Page 13 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Well, that’s better than nothing, and for Christ’s sake take it easy . . . no cycling and maybe go sick from work.’

‘I’m off this weekend, so I’ll see how I feel on Monday.’

‘Then spend the weekend in bed and let your back heal.’

He tried to stand upright and saluted. ‘Yes, ma’am!’

She shook her head and laughed. ‘Now get to bed and get some rest.’

‘Any chance of a hot chocolate? Might help me sleep.’

‘God knows what you’d do without me,’ she said, flicking the kettle on. He shuffled off with a smile. When she had made his drink, she tapped on the door and went into his bedroom. She placed the big mug on his bedside table, turned to go back to the kitchen, then hesitated. ‘I don’t want you to get pissed off with me, but occasionally I can smell that you’ve been smoking weed. It’s just that if I can detect it, you never know if someone else can.’

He folded his arms. ‘I’ve not done it for a bloody long time.’

‘I’m sure you haven’t, but it’s just a sort of warning, I need you to look out for me, even more so in my new position. It could get me into big trouble.’

‘Shit, you’re right, and I’m sorry, but I don’t have any and there’s no way I’ll score any more, you have my word.’

‘Thank you.’

He reached for his hot chocolate. ‘Did you sugar it?’

‘I most certainly did. Good night.’

* * *

Jessica spent the weekend taking care of David, insisting he stay in bed. He wasn’t happy about it, saying he wanted to go on a ride with his Petts Wood Cycling Club friends. But she told him she’d locked the garage doors and hidden the key, so it was pointless trying to escape. She had also done a quick sweep to double-check he had been telling the truth and had only found an old roach under a bench. On Sunday, he said his back felt much better and that he would go to work the following morning. Jessica had noticed his occasional wince of pain and once again tried to persuade him to go sick, but he kept saying he was fine. She knew arguing with him would be pointless but warned him that he’d only have himself to blame if his back flared up again.

* * *

On Monday morning, Jessica went to her office at the Kent police headquarters. She completed and signed all the online documents for her transfer on the following Monday, and then, having finished her paperwork and case files, spoke briefly with the director of forensics. He said she could spend the rest of the week at the Met lab setting up her new office, and he would call her if needed. He also reminded her he’d organised a leaving drink after work at the local pub on Friday.

Jessica then called Commander Williams to inform her that she could officially join the Metropolitan Police next Monday. The Commander was delighted and asked Jess if she and herteam would like to be on call over the coming weekend if a category A or B major crime occurred. Jessica said she was available all weekend and would speak with Diane and Taff later, as they were helping to set up their new offices, but she felt they would be happy to be on call.

That evening, sitting at the kitchen table, David told Jessica he’d had a phone consultation with Doctor Barnes. Unsurprisingly, she said he’d probably strained a muscle in his back at work. David didn’t challenge her assessment, even though he’d never felt any pain while doing his mail round. But Doctor Barnes also wanted him to have a blood test to assess his general state of health, and he’d had a sample taken at the local chemists in Petts Wood after work. The doctor would contact him once she had the results. However, he failed to mention to Jessica that Doctor Barnes also recommended he take a few days of sick leave to recover fully.

‘That’s it?’ Jessica asked sceptically.

‘Yeah, she said it’ll probably sort itself out. Right, I’m off to bed,’ he said before Jessica could say anything else.

CHAPTER FIVE

It was 2 a.m. on Monday morning when the London call handler answered a 999 call from a mobile phone. ‘Emergency, which service do you require?’ There was no reply. ‘Do you require Fire, Police or Ambulance?’ As the handler repeated the question, he could hear the caller’s distressed, shallow breathing. He decided to use the Silent Solution system, a procedure to filter out accidental 999 calls while ensuring the caller could alert the police and get help if the call was genuine. ‘If you cannot speak but need an emergency service, please tap the handset, cough or make a noise.’ A faint gurgling cough followed the request, and the handler connected the call to the police’s automated silent solution system at the Metropolitan Police Command and Control room.

‘This is the police. If you can’t speak, please press 5 twice on your keypad,’ a pre-recorded voice stated. The requested numbers were pressed, and the call was now answered by a young female civilian handler who was new to the job.

She could hear the caller struggling to breathe. ‘I need to ask you some questions. To answer, press once for no and twice for yes on any button on your phone. Do you need police assistance?’

The caller pressed twice. The handler asked if the caller was injured and received another double press. When asked if they had been assaulted and if the assailant was still on thepremises, the caller indicated yes. The handler, realising the caller might be in a life-threatening situation, raised her hand to get the attention of the duty chief inspector, who came over and connected his headset to the handler’s unit. The handler continued the conversation.

‘I can see your mobile phone number but can’t pinpoint your location. Please whisper your address, then I can dispatch the police and an ambulance to you.’

The caller started to speak for the first time, but their voice was weak and their breathing shallow, making it hard to understand the reply. The handler could pick up a few words and asked the caller to tap yes or no again to her questions.

‘Did you say Victoria Park?’

There was another double press.