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wanda1969Title: "Jack's Angels II"
Author: wanda1969
Rating: PG- I don't think there's anything dodgy in here
Summary: Torchwood characters shoehorned into a rather unexciting Charlie's Angels adventure! No Charlie's Angels characters in this though!
A/N: This fic is gwen-bashing.
I had never written any fiction (or, indeed, posted anything at all on the internet) until recently when I posted Jack's Angels for AGA. Some very, very overwhelmingly kind comments have resulted in this sequel! I meant to post this sooner, but, you know, real life ie work getsin the way......
This is completely unedited or corrected by anyone but me! So any mistakes are my own. PS despite working with (not part of) the police, I have no idea about UK police hierarchy, so I suspect I may have my ranks wrong! Hey ho!
Jack’s Angels II
“The Unfortunate Return of Gwen Willliams”
Part I
Prologue
***
It had been close to 6 months since Jack and Angels (not forgetting Ianto Jones, Torchwood administrator extraordinaire, and some time ‘Angel’) had solved the case at “The Farm”, otherwise known as Buwith Health Spa. Life at the Torchwood Agency and with the Angels had evolved into a much more relaxed affair since Gwen Williams’ unfortunate bout of amnesia. Jack had become more involved, actively working on cases; the team had even had several ‘team’ nights out. Briefings were relaxed and, after so long working with each other, Jack, Tosh, Johnson and Ianto had finally become almost friendly!
Jack had been more than reluctant to recruit another team member hastily, though; After Gwen (sometimes jokingly known as A.G. at the Agency), Jack was keen to make sure that any replacement was at least skilled in undercover work and could work as a valued team member, and he’d looked at several possibilities. Jack had even deviated from his norm and considered a male Angel- PC Andy Davidson of the Cardiff Police had shown himself to be reliable, but his past association with Gwen was a worry. He was still keeping his eye on three candidates and Ianto was providing him with yet more background checks and details of their personal lives- After Gwen, the team were looking for a colleague with a bit more restraint. It would be a definite plus point if the new team member could control themselves to the point of not sleeping with the suspects....
***
Meanwhile, Gwen Williams had been returned to Rhys with acute, irreversible amnesia after the Buwith Health Spa incident, with no memory of the last two years that she had spent working with the Angels. Uncharacteristically for Gwen, she had said little to her husband about her job during the last two years; he was only aware that she had been working for a private detection agency after she left the police, and he’d never met anyone she worked with..... and the Torchwood Private Detection Agency was hardly the kind of business that advertised in the Yellow Pages- it relied on ‘word of mouth’. Even looking at her past bank statements, Gwen had found that it was impossible to see where her wages had originated; they’d been paid into her account via an anonymous offshore account.
Once she’d been given the all-clear by her doctors she had reapplied for the police, but was now (luckily for Torchwood) working in Bridgend. It was an irritating commute on the M4 but little did she realise that, on her return to the force, her ex-boss, Chief Constable Swanson had recommended her for the post.....
***
Ch 1
It was 10 am on a Tuesday morning and Johnson and Toshiko, the two remaining Angels, were sat in the library of Torchwood Villa waiting for their latest assignment. Ianto Jones was handing out their coffees, when Jack Harkness, their once reclusive employer, entered the room. Silently, Ianto handed him his favourite blend of industrial strength black coffee (no sugar).
“Mm....As fabulous as usual, Ianto!” Jack smiled at him affectionately, before turning to Tosh and Johnson.
“And talking about fabulous...how are you two? I hope you’ve had some R ‘n’R since the last case? You’re both looking irresistible!” he said with a grin.
“Raring to go Jack,” Johnson said enthusiastically.
“And you, Tosh?”
“Oh, yes! I’ve had a great time off. How about you?” She looked between Jack and Ianto.
“Yeah!” he smiled, “ ...and ready for our next case...And it’s just good, ‘ole’ Cardiff”
Tosh and Johnson looked at each other.
“Yep. Nowhere exotic, I’m afraid,” he said as he sank onto the Chesterfield with his coffee. “ We’ve been contacted by Cardiff Council and the South Wales Police.”
