Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:07:04 +0000 (GMT)
From: Steve Rose <cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Martin Roberts Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER:

This is my first story for quite a while. Here is the fourth chapter. I hope
you feel it is worth the wait. Please not that none of the characters in the
story exist and the events that take place are purely imaginary. This is a
detective story with sexual overtones. I hope that you like this as a piece of
writing.


WARNING:

Do not read this story if you are in any way offended by acts of a
homosexual nature.

Do not read this if you are under the legal age for accessing adult sites.

Always indulge in safe sex.
Chapter 4

The following morning, as Martin emerged from the squad locker room in
the Police Station after changing into his uniform, his friend, Holly Wilson,
who had an anxious look on her face, met him. The WPC whispered to him
that she wanted a quick word and so the two young colleagues walked a
short distance away from the door to a quieter spot just round the corner
from the squad room. As soon as they were out of earshot of the others,

Holly spoke,

"I'm afraid it's not a very good start to the week, I've just heard some bad
news. I don't suppose anyone has told you yet but it's about Dave Powell.
He's in hospital! He's got appendicitis and he had surgery late last night and
will be off duty for a while."

Martin was genuinely sorry to hear that his regular beat partner was ill.
Despite a poor start to their pairing, the two Officers had become fiends
and the young PC had learnt to respect and appreciate the knowledge and
approach of his older colleague. Martin also realised immediately what
Dave's absence would mean. Having lost his regular beat partner, the young
Constable would have to be paired up with one of the other officers, but,
before he could say anything about that, Holly continued,

"I've had a word with the Sergeant and suggested that you and I go out
together today. I'm hopeful he'll say yes, although he only said it was a
possibility."

Martin nodded appreciatively and replied,

"Thanks, Holly. I hope you are right and we do get to work together. It
really would be good to go out on patrol with you, but I doubt if Eddy
Smithers will see it that way, whatever he said to you!"

There was no more time for further discussion because the early morning
shift was about to begin and the other members of the Relief were already
filing into the squad briefing room to receive their assignments. Sergeant
Smithers began by informing his fellow officers about Dave Powell's illness
and, from all quarters, there were murmurs of support and sympathy for the
popular Constable. As he continued, with the morning briefing, the duty
Sergeant explained that as a result of the sick Constable's absence, he had
been forced to revise the assignments, although he also added that he
hoped to keep the changes to a minimum. Gradually, Eddy worked through
the distribution of tasks, keeping most of the regular pairings together.
Towards the end of his announcements, t
 he Sergeant came to Martin and
the question of who was to temporarily replace Dave's as the young
officer's beat partner. A look of hope crossed Martin's face when he
realised that Holly still did not have an assignment, but it was quickly
dashed when the Sergeant looked straight at him and said, with a slightly
malicious leer on his face,

"For the park area of our patch that you and Dave regularly patrol I have
obviously had to make changes and so I have decided that Paul Turner
should partner you, at least for today."

Martin gave out an inward silent cry of despair at the thought of partnering
Paul, who alone of all the officers in his Relief, had never spoken more than
a couple of words to him since he had started his probation. The man oozed
animosity and was well known among his colleagues as a lazy and bigoted
Officer who liked to cut corners wherever he could. On the other hand,
Martin realised that it was no accident that the Sergeant had put these two

mutually incompatible officers together, as it was all part of the pattern of
behaviour he had come to expect. Glancing over at Holly, Martin shrugged
and received a sympathetic smile from his friend in return. By then, the
Sergeant had come to the end of his allocation of duties and dismissed the
men, who fell out and started about their assigned tasks.

Whereas Martin had been deeply dismayed at being partnered with Paul, the
latter seemed unperturbed by the decision and, for the first time, spoke
more than a sentence to his temporary partner,

"Well, Martin, it looks as though we'll be working together. Although I know
a bit about the area, I'll have to rely on you for more detailed local
knowledge. I know you and Dave got on well - he told me often enough - so I
don't see why we shouldn't do so as well."

Martin resisted the temptation to say what he really thought, namely that
Dave, for all his faults, was basically a good copper, whereas Paul had the
reputa
 tion for being far from that. Instead, the probationer acknowledged
the comment from his new partner with a smile and responded,

"I'm sure we'll prove to be just as effective a partnership as Dave and I
have been and I look forward to working with you. Unless you have a better
idea, I suggest that we start in the shopping area near the park and then go
through the park and out into the housing estate beyond. It'll give you a
feel for the area we will be covering."

Martin was surprised at the alacrity with which his suggestion was taken up
and accepted by his new partner, although he was soon to discover the
reason for Paul's apparent enthusiasm for his proposal. The beat route that
Martin had in mind took in a short parade of local shops, as well as a road
made up of a few large suburban houses that had been transformed into
flats. The first part of the morning proceeded quite normally and the two
officers began their patrol in a convivial manner. However, after
  they had
only been on the beat for less than thirty minutes, Paul gave Martin a
meaningful look and, pointing to one of the large houses that had been
converted into flats, whispered,

"Listen, Martin, I've got a little bit of private business with someone I know
who lives just over there. I'm sure you know what I mean. Oh no, perhaps
you don't, but I'm sure you can guess. Anyway I suggest that you carry on
with the patrol and start to go round the park, which is not likely to be busy
today anyway, and I'll catch you up in about an hour or so. OK?"

Before Martin could respond that the park would be quite busy as it was the
half term holiday week for schools and the youngsters would be out in
force, Paul had crossed the road and was halfway through the entrance door
of the block of flats. As there was little he could do about his new partner's
behaviour, Martin decided to carry on with his beat in the knowledge that
his worst fears were being realised and that P
 aul was just as bad as his
reputation had suggested. In the end, therefore, the young probationer
walked on past the shops and entered the park by his usual gate.

