exaggerated mock look of surprise. “Besides it’s my release. You know how tough our job can be. Look at last week, when we got called in to go after that armed burglar with the TDA. I came on shift at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, and finished at 1 p.m. Wednesday because we needed to get him caught, charged, off the streets and the file to CPS within twenty-four hours. I was shattered and it took me two days to get my body clock back in line.
Going to the gym helps my mind to relax. I must admit though, it’s a tough call. Sometimes even though I want to go to the gym, I also want to be at home with the kids. I don’t see them enough as it is, and I hate having to palm them off on friends and grandparents as it is.”
“Fair point,” said Scott shrugged.
“As much as I love the job, Guv, it does get me down sometimes. Routine goes out of the window, the hours are unpredictable and life can get lonely. Look at how many relationships fall apart in the force; it’s the same with all the emergency services.
Look at me, single mum, two kids I hardly see, no time for a relationship, and each month I go overdrawn on my cards. I’m hardly a good advert for the force.”
For a brief moment Scott was washed away with his darkest memories as he thought about his family. Even though Abby was talking about the daily struggle to balance life, Scott would have given anything to have that dilemma in his life right now.
Chapter 7
Having spent the rest of the previous afternoon going through the myriad of messages that had flooded in from the press release in the Argus and Brighton and Hove Independent, Scott had overseen the DC’s job of separating the wheat from the chaff.
There were a few calls from members of the public who thought they’d witnessed the incident. However, just as many seemed to call to air their gripes about crime in the town and what are the police doing about it.
As Scott knew, all the information gathered nevertheless had to be reviewed and either followed up or dismissed as inconsequential. Any leads at this stage could offer an insight that seemed to be evading Scott and the team.
As Raj and Sian sifted through the messages, Scott still needed to review the other eleven case files sitting in his in-tray that his team had submitted to him for a weekly review.
With ongoing cases that included two reported rapes, one attempted rape, a death from a suspicious house fire, a person falling from the multi-storey car park in Worthing, and numerous burglaries, his team was already stretched to breaking point.
A big case like murder meant that he would need to prioritise resources based on the likelihood of a successful conclusion and the severity of the cases. Supervising his officers, case file reviews and endless reporting to senior management meant that frustration, stress and the feeling of chasing your tail were all too common.
***
The team gathered at first light for an update on the top floor of the station. The briefing room was large enough to accommodate an oval table with sixteen chairs around it. There was a large whiteboard on one wall and a sixty-inch TV at one end of the room.
From this elevated position, there was a good view across the city centre on a clear day, but today, the clouds cast a heavy, grey and dull canopy low across the city leaving dampness in the air.
“Guys, I know you’re all tired, and you’ve been working flat out, so let’s get this briefing wrapped up and crack on. Sian, do you want to kick off first?”
Sian was still relatively new to her role and team. An officer for five years, a switch over to CID had always been her ambition. She was of average build, not thin or overweight, dressed conservatively opting for A-line skirts, Next blouses, and low heel court shoes, her dark brown hair always secured with a high ponytail. The look was finished off with black rimmed glasses.
Nevertheless, she had that look about her that said sexy secretary. A woman who
Going to the gym helps my mind to relax. I must admit though, it’s a tough call. Sometimes even though I want to go to the gym, I also want to be at home with the kids. I don’t see them enough as it is, and I hate having to palm them off on friends and grandparents as it is.”
“Fair point,” said Scott shrugged.
“As much as I love the job, Guv, it does get me down sometimes. Routine goes out of the window, the hours are unpredictable and life can get lonely. Look at how many relationships fall apart in the force; it’s the same with all the emergency services.
Look at me, single mum, two kids I hardly see, no time for a relationship, and each month I go overdrawn on my cards. I’m hardly a good advert for the force.”
For a brief moment Scott was washed away with his darkest memories as he thought about his family. Even though Abby was talking about the daily struggle to balance life, Scott would have given anything to have that dilemma in his life right now.
Chapter 7
Having spent the rest of the previous afternoon going through the myriad of messages that had flooded in from the press release in the Argus and Brighton and Hove Independent, Scott had overseen the DC’s job of separating the wheat from the chaff.
There were a few calls from members of the public who thought they’d witnessed the incident. However, just as many seemed to call to air their gripes about crime in the town and what are the police doing about it.
As Scott knew, all the information gathered nevertheless had to be reviewed and either followed up or dismissed as inconsequential. Any leads at this stage could offer an insight that seemed to be evading Scott and the team.
As Raj and Sian sifted through the messages, Scott still needed to review the other eleven case files sitting in his in-tray that his team had submitted to him for a weekly review.
With ongoing cases that included two reported rapes, one attempted rape, a death from a suspicious house fire, a person falling from the multi-storey car park in Worthing, and numerous burglaries, his team was already stretched to breaking point.
A big case like murder meant that he would need to prioritise resources based on the likelihood of a successful conclusion and the severity of the cases. Supervising his officers, case file reviews and endless reporting to senior management meant that frustration, stress and the feeling of chasing your tail were all too common.
***
The team gathered at first light for an update on the top floor of the station. The briefing room was large enough to accommodate an oval table with sixteen chairs around it. There was a large whiteboard on one wall and a sixty-inch TV at one end of the room.
From this elevated position, there was a good view across the city centre on a clear day, but today, the clouds cast a heavy, grey and dull canopy low across the city leaving dampness in the air.
“Guys, I know you’re all tired, and you’ve been working flat out, so let’s get this briefing wrapped up and crack on. Sian, do you want to kick off first?”
Sian was still relatively new to her role and team. An officer for five years, a switch over to CID had always been her ambition. She was of average build, not thin or overweight, dressed conservatively opting for A-line skirts, Next blouses, and low heel court shoes, her dark brown hair always secured with a high ponytail. The look was finished off with black rimmed glasses.
Nevertheless, she had that look about her that said sexy secretary. A woman who
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