by Sally Rigby
‘We have a new case I thought you’d be interested in.’
‘Tell me more,’ George said, sitting forward slightly, her curiosity piqued.
‘The remains of two sixteen-year-old girls have been found on a farm. They’ve been there since 1980. We’re in the process of identifying them and investigating their deaths.’
‘What sort of help are you expecting from me?’
She knew a little forensic anthropology, but not enough to be of much assistance.
‘We can always do with your input. I just thought you might enjoy coming in for a catch-up and to meet the new team.’
Ah … was that the real reason Whitney had called. Was she already having trouble with them?
‘How is it working out?’
‘Not bad. I’ll tell you when I see you.’
‘I’ll be with you after we’ve finished lunch.’
‘Great. Don’t forget, we’ve moved into the new building. We’re on the fifth floor. You’ll have to report to the reception first and I’ll come and get you. No more slipping in through the back door.’
‘Extra security is a good thing,’ George said.
‘Agreed. Enjoy the rest of your lunch and I’ll see you soon.’
George placed her phone back on the table and looked over at Ross. ‘Whitney has a case she’d like my input on.’
‘I gathered as much. We better hurry up and finish eating.’
‘I don’t want to rush you.’
‘It’s no trouble.’
She appreciated how understanding he was of her work with the police and how he’d never once made her feel guilty for missing dates or rushing off to a crime scene. He realised that criminals didn’t wait for the investigators to have finished their dinner before committing crimes.
They ended their meal and after saying goodbye, George drove to the new station and parked in the visitors’ car park as she didn’t have a swipe card for the staff section. She walked into the new modern and clean building. Whitney had predicted that the building would lack character, because it had none of the charm of the Victorian building where they used to be based, and she was correct.
She made her way to the reception desk. ‘Dr Georgina Cavendish to see DCI Walker.’
‘Just one moment and I’ll let her know you’re here,’ the woman on reception said.
George stepped to the side and observed the hive of activity around her. There were people heading in all directions. After a couple of minutes, one of the lift doors opened, and Whitney marched out. George hurried over to meet her.
‘I need to get you a visitor’s pass,’ Whitney said as she hurried to the reception desk. ‘I’d like a pass for Dr Cavendish.’
George frowned. ‘Why am I classed as a visitor if I’m part of the team?’
‘New procedures. I’ll see about getting you a formal identification tag so you can come in and out without having to report here all the time, especially as you’re going to continue working with us.’
The receptionist handed her a lanyard complete with pass, which George hung around her neck.
‘Was there some doubt as to my position here?’ she asked, as they headed towards the lift.
‘I had to get permission from the new super for us to continue using you. What do you think to the station?’
‘Utilitarian. It appears fit for purpose. Other than that, nothing about it stands out.’
‘I agree. I’ve got more character in my little finger than this building has. But, as you said, it’s functional and does its job.’
They took the lift to the fifth floor and walked along the corridor until reaching an office door with Whitney’s name sign-written on it in gold letters.
‘You no longer have to go through the incident room to get to your office, that gives you more privacy.’
‘You’d like to think so, but no. There are two entrances, this one and one which goes into the incident room. Anyone in there gets a bird’s-eye view of everything I’m doing.’ Whitney opened the door, and they stepped inside.
‘This is much larger than your previous office.’
‘Larger, yes, but more like a goldfish bowl because it’s so close to the team.’
George stared through the windows and could see some familiar faces sitting at their desks.
‘I see what you mean,’ she said.
‘We’ll sit at the coffee table, the only area where we can’t be seen as it’s off to the side,’ Whitney said.
‘Good idea,’ she replied, pulling out a chair and sitting.
‘How are you and Ross doing?’ Whitney asked.
‘Everything’s going well. When you phoned, we were planning a skiing trip after Christmas.’
‘That sounds fun. At least, I’m sure it will be for you. I’ve never been skiing nor wanted to.’
‘What are you doing over Christmas?’
‘I’m hoping Tiffany will make it home. She has hinted that she might, but you know what she’s like. She’s having such a good time. I can sense there’s something going on but I can’t put my finger on it.’
Was Tiffany in trouble? George had a soft spot for the young woman and would hate for there to be anything amiss.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Call it mother’s instinct. She’s happy and I think she might have met someone, but I don’t like to ask.’
‘Why ever not?’ George said.
‘She’ll tell me when she’s ready. But to be honest, I don’t want to hear that she’s met the love of her life and wants to stay out there. I’m closing my mind to it. Let’s change the subject.’
‘Tell me about the new members of your team,’ George said. ‘Are they managing to fit in?’
‘It’s early days but it’s not easy. The other team … we were together for so long … we all knew each other well. But now the dynamics have changed.’
‘You’ve still got Frank, Ellie and Doug, so surely it can’t be too bad.’