Immediately in front of the young PC there was a large expanse of grass,
some of which was marked out for football, and just beyond that there was
a line of tress and scrub land with narrow paths for joggers and other park
users to take if they wished to cross to the grassy areas on the far side, or
go into the housing estate beyond. To Martin's right there was a secluded
area, which, because it was a haunt for muggers and people who were
cruising for sex, making up a combination that could prove lethal, was
known to be very dangerous at night. On the other hand, it was quite safe in
the daytime. Just beyond this area there was a screen of dense bushes
behind which lay an old and very unpleasant brick toilet. When he was with
Dave, the two officers would check out the area to the right to make sure
t
 hat whatever had gone on there the night before had not yielded up any
victims and Martin kept to this routine even though he was on his own. The
Constable's initial inspection suggested that there was nothing unusual to be
seen and so he returned to the main path and walked towards the area
where a small group of young pre-teenage boys were happily playing soccer,
using coats and jerseys as improvised goals. Martin knew most of these boys
by sight, if not by name, and they knew him and greeted him as he walked
by. One lad, aged about nine, with a round fresh face and a cheeky grin on
his face, kicked the ball towards the young Policeman and called out,

"Come on, Mr Roberts, show us what you can do. Come and have a kick
about with us. You can have first pick for a team mate, but I still bet we
can beat you."

Martin smiled back at the youngster and shook his head, before replying
with a laugh,

"I'm sure you could, Ian Doig, but I've got to do my work. You have a
  good
time with your mates. You'll soon be grown up like your brother Colin and
then you'll have to work like I do."

The cheeky lad looked round and said sharply, but still with a smile on his
face,

"I tell you something, I wouldn't want to do your job and be a copper like
you, Mr Roberts."

Martin laughed and walked on, but, a moment later, the boys' football
came whistling past his head, bounced some distance ahead of him and
rolled on further from where it landed and finally slid out of sight and down
a steep incline towards the front entrance of the partially obscured old
brick toilets. The group of boys happily chased enthusiastically after the ball
and Martin watched as young Ian Doig sprinted ahead of the pack. It was
only after he had gone a short distance further on that the Officer became
aware of a commotion going on among the boys that had been chasing after
the football. Moments later, Ian emerged from the group and came sprinting
towards Martin,
 who noted that the youngster rushing towards him and
carrying the ball was not the happy lad he had seen a few minutes earlier.
Ian Doig had an ashen face and a shocked expression. Hurrying back towards
the running boy, Martin stopped him and the youngster gasped out,

"You .. you'd better get over there and have a look, Mr Roberts! It's
horrible and dirty in that toilet and not only that, but today there's ..
there's a something else in there!!! Please believe me, I'm not kidding. Go
and take look!!"

Martin put his arm round the boy and tried to comfort him, mentally making
a note that, whatever it was Ian Doig had found, he would not have to look
at again. It had not taken long for the other boys to catch their friend up
and they were all shouting at once. With some difficulty, Martin tried very
hard to calm everyone down and restore some order. The sounds and chaos
had attracted wider attention and, after a moment or two, another group,
made up this time of t
 he teenagers that had been messing around some
distance away, came over to see what all the fuss was about. Among the
group, Martin recognised Ian's older brother, Colin. The young PC asked the
teenager to take charge of his brother and then the other teenagers
accepted the Police Officer's suggestion that they look after the rest of the
group of boys and keep them out of the way, while Martin went to
investigate what Ian had found.

The young Constable scrambled down the incline and came to the brick
toilets but could see nothing very suspicious outside. Martin's first thought
was that a dead animal or something of that nature had been left in the
bushes close by, but he could neither see nor smell anything of that nature.
As usual, there was a strong smell emanating from the toilets, which was
disgusting, and Martin took a handkerchief from his pocket in a vain effort
to protect himself from the stench. Concluding that the boy must have had
to go into the toi
 let to retrieve the ball, Martin went inside and quickly saw
what had caused the boy to be so frightened. It took the young PC a
moment for his eyes to get used to the light inside the building, but, once
they did, he could see clearly that there was a human body lying face down
on the stone floor of the toilet. The head of the victim was leaning against
the bowl of the toilet and the rest of the body stretched out through the
cubicle door. Martin noted that the person's jeans and underwear were
around his ankles and the feet were resting inches from the urinal drain.
One look told the Constable all he needed to know, the body was clearly
that of a man and the staring eyes indicated that he was dead.

This was the first dead body Martin had encountered since he joined the
Police Force, but his instincts and training served him well. The young
Constable left everything as he had found it and quickly went outside and
used his personal radio to alert the Police Sta
 tion of his find, reporting the
discovery of a body in suspicious circumstances in a calm and measured
way, which belied the churning feelings he felt inside. Martin also made
strenuous efforts to contact his erstwhile partner, but whatever Paul Turner
was up to, he steadfastly refused to answer his colleague's urgent
messages. Returning to the top of the incline, the probationary Constable
took up a position to protect the scene as best he could, whilst
simultaneously keeping an eye on the growing crowd of people that had
gathered around the original group of youngsters in an effort to find out
what was going on.

