Walking into the station itself provided a brief moment of déjà vu. Here at least nothing seemed to have altered. The back entrance hall still smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and stale fat from the canteen on the floor below. Whatever cosmetic changes might have been imposed on the public areas, no decorators had been charged with making this entrance more appealing. The walls were still the same industrial grey, the noticeboard covered with what were possibly the same yellowing memos shed last seen years ago. Carol walked up to the counter and nodded a greeting at the PC behind the desk. DCI Jordan reporting to the Major Incident Team.
The middle-aged man rubbed a hand across his grizzled crew cut and smiled. Welcome aboard, he said. End of the corridor, take the lift up to the third floor. Youre in Room 316.
Thanks. Carol managed a thin smile and turned to push open the door as the lock buzzed. Unconsciously squaring her shoulders and tilting her chin up, she walked briskly down the corridor, ignoring the occasional curious glance from uniformed officers she passed on the way.
The third floor had undergone a facelift since shed left. The walls were painted lavender to waist height, then off-white. The old wooden doors had been replaced with plate glass and steel, the central sections frosted so the casual passer-by could see little of what was going on inside the offices. It looked more like an advertising agency than a police station, she thought as she reached the door of 316.
Carol took a deep breath and pushed the door open. A handful of curious faces glanced up at her then broke into smiles of welcome. First on his feet was Don Merrick, newly promoted to inspector. Hed been her bagman on her first serial killer inquiry, the case that had proved to those who cared about that sort of thing that she had what it took to go all the way. Solid, reliable Don, she thought gratefully as he crossed the room and extended his hand.
Great to see you back, maam, he said, reaching out to cup her elbow with his free hand as they shook. Although he towered over her, Carol was pleasantly surprised to find nothing unsettling in his bulk. Im really looking forward to working with you again.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Matthews was right behind Merrick. Kevin, who had redeemed himself after an act of monumental stupidity had nearly cost him his career. Even though shed been the person responsible for uncovering his treachery, Carol was nevertheless glad to see hed apparently rehabilitated himself. He had been too good a detective to waste on the mindless routine of uniformed work. She hoped he wouldnt mind too much that theyd once been equals in rank. Kevin, she acknowledged him. Good to see you.
His pale, freckled skin flushed pink. Welcome back to Bradfield, he said.
The others were crowding round now. Good to see you, chief, a womans voice said from behind her. Carol half-turned to see the slight figure of Detective Constable Paula McIntyre grinning up at her. Paula had worked on the periphery of the murder squad that had tracked down the psychopath who had butchered four young men in the city. Shed only been a CID aide on secondment then, but Carol had remembered her attention to detail and her empathetic way with witnesses. According to Brandon, shed since established herself as one of the best interviewers in the citys CID. Carol knew exactly how important that could be in a murder inquiry, where everything happened against the clock. Someone skilled at persuading people to remember all they knew could save time at a stage when time could mean lives.
Paula pushed forward a mixed-race man standing beside her. This is DC Evans, she said. Sam, this is DCI Jordan.
Carol extended a hand. Evans seemed almost reluctant to take it, not meeting her eye as they shook. Carol gave him a quick look of appraisal. He wasnt much taller than she was; he must barely have made the height requirement, she thought. His tightly curled hair was cut close to his head, his features more Caucasian than African. His skin was the colour of caramelized sugar and a fuzzy goatee gave him an air of maturity at odds with the unlined youthfulness of his face. She summoned up Brandons notes on the young detective: A quiet lad. But hes not afraid to speak up when hes got something to say. Hes smart and hes got that killer knack for pulling information together and making sense of it. He wants to go all the way, though he hides it well. But that means hell pull out all the stops for you. It looked like shed have to take Brandons word for it.
One person hung back on the fringes of the group. DC Stacey Chen had a small, fixed smile on her face. She was the unknown quantity. These days, any major inquiry needed an officer who understood how the systems worked and who could manage the volume of information generated. Carol had asked Brandon to recommend someone, and hed come back within twenty-four hours with Stacey. Shes got a Masters in computing, she knows the systems inside out and shes a grafter. She keeps herself to herself, but she understands the importance of being part of the team, hed said. And shes ambitious.
