she managed was a slight nod in return.
Naylor waved as they drove by and then swivelled in his seat to face her. ‘Come on, Kate. You know it makes sense. We can run both incidents from the same MIR. I have no problem with that.
All the other rooms are busy anyway and the one downstairs is still in the throes of redecoration. We need some demarcation, obviously, but we can handle that.’
‘You’re the boss.’ Her tone was chilly.
She drove past the bowling alley and the West End nick. Naylor was about to say something more but his voice was drowned out as an ambulance passed them travelling in the opposite direction, its
lights and siren engaged. She watched it disappear through her rear-view mirror, noticing that it was the very same vehicle that had taken poor Bridget away from the scene of the RTA. The siren
faded to nothing as the ambulance cleared the traffic lights and turned left into the General Hospital heading for Accident and Emergency.
‘Kate?’
‘Sorry?’
‘I asked you about the arson?’ he said pointedly. ‘We any further forward?’
‘Maybe . . . fire investigators found a small fragment of yellow rubber glove caught on a nail in the kitchen cupboard at Maggie Reid’s house, the area least affected by the blaze.
It’s identical to the one the search team recovered from a bin a few streets away. I’m waiting for a match report from Forensics. It’s too early to tell if it was an inside job or
not. Can’t see it myself. Maggie Reid is too badly traumatized and I don’t think she’s faking it. Hank would have you believe otherwise. He’s convinced she lied about where
she was and who she was with at the time the fire started.’
‘You talk to her alibi yet? The woman she claims she was with.’
Daniels shook her head. ‘Stella Drew is keeping a low profile. I have people out looking for her.’ She glanced at Naylor. ‘It bothers me that Maggie was the one who called the
Fire Brigade, of course it does, especially in light of the party going on across the road. She claims she had better things to do, but that in itself was unusual.’
‘How so?’
‘A neighbour three doors down told the house-to-house team it was unheard of for Maggie to miss out on a big do, let alone a full-blown street party. She’s the life and soul
apparently, into karaoke, footie too, I believe, both of which were on offer that night.’
At a zebra crossing, two Asian women in traditional dress hurried across in front of the car. Their saris looked colourful and cool on such a baking hot day. Daniels watched them safely to the
other side and then set off again. She took a sharp left, narrowly missing a scrawny kid who’d rushed out into the road after a ball. When she tooted her horn to let him know she was there,
he pulled up sharply, dropping his head as they drove by.
‘You watching the footie tonight?’ she asked.
‘Why don’t you join me? I could rustle up a few beers at my place.’
‘Think I’ll pass. I’m going to work late.’
He didn’t take offence, just suggested they must do something together soon. Daniels suddenly felt guilty. She’d not seen much of him socially since he’d moved to Newcastle.
He’d bought a house near Heddon-on-the-Wall, a dilapidated farm cottage he planned to upgrade, and had recently invited the whole squad to christen it in the adjoining barn, a celebration
she’d missed.
‘I’m sorry, Ron.’
‘For what?’
‘Want a list? And don’t tell me you didn’t notice me getting arsy about your involvement either. You’re right, obviously . . .’ She grinned, covering her
embarrassment. ‘I’ve not been much help to you since you moved here, even turned down your invitation to your house-warming party. I’m sorry.’
‘You should’ve come. It was a good do.’
‘Never known you to throw a bad one.’
They had reached the crime scene. She parked the car a little way up Ralph Street and they sat for a while discussing the
Naylor waved as they drove by and then swivelled in his seat to face her. ‘Come on, Kate. You know it makes sense. We can run both incidents from the same MIR. I have no problem with that.
All the other rooms are busy anyway and the one downstairs is still in the throes of redecoration. We need some demarcation, obviously, but we can handle that.’
‘You’re the boss.’ Her tone was chilly.
She drove past the bowling alley and the West End nick. Naylor was about to say something more but his voice was drowned out as an ambulance passed them travelling in the opposite direction, its
lights and siren engaged. She watched it disappear through her rear-view mirror, noticing that it was the very same vehicle that had taken poor Bridget away from the scene of the RTA. The siren
faded to nothing as the ambulance cleared the traffic lights and turned left into the General Hospital heading for Accident and Emergency.
‘Kate?’
‘Sorry?’
‘I asked you about the arson?’ he said pointedly. ‘We any further forward?’
‘Maybe . . . fire investigators found a small fragment of yellow rubber glove caught on a nail in the kitchen cupboard at Maggie Reid’s house, the area least affected by the blaze.
It’s identical to the one the search team recovered from a bin a few streets away. I’m waiting for a match report from Forensics. It’s too early to tell if it was an inside job or
not. Can’t see it myself. Maggie Reid is too badly traumatized and I don’t think she’s faking it. Hank would have you believe otherwise. He’s convinced she lied about where
she was and who she was with at the time the fire started.’
‘You talk to her alibi yet? The woman she claims she was with.’
Daniels shook her head. ‘Stella Drew is keeping a low profile. I have people out looking for her.’ She glanced at Naylor. ‘It bothers me that Maggie was the one who called the
Fire Brigade, of course it does, especially in light of the party going on across the road. She claims she had better things to do, but that in itself was unusual.’
‘How so?’
‘A neighbour three doors down told the house-to-house team it was unheard of for Maggie to miss out on a big do, let alone a full-blown street party. She’s the life and soul
apparently, into karaoke, footie too, I believe, both of which were on offer that night.’
At a zebra crossing, two Asian women in traditional dress hurried across in front of the car. Their saris looked colourful and cool on such a baking hot day. Daniels watched them safely to the
other side and then set off again. She took a sharp left, narrowly missing a scrawny kid who’d rushed out into the road after a ball. When she tooted her horn to let him know she was there,
he pulled up sharply, dropping his head as they drove by.
‘You watching the footie tonight?’ she asked.
‘Why don’t you join me? I could rustle up a few beers at my place.’
‘Think I’ll pass. I’m going to work late.’
He didn’t take offence, just suggested they must do something together soon. Daniels suddenly felt guilty. She’d not seen much of him socially since he’d moved to Newcastle.
He’d bought a house near Heddon-on-the-Wall, a dilapidated farm cottage he planned to upgrade, and had recently invited the whole squad to christen it in the adjoining barn, a celebration
she’d missed.
‘I’m sorry, Ron.’
‘For what?’
‘Want a list? And don’t tell me you didn’t notice me getting arsy about your involvement either. You’re right, obviously . . .’ She grinned, covering her
embarrassment. ‘I’ve not been much help to you since you moved here, even turned down your invitation to your house-warming party. I’m sorry.’
‘You should’ve come. It was a good do.’
‘Never known you to throw a bad one.’
They had reached the crime scene. She parked the car a little way up Ralph Street and they sat for a while discussing the
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