planned to do this?’
‘I suppose we’ll never know,’ Conn said, the edge of his voice sharpening. ‘Is that it?’
‘I mentioned it to Julie, and she seemed . . . thrown by it.’
‘Thrown by it,’ he echoed.
‘It was just a feeling I had,’ she said, hating the words as she spoke them.
‘Just a feeling.’
‘Surely it’s worth following up on.’
Flanagan listened to the hiss in the earpiece, waiting.
Eventually, Conn said, ‘First of all, I’m not going to question a grieving young woman on the strength of a feeling. Second, I don’t much appreciate you sticking your nose into my case. I know they were friends of yours, but that’s no excuse.’
‘I’m sorry, I just thought—’
‘Next time, keep your thoughts to yourself. Goodbye.’
A distorted rattle and click in the earpiece as he hung up.
Flanagan returned the handset to the cradle and stared at it. Only a matter of time before the call came.
Less than half an hour passed before the phone rang.
Flanagan went to DSI Purdy’s office as soon as she was summoned. She could feel his rage from the doorway.
‘Sit down,’ he said through thin lips.
He made her wait while he typed an email. Long enough for her to know she was in trouble.
When he’d finished, Purdy said, ‘Four days back. Only four days. And already you’ve pissed off two fellow DCIs.’
‘I have that knack,’ Flanagan said, hoping levity might ease things. She was wrong.
‘DCI Thompson went straight to the ACC, said you were accusing him of negligence.’
‘I accused him of no such thing,’ Flanagan said. ‘I only asked if he’d explored every avenue with those witnesses.’
‘You’re lucky he didn’t call his Federation rep. Jesus, imagine the shit that’d be falling on our heads right now.’
‘I was hoping he’d give me some pointers on this mess he’s leaving behind.’
Purdy shook his head. ‘Bad idea. Thompson’s a lazy git, and a miserable shite too, he always has been. You might as well have asked that wall for help.’
‘All right,’ Flanagan said. ‘I’ll not trouble him again.’
‘Good. But that was only the first call I got from the ACC today.’
Flanagan braced herself.
‘Detective Chief Inspector Brian Conn,’ Purdy said. ‘Do you think he’s incompetent?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Do you think he’s lazy?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Do you think he’s a frigging idiot?’
‘No, sir.’
Purdy leaned forward. ‘Then why in the name of Christ did you walk onto his crime scene? Why did you call him up and tell him how to do his job?’
Flanagan took a breath as she chose her words. ‘You’re quite right, I should have approached it—’
‘You shouldn’t have approached anything,’ Purdy said, his voice rising. ‘You had no business getting involved in the first place.’
‘The victims were friends of mine.’
‘There was only one victim there, one victim and a suicide. And it doesn’t matter two shites if they were friends of yours or not. You didn’t just walk into this job yesterday. You know better than to barge into someone else’s case like that. And you sure as hell don’t go throwing around those kinds of accusations while you’re at it.’
Flanagan met Purdy’s hard stare. ‘I didn’t make any accusations. I just asked DCI Conn if he might consider questioning Julie Walker. But I acknowledge that I let my personal feelings get the better of me. I apologise. I will call DCI Conn in the morning and apologise to him too. And the ACC, if you think it’s necessary.’
Purdy sat back in his chair, his expression softening. ‘Okay, you do that.’
‘But . . .’
Purdy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. ‘But what?’
‘But I strongly recommend that DCI Conn question Julie Walker and her boyfriend, look for any inconsistencies in their stories.’
‘That’ll be DCI Conn’s choice, and no such suggestion will come from you. Understood?’
‘But it doesn’t add up,’ Flanagan
‘I suppose we’ll never know,’ Conn said, the edge of his voice sharpening. ‘Is that it?’
‘I mentioned it to Julie, and she seemed . . . thrown by it.’
‘Thrown by it,’ he echoed.
‘It was just a feeling I had,’ she said, hating the words as she spoke them.
‘Just a feeling.’
‘Surely it’s worth following up on.’
Flanagan listened to the hiss in the earpiece, waiting.
Eventually, Conn said, ‘First of all, I’m not going to question a grieving young woman on the strength of a feeling. Second, I don’t much appreciate you sticking your nose into my case. I know they were friends of yours, but that’s no excuse.’
‘I’m sorry, I just thought—’
‘Next time, keep your thoughts to yourself. Goodbye.’
A distorted rattle and click in the earpiece as he hung up.
Flanagan returned the handset to the cradle and stared at it. Only a matter of time before the call came.
Less than half an hour passed before the phone rang.
Flanagan went to DSI Purdy’s office as soon as she was summoned. She could feel his rage from the doorway.
‘Sit down,’ he said through thin lips.
He made her wait while he typed an email. Long enough for her to know she was in trouble.
When he’d finished, Purdy said, ‘Four days back. Only four days. And already you’ve pissed off two fellow DCIs.’
‘I have that knack,’ Flanagan said, hoping levity might ease things. She was wrong.
‘DCI Thompson went straight to the ACC, said you were accusing him of negligence.’
‘I accused him of no such thing,’ Flanagan said. ‘I only asked if he’d explored every avenue with those witnesses.’
‘You’re lucky he didn’t call his Federation rep. Jesus, imagine the shit that’d be falling on our heads right now.’
‘I was hoping he’d give me some pointers on this mess he’s leaving behind.’
Purdy shook his head. ‘Bad idea. Thompson’s a lazy git, and a miserable shite too, he always has been. You might as well have asked that wall for help.’
‘All right,’ Flanagan said. ‘I’ll not trouble him again.’
‘Good. But that was only the first call I got from the ACC today.’
Flanagan braced herself.
‘Detective Chief Inspector Brian Conn,’ Purdy said. ‘Do you think he’s incompetent?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Do you think he’s lazy?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Do you think he’s a frigging idiot?’
‘No, sir.’
Purdy leaned forward. ‘Then why in the name of Christ did you walk onto his crime scene? Why did you call him up and tell him how to do his job?’
Flanagan took a breath as she chose her words. ‘You’re quite right, I should have approached it—’
‘You shouldn’t have approached anything,’ Purdy said, his voice rising. ‘You had no business getting involved in the first place.’
‘The victims were friends of mine.’
‘There was only one victim there, one victim and a suicide. And it doesn’t matter two shites if they were friends of yours or not. You didn’t just walk into this job yesterday. You know better than to barge into someone else’s case like that. And you sure as hell don’t go throwing around those kinds of accusations while you’re at it.’
Flanagan met Purdy’s hard stare. ‘I didn’t make any accusations. I just asked DCI Conn if he might consider questioning Julie Walker. But I acknowledge that I let my personal feelings get the better of me. I apologise. I will call DCI Conn in the morning and apologise to him too. And the ACC, if you think it’s necessary.’
Purdy sat back in his chair, his expression softening. ‘Okay, you do that.’
‘But . . .’
Purdy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. ‘But what?’
‘But I strongly recommend that DCI Conn question Julie Walker and her boyfriend, look for any inconsistencies in their stories.’
‘That’ll be DCI Conn’s choice, and no such suggestion will come from you. Understood?’
‘But it doesn’t add up,’ Flanagan
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