‘Yes, I have, thank goodness. My new sergeant, Brian, is going to take a bit of getting used to. He worked at the Met before moving to Willsden and views being part of the team as a stepping-stone onto greater things. I suspect that he won’t be here for long. He’s got it into his head he’s on some sort of super squad. Where he got that idea from is anybody’s guess.’
‘What about the other new member?’
‘Meena. She’s very quiet, so I’ve yet to discover what she’s like. She worked with Chapman before.’
‘Are they sticking together?’
‘No. He’s already told me he doesn’t rate her. I hope it doesn’t lead to trouble, although I dare say one of the others will let me know if any issues arise between them.’
‘Tell me about the case,’ George said.
‘We suspect the bodies found might be two girls who disappeared in 1980. The officers who investigated their disappearance seemed quick to label them as runaways, despite the parents of one girl insisting otherwise. We’re waiting for the original investigation files to be sent through from the evidence store, although I suspect they might not contain much, as record-keeping was very different in those days.’
‘At sixteen they were legally entitled to leave home, is that why they assumed they’d run away, do you think?’ George asked.
‘I don’t know. Sixteen might be the legal age for leaving home, but it’s still young. It doesn’t help that it took place in 1980 and there’s no CCTV footage to help us.’
‘What do you have to work with?’ she asked.
‘Nothing until the files arrive and we get a positive identification from the DNA samples we’ve sent for testing.’
‘How did the parents take it?’
‘Their reactions were interesting. Jayne’s parents had kept many of her possessions. They were shocked, naturally, to learn what might have happened. Anita’s mother was different, almost as though she didn’t care, apart from one comment she made about never stopping loving your children, whatever they’ve
done. We discovered that both girls were going off the rails, and they regularly shoplifted. Anita was the leader and, in particular, was out of control.’
‘You have somewhere to start by the sounds of it. How long before the previous investigation files arrive?’ George asked.
‘I’m hoping today, tomorrow at the latest. I’ll take you through to meet the new members of the team. The others will be pleased to see you. How long can you stay for?’
‘As long as you need me.’
Chapter 9
Whitney opened the door into the incident room and led George in.
What would the new members of the team make of George?
When the forensic psychologist had first joined them a couple of years ago, the team had been wary. If it wasn’t for Matt suggesting that they worked together, because he realised her expertise would help, then it might not have happened. Whitney, in particular, had issues with George initially and sparks had flown between them. They’d got over that a long time ago, but George could still be intimidating. She had a particular no-nonsense air about her and coupled with her five feet ten-inch height, which Whitney was jealous of, she was a force to be reckoned with.
The team had accepted her and now joked and chatted when she was around, although it could be a challenge as George didn’t always understand humour and wasn’t one for small talk.
But she couldn’t imagine the team without her being a part of it.
They headed to the board and Whitney called the team to attention, waiting for them all to look in her direction. ‘Brian and Meena, I would like to introduce you to Dr Cavendish. She’s a forensic psychologist who works at the university and she’s helped us solve many cases.’
‘Hello,’ Meena said, smiling.
‘Why do we need a forensic psychologist to help us when we don’t know who the victims or suspects are yet?’ Brian asked.
‘Because there’s no one else like Dr Cavendish,’ Frank piped up. ‘There’s nothing she doesn’t know.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far, Frank,’ George said.
‘No need for modesty here, Dr C. Trust me, Sarge. We were always a good team, but with the doc on board we’re a super team. You ask her a question. Anything. She’ll have an answer.’
Whitney grinned. ‘I think Frank has said it all.’
‘When I was at the Met,’ Brian said. Frank groaned and Whitney glared at him. ‘We sometimes used forensic psychologists and had quite a few to call on but, quite frankly, we were usually more expert at solving crimes. We didn’t need them.’
‘That’s not the case here. George has as much to offer as anyone else on the team, as I’m sure you’ll find out. Let’s have a catch-up on where we are,’ Whitney said, deciding there had been enough discussion of George’s use in the team. ‘Ellie, the files?’
‘As you thought, because of the move they haven’t been easy to locate, but I’ve been promised they’ll be with us by tomorrow morning.’
‘Good. I want you to keep on top of it as we need to get cracking, not least because the new super will want an update and she may restrict the time we have to work on the case as it’s from so long ago. Who went through the box belonging to Jayne Kennedy?’
‘Me, guv,’ Meena said. ‘There are several diaries and, judging by the inscriptions, they’d been given to her each year by her parents. But there was nothing much recorded in them, just the occasional note regarding homework. The rest of the box contained some jewellery, old toys, colouring pictures from when she was a child, that kind of thing.’
‘Is there anything else of importance on the farmer, Doug?’
‘Nothing apart from the financial difficulties we already knew about. They’re both model citizens. Anthony Gibson is an active member of the local Rotary club, and his wife is in the Women’s Institute. There are no police records on anyone in the family, but I’ll keep on digging, in case anything crops up,’ Doug said.
‘While we’re waiting for DNA results, Meena, I want you to look into the Kennedy family, and Frank, you take the Bailey family. Mr Bailey is now living in the States, according to his ex-wife.’