Carol remembered what that felt like. Ambition had deserted her along with her dignity in Berlin, but she could still recall the sharp burn of desire to be on the next rung of the ladder. Carol sidestepped Evans and offered her hand to Stacey. Hi. You must be Stacey. Im glad to have you on the team.
Staceys brown eyes never left Carols. I appreciate the chance, she said in a strong London accent.
Carols eyes swept the room. Were one short, she said.
Oh yeah, Merrick said. DS Chris Devine. We had a message yesterday: her mothers been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shes requested permission to stay with the Met for the time being. The Chief agreed.
Carol shook her head, faintly exasperated. Great. Were under strength before we even get started. She looked around, assessing the room for the first time. There were half a dozen desks, each with a computer terminal. Whiteboards and cork boards lined one wall, next to an overhead projector. A large-scale laminated map of Bradfield filled most of the space by the door. The windows that ran the length of the opposite wall were obscured by vertical blinds, cutting out the distractions of the cityscape. It was a decent size: not too cramped, not so big theyd feel marooned. It would do, she decided. Don, wheres my office?
Merrick pointed to the far end of the room where two doors closed off a pair of offices. Take your pick. Theyre both empty.
And neither offered much in the way of privacy, she thought. She chose the one that had windows on the outside world and turned to Merrick, who had followed her down the room. Call whoevers responsible for housekeeping round here. I want some blinds for the internal window.
Merrick grinned. Dont want us to know when youre playing Solitaire, eh?
I prefer FreeCell, actually. Give me half an hour to get settled in here, then well have a briefing.
Fine by me. He ducked out of the room, leaving her alone. It was, she thought, a relief. She switched on the computer. Seconds later, she saw Evans approaching, his arms laden with a bundle of files. She jumped up to open the door.
Whats all this? she asked.
Open casesthe most recent ones. They were delivered yesterday teatime. What were supposed to be working on while we wait for the next big thing.
Carol felt her blood stirring. At last, something she could focus on. Something that might just lay her demons to rest. Or at least shut them up for a while.
Carol felt her blood stirring. At last, something she could focus on. Something that might just lay her demons to rest. Or at least shut them up for a while.
Aidan Hart studied the man sitting opposite him with a degree of wariness. He knew many of his colleagues thought he was too young at thirty-seven to be clinical director of Bradfield Moor Secure Hospital, but he was confident enough of his skills to write off their disapproval as the product of disappointment and envy. He knew that none of them presented any professional challenge to him.
But his latest appointment was in a different league. Dr Tony Hill came with a reputation for both brilliance and awkwardness. The only rules he observed were the ones that mattered to him. He wasnt a team player, unless the team in question was one hed chosen. Hed won loyal respect and engendered fury in equal measures among those hed worked with. When Tony Hill had applied for a part-time post at his hospital, Aidan Harts first reaction had been to refuse. There was room for only one star at Bradfield Moor, and that was him.
Then hed had second thoughts. If Hill was only there as a part-timer, his work could be carefully channelled. His successes could be parlayed into more credit for Hart himself, the visionary clinical director who had tamed the maverick. It was a tempting prospect. He could portray himself as the man who persuaded high-flyer Tony Hill back into clinical practice. He had convinced himself that while the patients might benefit from Hills famous empathetic skills, the ultimate beneficiary would be Aidan Hart himself. His second thoughts had been reinforced when hed met Hill in the flesh. Aidan Hart knew all about dressing to impress, but within seconds he realized Hill had obviously missed that particular tutorial. The little guy in the chair opposite with the bad haircut, brown shoes with black trousers and greenish tweed jacket with frayed cuffs wasnt going to make ripples in the sort of pond Hart intended to swim in. Hill had seemed embarrassed by the high profile his work with the police had earned him and had stressed that he didnt want to find himself in the public eye ever again. Whatever profiling he did in future would be behind closed doors and beyond distant borders. Hills eagerness to get back into harness at the sharp end of clinical practice was almost pathetic.
