I’d head over there and check things out. But I’ve no jurisdiction in Scotland.’
The words hung in the air for a few moments.
‘You want me to send a squad car round to check she’s alright?’
Sam shook his head steadily, finally starting to appear pissed off. ‘ No , I want the both of us to go round there and check she’s alright. Her brother was murdered less than a week ago. I think I’ve got a duty to make sure that the woman is safe.’
Dani disappeared into the bedroom, returning moments later having pulled on a pair of jeans instead of her jogging pants. ‘I think you’re over reacting, but it won’t hurt to take a look.’
Sam threw his arms in the air. ‘Well, thank you Ma’am.’
*
‘What’s Vicki’s personal history?’ Dani asked, as she drove them towards the west side of the city.
‘According to her Wiki page, she was married to a fellow musician called Guy Kendrick for fifteen years. They divorced in 2010. There was no mention of anyone else,’ Sam replied.
Dani swept her little car into an attractive terrace, where a neat row of Georgian homes formed a crescent ahead of them. The detectives got out and approached one of the grand front doors.
‘This is the one,’ Sam commented, pressing hard on the bell.
Dani tried to peer through the ground floor window but the shutters were closed. The place was in darkness.
‘No response,’ Sam called over.
‘Is there a back entrance to this terrace?’ Dani thought out loud.
‘Let’s go see,’ Sam responded.
‘Hang on,’ Dani added, swiftly pulling out her warrant card. ‘This is a nice area and Vicki is a sensible middle aged woman who lives alone.’ The DCI stepped over a low wall and hammered the next-door-neighbour’s knocker.
An elderly man opened up a crack, with chains still attached at top and bottom.
Dani held her identity card up close to him. ‘My name is DCI Bevan from the Police Scotland Serious Crime Division. We’ve not been able to get hold of Ms Kendrick at number 25 this evening. Have you seen her at all?’
‘I believe that my wife has.’ The man’s face disappeared, rapidly replaced by the suspicious eyes of an equally elderly lady.
‘Vicki came home at around 4pm. We parked up at the same time. She said there was an important recital this evening. You’ll find her at the Concert Hall in town.’
‘She never turned up,’ Dani replied gravely.
The eyes flickered to and fro. ‘That’s very unlike her. Vicki is the consummate professional.’ The face disappeared once again, to be replaced by a bony hand, shoved through the gap between the door and the frame, with a Yale key gripped in its long fingers. ‘You’d better have this Detective Inspector. Vicki may have been taken ill.’
Dani nodded her gratitude and took the key.
Sam stepped out of the shadows to join her. ‘How very British. At least it wasn’t sitting under a flower pot.’
‘Oh, people do that too, don’t you worry. It would have been the next place I’d have looked.’
Dani fitted the key into the lock and pushed her way inside. The hallway was wide and in total darkness.
‘Ms Kendrick!’ Sam called out. ‘It’s Sergeant Sharpe and DCI Bevan. We’ve come to check you’re okay!’
There was no response.
Dani
The words hung in the air for a few moments.
‘You want me to send a squad car round to check she’s alright?’
Sam shook his head steadily, finally starting to appear pissed off. ‘ No , I want the both of us to go round there and check she’s alright. Her brother was murdered less than a week ago. I think I’ve got a duty to make sure that the woman is safe.’
Dani disappeared into the bedroom, returning moments later having pulled on a pair of jeans instead of her jogging pants. ‘I think you’re over reacting, but it won’t hurt to take a look.’
Sam threw his arms in the air. ‘Well, thank you Ma’am.’
*
‘What’s Vicki’s personal history?’ Dani asked, as she drove them towards the west side of the city.
‘According to her Wiki page, she was married to a fellow musician called Guy Kendrick for fifteen years. They divorced in 2010. There was no mention of anyone else,’ Sam replied.
Dani swept her little car into an attractive terrace, where a neat row of Georgian homes formed a crescent ahead of them. The detectives got out and approached one of the grand front doors.
‘This is the one,’ Sam commented, pressing hard on the bell.
Dani tried to peer through the ground floor window but the shutters were closed. The place was in darkness.
‘No response,’ Sam called over.
‘Is there a back entrance to this terrace?’ Dani thought out loud.
‘Let’s go see,’ Sam responded.
‘Hang on,’ Dani added, swiftly pulling out her warrant card. ‘This is a nice area and Vicki is a sensible middle aged woman who lives alone.’ The DCI stepped over a low wall and hammered the next-door-neighbour’s knocker.
An elderly man opened up a crack, with chains still attached at top and bottom.
Dani held her identity card up close to him. ‘My name is DCI Bevan from the Police Scotland Serious Crime Division. We’ve not been able to get hold of Ms Kendrick at number 25 this evening. Have you seen her at all?’
‘I believe that my wife has.’ The man’s face disappeared, rapidly replaced by the suspicious eyes of an equally elderly lady.
‘Vicki came home at around 4pm. We parked up at the same time. She said there was an important recital this evening. You’ll find her at the Concert Hall in town.’
‘She never turned up,’ Dani replied gravely.
The eyes flickered to and fro. ‘That’s very unlike her. Vicki is the consummate professional.’ The face disappeared once again, to be replaced by a bony hand, shoved through the gap between the door and the frame, with a Yale key gripped in its long fingers. ‘You’d better have this Detective Inspector. Vicki may have been taken ill.’
Dani nodded her gratitude and took the key.
Sam stepped out of the shadows to join her. ‘How very British. At least it wasn’t sitting under a flower pot.’
‘Oh, people do that too, don’t you worry. It would have been the next place I’d have looked.’
Dani fitted the key into the lock and pushed her way inside. The hallway was wide and in total darkness.
‘Ms Kendrick!’ Sam called out. ‘It’s Sergeant Sharpe and DCI Bevan. We’ve come to check you’re okay!’
There was no response.
Dani
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