#a fic where Will finds pictures of Diane from the 70's

[forensicated]

A Stiffy (*snigger*) recap for the sextet of Conviction episodes. Sadly no longer Smiffina related as Rachel (boo!) is Inspector for now but still useful for fic background further down the line as they really are quite Callum/Smithy heavy and it feeds a lot of their story.

Conviction aired between the 1st to the 16th July 2009. Gina left October 2nd 2008 so we are 9 months on from An Honour To Serve Part 2. A quick scan back through the wiki episode guides tells us that in the last few months, Smithy mentored Mel a little bit during her first NYE attached to the MET that had her brother down from 'Oop North' to get caught up in a crime, Smithy and Leanne Samuels (Witness 1-8 and others before that) got back in touch during a case that involved a single mother and her sister who happened to attend a community hub that Leanne runs. He learnt Brooke is thriving and that Leanne had met someone and was getting married. Callum got close to another victim of domestic abuse who trusted him enough to tell him about criminal matters her husband was involved with (A cash in transit job). The case was further complicated when Max trampled over it. During Nate's Extra Special School Season, Smithy was stabbed by a school boy during an arrest and his lung collapsed but luckily all was OK in the end. Diane returned for one night before she transferred to another station as a Sgt. She and Smithy ended up undercover in a club with uniform to catch the dealer of mis-identified drugs and Arun, Beth, and Sam all left.

Conviction - Part 1 - Cover Up (1/6)

Ben and Sally find a burglar still on the premises, unfortunately he runs into the allotments behind the houses and Sally loses him. Callum and Roger arrive to give support.

Smithy is called to a disturbance outside the E1 club/pub. He breaks up a fight and threatens a bloke peeing in public with arrest, only to find an assault victim next to him. He asks the rather unhelpful group watching who heard or saw anything - noone helps out!

Sally speaks to their informant, she's in her 70's and can't see very well so can't give a description other than 'male'. The owner returns rather worse the wear and doesn't seem too surprised to see the police. He claims nothing appears to be missing other than an expensive watch. Callum points out the man has a rip in his trousers and some cuts and bruises on his hand. He asks if it was a good night, and the man says he fell over after one too many. Callum just nods and tells him CID will be in touch with a crime reference number in the morning when asked about making an insurance claim.

The assault victim, Andrew Brennan, has 100 pounds and his own bank cards. It doesn't seem like a mugging. Stevie tactfully explains what happened to the mans wife when she calls. Evie rushes to the hospital and explains that her husband told her he was going to speak to someone 'about work' - he's an odd job man/painter decorator. She doesn't know who he met or who might want to hurt him. Roger finds an expensive watch engraved with OR - Oliver Robinson - the owner of the burgled home that Callum was dealing with - at the scene. Brennan could be the burglar.

In the morning, Callum and Ben head to the Brewery where Robinson works to ask if he knows Brennan. Robinson asks if he's the person who took it and Callum explains the man is still unconscious. Robinson claims not to recognise him and says he's had no work done on the house recently. He seems evasive and excuses himself for a meeting, telling them he doesn't want to take it further as he's gotten the watch back - even if the police are holding into it for the time being as evidence. Ben and Callum are in agreement - he's lying. He definitely recognised Brennan from the picture.

Smithy and Stevie return to the E1 bar where Brennan had been drinking the night before. Pete, the head barman gets them a copy of the CCTV whilst Smithy asks a woman at a table if she'd been in the night before. She says she doesn't work there and is just waiting for her boyfriend. As they leave, Jason Devlin, the manager appears and introduces himself and says he recognises Brennan and that he was with another man who was wearing a suit and they appeared to be having a 'heavy discussion'. Watching the CCTV back, Roger recognises Oliver Robinson as the man meeting Brennan.

Callum wonders if the watch was even stolen in the first place, it's possible that the 'heated discussion' turned violent outside and that the watch fell off in the fight. He wonders if Robinson faked the burglary given that - despite his inebriated condition - one of his first questions was about insurance. Noone has come forward to admit to seeing Brennan in the alley, however one witness did describe a man in a suit getting into the back of a gold coloured car at approx 9.20pm. There's no CCTV on the required street so Rachel tasks Sally and Roger with trawling through the CCTV of the surrounding area.

