"And it was at that moment that Santa realised then that everybody could see his jingle balls." "He's a one!" "A cracker!" "We have a letter, from the Queen." "Now, this has been sent to every school, every hospital, every police station in the land." "Chief Super thought it might be better if you read this one out." " All right?" " Yeah." "Give it gravitas." " Your hat, sir." " Come on, sir!" "Right." "In a short time the 1960s will be over, but not out of our memories." "Historians will record them as the decade in which men first reached out beyond their own planet and set foot on the moon. "" "Get down on the floor!" "Each one of us will have our own special times or tragedies to look back on."" "Get down!" "Stay down!" ""Christmas is the festival of the spirit."" "Come on!" ""I hope all of you will enjoy a very happy Christmas."" "Go, go, go!" ""God bless you all, Elizabeth R."" "Aw!" "Come on!" "Howay, let's go!" " Go, go, go!" " Go, go!" "Come on, let's have your cash." " Sir?" " What?" "Ripped By mstoll" "Sten gun, in Durham?" "Mm. 500 rounds a minute, eight per second." " Seen one before, then?" " Not on the streets, John." "I've got all the staff and cashiers and that, going down to the station to make a statement." " Two called in sick today." " Oh?" " Inside job?" " Who knows?" "I talked to the customers an' all." "Yeah, they're pretty shaken up." "Somebody could have died here today." "Mm, yeah." "But they didn't, did they?" "And we've got the gun and the Christmas presents." "I gave 'em a good blast before it ran out." "I was top shot in my troop." "National service made a man of me." "I got a few rounds in for sure." "Bloody hooligans!" "So he came past you, the gunman, but you didn't see his face?" "I saw his boots, work wear, no business being in my bank." " Your bank?" " Aye." "Ten years' service to the TW." "I take my work seriously." "I should be in line for a reward, I reckon." "Did you get the number plate?" "I mean, you were right here." "It was one of those new Fords." "Yeah, a maroon Ford Zephyr and blue Vauxhall Victor." "A lot of people saw that." "I need a number plate." "I was a bit busy, doing your job, defending the public." "Oh, is that what you call it?" "Cos we call it illegally discharging a firearm." "You could have killed somebody." "I wish I had." "It might make them think twice." "When they're dead, you mean?" "Last week we abolished the death penalty, this week we reap the consequences." "Violent little toerags with no fear of justice." "There's flats and offices on both sides of the street." "A phone box there and a pub just up there at the end." "Now given that the most action you've ever seen was on the firing range at Otterburn, you stood more chance of killing a bystander than a bank robber." "Arrest him for discharging a firearm in a public place without lawful authority." "Now... a number plate, that would have helped." "Ah, you must be the hero." "Extend it to Sunderland if you need to, and Chester-le-Street if necessary." "Sir, the cashier, Monica Allison, she wasn't meant to be working today." "Violet Burns asked her to fill in." "It's meant to go through the assistant manager." " Is she sick?" " No, pregnant." "No wonder she didn't call the assistant manager." "The deputy manager, he likes a flutter." "Horses, dogs, owt with legs." "He's behind on his mortgage." " No." " What?" "Well, it doesn't take inside knowledge to walk in through the front door and stick up six bank clerks." "But they knew to rob the bank an hour before the cash collection." "No, no, most bank jobs is two, maybe three, men with a pistol and a shotgun." "This... is a Second World War submachine gun." "It should have been decommissioned." "Somebody has drilled out the plug and made another firing pin." "If it belongs to the British Army, can't we trace it?" "Ground off the serial number." "Did you recognise any of 'em?" "No, they were all wearing gas masks." "Anything on those getaway cars?" "The duty inspector's got Pandas out." "Uniforms are going door to door." "Christmas Eve, they'll get a warm welcome." "Bloody holiday right in the middle of my investigation." "Glass of water, please, for this young man." " All right?" " Yeah, yeah." " Lad that took on the gunman." " Lucky not to get himself shot." "He's not saying much." "Just wants to go home to his mam." "He's only 17." " Thank you." " Sir." "Let me talk to him." "Well, if you think you can do any better." "It's not that, John." "I know him." "Hello, Kit." "I'm sorry." "Why are you sorry?" "It's been too long." "Mam?" " Got company." " Company?" "I'm not dressed for company!" "Hello, Edith." "You look well." "And you were always a very good liar, Gently." "That was taken ten years ago, before you knew us." "1959, the dawn of a new decade." " Remember that?" " Oh, yeah." "He was a man you could trust, Derek." "Brave man." "How are you doing, George?" "How's that posh school treating you, then, Kit?" "They made a gentleman of you yet?" " He's got a girlfriend." " Oh." " Ask him about his girlfriend." " Mam!" "A man needs his secrets, Edith." "Right, Kit?" "Right, well..." "I'll leave you two men to talk, shall I?" "I'll make myself look presentable." "She won't be back down." "Thank you." "So, this gunman, you couldn't get a good look at him because of his gas mask, right?" " No." " Scary, eh?" " I'm sorry." " No, no, no." "No." "So you said they were young." "How young?" "20?" "30?" "Is 30 young?" "Yeah, definitely." "I suppose... 