The Angels looked at him expectantly as Ianto settled into his chair behind the large antique desk.
“Well....Recently, the government auditors have been to visit Cardiff Council to check the end of year accounts. This year, however, there appears to be over £2 million pounds missing from the Council coffers... Seems to have started about two years ago, but we have no hard proof. As you can imagine, the Council hasn’t wanted to advertise this- disgruntled ratepayers in these hard times, if you’re getting my drift. So the Council called in Cardiff Police, and the Fraud Squad. On the quiet, that is.” He paused, before continuing, “So, at 2 o’clock today, Ianto and I have meeting with the very lovely Chief Constable Swanson- she’s drawn a blank, even after calling in the Fraud Squad and looking into the Council’s accounts. Reading between the lines, though, I reckon we’re looking at you, Tosh and Johnson, going undercover with the Council and the Fraud Squad....”
***
Jack and Ianto were standing at the front desk at Cardiff Central Police Station, waiting for their 2pm appointment.
Chief Constable Kathy Swanson arrived. “Glad to see you both again Captain Harkness, Mr Jones.” Jack had been in the army in the US and sometimes used his old rank in order to bypass the usual protocols...
“And you too, Chief Constable....and, may I say, you are looking remarkably delicious today?”
“Captain Harkness, as you must know by now, flattery will get you absolutely nowhere... why don’t we all go through to my office?” She stifled a smile. She knew she shouldn’t, but she found Harkness’ cheesy flirting amusing.
***
Swanson leaned back in her seat, fingers steepled together as her elbows rested on the chair arms. “So, as you can see, my investigations are at a bit of an impasse...the Fraud Squad’s top computer expert says there is no evidence at the Chief Executive Offices at the Council of where these funds have gone to...and The Fraud Squad are saying that they can’t see any anomalies in the accounting records.”
“We need someone inside the Chief Exec’s Council Accounts Department-someone good. And your Miss Sato fits the bill. And I have some quite worrying suspicions about the Fraud Squad - someone’s in on this. They can’t find anything- and there’s five of them on this. We need someone to observe them- I can’t believe that amount of money can go missing without Fraud noticing.....so I need someone on the inside here, too. It’s a clear case of embezzlement....but we have NO evidence at all,” she said, exasperatedly.
“Mm...So one of us gets to wear a uniform..?” Jack jokingly mused, then smiled flirtily and looked over to Ianto, winking.
“Jack...!” Ianto warned and then quickly continued. “ Anyway.....Everyone here at the station has seen me and Jack- so I suggest that while Tosh goes undercover at Cardiff Council, Johnson can be ‘seconded’ to the Fraud Squad, here at the station.....How soon could we get them sorted?”
“Don’t you just love him when he’s masterful?!” Jack laughed, eyes twinkling.
“Well that was really... ‘Quite Interesting’......,” thought the policewoman, as she looked at the two men.
“Well, Mr Jones.....” Swanson said, “We can get Johnson into the station, and I’m sure I can pull a few strings at the Council and get Miss Sato started, asap, at the Council as an accounting Temp- would tomorrow be OK, provisionally?”
***
Swanson was true to her word and, by 4pm that very day, she’d got a temporary position in the Chief Exec’s Department organised for Tosh, via a local recruitment agency, and told the Fraud Squad’s existing Officers to expect a seconded Officer first thing in the morning....
There was still time to brief the Angels at the end of the afternoon.
***
Ch2
***
At half eight sharp the next day, Tosh arrived at Cardiff Town Hall, and reported to the Chief Executive’s department, and set about getting to know her new colleagues over a cup of coffee that she couldn’t help but compare disfavourably with one of Ianto’s orgasmic brews.
She sat down at her PC and reached into her handbag, retrieving a small device which she slipped into the USB port.....
***
Johnson walked into Cardiff Central the same day, met with Swanson and was introduced to the Central Wales Fraud Squad . It was like an ‘Old Boys’ network’ circa 1975. Not that she minded- she’d worked in UNIT for years, and after Gwen (A.G.), and the reappearance of Jack she’d been enjoying working in a more male environment. No talk of ‘child care issues’ and one heck of a lot of banter. So far she’d met four of her new colleagues, .
