Bob Taylor was straight. If he could not crack a case by sheer hard work, he certainly would not do it by cutting corners. His men knew better than to try. It was widely known that he once suspected a Detective Sergeant of bullying an accused into making a confession. Nothing was said at the time, but the Sergeant did not turn up for duty one morning and shortly thereafter was discovered to be back in uniform, somewhere in the outer limits.

Now Taylor was in a quandary, the like of which he had never known. He sat in the corner of the bar staring into a double whisky. He knew that if he drank it, it could prove to be one too many. He picked up the glass and poured the entire contents down his throat. As the liquid burned its way to his stomach, the prospect of a monumental hangover the following morning was nothing compared to the pain and torment which were now threatening to tear him apart. Loyalty was important to him, perhaps of paramount importance. But of critical importance was loyalty to the law it was his duty to maintain. Being a policeman meant you had duties and responsibilities to the law, to the public, to your colleagues, to the force, but most of all to the rule of law. And yet, he had forgotten something. What about family and family loyalty? And if that clashed with other loyalties, what then? What indeed?

He left the pub and checked that his car was locked. He would never dream of driving, not in his state. As he walked, his mind rehearsed the events of the evening, desperately seeking a solution. Every puzzle had a solution somewhere.

When David entered the pub, his relaxed air and cheery greeting told Taylor that his son was unaware of the storm he was about to run into.

Sitting down with a pint for himself and a half and a half for his father, he casually opened the conversation.

‘Not that it’s other than nice to see you for a drink, but what do you want, and why this dump? Christ, this is the back of bloody beyond. You haven’t gone and got some WPC in the club have you, dad?’

‘That was stupid, bloody stupid!’

‘It was only a joke.’

‘Don’t fuck with me, David. You know what I’m talking about. You know fucking well what I’m talking about. Now tell me what you thought you were playing at and why. I also want to know who else was involved. Don’t make matters worse by lying to me. Right now I’m speaking to you as your father, but don’t think for a second that I can forget that we are both police officers and I am your superior. Talk to me. Make me understand what this is all about. Think before you speak. Think very bloody carefully, but speak.’