20-odd." "He didn't care." "He just walked into that bank with the gun." "Anybody could have been killed." "And his accent was local, yeah?" "Yeah." " Yokel or town?" " City." "Newcastle?" "I'm gonna get them, Kit." "I'm gonna lock 'em up." "How well did you know Dad?" "We were on the operation together where he got killed." " Was he afraid?" " Huh." "We were all afraid, Kit." "It's what you do next that counts." "I've got to go, John." "I've got Walter's parents down." " Just tell us." " Tell you what?" "Just tell us that this will be our last Christmas apart." "Wait, wait." "Wait, Gem." "Just wait." "Pips have gone." "John?" "Wait." "Have you?" " Have you got any coins?" " No." "No!" "What?" "No sign of either of them cars." "Right, well, keep looking." "It's Christmas Eve." "My sergeant's calling us in, other duties." " Are you just going?" " I am, sir." "Hey!" "Merry Christmas!" "This came from Forensics." "What is it?" "It's a bullet from the bank." "It's a Dum Dum." "Why is it like that?" "Let's hope you never find out." "Yup?" "Christmas morning?" "Don't start." "He was sat on his own doing nothing and you were sat with your mam wishing you were doing nothing." "Besides there's no one else." " Merry Christmas." " Happy Christmas." "Well, here we are." "Joseph, Mary and little baby Jesus." " What have we got, then?" " Blue Vauxhall Victor." "Got a witness that saw it driving through Rowan Street." "Two flat tyres." "Rowan Street's about a mile from the bank." "That's very good." "Did uniforms get that?" " No, they didn't." "I did." " All right!" "It was a joke." "I walked the route all bloody night." "I found blue paint on a traffic island." "No sign of the car, though." "It's not going to get very far, is it?" "Two flat tyres." " It's just us, then?" " Yeah, well, we can sing carols on the way." "All right." "Meet at the Arches four o'clock." " Merry Christmas." " Merry Christmas." " Anything?" " No." "You?" "Nah." "I'll get them to organise a proper search tomorrow when they're back on duty." " It was worth a try, I suppose." " Do you want a lift home?" "Oh, no, it's all right." "I'm gonna go and meet some friends." "Retrieve what's left of my Christmas." " You sure?" " Aye, why aye." "See yous later." "Where to?" "Home, please." " On your own?" " Yeah, Gemma's still in London." "She's coming down next week." " It's happening, then, is it?" " Yeah, yeah." "I'm gonna look after her, her and the kids." "So what if he won't give her a divorce?" "So what?" "What if something happens to you?" "Well, she'll get my pension, won't she?" "Not if you're not married, she won't." " Really?" " Really." "That kid who took on the gunman, his father was Derek McDonald." "He was a sergeant in the squad when I came up here from London, the one who got killed in Operation Tulip." " I remember." " Yeah?" "Well... we all thought that him and Edith were married but it turns out they weren't because Edith's first husband wouldn't give her a divorce." "So she got nothing." "Think about that." "Excuse me." "This is the police." "Will you step out of the car?" "Please will you step out of the car?" " You all right?" " Yeah." "There's, um..." "There's bullet holes in the back of her shoulder, sir." "You did well." "Thank you." "Think it's been emptied, sir." "Wonder if she was trying to stop 'em or summat and she got in the way." " I dunno." " Or maybe it's her car." "They held her up, used her for the robbery, killed her." "It's a blue Victor, Rachel." "That's not really a lady's car, is it?" "What, the blue bit or the Victor bit?" "Didn't it occur to you she might have been one of them?" "My point being is, would you drive a Vauxhall Victor?" "No, but I'd reverse one over you." " She did." " Did what?" "Drive one of these." "She was the getaway driver." "What?" "There's a bloody great hole in the back of the seat." "Why would they kill her?" "They didn't." "The doorman did." "I've never seen a wound like that, sir." "That's a Dum Dum for you." "Bullet flattens on impact and..." " Where would you get them from?" " Easy enough to make." " And why would you use them?" " Bigger bang, isn't it?" "If you're gonna rob a bank, you might take a gun, you might even take the scariest gun you can find." "If you load it with Dum Dums you really wanna hurt somebody." "Letting me out on police bail?" "You should be giving me a great big bloody reward." "That's what you should be doing." "Yeah!" "Oh, there he is!" "I'm gonna have you." "I'm a hero." "I tried to stop them." "We just found the getaway car." "Two back tyres blown out." "Oh, so it's mine, then, is it, the reward?" "I stopped that car." "You stopped it all right." "You killed the driver." "Good." "The bastard would have killed me." "She was a teenage girl." "Now, what kind of reward would you think was appropriate?" "Put him back in the cells." "Oh, come on, man." "It's Christmas." "Locking me up for doing my job." "Do you think this is right?" "Red diamond." "Well, maybe she liked cards." "It's not that kind of diamond, John." "Interesting haircut." "She's trying to look like a bloke." " Passer-by ID'd her as a man." " A hat would do that." "She's a boot boy." "She's one of them skinheads." "What's that, a fashion statement?" "Nah, it's one of them, isn't it?" "It's a "bollocks to you" statement, that." "Seen them at the football." "They all wear these boots, right?" "And they wear braces and that, and they cut their hair short." "They call themselves "skinheads" and they're nothing but trouble." "She's a boot boy." "What do you want?" "Hairy." " Go on!" " Go on, get out." "Excuse me." " What do you want, Hairy?" " Listen, I'm trying to..." "I'm just looking for my sister." "Bit worried." "We haven't seen her in weeks." " What's her name?" " Her name's Virginia." "Virginia Hoar." "H-O-A-R." "That's a funny name, isn't it?" "She's probably calling herself something different, for obvious reasons." "Well, she's about your age, maybe a bit shorter." "Brown hair." "She's got a diamond tattoo here on her..." "On her wrist." "It's quite recent." "Is that a skinhead thing, that?" "No?" "Anyway, she's a good girl, really." "She's just gone a bit wild and my mam, her nerves are shot." "She's worried sick." "She calls herself Lexie." "Lexie Dodds." "You do know her?" "I worked with her a while back." " Here?" " No, a club." "Made this place look like