She heard a voice behind her, “Mmm...Nice to see a new face around here! And where have you been hiding yourself? Detective Inspector Adam Grey. Detective Johnson, isn’t it?”
Johnson nodded and held out her hand “Good to meet you, DI Grey.”
Grey shook her hand vigorously, a smirk on his face, “Perhaps we can meet up later at the pub with the guys and have a chat?”
“Perhaps...First things first...tell me more about the case. You’re all ahead of me on this, and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do....”
***
Tosh found the day almost interminable, she’d never been one for that ‘office-y feel’, but was glad to find that most of the other “accountants” were female- so, come 4 o’clock, she was all but alone as they left to pick up their children from nurseries across Cardiff. She managed another hour or so checking as many of the Council’s large budget records as she could before she heard footsteps and quickly minimised her windows and removed a device which looked suspiciously like an everyday memory stick. In fact, it not only allowed her to copy and store files, but also helped her to bypass passwords on her new colleagues’ accounts.
“So how was your first day, Toshiko Sato?”
Tosh looked up to find the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive, John Hart, perching on the edge of her desk, smiling at her. There was something distinctly discomforting about that smile, though.
“You know what first days are like!” she laughed. “I’m not even sure I remember where the canteen is yet, never mind remember everyone’s names!”
“It’s nice to see a new face around here, especially such a pretty one,” he grinned. “I think you’ll fit in here just fine, Toshiko”
“I hope so- these days even temping is difficult...what with the cut-backs and everything...”
“Well, we like to make everyone welcome here- fancy a drink?”
“Perhaps not tonight, Mr Hart, I’m absolutely exhausted.”
“Call me John, Toshiko”
“It’s been pretty tiring, what with it being my first day...so many people to meet...maybe later in the week?”
“We’ve got a work’s trip to the pub on Friday...why not pop it in your diary?” he said as pushed himself up and off the desk. “See you tomorrow, Toshiko!”
“Will do she said as cheerily as she could- there was most definitely something unnerving about John Hart...
***
Johnson finished her first day, and quietly slipped off to Kathy Swanson’s office
“...So I haven’t got anything on any of them, yet. But I’m not sure about Adam Grey...that man is...slimy...”
“I know what you mean. I get exactly the same feeling,” Swanson shuddered as they walked towards the main foyer from her office.
At that point they both stood frozen to the spot.
“Oh shit!” they both muttered under their breaths in unison, quickly turning to each other before looking back towards two police constables who were escorting a suspect into the station.
The WPC looked up at them both, a look of confusion on her face as she nodded her head and acknowledged her superior, nodding her head. “Chief Constable Swanson”.
It was WPC Gwen Williams and PC Dafydd Evans escorting a suspect from Bridgend. Williams briefly glanced back at both women, her eyes bulging from their sockets; Johnson could almost see cogs whirring in the policewoman’s head. It was a look that Johnson remembered well from her time in UNIT- even though she only remembered seeing it once. A strange look of confused remembrance. Williams had seen Johnson.....
The Chief Constable and Johnson both let out a sigh of relief as the Bridgend police and their suspect walked down the corridor and out of sight.
Johnson laughed. “Well, it sounds like you were as glad to see the back of Gwen Williams as Torchwood was!”
It was the first time Johnson had ever seen Swanson so candid or human, as she said, “You’re not joking! We had a station celebratory trip to the pub the week after she left to join you lot! Have you any idea how much Cardiff Central reduced sick leave after she left? Three of her ex-partners returned from long-term sick after she left. Our street crime detection figures soared. We even reached our Home Office targets for the first time since she started. Not to mention the fact that problems with inter-office relationships decreased....”
The Angel stifled a smirk as she replied, “So it wasn’t just us then?!”
“God, no! If she’d managed to get back into Cardiff, I think I would have been trying to sort out a full-scale rebellion in the station!”
***
When, she’d said goodbye to Kathy Swanson, Johnson waited until she was inside her car, before pulling her mobile out of her bag.