To Martin's relief, it was not long before he heard the wailing of police
sirens and knew that help would soon be on hand. The first officer on the
scene was Sergeant Smithers, who looked around and immediately asked
Martin where his fellow beat officer was. Martin's reply that Paul Turner
had not been feeling well and had stopped off at the nearby Ch
 emist shop
to get some tablets, but would be back any moment, was met with a
sceptical response. However, the Sergeant was unable to pursue the matter
further at that time because of the arrival of Detective Chief Inspector Bob
Prior. The CID officer was regarded as a good detective but, but like many
of the other senior officers that worked at Martin's Station, very much a
man of the old school. The DCI surveyed the scene and then asked, rather
brusquely,

"Who found the body and who was the first officer on the scene?"

Martin spoke in response,

"Sir, the body was found by a young boy of about nine years of age who was
retrieving his football which had been kicked down towards the incline over
there. It ran down to where the old brick toilets are situated. His name is
Ian Doig and he's just over there in the crowd of onlookers being helped by
his older brother, Colin. He was in a state when he came back with his ball
and told me there was something down there.
  He looked awful, so I
organised for his brother to look after him and a group of other older boys
to keep an eye on the rest of the young lads and then I went into the toilet
and found the body. I immediately radioed for assistance and then took up a
position to try to safeguard the scene and keep an eye on the crowd as it
gathered and then I secured the crime scene until help arrived."

The DCI nodded approvingly and then asked,

"And you didn't you touch anything inside the toilet or on the body?"

"No, sir", Martin replied firmly, "I could see that the man was dead and
knew not to touch anything and I'm sure the boy didn't either. He was too
frightened by what he saw!"

Again the senior detective nodded and said,

"Good, well done, Constable .. er .. er. What is your name, by the way?"

"Roberts, sir. Martin Roberts."

Superintendent Buxton had already briefed DCI Prior about this new Officer
but, although he generally sympathised with his Station Commander's
s
 entiments, being a fair man, he preferred to make up his own mind. The
senior officer looked back at Martin and waited a few seconds as he took in
what he saw and then exclaimed,

"Aha, so you're the famous Martin Roberts I've heard so much about! I
gather you want to be a detective. Well, you're on your first case right now,
if Sergeant Smithers here will spare you."

However much he might have wanted to, the Sergeant could not refuse the
senior officer's request and merely gave a sign of annoyed acquiescence.
The small group of police officers was swelling, as several more plain-
clothes detectives, as well as a number of Martin's uniformed colleagues
had arrived. In the distance Martin could see Paul Turner hastening towards
the scene, but he had no time to tell his colleague the excuse he had given
for his absence. The Sergeant intercepted the returning Police Officer, who,
realising that he had to cover his tracks, only succeeded in making matters
worse. PC T
 urner informed the Sergeant that he had been just the other
side of the park trying to see if there were any witnesses or other clues to
be followed up. It was clear that the Paul Turner had finally picked up
Martin's message and knew about the body, but his attempt to explain his
absence had merely landed Paul in deeper trouble. Glaring at both
uniformed officers, Sergeant Smithers muttered that, although there was no
opportunity to take the matter further at that time, as all the officers were
needed to work on the murder case, he would deal with both of the officers
when they returned to the Station at the end of the shift. In the meantime,
it was expected that Paul would continue with the beat patrol,
accompanied by a new partner, because Martin had been temporarily
assigned to help CID,

Martin was glad to get away from the confrontation with his Sergeant and he
went straight off to report to DCI Prior. The investigating detective
indicated to the probation
 er that he wanted him to lead the way to where
the body had been found, an assignment that Martin was only too willing to
undertake. As they walked towards the brick toilets, Martin noticed that
another CID officer had been assigned to speak to the young boy that had
found the body. The young Constable led the rest of the group of detectives
down the incline and on towards the toilet entrance. As the building was too
small to accommodate many people, initially only Martin, the DCI and one
other detective went inside. Surveying the scene, the senior detective
looked at the other two and gave his initial reaction to what he saw,

"From what I can see there are a number of possibilities. It could be a
vagrant who came in here to sleep and died of the cold and then had his
possessions stolen by someone. A bit unlikely I guess. A stronger possibility
is that he is the victim of some gay bashers or some muggers who saw a
vagrant and took their chance to steal from him.
  Again, possibly this is not
very likely. The third possibility is that our victim came here for a meeting
with someone with the intention of having sex and that it all went wrong in
some way and his queer partner stole his belongings to hide his crime and
the victim's identity. I suppose it's what you might expect if you indulge in
that kind of behaviour, if you ask me. But enough of speculation, back to
what we need to know, I don't suppose, Constable Roberts, that you have
any idea who the victim might be?"

In other circumstances, Martin might have risen to the DCI's bait and
responded to the implied comments on the gay life style, but the young
Constable merely confined his response to the last question,

"No, sir, I don't, but if he is local, I'm sure I have the contacts to find out."

The senior officer nodded and said,

"OK, then, once we have a decent face photograph that is good enough to
show people for them to identify the victim, why don't you do that.
  It'll
probably have to come after the pathologist has finished, but it might be
good enough to get a reasonable likeness. In the meanwhile, I suggest that I
go outside to see what DC Brown, whom I sent to talk to the young lad, Ian
Doig, and his friends can tell us, and that will allow the forensic team to get
working in here. While you're waiting, I think it would be a good idea for
you to have a scout around the area to see if you can find any other things
that might have belonged to the victim."

As he emerged from the darkness of the toilet building, Martin could see
from the look on DC Brown's face that Ian Doig had not told him anything
useful. In addition, a small number of uniformed police officers had
assembled around Sergeant Smithers. As instructed, the young Constable
went over to the Sergeant and conveyed the DCI's message. Martin was
pleased to see Holly's friendly face among the recently arrived group and he
managed to stand close to her so that
 together they formed one end of a
line of officers that fanned out over the area looking for clues.