the Ritz." "Last I heard," "Lexie was hanging round with some scary bugger round Raven Street flats." "I wouldn't want my sister there." "Right." "Found her." "She's on the council register." "Oh, Alexandra Dodds." "Was taken into care in '63." "Allinson House." "She left last year." "Allinson House?" "That's Carlton Street, yeah?" " I'll meet you there." " No, no, no." "You get on down to Raven Street, show 'em the photograph, ask them about the skins." " I'll see you later." " Right." "Raven Street." "Great." "In these shoes." "Mr Ellison." "I'm DCI Gently." "Very nice of you to see me." "Thank you." "Gentlemen." " This way, please." " Thank you." "Lexie's father died six years ago." "That's when she came to Allinson House." "What about her mother?" "Her mother, Ruby, walked out on them when Lexie was little." "She has a tattoo of a ruby on her wrist." "I don't know what you think she's done but she's all right that girl." "But she is a skinhead, yeah?" "They're not all a bad crowd." "What's their thing?" "They were born into slavery." "That's how they see it." "Working class with no work." "Oppressed by the black and the blue, the priests and the police." "That's how come she got along with an old squeeze-box like me." "What did you talk about?" "Music mostly." "She still comes round sometimes." "I grew up on the stuff the skins are listening to now." "Soul, rocksteady, ska." "The sounds of liberation." "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Mr Ellison." "I'm sorry to tell you but Lexie is dead." "Is, er..." "Is that Lexie?" "Yes, it is." "What happened to her?" "An accident?" "Something like that." "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" "You can take a seat." "Who were her friends here?" "She found it hard to trust people, I think." "There wasn't really anyone else." " She left her stuff here?" " Yeah." " May I?" " Yeah." "I kind of got the feeling she wasn't really anywhere yet." "Lost, you know." "Did she find the skinheads or did they find her?" "She was hoping to go to college." "She wasn't finding much work." "She did some shifts at some night clubs." "There was one," " the Long something." " Long Shed?" " You know the place?" " I knew it." "Jazz club." "The world turns, huh?" "These skins do music nights down there." "I went along once." "Didn't like it." " Who's that?" " That's Ruby, her mother." "Who's that?" " Burdon." " Was he there at Long Shed?" "Yeah, he was there." "King of the place." "I had a feeling he had his claws in her." "You didn't like him?" "He didn't strike me as a lad who cared about the liberation of an oppressed people." "20 years I work in Scottswood." "I never scared of any man." "But I did not know what to make of this one, sir." "Jonjo Burdon." "25, no fixed abode." "Did a six-month stretch three years back." " Was it guns?" " No, it was drugs." "Thought that was hippies, not skinheads." "No, it wasn't weed." "Look." "Dexamyl." "Some form of amphetamine." " Using or selling?" " Both, I think." "Raven Street CID says that he's behind most of the gang fights though he never gets his hands dirty." "They say he keeps a pack around him." "Do you think he's a contender?" "Hey, hang on, hang on!" "Are you just gonna walk in there and ask for Burdon?" " Yeah." " He might not be in there." "Do we even have a plan?" "Same as always, John." "Do what I do." "Let's just wait for the Black Marias." "They'll be five minutes." "What's the matter, John?" "Don't you think I'm up to it?" "I think it will be wise to wait." "Yeah." "God's sake." "?" "Ska" "Looking for Jonjo Burdon." "Yeah, that's right." "I'm on the guest list." " Oi." " Leave it!" "Bovver boots, slaphead, your granddad's braces and a choirboy's shirt." "Hm." "No, I give up." "What you come as?" "So this is it, is it?" "Your nearest and dearest?" "How did little Lexie fit in?" "There was no need for that, officer." "We're happy to help you out wi' your enquiries." "Come on, lads." "We're going for a little trip." "Right, come on." "Out you get." " Come on." " Get off." "Behave!" "Stand up straight." "Right, turn round." "Oh, we got a comedian here, Taylor." "Little shite." "All right, lad." "Don't cry." "You'll be all right." "You should have let him bleed." "This is exactly what he wants." "He's enjoying this." "Look at him." "He's been yanking your chain, hasn't he?" "What did you get out of him?" "An official complaint for police brutality and that thing on his head, that's his evidence." "Right, er..." "Raven Street CID, they've been through the entire estate." "All known houses and addresses and dosses and so on and so forth." "They've even had the Long Shed upside down." "Nothing." "There's no guns, no money, no gas masks or anything." "I was hoping they'd find some pills or drugs but nothing." "It's clean." "It's like they knew we were coming." "Alibis check out?" "Course they do." "It's toerags vouching for other toerags." " Lexie?" " He claims he doesn't know her." "He says, "A lot of silly little girls come into my club."" "What about the others?" "They're either scared of him or in love with him, or both." "Well, what is it?" "What have we got, huh?" "A dead getaway driver." "That's about it." "Scarface, what's-his-name?" "Milner." "He's ex-Royal Marines." "Served in Aden." "The other two are borstal graduates, right hard bargains." "They're perfect for it." "Yeah, but Sten guns and bank robberies and that?" "Are they up to that?" "I honestly don't know, John." "I wanna look him in the eye." "Right." "Oi!" "Oi!" "It's the guilty ones, sir, that pretend to sleep." "It's because they know that they're gonna need their energy." "I never seem to have a problem finding my energy." "No, that will be because of the dexamyls." "Am I right?" "Right, then." "Come on." "Sten guns." "Every thug has a gun these days." "I don't care for them myself." "You shared a cell with a Frank Butler at Low Newton." " Am I right?" " Poor