigation didn't turn up anything on Cahill." he continued. "So they didn't charge him like the others. In fact, he was completely..."

He stopped in mid-sentence and frowned. "What's the word... Exo-something?"

"Exonerated?" she suggested.

"That's it." he nodded. "Completely exonerated. Along with a couple of the other lads."

She looked surprised. "So he's getting a second chance?" she asked. "With me?"

He nodded again. "All three of them are getting a 'second chance', as you put it." he told her. "But Cahill is the only one you need to worry about."

She frowned. "How do you mean?"

"The other two have been sent away." he replied. He paused, noticing the expression of confusion that had landed on her face. "To other stations, I mean." he smiled. "They were reassigned."

He looked down, scanning his desk for a specific sheet of paper. Locating it, he held it up and peered at it for a moment. "Hmm... That's right." he said, waving the sheet of paper in her direction. "One's gone to Middleford, the other to Eastbury."

He sighed, and tossed the sheet back on his desk. "But Super Dave has decided that Cahill should stay with us, and that you should look after him." he concluded, before leaning back in his chair and looking hopefully at her.

Serina smiled. She was well aware that Frank didn't have the best relationship with Chief Superintendent Pike. "So the Super want me to mentor him?" she asked.

"Yes, if you like." he nodded. "Mentor him. Look after him. Bring out the best in him."

He paused thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled at her. "Like you always do."

She scowled at him again. She knew he was right. About her bringing out the best in her partners, at least. She wasn't entirely sure she was cut out to be a mentor to a rookie, though. And there was one other small issue...

"You know I've never had a male partner before." she noted tersely.

"Well, if it was up to me, I'd put him with Ray." he sighed. "But orders are orders. And Super Dave specifically said that he should go with you."

"Well, Super Dave knows best." she replied, smiling sarcastically.

"That he does, Jinx." Frank chuckled. "That he does."

She nodded slowly. Of course, if the Chief Superintendent had ordered it, then that was what she would do. A further thought suddenly entered her mind. She looked sharply at Frank. "Are you sure he's clean?" she asked, her brow creased in a worried frown.

He sighed, and reached forward to pick up a couple of the other sheets of paper that were scattered across his desk. He glanced at them, then waved them vaguely in her direction. "It says here that he is. And that's good enough for me."

He tossed the papers back onto his desk. "Unless you tell me otherwise." he added, smiling faintly. He then leant back in his chair and regarded her expectantly.

She nodded uncertainly. It was clear than Frank was not entirely sure Cahill was clean. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem. She would usually be able to tell pretty quickly if somebody was corrupt, or being duplicitous. Usually...

But Cahill... There was this nagging thought in the back of her mind, telling her that there was something different about him. Telling her that she wasn't going to find him easy to read. This presented her with a strange, unfamiliar feeling. Why would she not be able to read Cahill? She could usually read anybody. At least, if she wasn't drunk or tired. Well, apart from Karla...

A further thought burrowed unexpectedly into her brain. And Martin... She sighed and scrunched up her face, trying to banish such thoughts and memories.

Frank frowned at her. "So, what's your initial impression?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I... don't know." she replied hesitantly. She almost had to force the words out of her mouth. "I... I can't read him."

Frank looked shocked. "What do you mean, you can't read him?" he asked, incredulous.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He's just..." she began. She paused, trying to work out the best way to explain it. She sighed. "It's like he doesn't display any emotions at all."

This revelation seemed to surprise Frank. "Oh come on Jinx, you're usually better than that!" he told her. "Don't tell me your powers of intuition are deserting you?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It's just..." She paused again, and frowned. "For some reason, I can't read him. Not sure why."

He frowned at her again. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?" he asked, a worried look on his face.

She shook her head again. "Maybe it's because I've only just met him?" she suggested. "It can sometimes take a while to kick in."

Noticing the expression on Frank's face, she grinned at him. "I can still read you pretty well."

He smiled with relief, and gazed vacantly into the main office.

"Well, once you get a feel for him, let me know what you think." he told her. "You know, just in case..."

She nodded slowly, and looked suspiciously at him. "When you said he was clean, you didn't sound entirely convinced."