As they were being organised, Holly had managed to snatch a quick word
with Martin and he told her the background details of the discovery of the
body and the reason why Sergeant Smithers had been so angry with Paul
Turner. When she heard her young colleague's explanation of what had
happened and how his excuse for the Constable's absence had not tallied
with that given by the man himself, Holly shook her head in mock horror.
The WPC added that she was not surprised and that Paul Turner had been
swinging the lead for far too long. However, before Holly could say any
more, the team was ordered to start the search. A sudden shout from the
other end of the line of searchers brought the line to a halt to enable a
small t-shirt to be recovered from the branches of some deep undergrowth.
However, once it had been properly examined, it was obviously not a piece
of clot
 hing belonging to the victim, as it was way too small. A few moments
later, there was a second shout. This time it produced rather better results.
A small bag was discovered and yielded up some clues about the owner and
it seemed it was highly likely that it had belonged to the victim. Inside the
bag was a set of clothes, the remains of a fast food snack carton and a few
other personal belonging. However, there was no wallet and no pieces of
information that would bring the investigators closer to an identification of
the body.

On hearing the news, the DCI had come over to the search group and had
examined what they had found. Before the bag was taken away for further
examination, DCI Prior asked if Martin could be spared so that he could
assist in following up other lines of enquiry. It turned out that the youngster
that had found the body was so traumatised that he was unable to offer
much help, but the senior investigator thought that, because he knew him,
I
 an Doig might talk to the beat officer later that day or maybe the following
morning. In the meantime, Bob Prior wanted Martin to accompany the body
to the mortuary and remain there until the post mortem had been
completed. Speaking directly to Sergeant Smithers, the DCI explained.

"I'm due in Court today to give evidence in another trial and so is one of my
Sergeants, as a result I am very short staffed and can't afford to lose
another officer especially if this is a murder and we need to start another
investigation later today. The forensic boys have just told me that they have
finished up here and that they are happy for the body to be removed to the
mortuary. Constable Roberts was present when the body was found, I think
he would be a good choice to attend the autopsy and hopefully get a good
photograph to help with the identification."

Before the Sergeant could raise any objections, the senior detective turned
to Martin and asked, in a matter of fact manner
 ,

"Is this your first post mortem? Do you think you'll be OK with it?"

Martin nodded and, despite some inner anxiety, tried to sound confident
when he replied,

"It is, sir, but I'm sure I'll be fine, sir. Thank you for the opportunity."

Bob Prior smiled encouragingly and said,

"You'll have to get used to it, especially if you want to go into CID work, as
I understand you plan to do. Anyway, if you are ready, get over to the
mortuary van and go with the body right away."

Martin looked at Sergeant Smithers whose face registered a brief flash of
annoyance, but then he nodded and said,

"OK, off you go, Martin, but remember I'll still want to see you and
Constable Turner at the end of the shift."

Martin walked over to where the mortuary attendants were standing with
the body bag loaded onto a trolley and together they went the short
distance to where a black van was waiting. As they walked towards the van,
Martin stopped for a fleeting moment but without knowing q
 uite why. He
looked back towards a clump of tress that stood slightly behind and to his
left, but did not see anything unusual. The mortuary attendants had gone on
ahead and had already loaded the victim's body into their van, so the young
Constable hurried to join them and, once he was aboard, the van was driven
away from the investigation site and straight to the local hospital where the
post mortem was to be performed.

Although Martin was a rookie, at the Police College he had received training
on how to behave in these circumstances and the preliminaries for the
autopsy were duly completed with comparative speed and efficiency. If he
had hoped that the post mortem would take so long that he would not have
to return to the Station and could delay the confrontation with his Sergeant
until the following day, Martin was to be disappointed. The pathologist, Dr
Simmonds, wasted little time and, although the young Constable felt a bit
squeamish at times, Martin ma
 naged to follow the procedure without having
to leave the room or miss anything. Dr Simmonds dictated his comments as
he worked and was extremely efficient in his methods. As a result, the
probationary Constable was treated to a very good lesson in effective
analysis and what could be gleaned from a forensic examination. When the
pathologist had completed his examination and all the photographs and
measurements had been taken and samples sent away for further analysis,
Dr Simmonds turned to Martin and summarised his findings for the waiting
young officer,

"The victim was between 40 and 55 years of age, in reasonable health
although slightly malnourished, possibly due to his life style which, given
the state of his hygiene, would suggest vagrancy or rough sleeping. I have
looked at the teeth and would say that he had some dental work done,
possibly in a European country and some years ago, it certainly wasn't very
recent and definitely was not done in this count
 ry. I gather we don't have a
name, but I would check out other vagrants to see if there has been a
foreigner among their fraternity. As far as I can tell from this initial
examination there are no signs on the body or the existing clothes that
would indicate he had been taken to where he was found and dumped or
dragged from another place. I will check the clothing again for fibres and
any other indications of his having been moved or transported to the spot
but I could not see any with the magnifier. I would, therefore, conclude
almost certainly that the man was killed where he was found. The cause of
death was a single severe blow to the back of the neck, possible a karate
style hit, and the victim died very shortly after the attack. Although there
was evidence that he had, in the past, engaged in anal sex, there was no
evidence of any recent sexual activity of any kind. I hope that is enough for
you and DCI Prior to be going on with. I've asked my photographer
  to give
you as good a copy of the victim's face picture as he can provide and tell
the DCI that I will send my full written report within 48 hours."

Dr Simmonds paused for a moment and then concluded his remarks with a
smile,

"On a personal note, I'd like to say that you surprised me by the way you
behaved during the autopsy, I've seen older and more experienced officers
faint away at their first post mortem, so well done!"