Frank." " Nice fella." " For an armed robber." " Hanged himself." " Maybe." "Come on." "All your little friends, all here." "They told us everything." "The Sten guns, the getaway car." "Little Lexie." "So, come on." "How do you want to play this?" "Right, stop that, you little bastard or I'll give you another dent in the head." "How about that?" "Yeah!" "Do you hear that?" "He's laughing at us." "He doesn't care about the money." "It's not about the money." "It's about risk, thrill." "He's got the jump on us, John." "We got nothing." " Sir?" " One sec." " What are we doing?" " Release them." "Follow them every step of the way." "Guv, no." "We haven't got the manpower." "It's in Newcastle." "It's not our patch." "Well, we'll get Raven Street CID on it." "Every available man." "That bastard's gonna slip up sooner or later." " What?" " McDonald lad's here." "Wants to talk to you." " I heard about that girl." " Hm." "The one who died." "If I'd have got the gun off him..." "No, no, it's not your fault." "You didn't bring a Sten gun into the bank." "You didn't kill her." "It is my fault." " I could have..." " No." "What could you have done against six men?" "Eh?" "Do you know who did it?" "Yes, I think I do know who did it but I can't prove it." "It's..." "What if I identified them?" "No, you said you didn't see him." "You can't lie, even to say something good." " I know." " Oi, Oi." " You OK?" " Guv." "Oi, Oi!" "You're letting them go?" " Happy Christmas." " Happy Christmas!" "God, I wanted to nut that smug bastard." "Why don't we put him in a line-up, sir?" "See if Kit picks him out." "He saw them here." "Any lawyer would laugh us out of court." "It's all changing, isn't it?" "It's getting to the point where I don't understand the crime." "People of my generation thought you just kept your nose clean, worked hard." "Young people nowadays, they know that's a lie." "These toerags, John." "What if they're the future?" "What then?" "Yeah?" "Edith?" "Who did this to you, Kit?" "Was it the lads you saw at the police station?" "I don't know." " Their faces were covered." " Where were you?" "I told you to stay out of town." "Were you meeting your girl?" "What girl?" "I'll get it." "I was getting my mam's prescription, and, um... they just came at me." "One of them pushed me down and they started kicking me." " George, it's for you." " Right." " Hello?" " We've lost Burdon." "Raven Street followed them as far as Neville Street and then lost them at the station." "They must have doubled back." "He won't go to the hospital." "I'll get a patrol car to check every now and again." "Just keep him at home." "What's this about, George?" "What's he done?" "He hasn't done anything wrong." "Is it something to do with this?" "They say his grades are bad." "He's been skipping classes." "They've kicked him out of the cadets." "They've taken his scholarship away?" "They might just as well expel him." "I think he's being bullied but he won't say anything." "He just... doesn't fit in." "A boy needs a dad, George." "And if he doesn't get one, he finds his own." "Good ones, bad ones." "You were one of the good ones." "I want to help now, Edith." "It's not too late, is it?" "I mean, I feel like everything's speeding past me and I can't catch up." " You should have had kids." " Oh, we weren't that fortunate." "And then..." "Kit is important to me." "His future is important to me." "Guv..." "What's the point?" "What is the point?" "You've already made your mind up." "I'm still waiting for a rational objection." "She's a girl!" "And she's not even a proper detective." "No, but she's up to it." "Oh, I don't know." "Look, Burdon's a narcissist." "He loves having his own reflection looked back at him." "So let's give him the attention he wants and he might just open up." "A short-skirted piece of attention?" "Yeah." "All right, all right." "All right." "Well, if we can have female coppers we might as well use them for what they're good for." " Morning." " Morning." "Rachel, weren't you saying the other day that long hair's difficult to manage and maintain?" "No." "Ah, well..." "Chief Inspector's got something he'd like to tell you." "Well, actually, I can tell you both at the same time." "This isn't effective until the new year but, as of January 1 st, you're not going to be a WPC any more." "Congratulations, Detective Sergeant." "Congratulations, pet." "Detective Sergeant." "Now are you gonna give her the bad news?" "Hello, mate." "I don't think we've met." "Shut up, man!" "Aye, funny." " Hoo, hoo, hoo!" " Aye, you can laugh, but it's me mam you'll have to answer to." "Understand, Rachel, if you start to feel threatened in any way, any way at all, you get out." "But I think you're ready." "You're gonna have to be now, aren't you?" "When this is over, Mr Gently, you're paying for Vidal Sassoon." "It's a deal." "Oh, my goodness." "?" "Ska" "Excuse me." "Beer, please." "There you go." "George?" " What are you drinking?" " I'm all right, thanks." " Are you sure?" " Got one, thanks." "She'll be fine." "Say it, John." "She'll be fine." "Those pills." "I haven't got any." "Oi, man." "Can I have a beer, please?" "Come on, a little dance." "A little dance." " I'm all right, thanks." " Come on." " Beer please, mate." "Cheers." " Get out my face, man!" " One dance!" " Can you get your hands off me?" "Wah-hey-hey!" "That's right!" "Piss off." "Right dive, isn't it?" "So, are you too classy for this place, then?" "Nah." " Why do you come here, then?" " It's my dive." " So, what's your excuse?" " I heard the music was good." "I heard wrong." "That's cos you don't know how to listen to it." "Sound of the oppressed people." "What?" "You're black now, are you?" "I'm oppressed." "I live in a ghetto and the police like to batter us." "May as well be living in Kingston Town." "At least I wouldn't be freezing my arse off." "Deep... dope." "Oi, where do you think you're going?" "We haven't finished our