Page 224 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

This early in my CID career, I had yet to cultivate a Sahbut of my own, so I was
naturally excited to have one apparently drop in my lap in the middle of
what was so far, a quiet set of nights. A vague message was left for me that
a bloke called Joe Mason had left a message saying he’d be back in touch
with some information that would be of interest. However, no contact
information was provided.

My Detective Sergeant (DS) was finishing his 2-10 shift as I was booking on for
the night shift. “Sarge,” I started “Do you know anything about this Sahbut
Joe Mason? I’ve been left a message that he will be in touch with some
cracking information, only I don’t know how to contact him.” “Lucky lad” He
said “Joe Mason is a brilliant Sahbut, he produced some excellent stuff for
your predecessor. He’s a bit mysterious, no-one can pin him down, but when
he does surface, he’s golden. Be patient he’ll be well worth the wait.”

This only fuelled my excitement and impatience and I found myself hoping
every telephone call would be from Joe.

I was to be kept on tender-hooks for another 24 hours. The next night, I was
handed a message from the controller “Meet Joe Mason at the junction of
Chester Road and Orphanage Road at 10:30 tonight, don’t be late.” As this
was on my sub-division, Erdington, I thought I knew as much as I needed to
know about the junction, so “Great, no sweat”. Or so I thought.

So keen was I to make Joe’s acquaintance, I got to the junction at 10:15 and
parked myself on a bench waiting for my Sahbut. The only annoyance was a
couple of marked police cars floating past and I swore I heard peels of
laughter as they drove past me. “Piss off” I thought, no Sahbut will come near
with uniforms in the area.

10:30 came and went, passing patrol cars seemed oblivious to my desire for a
secret liaison and I started to get irritable and suspicious. I stood up and
wandered onto the grassed area on the traffic island at the junction. There is
an ornate stone statue of an old geezer who must have been a local
dignitary, on a plinth in the middle of the island. I’d always been curious
about it but never sufficiently to find out who he was.
As I drew closer the name on the plinth hit me like a ton of bricks ……

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