doesn’t take much to rock the boat again.”
“What do you know about what happened inside the club before the fire?” Will asked.
“Nothing yet, there’s a wall of silence around it.” The chief shook his head. “We had a few eyewitness statements taken outside the club but when we re-interviewed them, their memories were blank.”
“It sounds like a few phone calls have been made,” Alec smiled.
“It does, unfortunately.”
The three officers went quiet for a moment. It seemed that both cases were dead in the water until the scientists finished their tests. “If you want to get off for a few hours, I’ll let you know when the results come in, guv,” Will said. He was aware that his boss should be at home. The forensic team would be finished soon and it looked like the severed hand was from their victim. The pace of the investigation would accelerate when the results came in. If he was going to go home, he needed to go now.
“Well, I’m going to take you up on that offer and go home to face the music.” Alec looked at his watch. It would be hours before any forensics came in and his teams were out looking at the missing persons who matched the age of their victim. He had time to build some bridges at home.
“Is Gail still cracking the whip, Alec?” the chief laughed.
“Don’t they always,” Alec tried to make light of his domestic situation, but he knew he was in the doghouse. He stood up and walked to the door. “Call me as soon as anything comes in.”
“Good luck, guv,” Will laughed and waved. He turned to the chief. “See you later, sir. I’m going to go to the hotel lodge and take a look around the room if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” the chief replied and jokingly saluted. “I am more than happy to leave our mystery hand with you!”
Alec took the stairs down to the car park. He couldn’t be doing with making small talk in the elevator. The signal in the car park was poor so he dialled Gail’s number on his way down the stairs, but it rang once and then clicked to answer phone. She had ‘busy buttoned’ his call again. Gail knew it annoyed him when she did that. Alec was stuck between his workload and his responsibilities as a husband. He didn’t have a job where things could wait. Evidence disappeared if it wasn’t gathered immediately, and criminals disappeared faster still. Over the years Gail had always been supportive, but recently she had become distant and cold. Alec wished he had a time machine or a stunt double, but deep inside he knew his marriage was in crisis. The sad thing was that his investigation took priority. They always did.
Chapter Eleven
Louise Parker
Paula James turned off the engine and checked her appearance in the mirror. She tied her blonde hair up in a tight bun and clipped it to the back of her head with a black crocodile clip.
“I need to get my roots done on my next day off,” she moaned as she touched the widening dark parting on the top of her head.
“Book me in, will you, Paula?” Her partner laughed. “When did you last go?”
“I made detective two years ago and I haven’t been to the hairdressers since,” she pulled a face in the mirror. “I’ve done it with Tesco home kits since!” They laughed.
“It’s so hard to find the time.”
“This is a life style, not a career, but it is what I want to do.” When her friends were out enjoying themselves, Paula was usually busy chasing bad guys. Some of them had stopped ringing her altogether. She had had to sacrifice a lot to be a detective. Her relationships rarely lasted more than a few weeks, as she couldn’t commit enough of her time to keep her boyfriends interested.
“Nice house,” Sharon Gould commented. Sharon held the same rank as Paula. “Let’s get this over with.”
“What did the Governor say about the ring?” Paula wanted to clarify the latest information they had.
“There was a small gold sovereign on the index finger.”
“Well that
“What do you know about what happened inside the club before the fire?” Will asked.
“Nothing yet, there’s a wall of silence around it.” The chief shook his head. “We had a few eyewitness statements taken outside the club but when we re-interviewed them, their memories were blank.”
“It sounds like a few phone calls have been made,” Alec smiled.
“It does, unfortunately.”
The three officers went quiet for a moment. It seemed that both cases were dead in the water until the scientists finished their tests. “If you want to get off for a few hours, I’ll let you know when the results come in, guv,” Will said. He was aware that his boss should be at home. The forensic team would be finished soon and it looked like the severed hand was from their victim. The pace of the investigation would accelerate when the results came in. If he was going to go home, he needed to go now.
“Well, I’m going to take you up on that offer and go home to face the music.” Alec looked at his watch. It would be hours before any forensics came in and his teams were out looking at the missing persons who matched the age of their victim. He had time to build some bridges at home.
“Is Gail still cracking the whip, Alec?” the chief laughed.
“Don’t they always,” Alec tried to make light of his domestic situation, but he knew he was in the doghouse. He stood up and walked to the door. “Call me as soon as anything comes in.”
“Good luck, guv,” Will laughed and waved. He turned to the chief. “See you later, sir. I’m going to go to the hotel lodge and take a look around the room if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” the chief replied and jokingly saluted. “I am more than happy to leave our mystery hand with you!”
Alec took the stairs down to the car park. He couldn’t be doing with making small talk in the elevator. The signal in the car park was poor so he dialled Gail’s number on his way down the stairs, but it rang once and then clicked to answer phone. She had ‘busy buttoned’ his call again. Gail knew it annoyed him when she did that. Alec was stuck between his workload and his responsibilities as a husband. He didn’t have a job where things could wait. Evidence disappeared if it wasn’t gathered immediately, and criminals disappeared faster still. Over the years Gail had always been supportive, but recently she had become distant and cold. Alec wished he had a time machine or a stunt double, but deep inside he knew his marriage was in crisis. The sad thing was that his investigation took priority. They always did.
Chapter Eleven
Louise Parker
Paula James turned off the engine and checked her appearance in the mirror. She tied her blonde hair up in a tight bun and clipped it to the back of her head with a black crocodile clip.
“I need to get my roots done on my next day off,” she moaned as she touched the widening dark parting on the top of her head.
“Book me in, will you, Paula?” Her partner laughed. “When did you last go?”
“I made detective two years ago and I haven’t been to the hairdressers since,” she pulled a face in the mirror. “I’ve done it with Tesco home kits since!” They laughed.
“It’s so hard to find the time.”
“This is a life style, not a career, but it is what I want to do.” When her friends were out enjoying themselves, Paula was usually busy chasing bad guys. Some of them had stopped ringing her altogether. She had had to sacrifice a lot to be a detective. Her relationships rarely lasted more than a few weeks, as she couldn’t commit enough of her time to keep her boyfriends interested.
“Nice house,” Sharon Gould commented. Sharon held the same rank as Paula. “Let’s get this over with.”
“What did the Governor say about the ring?” Paula wanted to clarify the latest information they had.
“There was a small gold sovereign on the index finger.”
“Well that
Similar Books