debate yet." "Where do you work?" "You're a shop girl." "Nah... teacher." "You have that look." "What look?" "Naive hope." "Still think you can better yourself." "Lux beauty soap and desperate dreams." "Aye, well, it's better than stale fags and the dole." "Who's on the dole?" "Eh?" "Do you wanna go somewhere?" "Aye?" "What, back to yours?" "'Ey, you think you're so irresistible, don't you?" "Them little tweety birds in there must swoon off their perches whenever you whistle." "Tomorrow... tomorrow night." "OK, you win." "Broad daylight." "Raven Street." "Be there." "I'll find you." "Tomorrow." "Raven Street flats, lunch time." " I'm meeting him tomorrow." " Good girl." "Anything looks beautiful if you're looking down from high enough." "From space Newcastle looks like the Hanging Gardens of bloody Babylon." "Buy your way out." "It's the only way." " Some class warrior you are." " Class warrior?" "I'm no poncey Trotskyite." "What are you, then?" "Skin forever?" "Screw that." "Most skins are just young kids looking for the next big thing." "I'm the end of the story." "Purple Hearts?" "So that's how you make your money?" "Them kids were popping them like sweeties in the club." "That's just my paper round." "Doesn't make the hairs stand up." "What hair?" "I think you're all talk." "Show us." "Show us what you're into." "Life without a safety net." "Don't, man!" "You said you wanted us to show you." "Stop it!" "You slimy toad." "Who do you think you are?" "My Uncle Bernie?" "Why are you in such a hurry?" "It's later than you think, girl." "Oi, oi!" "They're like a pack of dogs, man." "My dogs." "There you go." " So, your dad died in Burma?" " Month before the war ended." "So are you feeling sorry for us?" "Poor little Jonjo." "A spell in borstal sorted us out." "Wait here." "I was just..." "Urgh!" "Lessons in loyalty." " Sugar?" " Nah." "It's his half-brother." "I've checked him out." "Stewart Murdoch, 25." "Occasional delivery driver." "No record." "They are gonna need another getaway driver, aren't they?" "Are they close, him and his brother?" "They are fighting about something." "They're going to the football tomorrow." "Here, Taylor's trying to get tickets for that." "Crime doesn't pay?" "Gets you stubbies at the Gallowgate End." " Are you all right, Rachel?" " Yeah, sir." "I don't know." "It's like he came out wrong." "Like a sheep with two heads." "What are we doing, guv?" "I think we'll follow the brother." "Guv, why don't we just stop him, talk to him?" "No, I said we're just gonna follow him." "Well, it's been scintillating stuff so far, hasn't it, eh?" "Rotary club, the Empress." "Linens for the Great Northern." "No gunsmiths so far." "Hold on." " Well, now." " Yeah, all right." "Wait till he's gone, then do some more digging at the bank." "Right." "You look a bit like Sandy Shaw." "Right, then, sir." "Stewart delivers clean shirts to the bank manager of the Derwent every week, right?" "But he also delivers to one other bank:" "Tyne  Wear." " The one that was robbed?" " Yes, the one that was robbed." "Now, I got chatting to the bank manager's secretary and she said that she's called the laundry to complain about Stewart cos he was loitering around the bank, chatting up all the cashiers." " Casing the joint for Jonjo." " That's it." "So, Stewart's not the driver, he's reconnaissance." " Yep." " They're gonna hit the Derwent." " It's just when, isn't it?" " Well, I can find out for you." "Well, I can't exactly have tea with my mam, not until this mess grows out." "That's true." "?" "Ska" " How's your big brother?" " What?" "Oh, yeah, he's OK, mostly." "When he behaves." "I'm busy." "Does it not bother you?" "All the aggro." "I heard the other lot carry guns." "The Hairies?" "Nah, they're too busy smoking dope to cause aggro." "But the guns, though." "Do yous carry guns?" "Your problem is you ask all the wrong questions." "Well, what's the right questions?" ""Heads or tails."" "So, nothing matters?" "Guns matter." "Stick one in someone's face and watch them find out who they are." "Here, get us some drinks." "Four beers." "I'll be back in a minute." "Go on." "Now, piss off, will you?" "You're his latest?" "I'm no one's latest." "We're friends, that's all." "Sorry, but my brother doesn't have friends." " He always gets what he wants." " We'll see about that." "You either give him something he wants or something even sweeter." "It's a shame." "You seem nice." " Thanks." " That's not what I meant." "He'll use you." "That's what he does." "Sorry about that." " You will be." " I'll make it up to you." "You're taking us to the football?" "Nah, I'm busy." "It's a gift." "Take a friend." "Something's come up." "Tomorrow the Derwent Bank, then." "Bloody hell." "Aye." "Jonjo gave up his tickets, changed his plans as soon as he met Stewart." "It's gonna be busy." "We have to assume they'll be armed." "Let's just pull them in now, the whole lot." "Him, his brother, the whole gang." "Just pull 'em in before they even get a chance." "We know it's them." "We can use the drugs." "He did admit to selling the Purple Hearts." "I don't care." "I want to know about guns." "Gun, one gun." "And even then it might have been a lucky find." "Well, we got to catch them with their hands on the money, on a gun." " You're gonna let them do it?" " No, I'm not." "We're gonna be there to stop 'em." "This is nuts." "Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait." "Close your eyes." " What are you doing?" " Just close your eyes." "Don't come in yet." "Right, you can come in but just keep your eyes closed." " Cos it's Christmas." " Christmas was last week." "Well, I was in London last week." "Ow!" "This is our Christmas." "Now." "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" "Just you and me." "So, how was work?" "Ah, you know." "Oh?" "You wanna talk about it?" "Walter never wants to talk about work." "Well, we're just..." "We're fixing to do something