Page 112 of Little Children

‘Photos,’ Bryant called out.

His boss frowned at the urgency. They already knew he’d taken inappropriate pictures at crime scenes.

Bryant could tell when Red reached the photo in question by the disgust that formed on his face.

The guv leaned over and frowned immediately. She already knew what was coming. They’d both seen the actual crime scene photos at the morgue earlier, when Wade had been comparing photos of Jasmine and the earlier victim.

‘The first victim’s hair is dry,’ Bryant explained.

Red frowned. ‘But it was raining when I arrived at the scene.’

‘The crime scene photos show her with wet hair too,’ Bryant said.

Red’s mouth fell open as he realised the significance. The photo on Roy’s phone had been taken long before the body had been discovered.

Red turned to face his former colleague as sirens sounded in the distance.

‘Roy Moss, I am arresting you for the murder…’

Bryant tuned out as he expelled a breath that he felt he’d been holding since Monday.

The guv stepped towards him. She helped him to his feet, but his left leg buckled, so she placed his left arm around her shoulders and supported his weight.

‘Come on, buddy – lean on me,’ she said, and for once he did as he was told.

Seventy-Three

It was almost five when Bryant re-entered the squad room at Blackpool police station.

Due to the severity of the charges against DS Roy Moss, he’d been transported directly to Preston station. Red had gone along for the handover process, and the chief’s door was tightly closed as she took direction from her superiors.

Red’s team had gathered in their own squad room, and Red had assured them a full explanation on his return. Kim had been tempted to answer their questioning glances, but it was Red’s team and his responsibility to ensure their welfare after he gave them the details. She suspected it would come as more of a shock to some than others. They knew that Jasmine’s ex-boyfriend had been released without charge, and that Roy had been placed under arrest. Red was already on his way back to help them connect the dots.

‘All right, Bryant, stop milking it now,’ she said, glancing down at his left leg, which seemed to have suffered more than the rest of him.

He’d refused to go to hospital and had instead gone downstairs to make a full statement, after Stacey had worked wonders on his face with wet kitchen towel and a first aid kit.

In the meantime, Stacey had been busy preparing a written handover statement to leave behind for Red.

‘Finished,’ she said, glancing over at the printer in the squad room.

‘Thank God,’ Bryant said as Red walked in the door.

Red looked like a man who had aged twenty years in one afternoon. For once, he wasn’t looking quite as sharp as he had when his shift started.

‘Reckon we should leave them to it?’ Bryant asked, making no secret of the fact he wanted to be on the road as soon as possible. She didn’t really blame him.

‘One sec,’ Penn said, holding up his hand. It was the first time he’d spoken since they’d got back.

Bryant plonked himself down in the chair as Stacey started to gather her belongings.

Kim watched as Red removed his jacket and motioned for his team to come in closer. What he had to share about their colleague was going to be hard to hear. Whether they liked the man or not, their team would never look the same, and they would all have to be prepared for closer scrutiny. Red wouldn’t be the only person being asked some difficult questions.

‘Boss, listen, I think I’ve got something,’ Penn said excitedly.

She nodded for him to continue, ignoring the look of despair that crossed Bryant’s features.

‘I’ve been trawling cockfighting pages on the dark web all afternoon, looking for something that stands out, something that’s different to the other sites.’