The Dark Web Murders

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Monday, 20th August. Evening 

Stewart was cooking dinner. A simple dish of brown beef stew was simmering in a pot on the hob. It was something Tom liked to eat with mashed potatoes, carrots, and HP sauce. From the tension revealed by her body language, and the way she was throwing cutlery on to the table, it was obvious that there was more than brown stew simmering in that kitchen.She looked up sharply when she heard Allen's key in the door, and her lips tightened. 

Allen shouted from the front door, "I'm home." Then he appeared at the kitchen door and said with a smile, "Hi!" 

She glared at him, refusing to respond to his greeting. 

Allen's smile faded. "What?" he said, uncertainly. 

"What?" she snapped. "What do you mean, what?" 

"What's buggin' you?" 

"I'll tell you what's buggin' me. You trying to disgrace me in front of the team today, that's what's buggin' me." 

"Disgrace you?" 

"Yes. And you think the chief didn't notice? He had to butt in and cut you off, for God's sake. The embarrassment of it!" 

Allen was still a few steps behind. With a puzzled frown, he said, "Where does the embarrassment come in?" 

"You started telling me off for doing my job. The chief was very pleased with what I'd done and what I'd found. But you? 'Big risk', you shouted." She threw a couple of napkins on the table as if somehow they had mortally offended her. "I'm a fully trained detective sergeant. I can do my job without somebody trying to make it look that I'm a silly little woman running myself into trouble." 

Allen looked contrite. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking about it like that. I was just concerned." 

"Do you get concerned when the chief or any of the others on the team go out and do their jobs?" 

"I said I'm sorry. I was worried about you." 

"Worry? What about respect? Do you think I'm not capable of doing my job? Do you think I'm too stupid to find my way around the Dark Web without getting caught? Do you think you have to dive to my rescue at the slightest wee thing?" 

"Okay," Allen said, his tone reasonable, not allowing her anger to affect him. "Let me ask you a question. Do you think if I was in trouble that Geoff wouldn't be diving straight in to help me? Or if Geoff was in trouble, d'you think I wouldn't rush to help him? It's called having your partner's back." 

"That's different. You don't belittle each other doing that." 

"I wasn't trying to belittle you." 

"You made it very clear that you thought I was too fragile or something.You were almost telling me not to take risks like that again. Is it the fact that I'm a woman, or do you just think I can't handle the job?" 

Allen eyed her for a minute. "No, I don't think that," he said. "I think you are the most intelligent, most creative, most intuitive, most tech savvy,most well-trained, most courageous ... uh ... most beautiful cop in the PSNI.I don't doubt your skills even for a minute." 

Stewart stared at him, suddenly off-guard. 

Allen's face was expressionless. "And if your life is in danger any time in the future, I'll just go into a wee nearby shop, buy a packet of fags, and smoke in the car until you've got yourself sorted out." 

She turned to serve some stew into a dish on the table. "Not funny,"she said, but she was hiding a smile. 

He stepped up behind her, put his arms around her and snuggled the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way you think I did. I heard what everybody was saying about the Dark Web and I was just suddenly terrified that somebody awful would latch on to you from its depths and I wouldn't be able to help." 

She resisted for a few minutes. Then she turned and put her arms around him, but her expression remained serious. "I'm a fully-fledged member of the team, Tom. I do what you do. Don't say things in front of the guys that make me look inferior." 

"I really am sorry," he repeated. "It won't happen again. I promise."He kissed her on the nose. "Are we good?" 

She grinned, despite herself, and punched Allen hard on the arm. "If my life ever is in danger, you better not be smoking in a parked car somewhere."