and handed it back to her. "Chief Inspector Wilson won't be staying for tea," there was a tone of finality in his voice. He picked up a blue folder from his desk. "This is McElvaney's file. Return it to my secretary when you’re finished with it."
Wilson took the folder from the Chief Inspector's hands without comment.
"Constable McElvaney is downstairs in the cafeteria," Jennings started to pour his tea. "I suggest that you go there and introduce yourself. Then you can both return to your squad-room and get back to work." The Deputy Chief Constable poured a stream of milk into his tea and stirred the mixture to a light brown consistency.
"I can't be responsible for the repercussions," Wilson pushed the chair back and stood up.
"That's just it, Chief Inspector," Jennings sipped on his tea. "I'm going to hold you personally responsible. And by the way. Be especially kind to Constable McElvaney. You may end up working for a Catholic one day."
As he passed through the outer office he glanced at Jennings' secretary. She had a smug smile on her face.
"It doesn't suit you," Wilson said as he turned the handle of the door to the office.
"What doesn't suit me?" she asked.
"Being that fucking poodle's poodle," Wilson said as he exited the office.
CHAPTER 7
Wilson took a quick look around the cafeteria at Castelreagh. His glance encountered several tables of four or five uniformed officers chewing the fat. He continued to look around the room and saw that the only single person seated at a table was an attractive female with a head of frizzy red hair. Where the hell had this guy McElvaney got to? He flicked open the file and gazed at the coloured picture stapled to the right-hand corner of the first page. The colour drained from his face and he looked again at the single female who was returning his look.
Holy shit, he thought. A woman and a Catholic. The woman sitting at the table was dressed in civilian clothes as would befit her position as a detective constable. She wore a light blue blouse which set off her pale complexion. Her ensemble was completed by a dark blue trouser suit. Her demeanour and dress was more that of a management consultant than a police officer. Wilson walked slowly towards the table at the back of the room. "Constable McElvaney, I presume?" he said standing in front of the young woman. “I’m DCI Wilson.”
"Sir," Constable McElvaney stood to attention.
Wilson looked into her deep green eyes. “Sit down please.” He looked at the cup on the table. “I see you’re having tea.” Christ what do I sound like, he thought. This is worse than a schoolboy on his first date.
The young woman sat. “It could be worse, sir,” she said as she took her seat.
“Worse?” Wilson said wondering in his mind how things could possibly be worse.
“Well, I could be black. That would be a full-house. Catholic, a woman and black.”
Wilson started to smile. “It was a bit of a shock,” he said taking the seat directly across from hers and opening her personnel file on the table before him.
“I could see that from here, sir,” she said returning his smile. He noticed that her teeth were almost perfectly white and the smile lit up her otherwise pale freckled face. “Your face dropped so much I thought that you might have thought that you were on Candid Camera. Can I get you a tea or a coffee, sir?”
“No thank you. I think that I’m going to need something much stronger than tea or coffee. But perhaps later.” You bastard Jennings, he thought to himself. He knew that the DCC hated him but this was way out of order.
Wilson took the folder from the Chief Inspector's hands without comment.
"Constable McElvaney is downstairs in the cafeteria," Jennings started to pour his tea. "I suggest that you go there and introduce yourself. Then you can both return to your squad-room and get back to work." The Deputy Chief Constable poured a stream of milk into his tea and stirred the mixture to a light brown consistency.
"I can't be responsible for the repercussions," Wilson pushed the chair back and stood up.
"That's just it, Chief Inspector," Jennings sipped on his tea. "I'm going to hold you personally responsible. And by the way. Be especially kind to Constable McElvaney. You may end up working for a Catholic one day."
As he passed through the outer office he glanced at Jennings' secretary. She had a smug smile on her face.
"It doesn't suit you," Wilson said as he turned the handle of the door to the office.
"What doesn't suit me?" she asked.
"Being that fucking poodle's poodle," Wilson said as he exited the office.
CHAPTER 7
Wilson took a quick look around the cafeteria at Castelreagh. His glance encountered several tables of four or five uniformed officers chewing the fat. He continued to look around the room and saw that the only single person seated at a table was an attractive female with a head of frizzy red hair. Where the hell had this guy McElvaney got to? He flicked open the file and gazed at the coloured picture stapled to the right-hand corner of the first page. The colour drained from his face and he looked again at the single female who was returning his look.
Holy shit, he thought. A woman and a Catholic. The woman sitting at the table was dressed in civilian clothes as would befit her position as a detective constable. She wore a light blue blouse which set off her pale complexion. Her ensemble was completed by a dark blue trouser suit. Her demeanour and dress was more that of a management consultant than a police officer. Wilson walked slowly towards the table at the back of the room. "Constable McElvaney, I presume?" he said standing in front of the young woman. “I’m DCI Wilson.”
"Sir," Constable McElvaney stood to attention.
Wilson looked into her deep green eyes. “Sit down please.” He looked at the cup on the table. “I see you’re having tea.” Christ what do I sound like, he thought. This is worse than a schoolboy on his first date.
The young woman sat. “It could be worse, sir,” she said as she took her seat.
“Worse?” Wilson said wondering in his mind how things could possibly be worse.
“Well, I could be black. That would be a full-house. Catholic, a woman and black.”
Wilson started to smile. “It was a bit of a shock,” he said taking the seat directly across from hers and opening her personnel file on the table before him.
“I could see that from here, sir,” she said returning his smile. He noticed that her teeth were almost perfectly white and the smile lit up her otherwise pale freckled face. “Your face dropped so much I thought that you might have thought that you were on Candid Camera. Can I get you a tea or a coffee, sir?”
“No thank you. I think that I’m going to need something much stronger than tea or coffee. But perhaps later.” You bastard Jennings, he thought to himself. He knew that the DCC hated him but this was way out of order.
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