“Jack...Its Johnson here....I’ve just seen Williams...I was with Swanson....at Cardiff Central.....she looked like she’s starting to remember... She might be triggering.”
***
Ch 3
Gwen Williams felt as if her head was about to explode. It was as if a million memories were forcing themselves into a space far too small to accommodate them...
As soon as she and her fellow police officer had handed over their suspect, she ran out of the station, leaving a surprised Dafydd Evans staring after her...
***
Back at Torchwood Villa, Jack and Ianto had received a first day report from Toshiko, who’d gone back home, with her memory stick. Knowing Tosh, she’d be poring over the records that she’d downloaded all evening.
More worrying was Johnson’s ‘phone call. It became even more worrying when, at around 10pm, the Torchwood security system alerted them to movement outside the Villa’s gates.
Accessing the CCTV feed, Ianto saw Gwen Williams stood outside the gates. She seemed indecisive and thoughtful as she looked through the gates at the mansion. After about an hour of walking backwards and forwards in front of them, she unclipped her police radio, spoke into it before purposely walking to her car and driving away.
***
“Somehow, Ianto, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Gwen.”
“She found us quickly enough! She’s not going to let it lie, Jack. I’ve checked with Cardiff- she should have been on the late shift and on her way back to Bridgend after dropping off that suspect, but tomorrow’s her day off. Her shift’s finishing now and she’s off for three days...She’s going to be back- and sooner than we’d like...”
“Yeah....all of the information from UNIT points to us not being able to Retcon her again, at least not within a few years of the last dose. Their trials show that patients who were given that much Retcon turned into gibbering imbeciles, basically...”
“And, pray tell, how would anyone tell the difference, Sir?”
“Ooh, bitchy, Ianto!” he laughed, “Although there are some ways in which I would have to agree with you. But we are NOT dealing with this now. It’s time for bed... and you know what it does to me when you call me ‘Sir’”
“And what does it do, Sir?”
***
Ch 4
The next day found both of the Angels back undercover in their respective jobs.
Tosh was getting to know her workmates. The day before, she had met Angharad Griffiths. Angharad had started work with Cardiff Council in 1972 as a bookkeeper and had since qualified as an accountant; she was now the longest serving member of staff in the department. In between her tales of bookkeeping before the technological age (“no doubt it involved a quill and parchment”, Tosh had thought to herself during the tea break), she was a mine of information about every member of staff that she’d ever worked with.
“...Hart, though...he’s a bit full of himself, isn’t he?” Tosh said, trying to drag Angharad’s anecdotes into the 21st century. “Cornered me when everyone else had left last night.”
“Oh, yes. He’s definately a one. Got an eye for the ladies, and anything else with a pulse, that one.... and the high life! House in Llandaff...and I hear he’s got a villa in Majorca. Fast cars and holidays in the Maldives and the Bahamas! You’d better watch out there, always looking out for the pretty young ones. Not like Ioan Rees, my first boss. Perfect gentleman he was....mind you, he was Welsh...”
Tosh quickly interrupted her before she started to reminisce again, “Well, I know he’s the Deputy, but, you know, he’s still working for the Council...surely he can’t earn that much?”
“Well, who knows? He’s not married. That’s got to save a bit! Might have family money, perhaps...?”
“When did he start work here?”
“About two years ago,” Angharad said, as Tosh made a mental note to investigate John Hart a little more thoroughly. Angharad started to reminisce again, “Anyway, they’re all ‘fly-by nights’ these days...not like when I started. It was a job for life, was a job with the Council.....”
***
Johnson pored over the files on her computer at the Fraud Squad’s commandeered office. She looked around at her new work mates, as they worked away. DI Grey was directing them all in the inquiry. She looked back at her files to see who had been assigned the files of the officers at the Chief Exec’s office; Grey’s own main lines of enquiry had been centred on one John Hart. The other three Officers had been allocated other employees to investigate.....
***
Over at Torchwood Villa, Ianto was researching the backgrounds of the workers at the Council Offices, when a window popped up on the Apple screen. He flicked onto it, accessing the Villa’s CCTV feed. Gwen Williams was, again, outside the gates, indecisively hovering next to the intercom system. He picked up his mobile.