tomorrow and I don't think it's a good idea, but the boss is one of these..." "Well, you trust him." "You know that." "I did." "But he's ill and..." "I don't know." "You're an inspector now." "What does that mean?" "It means, it's time you were your own man." "Oh, is this it, Gem?" "Your life down there and away days with me?" "No." "Come on." "Let's eat." "You'll get your present after." "I don't have to go until tomorrow lunch time." "Right." "What?" "I don't want this." "Oh." "Sorry, they ran out of turkey." "It's chicken." "I don't mean the food, Gem." "This is..." "This is not enough." "Once a month." "Once a fortnight maybes, if we're lucky." "Look, I'm not..." "I'm not a woman." "I'm not just a bit on the side." "I'm more than that." "Well, I mean, I think this is something." " It's a lot to me." " No, it's not real life, Gem." "And that's what I want." "I want that with you and the kids." "And maybe one day have some of our own." "I want everything." "So it's just girls who have to make do with being on the side?" "Leave him!" "You've got reason to, Gemma." "I know you don't love him." "Do you?" "You talk about real life." "This is it." "Nobody gets it all." "It's bits and pieces if you're lucky." " That's enough for you, is it?" " No, it's just how it is, John." "Find some slip of a thing just out of school if you're looking for hope and glory and watch them drain from her when she finds out what men are." "I'm not like that." "I would never hurt you." "You know that." "Are you saying you don't love us?" "Here, now, this is what I've got to offer you." "If anyone ever had a chance, you know it was us." "A girl only gets one chance." "Which one are you?" "Butch or Sundance?" "I don't know about you, sir, but I'm gonna be ready for 'em, all right?" "What's wrong, John?" "There's another magazine there, sir, if you fancy having a pop." "Pop." "John, what's wrong?" "She's gone, all right?" "She's gone to London, to him." "I'm really sorry, John." " Oh, yeah?" " Yeah." "Really?" "Well, you don't have anybody, sir." "In fact, you don't even need anyone." "So don't pretend you understand, all right?" "Now, come on." "Let us see what you got." "Come on." "What are you scared of?" "Is it the shakes?" "Is that it?" " Is it your nerves, sir?" "Huh?" " Is this about the bank job?" "Are you worried about that?" "That's good." "You should be." "No, I'm worried about you." "I don't think you're up to it." "I don't have to prove myself to you, John." "No, I'm exactly the person you need to prove yourself to." "Thank you." "You've all got your cards, haven't you?" "Yeah." " Check." " Thank you." "Serial number." " Gun magazine, full box." " Thank you very much." "Webleys for these boys, please." "Check." "Check." "Sign, please." "Ammunition." " Morning, John." " Yeah." "Make no mistake, today will be a success if nobody fires a shot." " All right?" "All right?" " Sir." "Let's go." "There you go." "Guv." "All the money's been taken to a safe place and all the cashiers have been sent home." "Right." "Well, all my men are behind the cashiers' desks." "I will be in the bank at all times." "Little stiffener, lads?" " All right?" " Something's wrong." "It should have happened by now." "Well, there's another half an hour yet." "They're cutting it fine." "They close at three." "Oi, pull it together." "Sorry, sir." "Ignore it out there, madam." "Just a little bit of..." "staff training, that's all." "If you'd like to follow me." "Your money is safe at the Derwent." " Shut it!" " Shut up!" "Shut your mouth." "Get in there, now!" "Right, everyone on the ground face down!" "Right, you, fill these bags." "And don't you be thinking about putting any bait packs in." "We've done this before." "Where's that coming from?" "Who's done that?" "Turn it off, now!" "You, turn it off!" "I said, turn it off now!" "This is what happens..." "Damn it!" "I said, turn it off!" "Here, fill those bags now!" " They must have called it off." " No, look, I say we sit tight." "You never know, they might hit the bank when it's closing, sir." "They were onto us." "They must have seen the mobile units." "You don't know that, sir." "We're wasting our time, John." "What are we thinking?" "That Burdon beat up Stewart because Stewart didn't want to hit this place." "He was afraid it would lead back..." "Reported gunshots at Haymarket." "That's on Stewart's route." "We're in the wrong bloody bank." "Come on!" "Right, Northumbria Bank." "Right, left onto Ward Street." "It's in Haymarket." "Left here, sir." " Oh, look at this." " Shit, shit!" "It's the bloody match." "Which is why they've done it today." "It's gridlocked." "Right, lads, we're on foot." "Quick, come on!" "Come on, man!" "Armed police, stay down!" "They've gone!" "Help!" "Help!" "Can I have some help here, please?" " United!" " United!" "United!" "United!" "United!" "United..." "I'll get the police in St James' Park to have a look." "Newcastle got their descriptions?" "Yeah, yeah, and the brother." "I've got Panda cars going out to Burdon's home and Retford's laundry." "How's the lad who was shot?" "He'll be all right." "48,000 quid gone." "Three Sten guns." "It's a good job we didn't come in on them." "There'd have been a blood bath." "Why did they dump them?" "So they could get away unnoticed?" "I don't know." "Because he can." "He's got as many of these guns as he wants, it seems." "Well, now he can tool the barrels and make his own firing pins, he has a gun factory." " Have you seen Jonjo?" " Nah." "His brother phoned earlier." "Told me to buy you a drink." "Hey, man." "Get out me way." "Hello, Rachel." "It's me, Jonjo." "I got out, like I said." "Mam?" "Just a bit quicker than I'd planned." "Mam?" "Is that you, pet?" "I'll come down." "No, no, Mam." "It's all right." "I'll be up in a minute." "I would have loved to have taken you with us." "Seen your face now I know who you really are." "Now I know where you live." "Hello." "Is