Page 15 of Her Last Breath

DS Johnson didn’t reply, instead taking a sharp left that made her lurch forward.

‘Burnley isn’t really Burnley anymore, is it? I left such a long time ago and in my head this place stayed the same, people hadn’t moved on. Not sure why I thought time would stand still up here.’

He snorted, before manoeuvring them over more speed bumps.

‘Don’t get me wrong,’ she said. ‘The street I grew up on, that looks unchanged on the outside, but the people are all different. Hardly any of the folks I grew up with are still there. I saw a Starbucks and had to do a double take. Starbucks in Burnley? And then I was like, well why shouldn’t there be?’

‘We got a Marks & Spencer as well if you ever fancy proper, civilised food,’ he replied dryly.

They drove past rows of tightly packed terraced houses, Jane noticing as they changed from well-kept homes to properties that were boarded-up, cars without wheels on blocks parked outside, steel bars on the windows.

‘Some things don’t change.’ Jane said.

‘Don’t be so quick to write these places off as being without hope, that’s unfair. See that street there?’

Jane looked to where DS Johnson was indicating as he slowed the car down for her.

‘That’s where little Daisy Price was shot.’

The blank look on Jane’s face showed that didn’t mean anything to her.

‘Five-year-old girl, got caught in the crossfire between drug gangs. Really shook the community up.’

Jane wondered why this wasn’t national news. She was also aware this was DS Johnson bringing home that these streets were familiar to him, whereas she was an outsider.

‘I was first on the scene,’ he continued. ‘It was absolute chaos. I could tell straight away the kid was in a bad way, so I didn’t think, just held her little body in my arms, hoping she’d make it. You can’t imagine what it was like, feeling her fade away.’

The emotion was thick in his voice, so she let the silence sit between them for a few seconds to absorb it.

‘Did they ever find who was responsible?’ she asked.

‘Absolutely. Her death made people think, see things differently. We solved that case within days, because the locals who live here came forward. They couldn’t stand our lot before that. I’ll never forget Daisy’s mother. Her life was ruined, so much grief, but she stood there in front of everyone, told them that she had lost everything, that she wanted them to stop killing each other.’

‘Brave woman.’

‘Killer got life. Mrs Price is a campaigner now. She cleaned up this part of town. So don’t tell me nothing changes. We did that, the people who stayed. We made a difference.’

‘That must have been tough.’

‘That’s the job I’m paid to do.’

Jane tried not to let her frustration leak into her voice. ‘We’re on the same side, Dave.’

‘No, we aren’t. Do you know how hard it was for me as a Black officer trying to make a name for myself? That’s something you’ll never understand. I had to make sure I was better than everyone else. I had to dress smarter, do extra hours, always be seen to be eager and do the shitty stuff no one else would touch.’

Jane began to understand why DS Johnson wanted the big, glamorous cases. He needed them in order to outshine the competition, ensure he was getting recognised for breaking up the drug gangs, the people trafficking operations.

‘I sucked it up, because I knew what this job meant to me. And when I thought I had given everything I had to give, they took away my DI role. They wouldn’t even let me act up into a secondment for a few months. Sorry to say it, ma’am, but it’s not the same for you and me.’

‘That’s where you’re wrong.’

Jane took a breath, she couldn’t let the anger she was feeling surface.

‘They don’t see my skin colour when I enter a room, but they always see that I’m a woman, hear that I’m from the North. I can’t hide my working-class roots when I interact with people. So it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for me. I had to do exactly the same as you. The extra hours, the lacklustre jobs, having to prove myself with every single case. I saw how my male counterparts got away with making mistakes, but if I ever messed up, it was always an official telling-off. I sacrificed everything for my career.’

‘And they rewarded you for it.’

‘It’s about opportunity. I was a DI because the Met needed more of us. I didn’t let that go to waste though; I made sure I built a solid reputation for myself.’