Line of Duty Page #7

LINDSAY:

No. Thankfully.

HASTINGS:

That’s true, isn’t it, DI Denton?

You’ve mainly done desk jobs? A

backroom detective?

LINDSAY:

I believe I’ve done important work,

sir.

HASTINGS:

Absolutely. Absolutely.

GEORGIA:

You did well in a very testing

situation, ma’am.

LINDSAY:

Thank you.

Georgia tries to keep the mollification going.

GEORGIA:

You’ve never faced an

anticorruption hearing, have you,

ma’am?

LINDSAY:

No.

GEORGIA:

In 13 years’ service, DI Denton’s

never had a yellow notice, not even

an allegation of misconduct.

ROYAL:

Thank you, DC Trotman.

(CONTINUED)

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GEORGIA:

In 2002, DC Denton alleged a

colleague was falsifying witness

statements. The complaint was

upheld; the officer was

disciplined. In 2007, DS Denton

alleged a colleague was making

fraudulent expenses claims. The

complaint was upheld; the officer

was disciplined. There are three

more complaints against colleagues

in the file, all were upheld. DI

Denton has demonstrated the utmost

probity throughout her service

career.

HASTINGS:

It takes courage to make a moral

stand against one’s fellow

officers, though they don’t always

see it that way.

LINDSAY:

No.

HASTINGS:

I direct you to Document 7 in your

folder. For the tape, Document 7 is

a map showing the location of the

safe house, the ambush and 4th

Street Station.

At the same time, Steve brings the map up on a projector

screen.

STEVE:

For the tape, I’m indicating the

route taken that night. Two

unmarked police vehicles departed

the safe house. The most direct

route to 4th Street Station is via

A roads. Instead the vehicles

travelled along Crown Avenue and

then turned left into Long Lane,

almost immediately after which the

ambush took place.

HASTINGS:

Agreed and accepted?

LINDSAY:

Agreed and accepted.

(CONTINUED)

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150 CONTINUED:
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STEVE:

A decision was taken not to go the

fastest way, via A roads.

LINDSAY:

That’s correct.

ROYAL:

DI Denton was following DS Akers’

instructions.

STEVE:

Akers’ chose the route?

Lindsay hesitates. Tense, awkward beats.

LINDSAY:

Yes.

Big pregnant moment. Lindsay trembles as she takes a drink.

STEVE:

This back route, it would lead to

4th Street Station, but only if

you’d continued along Crown Avenue.

The vehicles turned left into Long

Lane.

LINDSAY:

(Beat.)

Yes.

HASTINGS:

You didn’t question the decision?

LINDSAY:

No.

STEVE:

You had a radio, didn’t you?

LINDSAY:

Yes.

HASTINGS:

So why didn’t you question the

decision?

ROYAL:

Can we back up please and remind

ourselves DI Denton’s being

interviewed as a witness?

(CONTINUED)

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150 CONTINUED:
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HASTINGS:

Absolutely.

Hastings and Steve leave a big pregnant silence for Lindsay

to fill -- rope to hang herself by.

LINDSAY:

The decision appeared to make sense

at the time. There were roadworks

on Crown Avenue, with temporary

traffic signals controlling a

single lane. It was a potential

hold-up that would’ve left us

vulnerable.

STEVE:

There were no road works on Crown

Avenue that night. Works had been

completed the day before.

LINDSAY:

I wasn’t aware.

HASTINGS:

You didn’t make a point of

obtaining up-to-date travel

information?

Awkward beats. Lindsay squirms.

LINDSAY:

No.

STEVE:

You said Akers chose the route, but

you seem very familiar with the

arguments. You were the ranking

officer.

HASTINGS:

The route was discussed between you

and Akers. That’s more likely,

isn’t it?

STEVE:

(Off Lindsay’s

hesitation.)

Not more likely?

ROYAL:

I think we should stop there.

(CONTINUED)

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150 CONTINUED:
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HASTINGS:

DI Denton, are you withdrawing your

cooperation?

This is the point at which the whole tone of the interview

has changed. Georgia exchanges dismayed looks with Steve and

Hastings -- she wasn’t expecting this.

HASTINGS:

DI Denton?

LINDSAY:

No, of course I’ll cooperate.

STEVE:

Your vehicle was the only one that

wasn’t shot at.

LINDSAY:

They didn’t need to. They knocked

my car off the road. I took cover

inside till they fled the scene.

HASTINGS:

You were in fear of your life.

GEORGIA:

Understandably.

STEVE:

According to the pathologist’s

report, Wallis and Butler died

almost instantly from gunshot

wounds. But Akers and her witness

were alive ...

LINDSAY:

The witness managed to put out the

flames, but Akers -

(Beat of emotion.)

-- she couldn’t -- I threw my coat

over her.

GEORGIA:

Well done, ma’am.

HASTINGS:

You got them out of the car?

LINDSAY:

No.

HASTINGS:

No?

(CONTINUED)

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LINDSAY:

They came out themselves. They were

already burning.

Traumatised by the recollection, Lindsay takes a few beats.

She has a sip of water. Royal rubs her arm supportively.

GEORGIA:

It must’ve been a horrible sight.

LINDSAY:

It was.

Hastings and Steve give Lindsay a moment to compose herself.

HASTINGS:

Everyone appreciates you’ve been

through a terrible experience, but

we have a job to do. What we’re

trying to work out here, DI Denton,

is how those gunmen knew where you

were that night.

LINDSAY:

I wish I could help you, sir.

HASTINGS:

You understand the possibility

we’re investigating here, DI

Denton, is that there was

information leakage.

LINDSAY:

I understand, sir.

HASTINGS:

Information leakage happens two

ways. Deliberately -

STEVE:

Officer corruption -- they’re in

with the criminals.

HASTINGS:

Or accidentally -

STEVE:

Officer incompetence -- they fail

to communicate securely.

(CONTINUED)

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ROYAL:

This interview has to stop. If DI

Denton is under suspicion, you need

to serve her with a Regulation 15

Notice.

HASTINGS:

This is information gathering.

We’re a long way from serving

anyone a Reg 15.

STEVE:

Under AC-12’s blanket authority to

vet any officer connected with an

ongoing investigation, we carried

out background financial checks on

DI Denton.

ROYAL:

I’ve requested that you stop.

Steve picks up another file and slides copies round the

table, while Hastings says the next line.

HASTINGS:

Our strongest supposition is that

criminal interests assassinated the

witness to prevent him testifying.

Those interests would pay a pretty

penny for an inside man, or woman.

Any officer in the kind of

financial mess you’re in, DI

Denton, is honour bound to declare

it, on account of vulnerability to

bribery.

STEVE:

You’re in debt up to your eyeballs.

ROYAL:

Stop the tape. We’re finished here.

Lindsay reels (this is an emotionally difficult subject) but

then gathers herself.

LINDSAY:

My mother had to go into a nursing

home. The council wouldn’t pay. We

sold her house but it still wasn’t

enough. I sold mine, but there was

negative equity.

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