Page 10 of The Scene of the Crime

Returning to the office, she checked her phone. She’d missed two calls from Diane and a text message asking if she’d heard anything. She texted her back, saying not yet and she was in case meetings for the rest of the day but would let her know the result as soon as she got it. She wasn’t surprised she hadn’t heard anything from Taff. Compared to the two of them, he could be remarkably patient.

Jessica returned home to get changed for her meeting with Commander Williams. She tied her hair back and chose wideleg trousers paired with a button-up shirt, jacket and pointed flat shoes, wanting to look smart, but not as if she was attending another interview. David wasn’t back from work, so she texted that she had been selected for the team leader job and was going to Scotland Yard for a meeting. David quickly replied:Congratulations! Proud of you!She was proud of him too, she thought, the way he’d turned his life around. But now she had this important new role, she was definitely going to have to mention the marijuana.

Jessica booked herself in at the Yard and went to Williams’s personal assistant’s office. Jordan congratulated her and said he needed to take a digital photo to produce an identity card allowing her access to Scotland Yard, all Metropolitan Police stations, and the laboratory at Lambeth, where she would be based.

‘Can I offer a suggestion?’ he said. ‘Untie your hair, fluff it out and let it hang naturally. You’ll look a bit less severe in your ID photo.’

She was taken aback at first, then realised he was right. ‘There’s something I’d like to ask you too, but you might notwant to answer it,’ Jessica said as he got the digital camera set up.

‘I won’t know until you ask, so go ahead,’ he said as he printed off the photo to put in a card laminator.

‘Was my selection a unanimous verdict by the interviewing panel?’

He paused before replying. ‘Two to one . . . but I didn’t tell you that.’

‘And would I be right in saying DCI Anderson was the “no”?’

He nodded. ‘But I wouldn’t let it worry you. His opinions don’t carry much weight with Commander Williams. As a former Kent officer, she knows many Met detectives think of county officers as country bumpkins, but she’s proved them wrong . . . as will you.’ Jordan finished making the identity card and put it in a small folding leather wallet with a metal Metropolitan Police crest. He handed it to Jessica, along with a plastic holder on a lanyard.

‘There is quite a bit of paperwork I need you to sign for your transfer, but I’ll email you a link to a secure Met website with a passcode where you can do it all online. Is there anything else you want to ask me?’

‘Not that I can think of right now, and thanks for all your help and advice.’

‘My pleasure. I’ll let Commander Williams know you’re here.’

Walking down the corridor, Jessica couldn’t believe how quickly things had changed since her interview two days ago. She felt she was starting a new and challenging life. She proudly looked at her identity card and again thought Jordan was right to suggest she untied her hair, not trying to hide it away.

‘I am absolutely thrilled to have been accepted for the position. I won’t let you down, ma’am,’ she said as Williams welcomed her into her office and ushered her into an armchair.

‘I know you won’t,’ Williams said, sitting down on the sofa. ‘However, your crime scene and forensic knowledge wasn’t the only reason we selected you. You have the skills to perform a dual leader and behavioural analyst role. It will mean more responsibility and pressure on your workload, but I’m confident you can do it . . . if you are willing to.’

Jessica was surprised but quickly regained her composure. ‘I’m not a qualified BIA, but I understand their methodology and investigative techniques, some of which I frequently use in my crime scene analysis. So, yes, I’d be happy to perform a dual role.’

‘Excellent. Undoubtedly some senior investigators will see it as cutting corners, and I won’t hide the fact it will save money. However, your combined knowledge of psychology, forensics and hands-on crime scene investigation are invaluable skills that behavioural advisers don’t have and will enable you to prove any doubters wrong. I also think a behavioural analysis course would be beneficial to you . . . if you want to attend one.’

‘I’d be happy to,’ Jessica replied.

‘There is a slight catch,’ Williams smiled.

‘And what would that be?’

‘It’s a ten-to twelve-week residential course at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Would that affect your decision?’

Jessica was almost speechless. ‘Oh my God, that’s the most prestigious course of its kind. I’d be honoured to go on it. Would it be before I start on MSCAN?’

‘No, it will probably be in a few months or early next year if I can get you on it.’

Jessica was relieved it wasn’t imminent as she was keen to start in her new role.

Williams continued. ‘The Commissioner has approved it, and I’ve been in touch with Special Agent Anna Travis, a lecturer onthe course, who will make enquiries and see if you can do the course. You may have heard of her.’

Jessica nodded enthusiastically. ‘Yes, I have. She was a DCI in the Met and lectured at a Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences conference I attended some years ago. She was a very impressive speaker.’

‘And a formidable investigator. I got to know her well on a joint Kent and Met serial killer investigation. She married an American FBI Agent, moved there, got her green card and was selected for the Behavioural Analysis Unit. You have many of her qualities.’

‘I’ll do my best to prove you right, ma’am,’ Jessica said, taken aback by the compliment.

‘Right, so when can you start?’ Williams asked.