“Jack, I think you should come to the library- Gwen’s here again...”
Within a few minutes Jack was leaning over his shoulder, watching the feed.
“We’re gonna have to deal with this,” Jack said.
“Gwen’s never met you, Jack- when she finally gets the courage to buzz, do you want to be here?”
Jack laughed nervously, “ I guess I’m going to have to deal with it eventually- I’ll be here.”
***
It took another 45 minutes before the intercom buzzed and Ianto heard a crackly Welsh voice:
“Ianto? It’s Gwen here....It is Ianto... and Torchwood, isn’t it?”
“Yeah- come on in, I’ll meet you at the door,” he said and then walked into the hallway and released the gates.
***
As he opened the door Gwen looked at him in relief.
“Ianto Jones!! I saw Johnson at the police station! I remember! The amnesia’s lifting...I’m starting to remember again!” She rushed forward and hugged Ianto. He winced; he wasn’t really into this amount of physical contact with his work colleagues.....unless, of course, they were Jack.
“Good news, Gwen!” he stammered.
“It’s so good to remember again!”
He released her. “Come on through to the library...things have changed since you left...”
As they entered the library, he saw that Gwen looked around, remembering the room. And then her eyes alighted on Jack.
“Ooh- a new recruit, by the looks of it!” She fixed wide eyes on him and smiled even more widely, before walking over and holding out her hand. “I’m Gwen Williams- things have definitely changed since I’ve been away...I think we needed another man about the place when I was here.”
“It isn’t a new recruit...” Ianto started as Jack nodded at him, ready to take over.
“Hello Gwen, my name is Jack Harkness, and,” he paused shaking her hand, “Until your...unfortunate accident...I was your boss. Of course, we never met in person... for various reasons.” There was no reason for Gwen to know the whys and wherefores of that, as far as he was concerned.
“Oh my God!” she almost shrieked, before Ianto saw realisation dawn on her face and she plonked herself down on the sofa next to Jack. A little too close, thought Ianto. “And to think we never met in person before!”
“Well...I was out of the country quite a bit until recently, but things have changed now,” the American lied, feeling the full onslaught of Gwen Williams’ so-called ‘charm’.
On her part, this was the best news she’d ever heard; she’d researched the owner of the Torchwood Agency when she was working there, but, boy, had she known he was this good-looking, as well as being one of the richest men living in England....well, she may have gone about things differently...
“Well, now I’m starting to remember, it’s only a matter of time before I’m back to my normal self. I can come back. I can join the team again! And it seems like Torchwood is more of a team now.” Her grin was almost predatory. Actually, Ianto thought, it WAS predatory. He gritted his teeth, and reflected that, for the last five or six months, he hadn’t had to grit his teeth. God, at this rate he was going to have to visit his dentist...
“Gwen, we’re going to have to see how you are. How you deal with this. It’s not an easy task coming back after...amnesia...you know. It’s only been a day or two from the way you’re acting. Give it time. See how it goes. Speak to Rhys. Does HE want you to come back? Think about it. Do YOU really want to come back to Torchwood? There were times in the last couple of years that this job interfered in your life more than working for the police...I don’t want you coming back to work here before you’ve thought this out. And I’ve thought it out.”
Gwen pouted, “I ‘spose so, it’s just that I remember everything again! I feel like I could come straight back...”
“Talk to Rhys....with the obvious proviso that you keep things vague. Any information about Torchwood that identifies me, Ianto or the Angels puts our entire undercover activities in jeopardy, Gwen...”
“I guess so...” The pout was there again.
“Get back home, now, see your husband...talk. And don’t come back here until you’ve had at least another day to talk to Rhys. Another FULL day. At least,” Jack continued.
***
“What are we gonna do about this?”
“Let’s sleep on it. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, Jack,” Ianto replied, as Jack started to relax.
***
The Angels assembled in the library at the beginning of the next day, before they had to assume their roles at the Council and at the Council.
Johnson was the first to speak.