Before he could respond, the doctor turned away abruptly and left the
autopsy room, leaving the young PC standing alone. Martin went to find the
photographer and collected the face picture and then he returned to the
Police Station. As he walked through the door, the officer on the desk told
Martin that the DCI wanted to see him as soon as possible after he returned
from the autopsy. However, before he could go up to the CID offices, the
young Constable saw Paul Turner who glared at the probationer and then
disappeared into the locker room
 . Martin followed his fellow officer into the
room and was confronted by a very angry man,

"You bastard, Roberts, you've dumped me right in it! I never trusted your
sort, a poncy graduate entrant and a poof, what a combination! I should
have refused to go out on the beat with you!! I might have known you'd let
me down!!"

Martin flushed and retorted equally angrily,

"I tried to cover for you! I told the Sergeant that you had been taken ill and
had gone to get some aspirin and that you had only been gone a few
minutes and would soon be back. I tried to contact you earlier than that but
you didn't answer my call, presumably because whatever you were up to
was too important to stop. I didn't have time tell you what I'd said and you
tried to gain some brownie points by pretending to have gone off looking for
clues. Of course Smithers saw through it, our stories didn't match up! In
response to your personal attack on me, let me say that I never wanted to
patrol with
  you either but it's not because of the way I came into the force
or because of my sexual orientation, it's because you are a lazy and lousy
copper and today you've been caught out. As I said I tried to cover for you,
but I'm rather sorry I did now if this is your reaction!!"

Paul Turner lunged across the room at Martin, but he was too slow and the
intended punch went harmlessly past the younger man, who sidestepped
neatly out of the way. A second attempted blow was averted when Sergeant
Smithers walked into the room and seeing Martin was there exclaimed,

"So you're back are you? Well, I think I need to have a word with you! In my
office now would be a good time!"

Martin was tempted to say that DCI Prior also wanted to see him urgently
but, for once, he wisely chose to remain silent and followed the Sergeant to
his office with a sense of relief at having escaped from the angry Paul
Turner. After they had entered his small office, Eddy Smithers closed the
door
 firmly and stood glaring at Martin, who returned the stare with an
equally steady look. The Sergeant spoke first,

"I know that you have a rather silly sense of misplaced loyalty to the other
members of your Relief, but I expected better of you. The reason you gave
me for PC Turner's absence was pathetic! Don't forget I know what he is
like and I also know that he is having a liaison with a married woman, who
lives in one of the flats near the park. He took advantage of your
inexperience and left you to carry on with your duties on your own.
However, I was driving round in the area car and I witnessed his actions and
saw him go into the flat. I knew exactly what he was doing and where he
had been. You did well to rouse him and get him back as quickly as you did,
but the pathetic lie was stupid. Even though you are on probation and I
could make things very difficult for you, I'm only going to give you an
informal warning. To my surprise, I have to admit that you h
 ave turned out
to be a better officer that I expected and, although I will never fully
approve of you and your sort being in the Force, I have no complaints about
your work or your behaviour. You've taken everything on the chin and never
complained, just done your job and that is good. Today, I believe you
thought that you were acting in a spirit of comradeship towards your fellow
officer, a feeling I rather gather he did not reciprocate. I have to tell you
that PC Turner has been suspended and disciplinary action will be taken
against him. I expect he will lose his job because it's not the first time he's
been in trouble. However you have to put that possibility to one side and so,
when the enquiry starts, I will expect you to tell the truth about what
occurred today, understood?"

Martin nodded grimly and acknowledged the approach that Sergeant
Smithers had taken and even accepted the comments as a grudging
acknowledgement that he had acted from the best of mo
 tives and was
turning into a good Police Officer. Before he left the room, Martin said,

"I will, of course, cooperate fully with any enquiry and give evidence at the
disciplinary hearing. I tried to act in what I considered to be the best
interests of myself and those of my colleague. I accept that I was mistaken
and thanks for handling the matter in the way that you have. In the
meantime, I believe that DCI Prior wishes to see me, may I go up there
now?"

A brief but noticeable smile, much warmer than usual, crossed Eddy
Smither's face and he nodded. As he ushered the probationary officer
towards the door, the Sergeant said quietly,

"I ought to warn you that PC Turner has a few friends at this Station, I'd
keep a low profile tomorrow if I was you. I understand that the DCI wants
me to second a member of my team to him for the rest of the week. Initially
I told him I was already short staffed with Dave off sick and PC Turner
suspended, but I rather think, on re
 flection, that I could spare you for the
next few days, it might be the ideal solution. Although Turner won't be
around, there are others that might want to try it on with you. I'll make
every effort to keep the lid on it, but just be warned."

Martin was grateful for the advice and the warning and he decided to make
sure that, when he went home that evening, he would leave in a group of
officers he trusted. However, before he could do that, Martin needed to see
DCI Prior, so he went upstairs to the CID office and knocked on the door and
was immediately taken to see Bob Prior. The senior officer was sitting at his
desk reading reports as the young PC entered and said,

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

The DCI looked up and replied,

"Yes, I have a couple of things to ask. First I want a report from the autopsy
and second, I've asked Sergeant Smithers to release a Constable to work on
my team and I asked for you, Martin - may I call you Martin?  Please call me
'Guv',
  rather than 'Sir', especially when you're working on my team. I've
asked for you because several of us have this Court hearing for the next
couple of days and I need someone who's familiar with the case to do some
legwork. What do you say?"

