Page 40 of The Scene of the Crime

‘He wasn’t there when I spoke to the team. He had a meeting with Commander Williams and left Chapman in charge.’

‘I bet Mike liked being the boss. Was he pleased with everything we’d done?’

Jessica wondered if Diane was developing a soft spot for Chapman as she repeatedly used his first name. ‘Yes, a bit too much to be honest. He even got them to applaud.’

‘Nothing wrong with the occasional pat on the back,’ Diane said.

‘Yes, but they’re going to expect miracles now. We’re going to have to produce positive results soon or they’ll quickly change their tune.’

‘Then that’s what we’ll bloody well do,’ Diane said.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jessica was relieved to get home but knew it would be hard to sleep as her mind went over the crime scene, looking for any behavioural or forensic clues she’d missed. As she went to her room to change, she heard the TV in David’s bedroom. She knocked on the door, and he told her to come in. He was lying on the bed in his pyjamas and dressing gown. As she entered, he quickly closed his laptop.

‘How was your first day on the job?’ he asked.

‘Good,’ she said, ‘but draining.’

‘Is it a murder case?’

‘The victim was badly injured. He’s still alive, but it’s touch and go if he’ll make it.’

‘Was it local?’

‘No. It happened in Hackney.’

‘There was nothing about it on the six o’clock news.’

‘It hasn’t been released to the press yet.’

‘What happened?’

Jessica didn’t want to go into too much detail. ‘Basically, it looks like someone broke into a house, opened the safe, and attacked the owner. But keep that to yourself.’

‘What was stolen?’ David asked.

‘We think a Rolex watch and cash from the safe. The victim’s in a coma, so until he comes around, we can’t be certain. Did you get your blood test results yet?’

‘No, still waiting . . . probably be another few days at least. No news is good news, though,’ David said with a forced smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jessica.

‘Is your back still playing up?’

‘It’s not as bad as it was. I took your advice and spoke with my manager. I’m working in the sorting office for the next few weeks.’

‘That’s good of him. Did it help?’

‘Yes, today was a lot less strenuous.’

‘Maybe laying off the cycling for a few weeks will also help,’ she said.

David nodded. ‘I made some Bolognese. There’s some in a container you can heat in the microwave. You’ll have to make some fresh spaghetti, though.’

‘That’s great. Thanks.’ As Jessica left the room, she glanced in the mirror and saw David slowly open his laptop. She knew he had a bad habit of searching medical websites when he wasn’t well and wanted to ask if anything else, besides his back, was worrying him, but decided against it for the moment.

Jessica changed into her tracksuit and slippers before going into the kitchen. She boiled some water and added spaghetti. While it was cooking, she checked the dishwasher, removed the dirty plates, bowls, cups and cutlery David had put in, rinsed them, and systematically restacked them. After cleaning the sink and wiping the work surfaces, she checked the kitchen diary to see which bins were due for collection in the morning. It was food waste, non-recyclable refuse, paper and cardboard. Jessica slipped on some rubber kitchen gloves and emptied her bedroom and bathroom bins into a bin bag, then knocked on David’s bedroom door again.

‘Sorry, I’m just sorting out the bins as it’s rubbish collection day tomorrow,’ she said, picking up his waste bin and tipping it into the bag.