He sighed. "Ray thinks Super Dave is acting too hastily." he told her. "I... can sort of see his point."

She nodded in agreement. Perhaps it was too soon. The events surrounding Martin and his... activities... were still fairly recent.

Frank leaned forward in his chair, and looked seriously at her. "But what I don't like is..." he added, his voice lowered to an almost conspiratorial whisper. "If they were going to reassign Cahill, why not send him somewhere else?"

Serina nodded again. She had been thinking the same thing.

Frank shrugged. "Like Pulwich, for instance." he continued. "They could have paired him with Michele. Did they have to bring him back here?"

Serina looked out into the main office. Many of the people there – good people – knew Martin, and were shocked when they learned what he had been doing. Some of them would have been aware of Cahill, as well. Would they be able to accept him, one of Martin's people, as one of their own?

Frank gestured towards the main office. "A lot of people here knew Martin, and now they know what he had been doing..."

Serina nodded again. It was as if he was reading her mind. Well, two can play at that game. "They might be suspicious of Cahill." she finished his sentence for him. "They might think that he is also a..." She paused and frowned. "What was the term Ray used? 'Bent copper'?"

Frank nodded. "Just because they didn't find any evidence against him, or the other two..." he began.

At that moment, the door opened, and Cahill walked in carrying a small tray holding three cups of coffee. Frank stopped in mid-sentence and stood up. "Ah, good lad." he smiled.

Cahill handed one of the cups to Frank. "White. One sugar." he stated. Frank nodded and sat back down.

Cahill then turned to Serina and handed her a cup. "Black. No sugar." he told her.

Serina took a sip of coffee. "Perfect." she nodded. "Thank you."

Cahill claimed the final cup, and placed the tray on the corner of Frank's desk. As he sat down, he took a couple of large swigs from the cup. Curiosity got the better of Serina, and she leaned over to try to discern the contents of his cup.

Cahill followed her gaze. "Black. No sugar." he nodded. "Like yours."

She frowned. His voice was going to take some getting used to. It was flat, cold, emotionless. Almost mechanical. Also, that voice in her head had been correct. She was having trouble reading him. This worried her. She found herself hoping that Frank was correct, and Cahill was clean. She sighed, and took another sip of her coffee. Hope?! She preferred rather more certainty in her life.

They sat in silence for a few moments, drinking their coffees. Frank sat back in his chair, his eyes flicking back and forth between Serina and Cahill. "I'm sure you two will get along just fine." he eventually suggested with a smile.

Cahill nodded, and drained his cup. Serina looked down at her cup in surprise. There was still nearly half of her coffee left.

"Wow! Looks like you needed that." she giggled, gesturing towards Cahill's empty cup.

He looked down at his empty cup. "I like coffee." he stated flatly.

Serina sighed, and continued sipping at her own drink. She was still waiting for her powers of intuition to kick into gear, at least as far as Cahill was concerned. Well, she reasoned, as he was going to be her partner for the foreseeable future, she was going to be spending quite a lot of time with him. Sooner or later, she would be able to read him like a book. She just wished she could convince herself of that.

Her train of thought was suddenly derailed, as Frank drained his cup and tossed it absent-mindedly into the nearby waste-basket. Almost immediately, he sighed with exasperation and looked up a the ceiling. She looked at him, puzzled.

He groaned as he got up out of his chair and reached into the waste-basket to retrieve the cup. He placed it on top of the tray on the corner of his desk and sat back down with a grunt. "Needs recycling." he said, gesturing towards the cup.

Cahill suddenly stood up, and placed his cup next to Frank's. The sudden movement surprised Serina, and she jumped slightly in her seat. She glared at Cahill as she finished the last of her coffee. Once her cup was empty, she stood up and placed it on the tray, next to the other two.

"Back to work, I suppose." she sighed as she walked over to the door. She opened the door, and beckoned to Cahill. "Come on, then." she ordered him. "Partner."

He nodded and picked up the tray containing the three empty cups. "I will recycle them." he announced.

Serina sighed again, then turned and walked out of the office. Cahill nodded at Frank, then followed her.

Frank watched them leave. As the door swung shut, he slumped back down in his chair and picked up the papers he had earlier waved at Serina. As he examined them again, he sighed.