DCI Gently back yet?" "Yeah, no, it's Rachel Coles." "Aye, can you get him to give us a call as soon as he gets back?" "Yeah, no, he knows where I am." "Stewart?" "Are you in there?" "Come out, Stewart." "I know you must be frightened." "I would be." "I can protect you." "Dead." "His own blood, though." "That's 24-carat psychopath, isn't it?" "I reckon he had a little thing for you." " For me?" " Yeah." "It takes a lot for someone to deliver their dirty laundry at your doorstep." "And in that interview he barely looked at me." "And then when you came in, he just wanted to impress you." "All that shouting and "Oi, oi, oi!" and all that?" " Is she OK?" " She'll be all right." "We've called every nick from Aberdeen to Truro." "There's no sign of him." "Well, find the guns, we'll find Burdon." "That's one relationship he won't give up on." "These are the confirmed firearm incidents over the last three years." "No Sten gun." "What about the unconfirmed ones?" "I reported this six months back." "And did the police attend?" "Did they hell." "Said it was poachers." "Rapid fire, that's not shotguns." "No." " Don't I know you?" " I don't think so." "Rachel?" "I want to search the whole area again." "The local gun clubs, the army base at Herrington." "He's picking up these weapons from somewhere." "Guv, it's New Year's Eve, man." "We're stretched to breaking." "We'll get the Territorials to help." " We'll get the groundkeeper in!" " Yeah, that's fine." "He took a bit of a shine to Rachel." ""Do I know you, pet, from somewhere?"" "We can get him in." "I'm sure he'll come in." " What's going on out there?" " It's a big 'un." "Think New Year's Eve times ten." "There's a message from the Met there." "They've picked up a fella in London." "Just bought five recommissioned Sten guns." "Well, it's not just our problem now." "He claims he did a deal in a pub with a Geordie lad, told him there were plenty more guns where these came from." "Finest Northumberland craftsmanship." "It's him." "He's gone." " You on tonight?" " No, I'm not." "That's a shame." "Could have been your lucky night." "Constable!" "Hey, you should lose the wig." "A lot of blokes love a slaphead." "I'm sure they do." "It's just, I don't like those kind of blokes." " What's your plan?" " What, for the 1970s?" "No, tonight." "Got to plan your celebrations out." "Or you'll peak too early." " Like that lot." " Aye, well, that lot think it's the end of the world." "I certainly intend on reaching oblivion tonight." "Well, the world's just beginning for me." "I'm a detective sergeant in the Northumberland Police force." "Ten years ago a girl like me would have been making tea." " That's progress, isn't it?" " Women sergeants!" "It'll be jet packs and robot dogs next." "You coming?" "Come on!" "Eh?" "Glass of warm Asti Spumante, eh?" "Dropping the lips on a lass at midnight." "Sounds a bit ritzy for me." "All right." "Anyway, I got some thinking to do." " Yeah, I know." " What?" " I know, guv." " What do you think you know?" "Doesn't matter." "I just thought..." "For once, maybe this decade, we could have had..." "a proper conversation." "Let's have a conversation now." "What are we gonna talk about?" "I know." "Let's talk about your love life." " Guv, I know that you're sick." " Sick of this place." "You'll be, er..." "You'll be thinking of retiring, won't you?" "Not being able to trust your judgment, not that I understood your judgment anyway." "Sod off, John." "Now we're having a conversation." "Here we are." "Come on, what is it?" "Parkinson's?" "That's my guess." "That's my guess in the sweepstake we've been having." "Steady as a rock." "Oh, it's gone, has it?" "Oh, good." "In that case, I'll sleep well." "Oh, good." "I think you've forgotten how to tell the truth." "I don't even think you know what it is any more." "It's not Parkinson's, it's MS." "Multiple sclerosis." "It affects the central nervous system." "Right." "Well, you can treat that, can't you?" "Surely." "I mean, these days." "No, there's no cure." "Good news is, though, I haven't had any symptoms for a while." "I could be symptom-free for years." "On the other hand..." " Am I fooling myself?" " Hey, no." "No, no, you've got to stay positive." "Hey, come on." "Come out with us." "Come out." "Have one and then you can go." "No, sod that." "Stay out, get bladdered, man." "I'll think about it." "All right?" "Give me the radio." "John, pick up, pick up, pick up." "Go ahead." " How far have you got, John?" " Not far." "Guv." "What did the gamekeeper say to Rachel again?" " That she looked familiar?" " He thought he knew her." "He was just flirting, the randy old bugger." "What if he was confusing her with Lexie?" "And what if Lexie was there when they were testing the Sten guns?" "So you think she's a link to the source?" "Go back to the gamekeeper, see if this jogs his memory." " Ah, guv, man, I wanna be..." " John." "John, it'll only take half an hour." "And if you can't get me on the radio, call me at Allinson House." "That's where I'll be." "Right." "What are you looking for?" "Don't really know, to tell you the truth." "Hello?" " Inspector." " Thank you." "Hello?" "Sir, I've just come back from the gamekeeper." "You were right." "He recognises Lexie from the photograph." "She was loitering round the grounds this last summer with another lad." " Was it Burdon?" " Well, that's just it, sir." "He swears blind that he's never seen Burdon before." "Oh, my God!" "In Trafalgar Square the temperature was below freezing..." "Not out celebrating?" "I'm sorry, um..." "Mam never said." "Were we expecting you?" "No, it was..." "a spur of the moment thing." "Did you buy that, out of your savings account?" "All she does is sit in." "At least now she can do it in colour." "Come and talk to me, Kit." "You know that old tradition they've got up here, first-foot?" "First one through the door on New Year's Eve after midnight either brings you good fortune