Jason's Point of View

"f**k" I curse as the pen I was writing my latest arrest sheet with decided to leak all over my hands, leaving a blue blob on the sheet, which means I had to start it all over again.

I shouldn't complain, some of the old guys on the force reminisce about the time when they would spend more time writing out paperwork, than actual police work. I am getting a taste of just what they mean today, along with the rest of my colleagues, because the servers are down, and we have no idea when they are coming back online, so the inspector has insisted we revert to pen and paper.

I throw the leaking pen into the wastepaper basket, getting a high degree of satisfaction from hearing it clatter against the wire frame as it settles at the bottom.

"PC Dale, leave that, we have a shout." Sergeant Tanner shouts at me.

I jump up from my desk and follow my sergeant down the staircase and into the panda car. Happy to have put off doing the paperwork for a little while longer. I can only hope the computers are back up and running when we get back, and that the Sergeant is the arresting officer on this one, meaning, his paperwork to complete, not mine.

I jump in the panda, as the Sarge puts on the blue lights, the sirens echoing around us, as we pull out past the fire station, then up the small road and head towards Durham road. Before taking a left onto Springwell road, heading towards Chester Road. "What's the shout?" I ask him, as we proceeded with speed through the Sunderland streets to our destination.

"A fight in the cemetery," Sarge tells me.

I nod my head, it is not the first time I have been called to one of these, or the last. I often find I am an uninvited guest at Funerals, Weddings, and Christenings, where emotions run high, and sometimes overspill.

I give dispatch a record of where we are going, our speed and everything I have to do, over the radio, as we travel.

We pull up outside the cemetery gates, turning off the siren as a mark of respect for the dead, and slow our speed down, to accommodate for the narrow road.

One of the groundsmen flags us down.

"Its in the memorial section just down to the left. Two men and two women. One of the women is dressed as a firefighter, she was here for the funeral earlier." He tells us.

I glance at my Sergeant, and he blows out a breath.

"s**t, could it be Josie?" I ask.

"Makes no difference, PC Dale, if she is fighting with someone, then we need to arrest her." He tells me.

I nod my head, yeah, as much as I would love to give the girl a free pass, especially after what that fire station has gone through lately, he is right. We cannot be seen to show favouritism.

We pull up the car, and jump out, running towards the affray. My Sarge radio's in, asking for back up, when I see Josie, standing over a woman, kicking her repeatedly, screaming and shouting at the top of her voice. Hell, this is not at all like the girl I know.

It is then I spot Anders, in a fist fight with the man we have been searching for, his father.

I rush towards Josie, lifting her off the middle-aged woman who was lying on the floor, shouting that she was sorry.

"Arrest her. Jason, do not let that b***h get away." Josie screamed, trying to get out of my hold.

"Josie Edwards, I am placing you under arrest on suspicion of assault. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." I tell her, slapping a pair of cuffs onto her wrists.

"Arrest her, and him. They are the arsonists. We just heard them admit it. It is Twinkles' wife. She is having an affair with that arse hole. They have been setting fires to try and kill Twinkle. Don't let them get away." Josie pleads with me, tears streaming down her face. A few more of my colleagues arrive, as my Sergeant places Mr Maxwell senior in cuffs, a sense of satisfaction washes over me, we have been after this low-life criminal for years, and now we finally have him. Another colleague reads Anders his rights, before cuffing him, as one of our female officers arrests Twinkles' wife.

"This one will need to see the Forensic Medical Examiner when we get to the station." She tells me, pulling the woman to her feet, before dragging her towards the Mariah van.

Josie is sobbing. Hell she could lose her job over this, but I had no option than to arrest her.

"You did a number on her." I say to Josie.

"She will live. Wayne, however, did not." Josie tells me, shaking her head.

"Please don't put me in the back of the van with those two Jason." Josie suddenly asked.

I nod my head, in response, not saying a word.

"Sarge, I will put Miss Edwards and Mr Maxwell in our car." I shout over.

"No, you can take Josie in ours, but Anders needs to go in the van." He tells me, before bundling him into the back beside his father and Mrs Oliver.

I gently guide Josie's head with my hand protecting her from the top of the car, as she gets into the back, then closed the door, going around to the front of the vehicle, and climbing in the passenger side. I don't really have long before the Sarge gets in, so I quickly turned around hanging over the seat.