“...No, the other four are just you average family men...go to work, do work, go home, think of the weekend. But DI Grey...not only is he really oily, and he’s trying to hit on me...well, he’s made sure that he is the only one investigating Deputy Chief Executive John Hart. No one else has been tasked with that investigation- they’re too busy looking at the minor players.”
“I can see where Johnson is going,” Tosh said. “Hart is a really slimy character. SO full of himself. Hits on all the temps- female OR male. One of the accountants tells me he was appointed about two years ago, when Swanson thinks the money started to go missing. My colleague tells me he has fast cars, a house in Majorca, exotic holidays and a pretty impressive house here in Cardiff. Not an issue in his post, but he hasn’t been working in this kind of job for very long. Add to that, HIS accounts are the most vague in the whole department...and he has some very impressive firewalls, and some very large, gaping lacunae”
“So, you think Hart and Grey are in cahoots, as it were?” Jack responded.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Johnson interjected. “Down at the station, Grey is pretty much disliked. Again there’s exotic hols, and he always hits on the WPCs, apparently. And why would he NOT let anyone else investigate Hart?”
“Right. We’ll keep an eye on them both. But here’s something else that you should know. I know you warned us, Johnson, but Gwen came here today. She’s started to remember. She wants to come back.”
“Jesus’ SHIT!” the ex-UNIT officer shouted. “Jack! You can’t! We’re only just recovering from having her here!”
“I have to agree,” said Tosh. “We’ve all been working together properly since she...left. I’m not sure I can go back to that.”
“Look, Jack’s told her not to come back for a few days. They talked, face to face...and I certainly won’t let her back in Torchwood Villa until she’s thought about this. If she’s capable of thinking, that is.... We can’t Retcon her again. Not so soon.”
Tosh thought she could see the tension in Ianto. She had every belief that if Gwen had behaved in her old (usual) manner when she had met Jack, Ianto would be more than livid.
“Look, guys,” Jack interrupted, “we’ll find a way round this- don’t worry. Ianto is on to this...We can deal with it. The important thing for you two is to keep on the case until then.”
Johnson didn’t look convinced.
“One thought is that we allow her to feel involved, but make sure that’s she’s not around on the case to actually disrupt any of our enquiries....I guess there could be a few more other possibilities...Official Liaison Officer, office based, that kind of thing...” Ianto mused.
“Christ!”
“Look, Johnson,” Ianto said, “You were with UNIT...you know that a further dose of Retcon could cause irrepairable damage rendering her....”
Jack suddenly interrupted, a wide grin on his face, “Wow! I just love that Welsh accent...all those consonants, all those ‘r’s – that was really almost quite alliterative, Ianto....”
“Jack!” There was an almost angry look on Ianto’s face, before Ianto looked upwards towards the ceiling, and then smiled at him indulgently. “We can pull this off- like I said, make sure that she’s not interfering in our operations. We’ll sort it, I’ll sort it....but first we need to sort out where Cardiff Council’s funding’s gone.”
“OK, OK!”
Johnson looked over at both of the men; the more she thought about it, there was definitely something going on there. She thought back; the two men had been inseparable when they’d had their team outings. That was something that she really was going to keep an eye on. After all, amongst the Angels themselves (in house, that is), there wasn’t much gossip...not, of course, that she was one for gossip.
***
Ch 5
Friday morning
The end of the week had soon rolled around. At Cardiff Council, Toshiko was frustrated. She expected to be able to access any company’s computer records, and a Local Authority didn’t usually cause her any headaches. She’d been working for several days on a programme which looked into deleted data, but, as yet, she’d been completely unable to find the missing information.
As the day wore on, her workmates were obviously winding down to the weekend, mainly chatting about their plans- barbeques, parties and the Friday work’s visit to the “Glendower Arms”. As her colleagues continued to plan their early finish, Tosh finally saw a window pop up on her monitor.
“Deleted accounts found,” it read.
Tosh quickly scanned the records before saving them to her memory stick and wiping all traces of her search. “Jeez! These people are thorough,” she thought to herself, considering what she’d just seen. The records all related to John Hart; the records had been completely wiped from the main system, but this was a serious cover-up. Someone else had to be involved.