or bad portent." "Start of a new decade." "You want to be careful who comes through your threshold." "Ten years of bad luck?" "You don't want that, mate." "It's just got to be better than the past." "Cheers to that." "Actually, um, I only came back to check on Mam." "Um..." "I'm actually going for a drink with some friends in the village, so..." "Yeah, you're a good lad, Kit." "Don't let me keep you." "That girl of yours, she was daft to let you go." "She died." "She was never really my girlfriend." "We knew each other when we were little." "Yeah, I know." "I heard you were fostered for a few months." "Didn't know they put you in a home." "Lexie looked after me." " She was the only one." " She kept in touch?" "I thought she was, um we were..." "But she was seeing another boy?" "Not a boy." " He was..." " Jonjo Burdon?" "I know." "You haven't got a savings account at the Tyne  Wear cos I checked." "I wish I'd checked earlier." "You knew they were gonna hit that bank, didn't you?" "That's why you were there." "I heard Lexie talking about it." "I thought I could stop her, but..." "Then he came in." "It's my fault she's dead." "I, um..." "You know, don't you?" "But I need to hear it from you." "I read about it in the library at school." "Do those posh gits have any idea what they're teaching you?" "Ah, a little knowledge, dangerous thing." "You wait." "This thing's crazy." " Have they not missed it?" " They've got dozens of them." "The cadets use them to march up and down the playground playing soldiers." "No idea they can make them work again." "Posh bastards." "Really?" "What are you gonna do with it?" "Nothing." "It's just a bit of fun." "You should see what it does on the automatic setting." " Do you want to go again?" " I told you, Jonjo." "Kit's the best." "She did, you know." "Always going on about her little mate with the big brain." "Always talking about Kit." "Always going on about Kit." "Even when we're..." "You know." "So..." "So you really did this by yourself?" "It's not difficult." "Found a diagram of a firing pin." "Milled it myself and then I unplugged the barrel." "So you could do more?" "You could earn yourself some money, little big man." "Girls like money." "I was at Allinson House too." "Right dosshouse, isn't it?" "Treat you like you're nowt, nobody." "But I can tell, Kit, just by looking at you, you're not nobody, are you, Kit?" "Ooh, yeah!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "Ah, ha, ha!" "So how many's he got now?" "All of them." "50-odd." "They broke into the school." "Nobody will notice till term starts." "I came to tell you." "That morning I heard Lexie had died." "But he was there." "He saw me." "And you were letting him go." "Did you recommission 50 Sten guns for him?" "No, I only did the first one." "He said he had some bloke down the docks with a machine shop." "He'd do the rest for him." "So I showed him how to do it." "Oh." "He said he'd kill me mam." "He said he'd kill you." " I know where he is." " In London?" " You know where he's staying?" " He's not in London." "You know the Raven Street Estate?" " Yeah." " The towers." "All units, all units." "Armed officers to Raven Street Estate." "Churchill Tower." "Please acknowledge." "Roger that, sir." "Sorry, Mam." "Did you get rid of him?" "Food." "Who was the food for?" "You did say you had somebody else do the guns once..." "You said you'd leave us alone once I'd shown you how to do them." "You're a craftsman, Kit." "There's not many of us about any more." "His one jammed and yours never did." "I deserve the best, don't I?" "Go on, get on with it." "I can't do it." "Well, don't just stand there." "I said, get those guns done." "Nah." "Do it!" "It seems that the New Year is a time for the young and that the '70s will be their era." "I said do it!" " Go on." " Nah." "Oi, leave him alone." "And why would I do that?" " I'm here now." " You think I'm not serious?" "Oh, I know you're serious." "So, what?" "You got the place surrounded, eh?" "20 pigs lurking in the hedgerow?" "No, no." "It's just me and you, mate." "But I'm different from them cos I got nothing to lose." "Come on." "Let him go." "It's not his fault." "It's nobody's fault!" "Don't you get it?" "It's the future!" "And there's no place for little kids or old men." "Come on, come on, come on." "I hadn't finished the barrel." "Aargh!" "I can't see." "I cannae see." "Just an ambulance, kid." "Edith?" " Mm, George." " Time to go to bed." "I fell asleep." " Where's Kit?" " I'm taking care of him." "Happy New Year." "It's your boss." "Hello?" "John, I'm at the McDonald house." "I need you here now." "Guv, please tell me that you're joking." "I wish I was." "John, come alone." "All right, all right." "You all right?" "Is Burdon gonna be OK?" "Well, he'll be well enough to stand trial." "Don't think he's gonna regain his sight, though." "I hadn't finished the barrel." "I never meant to hurt anyone." "Hey, come on, eh?" " What are you crying for?" " I'm not crying." "I just..." "I just wanna put it right." "But I can't now." "No one can." "Guv?" "We need to call this in." "I know what you're thinking." "I'm not sending him to prison, John." "I'm not." "I can't." "We can sort this out." "He's only linked to the one gun." "The others were tooled by a bloke in the docks." " We'll go after him." " Guv..." "He's just a silly kid who fell in love." "You're preaching to the converted here, but..." "Right." "Do whatever it is you need to do and then we'll call it in." " You sure about this, John?" " Yeah, of course." "Just do it quickly, please." "Done." "Kit's name's nowhere near the charge sheet." "Thank you." "How did you know the gun wouldn't work, sir?" "I didn't." "There's talk about you taking your pension." "Had enough?" "I shall need your help if I'm gonna keep on doing this job." "Lf?" "I need to do this job." "You're not going anywhere, then?" "No one else would have you." "Ripped By mstoll"