"What happened, Josie?" I asked her.

"We were coming around to see the flowers, she was there, giving a full confession to 'Wayne' when that cunt turned up, and said that she knew it was a risk when they agreed to the fires, that Twinkle wouldn't die, and they would get him the next time, then kissed her head." Josie sobs out.

"Sorry, but I ...." Before she could say anything else, I interrupt her. Hell I want to help, I am not a bent cop, but if she opens her mouth before consulting a solicitor, it will go south for her pretty quickly and there will be not a lot I can do.

"Did you give her a warning that you were going to apprehend her until the police arrived?" I asked, then slightly nodded my head at Josie, urging her to say that she had.

Josie frowns, but gets my drift.

"I shouted that I had heard her confession." Josie tells me.

I have no doubt she is telling me the truth, probably omitting the fact that she probably told the woman she would going to kick the s**t out of her. But, Josie has not told me that, so I cannot write it down. Hey, the law is the law.

"Did she try to escape, or did she attack you causing you to defend yourself?" I asked the leading question that I would not get away with if Sarge was sitting next to me.

"Erm... It is all a blur." Josie tells me.

Good girl, I am not sure if that is the truth or not, but she is using her brain, and keeping quiet until she gets legal advice.

"Look, the Sarge is on his way back. When we book you in, get a f*****g solicitor, and say nothing until you have spoken to them." I quickly tell her, as Sarge opens the door.

"She say anything?" He asks me, giving me the look that tells me, that he knows she has, and to watch my step.

"Yes, just that she heard the two suspects admit that they had caused the fires. Also, that she shouted a warning to them that she had heard their confession... that is it." I answered him honestly.

The sarge nods his head, he is not stupid, he knows I have slightly coached Josie, but he lets it go, for now.

We made our way back to the station.

"Is Anders okay? His father saw him and immediately began to attack him." Josie tells me.

Now, I have no doubt in my mind that is the truth, Josie has not just thought that up on her own, and I doubt she realises that she has offered a lifeline to her boyfriend.

"He is fine. We need to get you booked in." I reassured her.

We stand in line at the front desk, as the on duty sergeant books everyone in, carting Mrs Oliver off to see the FME. I give Sergeant Smith the details for Josie, and he re-reads her rights, then takes her belt, phone and shoes from her, placing them into a bag. "Cell number three." He tells me.

I move Josie down into the cells, and see Sergeant Smith as he placed her in a cell next to Anders. His father is down at the bottom, away from both of them and not within hearing distance. I guess Josie has more friends that she probably knows right now. She is able to shout to Anders and he will hear her, and vice versa. Sarge Smith has given them an opportunity to get their stories straight. I just hope the pair of them realise that and take the opportunity presented to them.

As I get her to her cell, she turns and looks at me. Pleading with her big blue eyes. Hell, I used to fancy the pants off her once upon a time, and I still find those eyes difficult to resist.

"Someone needs to tell Twinkle. He is going to be devastated." She tells me.

I nod my head, it is not up to me, but no doubt they will get a warrant to search his house, so he will be informed soon enough.

"Josie, use your phone call wisely. Don't worry about Anders, he has his own solicitors who will help him." I give her my parting advice, as I shut the cell door, and walked out of the holding area, back to my Sarge, and hope she gets off with a caution, if we have to charge her with anything at all.

"Does she want the duty solicitor?" Sergeant Smith asks as I pass the desk.

"She hasn't said yet." I tell him.

"Okay, I will deal with the other two first, give her time to think." His voice is purely professional, but I know he is doing what he can in the bounds of the law to help her.

Josie was quite a favourite with the single officers around this station. There was many a broken heart when she hooked up with Anders. I hope that works in her favour, and not against her right now, because 'Smithy', the desk sergeant, really had it bad for her. "Dale, you and I will question Miss Edwards, but first we need to go get refs, and let her stew for a bit." Sarge tells me.

I nod my head, and follow him to the canteen, to grab a cup of tea and a custard cream biscuit, hoping beyond hope, Josie gets a good solicitor, and doesn't need the on-call one, who is more interested in taking the path of least resistance. For the first time in my law enforcement career, I want to face off with someone who can wrap me up in knots and hold me to task for every single question I throw at my suspect.

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