The young PC thanked the DCI and immediately accepted the offer of a
place on the investigation team. Martin also reported fully on what had
happened at the autopsy and the preliminary results that the pathologist
had given him and passed on the photograph of the face that would be used
to try to identify the victim. The senior officer received all of this
information without any apparent show of interest, but when Martin had
finished his report, Bob Prior smiled and said,

"Well thanks for all that, Martin, there's plenty to follow up there and so I
think you've got your work mapped out for tomorrow. Go and talk to the lad
that found the body. He knows you and might be more forthcoming and also
I want you to make a start on
  identifying the victim. Detective Sergeant Ray
Morton will be in charge in my absence. Any news, report back to him. OK?"

Martin grinned broadly and said,

"Great, thank you, S .. Guv."

Martin hoped that he would see Holly and pass on his news but she was not
around when he got back downstairs. However, a small number of officers
were leaving and one called over to him.

"We're off to see Dave in hospital, do you want to come along with us?"

Martin nodded and went over to join them, making sure that he stayed in
the middle of the group until he was safely out of the Police Station. The
hospital visit went well and Dave looked pale but obviously on the mend and
genuinely pleased to see his visitors. As was often the case in the Police
Force, news of the murder and the suspension of PC Turner had already
reached the patient. However, the group of visitors was not allowed to stay
too long as one of the nurses told them that the patient needed his rest. For
her tro
 ubles the pretty young girl received from members of the group of
visitors several requests for a date or a telephone number. Although all of
these requests were taken in good part, they young nurse firmly refused all
these advances. Furthermore, these delaying tactics failed to deter the
nurse and she began shooing the visitors off the ward. Towards the end of
the visit, Dave had indicated that he wanted a private word with Martin
before he left. When they were alone, the more experienced police officer
also emphasised to his younger partner the need to watch his back in case
any of the disgraced Constable's friends decided to exact revenge. On the
other hand, Dave also seemed really pleased that Martin was getting a
chance to work with CID and urged him to make the most of this
opportunity. Touching Martin's arm, Dave said conspiratorially,

"You don't want to end up like me, never more than a Constable with only a
few years left now before I collect my pension
 . Make sure you get on.
You've done well so far, so if you do a good job on this assignment it will
help you even more. Bob Prior may be a bit old fashioned and set in his
ways, like me, but he is a fair man and a good ally to have on your side."

Martin thanked Dave for his advice acknowledging how good a friend the
older policeman had become. Seeing his friends waiting for him outside the
ward entrance, Martin reluctantly took his leave and went out to join his
colleagues. When they were all outside the hospital entrance, the group
began to break up and go their separate ways, but Martin walked with some
of the group the short distance to the nearest Tube Station, said his
farewells, and made his regular journey home.

Once safely inside his flat, the young man had time to sit back and relax and
spend some time reflecting on the day and the secret thrill he had enjoyed
as a result of being so closely involved in the first stages of a murder
investigation. Mart
 in was also cheered when he noticed the message button
on his telephone was flashing and he was even more delighted when he
heard a familiar voice,

"Hi Martin, Nick Adams here. Freddy gave me your message and I read your
note. Yes, please, I would love to keep in touch and come to stay with you
very, very soon. I have a plan to possibly go to the theatre in London on
Thursday evening and, if it is OK with you, I could stay over the weekend, as
I don't have anything until Monday afternoon. I'm really, really keen to see
you again and have a repeat performance of the fun we had last Saturday
night!!"

At the end of the message Nick had left his Oxford number and Martin called
him back straight away but was disappointed when there was no reply. As
Martin was unsure who else might have access to the answering machine
where he left his response, he decided to leave a fairly circumspect
message,

"Hi Nick. It was really great to hear from you! As of today I am involve
 d in a
complex investigation but I expect to be free for most of the weekend and I
would love for you to stay with me and for as long as you want. I will
arrange for the old lady, Mrs Downs, in the flat next door to give you the
keys so that if, for any reason, you arrive at the flat on Thursday before I
get back from work, you'll be able to let yourself in. Make yourself at home
when you arrive and get yourself prepared for when I do return! I can't wait
to see you again!"

The news that he would be seeing Nick so soon after their first encounter
brought a warm glow to Martin and he sat on the sofa and drifted into a
daydream about stripping Nick of all his clothes and taking his nicely cut
cock between his lips and swallowing the rock hard shaft into his throat and
sucking it until he tasted the young man's pre cum on his tongue. The
thought of the taste of the youngster's cock and the feeling he remembered
of experiencing the sensation as his finger's pushed
 inside Nick's hole and
teased the young student's prostate made Martin very horny and he began
to stroke his hardening shaft. Martin's imagination continued to embellish
the fantasy and each new thought led to him to wank his hard cock more
vigorously, sliding the palm and finger up the shaft and rubbing his fingers
sensuously over the ridge of his exposed glans.

In Martin's mind he had started to slide his cock up inside Nick's welcoming
love channel and the rock hard shaft was pistoning rhythmically in and out
of his hand, simulating the action he would be taking if Nick was really
there. As his masturbation fantasy continued, Martin started to moan
quietly and his breathing became increasingly irregular, as the old familiar
feeling began to build in intensity. Finally, with a loud cry of pleasure, the
piss slit expanded and a stream of spunk jetted out in spurts over Martin's
wanking hand and ran down over his fingers coating them with the sticky
cream. Rai
 sing his hand to his mouth, horny young man slurped his ball juice
onto his tongue and slowly swallowed it down his throat until he had
succeeded in licking the fingers completely clean.