Rachel tasks Smithy and Stevie with returning to the hospital to speak to Brennan's wife to see if she knows if he'd worked on Robinson's house or to at least give them access to his paperwork for them to check. Things get a whole lot murkier when Evie tells them that Robinson is Andy's real surname. Brennan is his mum's maiden name that he took after he was released from a young offenders institute because he was finding it hard to get work. Stevie asks if Oliver Robinson could be a family member and his wife shakes her head. "I doubt it. His family are dead."

Smithy looks him up and finds that Brennan has convictions dated in the 1980's for drugs, theft and arson. Oliver Robinson is listed as his brother. Difficult to explain why he lied to Callum about not knowing or recognising the picture of his brother! He tells Callum that he didn't want to get him in trouble for taking his watch. Callum tells him that it's bigger than the supposed theft of his watch and that they're suspicious he infact attacked Brennan himself. Robinson insists he didn't and says that Brennan has gotten himself caught up in something that he wants nothing to do with. He's apparently hassling Robinson for money but won't tell him what it's for.

Brennan insists he doesn't know who hurt him, he was out for a few drinks after work, left the bar approximately 10 past 9 and was attacked and left laying down so didn't see who did it. Smithy asks if he left the bar with his brother. Evie is confused and asks if it's a joke and Stevie clarifies that it's the man who they spoke about earlier. She is horrified Brennan never told her about him, even if he hadn't seen him in years. She refuses to leave the room and wants to know what's going on. Smithy tells them that Robinson is being questioned and that he's told them Brennan wanted to borrow money. Brennan insists that it's money owed to him and that his brother owes him and gave him the watch. "You think it's my brother who beat me up?"

Robinson tells Callum he hadn't seen his brother since the late 80's and they were never close but he gave him 'some money' because he's his brother. Callum says that doesn't make sense. Robinson says he only met him the night before to tell him he'd give him no more before they went their separate ways. He says he left E1 before his brother and stopped for a kebab before he walked home. Callum asks what Brennan did. "Obviously he went round to my house and stole the watch, didn't he!?" "I don't know. I'm asking you."

Brennan tells Evie he's always been straight with her but doesn't say why his brother owes him several thousands of pounds. Evie storms out, followed by Stevie. Evie tells Stevie that her husband is a good man, there'll be a reason why he's lied and that they're trying for a baby but the 'trying' is proving difficult as nothing seems to be happening and they've just finished a second round of IVF.

Rachel asks Callum if it's feasible for Brennan to have gotten to his brothers and back in the time suggested. It's possible but doesn't make sense as he lives the other side of Canley so why return to the club? Robinson's kebab stop is confirmed by the CCTV from the shop and there's no way he could have returned in time to assault Brennan. Rachel suggests that if his brother didn't assault him then he definitely knows something given the fact he's lied so consistently. FIU look into Brennan's accounts and find he's paid a private fertility clinic for tests. Stevie and Smithy return to the hospital to talk to him about it but he's done an illadvised runner after getting dressed.

Evie is as confused as the officers for why her husband has left and tells them she has his keys so he can't have gone home. They ask if she has any idea where he might have gone, especially as he still thinks his brother was the one who attacked him and that he's in the frame for stealing the watch. Smithy and Stevie arrive to double check on Robinson and they find Brennan collapsing at the brewery.

Sally spots a gold Volvo on CCTV and they go to speak to the owner. He's cagey as he has been mini-cabbing without a licence but Callum just says they'll 'assume for now he's in the process of getting one'. He admits being in the area and that he picked up a man in a suit the night before. His voice sounded familiar to the driver who thinks he's spoken to him previously but can't say where or how. Callum suggests to Ben that he's a 'regular' of the drivers which could potentially lead to him being a member of staff. They take him in and run him through an ID parade of staff members from the CCTV and he identifies the owner, Devlin.

Rachel suggests that they concentrate their efforts on Devlin as the man who attacked Brennan. She shows them CCTV of Brennan and Devlin talking over the bar which seemed innocent. She suggests they have history but Devlin said he'd never met Brennan before in his life - though he would if he'd gone on to attack him. Smithy and Callum can't agree who should go speak to Devlin so Rachel says they can both go and sends Ben with them to 'keep them in line'.

