relative or a friend who could come and help you out, just whilst your husband is still in the hospital, perhaps?’
‘My mum has been dropping in,’ Tanisha said faintly, looking now as if she might be sick.
‘I think your mother should take the children for a few hours and give you a proper break. We could arrange for a WPC to come round and check on you?’ Andy suggested.
‘Do you often drink alcohol this early in the day, Mrs Batra?’ Dani demanded.
Andy shot his superior officer a puzzled look.
Tanisha became angry again. ‘What is this? My husband may not live because he confronted a burglar in our house and now you’re trying to imply that I am an unfit mother!’ She suddenly jumped up, pushing the little girl towards Andy. Tanisha rushed out into the hallway, where they heard her retching violently into the toilet bowl. Dani observed Tanisha’s daughter closely, as she stood calmly beside Andy, holding his hand. In that moment, the Detective Chief Inspector was quite certain that this was a scenario the child was perfectly used to.
‘If you don’t mind me asking, Ma’am – what was that all about?’ Andy swung their hire-car onto the driveway of the hotel.
‘Tanisha Batra is an alcoholic,’ Dani said levelly.
‘We can’t be certain of that, surely?’
‘The little girl wasn’t at all shocked or frightened by her mum’s behaviour. She was entirely used to it.’
‘I’ll get onto social services and see if there’s a file on the Batras.’ Andy sighed heavily. ‘The woman might just be struggling to deal with what’s happened to her husband. Perhaps we should cut her some slack. It’s bloody hard looking after young kids, especially on your own.’ Andy turned to face Bevan, who refused to meet his eye.
‘The baby is only six months old, Andy. It isn’t our job to ‘cut her some slack’. It’s our duty to look after the kids.’ Dani climbed out of the passenger seat and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Andy sitting behind the wheel, thinking that he’d never seen his boss react quite so strongly to an interview before.
Chapter Nineteen
D etective Inspector Long showed Bevan and Calder into an open plan office area on one of the upper floors of New Scotland Yard.
‘Social Services don’t yet have a file on the Batra family, but they’re sending out a social worker today to do an assessment,’ Long informed them, gesturing towards a coffee machine in the corner of the room, indicating they should help themselves. ‘We were already onto the problem, DCI Bevan, even before you mentioned it. One of the officers who took Mrs Batra’s original statement could smell alcohol on the woman’s breath. This was at 9.15am.’
Dani nodded. ‘Have you got an up-to-date list of what was taken from the house?’
Long eased onto a swivel chair and opened a file on his desk. Dani and Andy took the seats in front of him, waiting patiently for the information they needed.
‘It appeared that Batra’s attacker took some jewellery; a gold necklace and a couple of bracelets, a smartphone and purse which had been lying on the kitchen table and a small digital camera. Obviously, Mrs Batra is not the most reliable of witnesses. We were depending upon her to notice what was missing.’
‘And that was worth battering a man nearly to death for?’ Andy added with feeling.
‘You know as well as I do, that some folk would stab you for a bag of sweets,’ Long responded soberly.
‘Were the smartphone and
‘My mum has been dropping in,’ Tanisha said faintly, looking now as if she might be sick.
‘I think your mother should take the children for a few hours and give you a proper break. We could arrange for a WPC to come round and check on you?’ Andy suggested.
‘Do you often drink alcohol this early in the day, Mrs Batra?’ Dani demanded.
Andy shot his superior officer a puzzled look.
Tanisha became angry again. ‘What is this? My husband may not live because he confronted a burglar in our house and now you’re trying to imply that I am an unfit mother!’ She suddenly jumped up, pushing the little girl towards Andy. Tanisha rushed out into the hallway, where they heard her retching violently into the toilet bowl. Dani observed Tanisha’s daughter closely, as she stood calmly beside Andy, holding his hand. In that moment, the Detective Chief Inspector was quite certain that this was a scenario the child was perfectly used to.
‘If you don’t mind me asking, Ma’am – what was that all about?’ Andy swung their hire-car onto the driveway of the hotel.
‘Tanisha Batra is an alcoholic,’ Dani said levelly.
‘We can’t be certain of that, surely?’
‘The little girl wasn’t at all shocked or frightened by her mum’s behaviour. She was entirely used to it.’
‘I’ll get onto social services and see if there’s a file on the Batras.’ Andy sighed heavily. ‘The woman might just be struggling to deal with what’s happened to her husband. Perhaps we should cut her some slack. It’s bloody hard looking after young kids, especially on your own.’ Andy turned to face Bevan, who refused to meet his eye.
‘The baby is only six months old, Andy. It isn’t our job to ‘cut her some slack’. It’s our duty to look after the kids.’ Dani climbed out of the passenger seat and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Andy sitting behind the wheel, thinking that he’d never seen his boss react quite so strongly to an interview before.
Chapter Nineteen
D etective Inspector Long showed Bevan and Calder into an open plan office area on one of the upper floors of New Scotland Yard.
‘Social Services don’t yet have a file on the Batra family, but they’re sending out a social worker today to do an assessment,’ Long informed them, gesturing towards a coffee machine in the corner of the room, indicating they should help themselves. ‘We were already onto the problem, DCI Bevan, even before you mentioned it. One of the officers who took Mrs Batra’s original statement could smell alcohol on the woman’s breath. This was at 9.15am.’
Dani nodded. ‘Have you got an up-to-date list of what was taken from the house?’
Long eased onto a swivel chair and opened a file on his desk. Dani and Andy took the seats in front of him, waiting patiently for the information they needed.
‘It appeared that Batra’s attacker took some jewellery; a gold necklace and a couple of bracelets, a smartphone and purse which had been lying on the kitchen table and a small digital camera. Obviously, Mrs Batra is not the most reliable of witnesses. We were depending upon her to notice what was missing.’
‘And that was worth battering a man nearly to death for?’ Andy added with feeling.
‘You know as well as I do, that some folk would stab you for a bag of sweets,’ Long responded soberly.
‘Were the smartphone and
Similar Books