After he had recovered, Martin sat quietly for a short while thinking about
the arrangements he needed to make for Nick's visit. First, however, Martin
decided to make something to eat and then go across to speak to Mrs Downs
to ensure that when Nick arrived on Thursday the young student would have
no difficulty getting access to the flat. Once he had eaten and completed
these other tasks, Martin went to bed and slept fitfully until he awoke with
a start sometime in the early hours of the following morning. The young
man was aware that something was nagging at the back of his mind but
Martin struggled to recall what it was that was bugging him. As he lay there
unable to sleep, the events of the previous day flashed through his mind,
Martin was sure there was something that he ha
 d missed.  After some time,
the young man remembered what it was. It had only been a momentary
incident and he had all but forgotten it. Now, however, its significance
suddenly seemed greater.

Sitting up in his bed Martin recalled the previous day's events and
remembered that, as he walked towards the mortuary van, something had
caught his attention. He thought at the time that he that he had seen
someone or something half hidden in the trees behind him observing what
was going on. It had been just a momentary flash of white or the reflection
of glass or metal caught in the sunlight, but, by the time it had registered
and he looked again, there was nothing and nobody to be seen. Because of
the rush as hurried to join the waiting mortuary attendants, Martin had put
the incident down to a trick of the light creating the illusion he thought that
he had just seen. But now, in the cold early hours of the morning, he was
not so sure. One thing he decided to do later
 the following morning was to
go back to the area and check it out thoroughly. Martin hoped that he would
find conclusive proof either way, but realised that there was no guarantee
of that. He determined he would make this his private, number one, priority
later in the morning before he started on any of the other tasks that DCI
Prior had asked him to undertake. If there was evidence that someone had
been standing at the spot, then there were a number of interesting
questions to be asked. What were they doing there? Why were they hiding?
Was their presence suspicious? Who had it been? These question buzzed
around Martin's head and he eventually gave up the desire to sleep more,
got up and went off to make a drink before returning to bed, determined, if
possible, to try to get some rest before the morning.

Martin must have fallen asleep again, because the ringing of the telephone
rudely awoke him and he was annoyed to see that it was still an hour before
his usua
 l time for getting up. Walking through to the living area where the
phone was, Martin swore under his breath at the thought that this was only
likely to be someone in CID ringing to tell him that there had been some
major development and that he had to get to work immediately. However,
he was mistaken. When Martin picked up the phone a very welcome voice
greeted him,

"Hi, sexy. Sorry to wake you at such an early hour but I really wanted to
catch you before you went to work, especially as I dreamt about you last
night and I've woken up feeling really horny!! I know I'll be seeing you later
in the week but I just couldn't wait that long! By the way, what's this
serious investigation you're involved in? I hope you'll still have time for
me!!"

Martin had recognised Nick's voice straight away and his anger had subsided
immediately and was replaced by a warm glow, which came over him and
cheered him up. As he listened Martin's free hand reached down
involuntarily to
  fondle his half erect cock. After Nick had finished speaking,
the horny man remained silent for a second and then replied,

"Wow, Nick, what a lovely surprise! Since you ask, the investigation I'm
involved in is a case of murder and I'm helping the CID I'm really excited
because that's what I want to do in the Police, be a Detective. I'll tell you
all about it when you're here. Don't worry about me not having time for
you, though because I have to tell you I'll always make time!! Just hearing
your voice has made my cock hard and I'm really wishing that you were here
already so that we could make both our desires come true."

Martin heard a giggle down the phone and then his friend said
conspiratorially,

"Well I may not be there right now, sadly, but I am here all alone, I'm
completely naked and my dick is vertical and crying out for someone to love
it and kiss it and suck it!!"

"Absofuckinglutely", Martin sighed wistfully down the telephone, "I wish I
was there
  right now, but don't worry I most certainly will do what you want
on Thursday night for real when you're here. I'll lick that lovely dick of
yours and squeeze your balls and taste your pre cum and suck you gently
until you explode down my throat. Then when you're ready I'll slide my
well-greased prick inside you and make slow sexy love to you all night. I
want us to go on cumming with each other until we haven't got anything
more to give!!"

"Oh, Martin, that sounds sooo good", moaned Nick, " but I want you now,
right now!!"

As he spoke, Nick had closed his eyes and in his mind's eye he had
transported himself to London to be by Martin's side. The young student
could feel his lover's warm mouth engulf the spongy cut head of his cock
and lick the pre cum that was flowing freely from the piss slit, lubricating
the exposed gland and being lapped onto his partner's tongue. This was
followed by the memory of the wonderful sensation he had experienced at
the weekend
  as the older man's mouth swallowed the rock hard shaft
deeper towards the back of his throat. As he daydreamed, Nick was
continuing to groan down the telephone, and, making no pretence about
what he was doing, he used his free hand to caress and tease the shaft and
head of his engorged cock in the familiar method of wanking. Meanwhile
back in London, Martin was responding to the obvious sounds of his friend's
wank by taking his own hard shaft in his hand and gently working it up and
down rhythmically. Like his student friend, Martin was breathing hard down
the line and making no secret of his activity. Both lovers clearly knew what
was going on and what effect each was having on the other.

After a few moments, Nick's dick shaft was so wet with pre cum that Martin
could hear the hand slapping against the glans as the student's wanking
hand slid up and down the greasy shaft with each stroke. The effect on
Martin was to make his own piss slit ooze even more pre c
 um of its own and
soon he was responding in a similar fashion and Nick could hear his lover's
wanking hand as Martin stroked his own dick with increasing vigour.  As the
two men were each lost in their imagination of what would take place
during the session they would have when they met for real later in the
week, it did not take long before both Nick and Martin were both passing
the point of no return and ready to let fly with their ball cream. From
Oxford down the telephone wire came the young student's rasping voice,

"Oh fuck Martin, I wish you were here to suck me right now as I'm about to
cum!! Take my load!! Suck .. me .. dry!! Aaaaaarg!!!"