‘Yes, guv,’ Frank and Meena said at the same time.
She glanced at George and nodded for her to come with her. They entered her office, closing the door behind them.
‘What’s your verdict on Brian and Meena?’ she asked before they’d even sat down. She was interested in George’s view.
‘Meena is eager to be a fully contributing member of the team.’
‘Agreed. What about Brian? I can’t make up my mind about him.’
‘In my opinion, he needs to settle in and find his feet.’
‘You think he’s trying to prove himself? Is that why he’s questioning what I do?’
‘That’s part of it, but it also appears that you have more issues with men than women.’
What? Where did that come from?
‘Meaning?’ she said flatly.
‘Look at your history. First you had Douglas, then Jamieson, and now Chapman.’
‘I dispute that. What about my first boss, Don Mason, and also Matt, Doug, and Frank?’
‘Don Mason aside, they are part of your team and are compliant, not confrontational, unlike the other males I mentioned. I’ll be interested to see your behaviour with a superior female officer before I can make a final assessment.’
From anyone else, Whitney would have taken the comments as a slur against her character and been angry, but it was different as far as George was concerned. She said what she saw, without any desire to undermine or cause friction.
‘I don’t judge people on their gender. It just so happens there have been some males I’ve had issues with, and it was to do with them as people, nothing else.’ It made perfect sense to her.
‘When you spoke to Brian, your body language changed. You were tense, and the lines around your eyes tightened. It’s exactly how you were when conversing with Jamieson.’
‘Oh, stop being such a know-it-all,’ Whitney said scowling, knowing inside that George was probably right.
‘It’s your responsibility to ensure that once he’s settled, you have a good working relationship, or you will struggle.’
Whitney sighed. ‘I know what you’re saying, but I want him to come around to my way of working. Matt was so different, his interpersonal skills were excellent, and everyone liked him. He didn’t question my judgement often, but if he did, it would make me re-evaluate the situation. We had a great working relationship.’
She hoped that Matt enjoyed his new force. He was the sort of officer to slot in and be accepted anywhere, so he no doubt would. She must remember to keep in touch as she’d love to know how the baby was getting on, though knowing how private Matt and Leigh were, she doubted she’d learn much.
‘Now you’ve accepted my observations, I’m sure it will all be fine,’ George said.
‘I don’t know Brian yet, but it will work out. I’ll make sure it does,’ she said with conviction. Hoping it wasn’t misplaced.
‘Good. What else are we to do today?’ George asked.
‘I’m not actually sure why I asked you to come in this afternoon, other than to meet the team and have a chat because we haven’t seen each other in ages. We need to go back to the farm, but I don’t want to do that until the victims have been identified.’
‘Phone me when you want to go. I’m at work all week and can get away anytime you need me.’
‘Great. I’ll show you around the station before you go, and we can grab a coffee. You’ll be impressed with our new cafeteria because, believe it or not, the coffee’s not too bad. Maybe not to your standard, though, come to think of it,’ Whitney added, knowing that she probably wasn’t the best person to comment as she’d drink anything as long as it contained caffeine.
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ George said.
Whitney grinned, grateful that at least some things hadn’t changed. She might be in a new building with a new team, but
George was still a coffee snob.
Chapter 10
Whitney opened the email from forensics which had just arrived in her inbox. It had been two days since the DNA samples had been sent over for comparison, and they’d rushed through the analysis as a favour to her. They now had confirmation that the bodies were indeed Jayne Kennedy and Anita Bailey. As awful as it was to correctly identify them, at least now they could get on with their work and discover how they died. First of all, though, she needed to let the parents know. It wasn’t something she relished doing, but she hoped it would give them some long-awaited closure.
She sucked in a breath, picked up her phone and keyed in the first number. It was answered on the first ring.
‘Is that Mr Kennedy?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s Detective Chief Inspector Walker.’
‘Do you … have you some news for us?’ he hesitated.
‘Yes, I have. I’m sorry to have to inform you, but we have identified Jayne as one of the bodies buried on the farm.’
Silence hung in the air.
‘Was the other one Anita?’ he finally asked, his voice choked.
‘I can’t disclose who the other person was until we have spoken to their family.’
She was sure he’d realise it was Anita, it couldn’t be anyone else.
‘I understand,’ he said.
‘Is Mrs Kennedy at home?’
‘Yes, she is. I’ll tell her shortly. How did Jayne die? Was she murdered?’
That was what Whitney assumed, however, she wasn’t going to tell Mr Kennedy that until they had more concrete evidence.
‘The pathologist is still investigating. At the moment we don’t know.’
‘Can you tell me what’s going to happen next?’
‘The coroner will release Jayne to you once the investigations are over and then you’ll be free to arrange her funeral.’
‘Thank you for letting me know. I know it’s been years, but I’d always hoped Jayne was still alive, even though she hadn’t been in touch. That she might have had amnesia or something, but …’