***
Over at Cardiff Central, Adam Grey’s mobile buzzed. He hurried out from the main enquiry room to the main corridor to take the call, while Johnson looked on.
She could see him through the glass upper half of the door. The conversation looked heated as Grey paced backwards and forwards before he abruptly ended the call and returned to his desk.
***
Toshiko waited until lunchtime, before asking the rest of the team if they needed her to buy them a sandwich while she was out. Once safely outside the Town Hall, she flicked open her mobile and dialled.
“Johnson, can you speak?......I think I’ve found some files for the missing funds....”
***
Johnson had excused herself as her ‘phone rang, and was now speaking to the Torchwood Agency’s technology expert as she strolled along the corridor outside the office , looking for all the world as if she was making plans with friends for the weekend.
“I’m convinced it’s Hart...I managed to recover some of the deleted records today. But SOMEONE must be helping him. Anyone skilled in data recovery could surely have found the info...and the only person over at the IT & Fraud Squad who’s been investigating him is Detective Grey.”
“You know IT isn’t my forte, Tosh- I can send you a link to get you in here and do your work, though. I’ll send it over now; by the looks of it this lot, they like a long lunch on a Friday. Now could be the time to get in there.”
***
Johnson was right- Johnson and “the old boys’ network” of Cardiff Fraud Squad headed off to “The Glendower Arms” shortly after she had pressed ‘send’ for a (mainly) liquid lunch ... In fact, lunch had turned into dinner, and looked like it may even become supper.
***
It was Friday, 5 pm, and, as Tosh had found out on her first day, it was the Chief Exec’s Office’s “pub outing day”. Over at “The Saracen’s Head” about half of the staff had made their way over to the pub, including Angharad, and they were all starting to relax. They’d all gathered in the Vault. The smokers were taking turns to go out into the “beer garden”, and Toshiko couldn’t help but notice that this included John Hart, although he was keeping a fair distance between himself and the staff as he seemed to be constantly answering his mobile, a serious look on his face.
***
If Tosh had been able to hear the conversation, she would have felt far from relaxed.
“I’m telling you, Grey, someone has accessed the hard drives!”
“It’s not possible. We’ve wiped everything. They’d have to have bloody Bill Gates or something to get in there.”
“Bollocks! The alerts you set have gone off!” Hart said under his breath.
“Yeah? Must be a false alarm. Who could have accessed the drives? Your lot are just a pile of civil servants- not exactly data recovery experts- especially after the defences I’ve put in.”
“Well, yeah....perhaps you’re right....”
“’Course I’m right, John. As soon as I found out what you were doing of course I put in every defence out there. I’m going to protect my investment, aren’t I?” When his team had been assigned the investigation at Cardiff Council, Grey had soon seen who the culprit was, and then he’d started to think. And then he’d started to get greedy. He’d approached John Hart with a proposition.... ‘50/50, and I’ll set up firewalls into the hard drive and the main accounts systems...’ Detective Grey had said, ‘We can keep going until we’re at about a million each. Maybe more if we’re lucky! What do you think?’
“Yeah...we got a new girl this week. Quiet. Good with the accounts software. Too good, perhaps. And the alerts only went off this week....” Hart trailed off.
“A plant?”
“Could be..”
“Name?”
“Toshiko Sato. She’s supposed to be a temp, but she’s far too good. I’m beginning to wonder..”
“Right. I’ll go back to the office and do a check. I won’t be missed if I’m quick. And then I’ll text you.”
***
Back at the police station, Grey’s checks drew a blank on ‘Toshiko Sato’. No addresses, no registration with temping agencies before this week.
He sent a text to Hart, before he headed back to the pub: U cud b rite. Follow her home. we need her address.
***
At both the “The Sacracen’s Head” and “The Glendower Arms” the staff of the Chief Exec’s Department and the Fraud Squad started to drift away at about 9 o’clock, making their ways home in various states of ‘wobbliness’.
***
Tosh walked home; her flat was in central Cardiff and only less than a mile away. But as she walked she felt as if she was being followed, despite the fact that whenever she turned back to look there was never anyone there. But still she heard footsteps.
***
