about Tom’s words for a moment.
She hated to criticize a colleague, even in the confines of a tatty police Skoda on a rainy Friday night with only Tom for company. Frequently tempers were raised on enquiries and within the
team. They’d sound off at each other, or behind each others’ backs, say their piece and move on. Each others’ integrity was never an issue, which meant that Sophia recognized when
she was speaking out of turn.
‘Well,’ she continued, ‘I know you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to say, but the reason I’m reluctant to get this off my chest is because it involves her
suitability to be on this enquiry.’
‘OK,’ said Tom after a minute, and waited for Sophia to say more.
‘You don’t think that she’d deliberately do anything to mess up the investigation, do you? Such as not feeding information back that could point towards a suspect? No one likes
a sex offender, probably not even other sex offenders, but we can’t live in a society that thinks it’s OK to kill them off without so much as a trial.’
‘Albert Woodville was a paedophile but you’re absolutely right. What if whoever killed him thinks they’ve got away with it? Who do they murder next? An innocent person maybe.
It means if you’ve any concerns about Gabrielle, you have to do something about it. I get that you don’t want to seem to bitch about her but you’re not saying that she
shouldn’t be on the department, are you? All you’re saying is that she shouldn’t be investigating the murder of Albie Woodville.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said after weighing up his words for a second or two. ‘Shall we get out of the car now? We’ve managed to steam up every window and the
rain’s easing off a bit.’
‘If you’re worried, at least talk to her.’
Tom twisted back round in his seat. With one hand on the door release, he said, ‘And let’s be honest, it’s all hands to the pump on this one, but there’s always another
murder around the corner that Gabrielle can get her teeth into. I worked on three different murders in as many days. I keep track of the jobs I work on. In the last two months, I’ve been on
two rapes, an attempted rape, three murders, a kidnap, a blackmail and Greenpeace taking over a power plant. Never a dull moment.’
Chapter 16
Following burgers and chips to line their stomachs, Leon Edwards and Toby Carvell made their way to a pub several streets away, each pausing to get money out from a different
cash point along the route.
Toby chose a bank he didn’t have an account with because it had a cash machine within its foyer. The foyer had a camera and he was keen to be on its footage.
‘Dilly,’ he said as he turned from taking his beer tokens from the slot in the wall, ‘the booze is on me tonight.’ He fanned the twenty-pound notes out and waved them at
his friend. ‘Give me a minute though; I need to ring the wife. It’ll save the moaning later.’
He took his phone from his jeans pocket and made a point of waving it in his hand at Leon. Toby had his reasons for using his mobile on camera. He wasn’t the brains of the outfit for
nothing.
Leon took his cue and waited in the street outside, pacing up and down as they had planned, well within the town centre’s CCTV capture.
He was joined a couple of minutes later by Toby, whose face showed only the signs of someone with no cares in the world, about to enjoy many libations with his best mate.
‘Where are we starting, Tobe?’ said Leon as they strolled along the High Street past its many pound and discount stores, charity shops and fast-food outlets.
‘I thought we’d try the Blue Bar to begin with.’
‘Bit wanky in there, isn’t it?’
‘Wanky but quiet this time of the night. We can sit at the bar and you can stare at that barmaid with the big tits.’
‘She thinks I’m creepy.’
‘You are creepy. You keep staring at her chest. Once she gets to know you, she’ll change her
She hated to criticize a colleague, even in the confines of a tatty police Skoda on a rainy Friday night with only Tom for company. Frequently tempers were raised on enquiries and within the
team. They’d sound off at each other, or behind each others’ backs, say their piece and move on. Each others’ integrity was never an issue, which meant that Sophia recognized when
she was speaking out of turn.
‘Well,’ she continued, ‘I know you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to say, but the reason I’m reluctant to get this off my chest is because it involves her
suitability to be on this enquiry.’
‘OK,’ said Tom after a minute, and waited for Sophia to say more.
‘You don’t think that she’d deliberately do anything to mess up the investigation, do you? Such as not feeding information back that could point towards a suspect? No one likes
a sex offender, probably not even other sex offenders, but we can’t live in a society that thinks it’s OK to kill them off without so much as a trial.’
‘Albert Woodville was a paedophile but you’re absolutely right. What if whoever killed him thinks they’ve got away with it? Who do they murder next? An innocent person maybe.
It means if you’ve any concerns about Gabrielle, you have to do something about it. I get that you don’t want to seem to bitch about her but you’re not saying that she
shouldn’t be on the department, are you? All you’re saying is that she shouldn’t be investigating the murder of Albie Woodville.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said after weighing up his words for a second or two. ‘Shall we get out of the car now? We’ve managed to steam up every window and the
rain’s easing off a bit.’
‘If you’re worried, at least talk to her.’
Tom twisted back round in his seat. With one hand on the door release, he said, ‘And let’s be honest, it’s all hands to the pump on this one, but there’s always another
murder around the corner that Gabrielle can get her teeth into. I worked on three different murders in as many days. I keep track of the jobs I work on. In the last two months, I’ve been on
two rapes, an attempted rape, three murders, a kidnap, a blackmail and Greenpeace taking over a power plant. Never a dull moment.’
Chapter 16
Following burgers and chips to line their stomachs, Leon Edwards and Toby Carvell made their way to a pub several streets away, each pausing to get money out from a different
cash point along the route.
Toby chose a bank he didn’t have an account with because it had a cash machine within its foyer. The foyer had a camera and he was keen to be on its footage.
‘Dilly,’ he said as he turned from taking his beer tokens from the slot in the wall, ‘the booze is on me tonight.’ He fanned the twenty-pound notes out and waved them at
his friend. ‘Give me a minute though; I need to ring the wife. It’ll save the moaning later.’
He took his phone from his jeans pocket and made a point of waving it in his hand at Leon. Toby had his reasons for using his mobile on camera. He wasn’t the brains of the outfit for
nothing.
Leon took his cue and waited in the street outside, pacing up and down as they had planned, well within the town centre’s CCTV capture.
He was joined a couple of minutes later by Toby, whose face showed only the signs of someone with no cares in the world, about to enjoy many libations with his best mate.
‘Where are we starting, Tobe?’ said Leon as they strolled along the High Street past its many pound and discount stores, charity shops and fast-food outlets.
‘I thought we’d try the Blue Bar to begin with.’
‘Bit wanky in there, isn’t it?’
‘Wanky but quiet this time of the night. We can sit at the bar and you can stare at that barmaid with the big tits.’
‘She thinks I’m creepy.’
‘You are creepy. You keep staring at her chest. Once she gets to know you, she’ll change her
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