The groans continued as the young student sent a fountain of cum into the
air and watched as it fell back onto his naked chest creating a pool of pearly
spunk.

Meanwhile, in London, Martin could only picture in his mind the sight of the
young student's beautiful prick as it throbbed and twitched and fired the
hot ball
  cream forcefully from the piss slit. However, this thought and the
effect of hearing the sound of Nick's orgasm was more than enough to set
Martin even faster on the road to release and he only had time to growl the
single word, 'cumming!!!' down the telephone before he also unleashed his
own ball juice and it splattered onto the carpet a short distance from where
he stood.

Both young men continued to gasp down the telephone for several more
minutes as they fought to recover from their exertions until, at last, Nick
spoke, still quite breathlessly,

" I can't wait for Thursday!"

"Me, neither", came Martin's, similarly out of breath, response "Then it
won't just be in our head and hands it will be for real!!".

"Yes, oh yes!!" came Nick's enthusiastic response.

After only a few more moments during which time each was reluctant to
end the connection with the other, Nick and Martin finally rang off. Martin
walked back towards the bathroom and took a shower as he
 prepared for
the rest of the day.

Buoyed up by his early morning experience and by the thought that he
would be working with CID, Martin decided to take an earlier train and get
off one stop further on than usual. This would enable the young Constable
to walk back to his home Police Station by way of the park and take a look
at the area where he thought he had seen something the day before. It was
a pleasant enough day and Martin's heart began to race harder as he walked
through the lower park entrance and eventually came in sight of the
cordoned off area that marked and protected the crime scene. Some
distance away from where he was walking, Martin could see that there were
several teams of policemen, which he guessed had been out there all night,
working around the large area and searching for clues or other pieces of
evidence. A member of the group nearest to where he was walking spotted
him and came over and, recognising the young Constable, grinned across
 at
him, before calling out,

"Can't keep away, eh?"

Martin smiled back and nodded in a way that seemed to imply that his
fellow Constable was correct, but that he did not have time to stop for a
chat, indicating by pointing at his watch that he needed to get to the Police
Station to report for duty on time. However, instead of taking the most
direct route to his destination, Martin moved further over to the path that
ran parallel to the busy road by the side of the park. It was not long before
he came adjacent to the area he was interested in. Quickly locating the
group of bushes he had seen the day before, Martin began to look around as
carefully as he could. The first thing he noted was the fact that there might
have been someone there because the grass was flattened. However,
whether this had occurred the day before or at some other time it was
impossible to say. Continuing his search, Martin's eye caught something
lying hidden in the grass and he bent down
 to see what it was. To the young
man's surprise, it was a small silver button with an engraving on it. As he
had been trained to do, Martin gathered it up with a handkerchief and then
placed it carefully into his pocket. The young Constable was anxious to
preserve the piece of jewellery in case it proved to be an important clue.
Having secured his find and put it into his trouser pocket, Martin decided to
have another quick look around but did not want to waste much time,
because he was quite excited by his find and anxious to report the discovery
to Detective Sergeant Morton.

As he walked on, Martin rehearsed in his head how he was going to tell the
CID officer when he got to the Police Station and explain why he had not
said anything the day before. Looking at his watch, the young Constable
realised he had to hurry if he was to report on time. Martin began to walk
faster and got to the mess room just in time. After joining his colleagues in
the briefing room
 , Martin noticed a few friendly faces smiling in greeting,
but a number of other officers gave him angry looks, no doubt in support of
their erstwhile colleague, Paul Turner. There was some relief for Martin
when Sergeant Smithers read out the duties for the day and at once it was
clear that he was to continue with CID, as the DCI had requested.

As soon as the Relief was dismissed for their duties, Holly caught up with
her friend and said,

"Well done, Martin! I'm really pleased for you! You're getting your wish.
Don't waste the opportunity and don't let down those of us who want you to
do well. Incidentally, I should have some good news in a day or two about
my Sergeant's exam."

Martin grinned back,

"Congratulations, I knew you'd do well. I hope that you get your well-
deserved promotion and move on to another area, although I'll miss you and
so will many others. Thanks for the words of advice, you're not the first
person to tell me how important it is to do m
 ake the most of this
opportunity. Don't worry, I intent to!!"

Holly smiled knowingly and then said,

"I know you will but watch out for yourself! You saw how some of the Relief
reacted when you came in. Paul Turner still has a number of friends at the
Station and they are not happy about his fate and, however unfairly, blame
you for dropping him in it."

Martin acknowledged Holly's comment with a serious look and replied,

"Yes, I know they do, but I honestly tried my best to protect him. He's the
one who screwed up and I don't intend to carry the can for his stupidity. I
believe that even Eddy Smithers intends to take action on my behalf! In a
sense he already has done by allowing me to stay seconded to CID"

Holly gave out a slight involuntary whistle before replying,

"I hope you're right! The Sergeant is not entirely to be trusted, as we both
know."

The brief conversation was terminated by a shout from further down the
corridor as Eddy Smithers came hurrying t
 owards them and said,

"Come on, you two, it's time to stop chatting and for both of you to start
working. Holly, Phil Smithers is waiting outside in the car park for you to
join him and start your patrol and, as for you, Martin, CID awaits!! Off you
both go!!"

The two friends had just a moment to wish each other 'good luck' and then
Martin and Holly went their separate ways. Holly looked briefly back just in
time to see her younger colleague disappear. As he made his way upstairs
for his first full day seconded to CID, Martin's heart was pounding with
excitement.

If you have any comments on this story please send your comments to me at
cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk