Page 51 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Very impressive,’ he remarked as he looked around the room, which had brand new furniture and all-in-one wide-screen computers on the desks.

‘I’d like you to meet Detective Sergeant Guy Jenkinson. This is DI Chapman, the deputy SIO on the De Klerk case.’

Guy stood up and shook hands. Chapman gave him a quizzical look. ‘Are you the Holmes Manager on the Counter Terrorism Command? I’ve got a friend on the unit who spoke very highly of an ex-army officer called Guy Jenkinson.’

‘Yes, that’s me, but I’m no longer on Counter Terrorism.’

‘What’s your new posting?’ Chapman asked, thinking he was temporarily assisting Jessica or just visiting her offices.

‘MSCAN, as their HOLMES manager and crime analyst.’

Chapman looked at Jessica. ‘How did you pull that off?’

‘Commander Williams kindly arranged it. Guy’s also skilled in retrieving and analysing phone and computer data, so we won’t need to outsource the work to technical support.’

‘It will also speed things up for all of us when inputting and retrieving information from the HOLMES system. I can’t waitto see Anderson’s face when he learns about Guy being on your team,’ Chapman said.

‘Will he be upset?’ Guy asked.

‘No, he’ll be as jealous as hell,’ Chapman grinned.

When Guy returned to his desk and was out of earshot, Chapman asked Jessica if he could talk privately with her about Anderson. She took him to her office.

‘Bloody hell, it’s twice the size of mine and you’ve got a sofa and armchairs. Any chance I can join MSCAN?’ he said.

‘Has Anderson been complaining about me or the team?’ Jessica asked apprehensively.

‘No. I just wanted to tell you I was wrong about him sneaking home to his wife yesterday. He went to see Commander Williams about a press release first.’

‘I saw the article in theHackney Gazette. Williams was here earlier and told me about the meeting with Anderson.’

‘He wasn’t pleased with her decision. I didn’t tell him I agreed with her and thought it was right to wait for any forensic results.’

‘You said earlier today that she’s a bit of a battleaxe.’

‘What, Williams?’

Jessica laughed, ‘No, Anderson’s wife. And you thought he was under the thumb.’

‘By all accounts, he is.’

‘Would you say she’s a coercive woman? A coercive person can be described as someone in a relationship who seeks to exert dominance and control over an individual through psychological and emotional manipulation.’

‘I have heard other people say she talks down to him and treats him like a lap dog.’

‘If he feels worthless and bullied at home, it can affect his behaviour at work.’

‘You mean by trying to act like he knows what he’s doing and thinking he knows best,’ Chapman said, nodding.

‘On the face of it, he’s had a successful career. Degree entry, fast-track promotion, moved to CID and now a senior investigator on the murder squad. Quite an accomplishment in most people’s eyes.’

‘I agree with you, but he doesn’t listen and learn or utilise the skills of others who are more experienced. Do you think he’s got some mental issues?’

‘I don’t know, but he may suffer from imposter syndrome.’

Chapman laughed. ‘That’s a very appropriate diagnosis.’

‘It’s not a diagnosable mental illness but Anderson may feel like an imposter because he has minimal CID experience and knows he lacks the knowledge and skills to perform the role effectively. Now he’s running a major investigation team, and he’s realised he has much more to learn. Inwardly, he lacks confidence and doesn’t feel worthy of the rank. To counter these feelings, he is brash and tries to act like he knows what he’s doing.’