encourage her by letting her show the rest of the team her strengths.
She looked nervous, shifted her glasses. ‘Well, sir, it occurs to me that if we follow the line of reasoning that these could be revenge killings, then we need to go back over some old crimes. Perhaps something might bob up in London or Lincolnshire, or there may be some similarities with the paint, type of injuries, use of the drugs, stabbings . . .’
Jack had hoped someone would suggest this crucial and tedious legwork, yet none of the senior people had and it should have been one of their first thoughts. He imagined it was because none of them wanted to do that kind of work, which troubled him. He noticed Kate’s not very well concealed scowl at the young detective. He made her expression darken further when he said, ‘Excellent, DS Jones. Why don’t you take that on, run some comparisons through the database?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Sarah said crisply.
When he had first drawn up his list of people to be involved in Operation Danube Jack had wondered whether these two women would hit it off. Althoughthey were both ambitious, they were opposing poles. Kate had the looks and personality to command attention, while Sarah had neither but made up for it with a shrewd mind. He realised his instincts had been right but couldn’t fret on it now.
‘So, you all know what you’re doing,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you at our new home on the twelfth floor for a debriefing tomorrow morning. Happy hunting, all.’
5
It was one of those freezing, drizzly, depressing days. Kate grabbed her scarf, gloves and leather jacket and hurried down to the car park.
Don’t run, she told herself, as she hit the bowels of the building. Be cool . She could see Hawksworth now, beside a Vauxhall Zafira, talking to another man. Jack spotted her and gave a wave before turning back to finish his animated conversation.
Oh, this is very dangerous , she thought. Kate had worked with Jack Hawksworth twice before, the most recent occasion being three years ago, and had found her mind clouded with irrational, often ridiculous, daydreams that at times threatened her ability to function lucidly. It was a state of mind she hated and she’d sworn never to allow it to occur again, not at work anyway, and certainly not with a colleague.
Kate didn’t believe in love at first sight — she didn’t even believe in lust at first sight — and yet she was ashamed to admit that during that March of 2000, whenever Hawksworth stood near her, her hands went clammy. Eye contact with him had been hard because she was convinced he was able to read her mind withthat penetrating gaze of his that made whomever he was speaking with feel as though they were the only person that mattered. Everything about him, from his charming manner to his maddening aloofness, even his questionable taste in music, was a turn-on.
But that was three years ago and, when he’d called to ask if she’d join this special team, Kate had convinced herself that she had grown up. She was thirty-two now, after all, and engaged. She’d figured her previous infatuation was simply that. So why was she feeling so jittery now?
‘DI Kate Carter,’ Jack said with a smile, ‘this is DCI Geoff Benson. We’ve worked a couple of cases together.’
Kate looked at the enormous bear of a man who stood opposite her. She knew of him but they’d never met.
‘How are you, Kate?’ Geoff said, extending a colossal hand.
She shook it. ‘Fine, thank you. So, you guys go back a long way?’ They looked like Beauty and the Beast.
The men shared a conspiratorial grin. ‘Er, yes, I’m afraid so. Geoff ‘s been responsible for many an untidy weekend in our youth,’ Jack admitted.
‘We were probationers together,’ his friend explained.
‘Ah, Hendon,’ she said, her tone matching an all-knowing expression. She wasn’t really sure what was coming out of her mouth, distracted by the way Jack was looking at her with that soft smile.
She looked nervous, shifted her glasses. ‘Well, sir, it occurs to me that if we follow the line of reasoning that these could be revenge killings, then we need to go back over some old crimes. Perhaps something might bob up in London or Lincolnshire, or there may be some similarities with the paint, type of injuries, use of the drugs, stabbings . . .’
Jack had hoped someone would suggest this crucial and tedious legwork, yet none of the senior people had and it should have been one of their first thoughts. He imagined it was because none of them wanted to do that kind of work, which troubled him. He noticed Kate’s not very well concealed scowl at the young detective. He made her expression darken further when he said, ‘Excellent, DS Jones. Why don’t you take that on, run some comparisons through the database?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Sarah said crisply.
When he had first drawn up his list of people to be involved in Operation Danube Jack had wondered whether these two women would hit it off. Althoughthey were both ambitious, they were opposing poles. Kate had the looks and personality to command attention, while Sarah had neither but made up for it with a shrewd mind. He realised his instincts had been right but couldn’t fret on it now.
‘So, you all know what you’re doing,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you at our new home on the twelfth floor for a debriefing tomorrow morning. Happy hunting, all.’
5
It was one of those freezing, drizzly, depressing days. Kate grabbed her scarf, gloves and leather jacket and hurried down to the car park.
Don’t run, she told herself, as she hit the bowels of the building. Be cool . She could see Hawksworth now, beside a Vauxhall Zafira, talking to another man. Jack spotted her and gave a wave before turning back to finish his animated conversation.
Oh, this is very dangerous , she thought. Kate had worked with Jack Hawksworth twice before, the most recent occasion being three years ago, and had found her mind clouded with irrational, often ridiculous, daydreams that at times threatened her ability to function lucidly. It was a state of mind she hated and she’d sworn never to allow it to occur again, not at work anyway, and certainly not with a colleague.
Kate didn’t believe in love at first sight — she didn’t even believe in lust at first sight — and yet she was ashamed to admit that during that March of 2000, whenever Hawksworth stood near her, her hands went clammy. Eye contact with him had been hard because she was convinced he was able to read her mind withthat penetrating gaze of his that made whomever he was speaking with feel as though they were the only person that mattered. Everything about him, from his charming manner to his maddening aloofness, even his questionable taste in music, was a turn-on.
But that was three years ago and, when he’d called to ask if she’d join this special team, Kate had convinced herself that she had grown up. She was thirty-two now, after all, and engaged. She’d figured her previous infatuation was simply that. So why was she feeling so jittery now?
‘DI Kate Carter,’ Jack said with a smile, ‘this is DCI Geoff Benson. We’ve worked a couple of cases together.’
Kate looked at the enormous bear of a man who stood opposite her. She knew of him but they’d never met.
‘How are you, Kate?’ Geoff said, extending a colossal hand.
She shook it. ‘Fine, thank you. So, you guys go back a long way?’ They looked like Beauty and the Beast.
The men shared a conspiratorial grin. ‘Er, yes, I’m afraid so. Geoff ‘s been responsible for many an untidy weekend in our youth,’ Jack admitted.
‘We were probationers together,’ his friend explained.
‘Ah, Hendon,’ she said, her tone matching an all-knowing expression. She wasn’t really sure what was coming out of her mouth, distracted by the way Jack was looking at her with that soft smile.
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