At the time, Hart had been smugly satisfied that taking a chance on Tony Hill would be the best possible decision. Somehow hed missed the penetrating intelligence of the eyes, the unmistakable charisma the man wore like a well-cut suit. Hart wasnt quite sure how that had happened. Unless, of course, Hill had deliberately disguised it in order to make a quite different kind of impression. And that was a very unsettling thought. He liked to think of himself as the analyst. He was uncomfortable with the idea that this time, he might have been played by a higher master in the art of reading human behaviour. He couldnt help wondering whether he was the latest object of scrutiny for those startlingly blue eyes that seemed to absorb every nuance of his body language. He didnt like the thought that hed have to monitor his every word and movement in his newest employees presence. Aidan Hart had his secrets, and he didnt want Tony Hill probing too closely into them.
He didnt think he was being paranoid. Hill had only been in the building for an hour, but already hed played a blinder. Hed found out about the latest admission and now he was sitting opposite Hart, one ankle casually propped on the opposite knee, making an irresistible rationale for first crack at the new patient. It was the sort of case that led to published papers in well-respected peer-reviewed publications, and already Hill was staking a claim to territory Hart wanted for himself. After all, Hill said, since weve got a new admission, it makes sense for me to take the case on. That way I wont have to go over old ground. And nobodys nose gets put out of joint because Im taking over their patient.
Its a pretty extreme place to start, Hart said, affecting concern. And you have been out of the field for a while.
Tonys mouth twitched in a half-smile. Extreme is my comfort zone, Aidan. And I do have very direct experience of dealing with people who kill for reasons that most people dismiss as madness.
Hart shifted in his chair and spread his hands, as if discarding responsibility. So be it. I look forward to seeing your initial report.
Carol leaned against the whiteboard and waited for her new team to settle down. Then she moved closer to them and perched on the edge of a desk. Before we get down to business, theres something I have to say to you, she said, trying to sound more relaxed than she felt. I know how rumours spread in this job and I expect youve all heard some version of my recent history. She could tell by the way the men all found something more interesting to study that shed hit the target.
Don Merrick gazed at the floor. Nobody heres interested in gossip, he muttered. Just results. And your record speaks for itself on that.
The shadow of a smile crossed Carols face. Thank you, Don. Nevertheless, if were going to make this unit work, we need to have an open, honest atmosphere. What happened to me happened because of secrets and lies. Im not prepared to work in an environment like that again. She looked around, saw she had their attention and continued.
I was selected for an undercover operation that left me in a very exposed position. Because I wasnt thoroughly briefed by my bosses, I couldnt cover my back properly. And as a result, I was raped. She heard a sharp intake of breath but couldnt identify its source. I dont expect to be handled with kid gloves. What happened to me wont affect the way I do my job. Except that it has made me very sensitive to issues of loyalty. This squad can only function if we all put teamwork first. I dont want any glory hunters here. So if any of you has a problem with that, this is the time to ask for reassignment. She looked around at her group. Stacey and Evans looked surprised, but the others were nodding their acquiescence.
Carol stood up straight and picked up the top file. Good. Now, until we land our first job, were supposed to be looking at unsolved open cases. Theyve given us two murders, a rape, two armed robberies, a serial arson and a pair of child abductions. Over the next few days, I want you each to go through three separate files. Don, work out a rota so all the cases get looked at. Include me in itsince were one light, Ill make up the numbers. On each file, I want you to list suggested actions for moving the case forward. Then, when youve all made your lists, well sit down together, look at what youve come up with and see which cases offer the most promising prospects for further investigation. Any questions?
Kevin raised a hand. Is this a non-smoking office?
Paula groaned. Its a non-smoking building, Kevin.
Yeah, but that doesnt mean we cant have smoking areas, does it? I mean, what is the point of air conditioning if you dont make it earn its keep?
Its bad for the computers, Stacey pointed out.
We could have one corner, Evans said. Under the air-conditioning vent.
As the discussion rolled over her, Carol felt the first twinges of homecoming. Never mind the adrenaline of working a case, this was the kind of argument that told her she was back where she belonged. Pointless wrangling about the small issues that made life bearable, that was the hallmark of the police service. Sort it out among yourselves, she said with an air of finality. I dont care. Ive got a door I can close. Oh, and Ive got a job for you, Sam