Free Thrown Down by David Menon Page A

with my daughter’.
     
    DS Adrian Bradshaw and DC Joe Alexander were on their way to the Farmers Arms pub in Chorlton to see what they could find out about the man called Chris O’Neill who, according to Padraig O’Connell’s girlfriend Carol Anderson had sometimes locked horns with O’Connell owing to their different positions from either side of the Northern Ireland sectarian divide. Joe was driving and Adrian used the opportunity to see how his friend was. Like it seemed he’d spent half his life doing.
    ‘So how are you, mate?’ Adrian asked.
    Joe knew exactly what Adrian meant and had almost been expecting it. ‘How am I? What do you mean by that?’
    ‘Exactly what the words mean?’
    ‘Well I don’t know what you mean’.
    ‘For fuck’s sake, Joe, we’ve know each other long enough not to play the fucking innocent’.
    ‘Innocent? What the fuck have I done wrong?’
    ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about’.
    ‘Oh you mean the chip on my shoulder that everyone says I’ve had since you got the promotion to DS instead of me?’
    ‘I’ve never said you had a chip on your shoulder about it, Joe’.
    ‘So why are you asking me?’ said Joe who would admit that his friendship with Adrian had been tested to the limits since he lost out to him over the promotion. It just wasn’t what he’d needed after a bad couple of years but in his more rational moments he knew that he couldn’t blame Adrian for any of it.
    ‘Joe, you’ve always been a good mate’ said Adrian. ‘Remember Kate Branning the psycho teacher? Your help in stopping her from murdering my daughter was crucial. I just thought I’d ask how you were because we haven’t had much time to talk lately’.
    Joe pulled a face at him. ‘Don’t go all bloody bro-mance on me’.
    ‘Aw, fuck off then!’
    Joe laughed. ‘The look on your face! Look mate, yeah of course I was pissed off I didn’t get it but when it came down to a choice between just the two of us then one of us was going to end up being pissed off. I’m glad it was you who got the promotion and not some stranger from outside the team’.
    ‘So we’re okay then?’
    ‘Of course we are you big ugly twat’.
    ‘Good. Glad we got that sorted’.
    ‘Just don’t expect me to call you boss’.
    ‘Piss off’.
    ‘So anyway, are you okay?’
    ‘Yeah, I’m alright’ Adrian replied.
    ‘I notice you’ve not been talking about getting your end away recently?’
    ‘I never talk about getting my end away’ Adrian protested. ‘I’m very discreet’.
    ‘Not to me you’re not’.
    ‘Well no that’s true’ said Adrian although he’d never told Joe about all the ways he liked to get his end away just like he wouldn’t tell him now how restless he was getting again. He wanted a girlfriend to share his life but he also wanted a friend with benefits who was a man. He missed sex with a man. He missed not being able to fulfil that side of his needs although being as highly sexed as he was he missed having it with anyone. ‘But how are you now with regard to Rebecca Stockton? You were jumping over the moon when the two of you got together and then … well then she put herself in danger without telling anyone and paid the ultimate price. That can’t have been easy?’
    ‘No, it wasn’t’ said Joe, more thoughtfully than before. ‘But there’s nothing I can do except to just pick up and move on, however much I miss her’.
    ‘I’m sorry, mate’.
    ‘I know’.
    When they got to the Farmers Arms they found a typical modern suburban pub on the corner of two main roads with outside tables and benches filling the space at the front and the side between the pub and the pavement. But of more interest to Joe was the board outside advertising ‘two meals for £7.95 at lunchtime’.
    ‘Great’ said Joe, clapping his hands together. ‘I was beginning to feel hungry and it is almost one o’clock. It’ll be your shout though’.
      ‘Well I knew that would be the case