At the E1 the Sgt's meet Matthew Devlin, Jason's father who asks if it's something serious. Devlin appears down the stairs with his girlfriend. He insists he was at the club all night doing the books in the back - as he'd said earlier - and that he didn't leave at 9.20pm. His father says he can vouch for him and Devlin adds that the barman, Pete and his girlfriend can too. Devlin Senior suggests they have the wrong man. "Who did you say the cab driver was?" Devlin asks. "... I didn't." Callum replies. The suit he wore is at the dry cleaners and his girlfriend covers that she spilt a drink over him approx 9pm in the smoking area - an area covered by CCTV. Callum asks for a copy and they spot Brennan talking to Devlin's girlfriend but no Devlin until they hug and the girl kisses Brennan's cheek - and Devlin appears from a doorway at 8.40pm.

Stevie tells them that she has done some digging on the earlier convictions of Brennan. Two separate witnesses spotted two boys at the scene of the arson. The officers investigating thought that it might be Oliver but their parents gave him an alibi. Oliver was older so perhaps the parents thought he'd get a rougher deal being 18 with two drug possession charges so Andrew took the rap alone and that perhaps that is why Oliver has been giving his brother money. Callum wants to nail Oliver on top of the assault but faking the burglary would only get a caution. All three say they should speak to Brennan and offer to listen should he want to clear the air.

Brennan says that he talked to the girl, Abbie, for the first time that night and that she was really nice and sweet and that the hug and kiss on the cheek meant nothing and that 'even the tall guy behind the bar was joking about it.' He says that he warned him off and to keep his hands to himself and that Brennan laughed and said she was out of his league. Stevie asks why she hugged him. Brennan explains he'd told Abbie he was about to be a dad - she asks if that was because his brother was going to pay for him to get private treatment. "You know about that?" he asks and Stevie nods and says she reckons she knows why. Brennan clams up and tells Stevie she doesn't know what she's talking about and that he served the time and will stick to his original statement if she starts digging.

Smithy suggests that Devlin is really dangerous if he can kick a man half to death for a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek. The level of violence he used is far too much for a first offence and so Devlin should be someone they know about. Rachel gives permission to bring him in for an interview.

Devlin claims he doesn't remember the conversation with Brennan and that Abbie is a very pretty girl so he's used to people hitting on her but he trusts her implicitly so has no worries. He claims the angry expression on his face is 'his thinking face' and laughs off any inference that he was the one who attacked Brennan. He claims he doesn't know which dry cleaners his suit is at because Abbie deals with it all and she has lost the ticket and mocks them for having only the word of an illegal cabby for evidence. The Sgt's are aware Abbie won't inform on her boyfriend and Smithy suggests getting forensics to go over the taxi and see if they can get some DNA. Unfortunately before they can get to the car, Sally is called to an arson attack on the cab drivers car and everyone claims they saw nothing. "If someone's trying to intimidate you-" Callum starts saying to the driver who responds. "It's worked." and he withdraws his statement. Callum tells him that with his help Devlin will go down for a long time. "Where is he now?" he asks with Callum telling him he's at the station. "Exactly..." he says, gesturing to his burning car. Callum threatens to nick him for illegal minicabbing and he tells him to arrest him and that he'd rather be sent down than have his family at risk.

Abbie can't help with the dry cleaners name and so Smithy and Callum turn to go with a warning they're going to search Devlin's house for 'the ticket' but there might be a clean up job required after. Abbie suggests there is a place on Gasson Street that they might have used. Pete is clearly listening in and then asks the men if he has been charged when Abbie goes to answer a call. He tells them that Devlin has a temper but is very wary of the CCTV camera watching them and insists he can't help them any further.

Smithy hits a dead end with the Gasson St Dry Cleaners and is not happy to have to bail Devlin because of the lack of evidence. Callum is pissed off at having to give Robinson his watch back whilst he only gets a slap on the wrist for faking a burglary. Neither are very happy boys!

Stevie and Callum tell Robinson they know exactly what happened. Robinson reluctantly hands the watch back and tells them to give it to Brennan. At the hospital Evie tells them they don't want the watch and that all she wants is their life back. She thinks that the watch would be blood money and taint whatever it bought. Brennan gives them the watch back.

Ben spots at fire engine approaching them and tells Roger that he used to beg his dad to follow them so he could see them in action. Roger chuckles and humours him and turns the car to follow the engine. "Don't say I don't treat you nice!" In the meantime Smithy is tracked down by Callum who tells him the E1 bar is on fire and both men hurry to the scene. Callum suggests Devlin has upset someone further up the food chain. "Nothing like a bit of poetic justice, hey?"

[wordspillingrose]

Requested fic

I know it took me an eternity, but here you go @includeangieinthesequel 😊

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20613500