with a side dish of mixed vegetables, and a cheese toastie for Matilda, not that she was hungry. She smiled her thanks then looked down at the limp brown sandwich and pushed the plate away.
‘Not hungry?’ Rory asked as he shovelled a laden forkful of minced beef and potato into his mouth.
‘Not really.’
‘I was thinking about Jonathan,’ he said between chewing. ‘Do you think he’s got that illness…?’
‘OCD?’ Matilda interrupted.
‘No, the one where they can’t make friends, what’s it called?’
‘Asperger’s Syndrome.’
‘That’s the one.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said with a frown.
It would certainly explain a lot. Maybe he did have some kind of mental health issue. It would hardly be surprising given his tragic past. She looked through Rory and out of the window into the distance. She hadn’t even thought about Christmas and the nightmare of gift buying, food shopping, and the organization that went with it. She supposed it wouldn’t be necessary this year. There was no husband to buy for, no elaborate Christmas meal to cook; it would just be her. It would be a complete waste of money buying a tree, a turkey, a pudding, and all the trimmings.
The thought of her mother popped into her head. How long would it be before the phone would ring and her mother’s throaty voice tried to placate her youngest daughter?
‘Matilda, sweetheart, it’s Christmas. You shouldn’t spend your first Christmas without James alone. Come and see me and your father. Your sister’s coming with her husband and she’s bringing the kids. We’re having a goose and your father’s made his famous pudding. You wouldn’t want to miss that would you?’
The thought of having to fake enjoyment among people she loved but didn’t really know was enough to lobby Parliament and ask for a ban on anything festive.
‘Or is it autism?’ Rory asked, a puzzled expression on his face and a blob of mashed potato on his chin.
‘What?’ Matilda asked, snapping out of her daydream.
‘Autism and Asperger’s; are they the same?’
‘I’ve no idea Rory. Look, I don’t think we should speculate too much on Jonathan’s mental health until we know more about him. Let’s not label him just yet. When you’ve finished that, and you’ve washed your face,’ she said, pointing to his chin, ‘I want us to go and have a word with Pat Campbell.’
‘Who’s she?’
‘She was the DS working on the original Harkness killings. I’d like her to have…’
Matilda stopped talking as her gaze picked up on a man selling copies of
The Star
at a small kiosk. The headline on one of the posters he was fighting to attach to the stand against the fierce breeze had caught her attention. Rory followed her line of sight and understood why she had gone so deathly pale.
‘Jesus Christ,’ he said, almost choking on his mouthful of shepherd’s pie.
‘COLD’ RETURN FOR DISGRACED DETECTIVE
By Jonas Hamilton
Shamed detective, Matilda Darke, is back on the case – nine months after her lack of judgement led to the botched rescue of missing Carl Meagan.
Detective Chief Inspector Darke, 41, is no longer fronting the prestigious Murder Investigation Team and has been reassigned to working on cold cases.
She was seen in Whirlow earlier today at the demolition of the five bedroom house in which Stefan and Miranda Harkness were murdered in 1994.
As we reported last week, the Harkness case is being reviewed as the flattening of the murder house has brought the case back into the headlines. According to an unnamed police source there is no new evidence to warrant the case being fully reopened.
DCI Darke looked a shadow of her former self as she chatted with material witness Jonathan Harkness, 31, at the scene.
When asked if the review was a publicity stunt and merely a project for DCI Darke to work on while the force decided what to do with her, Assistant Chief Constable Valerie Masterson said in a statement ‘We never use
‘Not hungry?’ Rory asked as he shovelled a laden forkful of minced beef and potato into his mouth.
‘Not really.’
‘I was thinking about Jonathan,’ he said between chewing. ‘Do you think he’s got that illness…?’
‘OCD?’ Matilda interrupted.
‘No, the one where they can’t make friends, what’s it called?’
‘Asperger’s Syndrome.’
‘That’s the one.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said with a frown.
It would certainly explain a lot. Maybe he did have some kind of mental health issue. It would hardly be surprising given his tragic past. She looked through Rory and out of the window into the distance. She hadn’t even thought about Christmas and the nightmare of gift buying, food shopping, and the organization that went with it. She supposed it wouldn’t be necessary this year. There was no husband to buy for, no elaborate Christmas meal to cook; it would just be her. It would be a complete waste of money buying a tree, a turkey, a pudding, and all the trimmings.
The thought of her mother popped into her head. How long would it be before the phone would ring and her mother’s throaty voice tried to placate her youngest daughter?
‘Matilda, sweetheart, it’s Christmas. You shouldn’t spend your first Christmas without James alone. Come and see me and your father. Your sister’s coming with her husband and she’s bringing the kids. We’re having a goose and your father’s made his famous pudding. You wouldn’t want to miss that would you?’
The thought of having to fake enjoyment among people she loved but didn’t really know was enough to lobby Parliament and ask for a ban on anything festive.
‘Or is it autism?’ Rory asked, a puzzled expression on his face and a blob of mashed potato on his chin.
‘What?’ Matilda asked, snapping out of her daydream.
‘Autism and Asperger’s; are they the same?’
‘I’ve no idea Rory. Look, I don’t think we should speculate too much on Jonathan’s mental health until we know more about him. Let’s not label him just yet. When you’ve finished that, and you’ve washed your face,’ she said, pointing to his chin, ‘I want us to go and have a word with Pat Campbell.’
‘Who’s she?’
‘She was the DS working on the original Harkness killings. I’d like her to have…’
Matilda stopped talking as her gaze picked up on a man selling copies of
The Star
at a small kiosk. The headline on one of the posters he was fighting to attach to the stand against the fierce breeze had caught her attention. Rory followed her line of sight and understood why she had gone so deathly pale.
‘Jesus Christ,’ he said, almost choking on his mouthful of shepherd’s pie.
‘COLD’ RETURN FOR DISGRACED DETECTIVE
By Jonas Hamilton
Shamed detective, Matilda Darke, is back on the case – nine months after her lack of judgement led to the botched rescue of missing Carl Meagan.
Detective Chief Inspector Darke, 41, is no longer fronting the prestigious Murder Investigation Team and has been reassigned to working on cold cases.
She was seen in Whirlow earlier today at the demolition of the five bedroom house in which Stefan and Miranda Harkness were murdered in 1994.
As we reported last week, the Harkness case is being reviewed as the flattening of the murder house has brought the case back into the headlines. According to an unnamed police source there is no new evidence to warrant the case being fully reopened.
DCI Darke looked a shadow of her former self as she chatted with material witness Jonathan Harkness, 31, at the scene.
When asked if the review was a publicity stunt and merely a project for DCI Darke to work on while the force decided what to do with her, Assistant Chief Constable Valerie Masterson said in a statement ‘We never use
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