The Next Girl(Detective Gina Harte #1)(28)

Eighteen





‘We’ve finished setting up the incident room,’ DC Paula Wyre said as Gina walked through the door.

‘That’s great, thank you.’ Gina returned Wyre’s smile. She reached for the crumpled tissue in her pocket and wiped the bottom of her scabby nose.

‘Looks sore, guv.’

‘It is, and it’s getting worse with every wipe. I certainly wish this cold would do one.’ She looked at Wyre. ‘How on earth do you manage to look so… tidy? It’s like we’re always here, always busy, always into one case or another. I don’t know how you do it. I feel like a tramp some days.’

‘Err…’ Wyre shrugged her shoulders and smiled at Gina.

‘I’ll catch you in a minute.’

‘Thanks, guv.’ Wyre headed towards the incident room.

Jacob entered from the corridor. ‘Did it go well at the hospital?’

Gina removed her coat and hung it over her arm. ‘As well as it could. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.’ She followed him past several offices to the incident room. ‘It’s great to see you’ve all been so busy. Nice work.’ She threw her coat over the back of a chair and proceeded to the board, on which all the information they’d collated so far was written or attached. In the centre was a photo of Deborah Jenkins. The young, healthy woman smiled out at her. Details of her family life were outlined. The witnesses were listed under five headings: school contacts; colleagues; social life; family; and other. The list was huge. They’d contacted so many people after she’d first disappeared.

A map of Warwickshire and Worcestershire had been hung on the wall, to the left of the board. Cleevesford had been outlined in red. Her eyes trailed over the pins, starting at the point they’d found her shoe to the point they’d discovered Baby Jenkins. She grabbed another pin and placed it on Luke’s house on the map. Photos of the school, her work and everywhere else she frequented were also pinned under their headings. She turned her attention to O’Connor, who was sitting in a chair facing away, wearing earphones. He had one hand on his keyboard and the other was scratching his head. He flinched as she tapped him on the shoulder.

He fumbled with his computer and attempted to remove the earphones that had got caught in his badly knotted tie. ‘You’re back. I was just going through the calls to see if I could find anything in them.’

‘Anything standing out as useful?’ Gina asked.

‘No, not as yet. We’ve had a few new ones. I’m working through them at the moment. Wyre and I divided them up after we pinned all the info to the boards as you requested. Mrs O has made cupcakes, by the way. Help yourself. They’re over by the coffee pot.’

‘Thanks. Will do. I won’t keep you any longer. Let me know straight away if anything that might be of use comes up,’ Gina replied as she began to cough, only catching it in her hands at the last minute.

O’Connor held his hand over his mouth. ‘Sorry, guv, I don’t want to catch it, not with my bike ride coming up.’

‘Don’t blame you. Sorry.’

O’Connor smiled and placed his earphones back in. Gina walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed the coffee pot, pouring a cup of the strong dark liquid and taking a long swig, savouring its soothing properties as it trickled down her sore throat. A tickle caught her tonsils and she began to cough and splutter again. Great, the sneezing and headaches were subsiding, only to be replaced by a sore throat and an annoying cough.

‘You okay?’ Briggs handed Gina a handful of old crumpled tissues that he dragged from his pocket.

‘I think I’d rather use my sleeve. I don’t know where they’ve been,’ she said as she handed them back to him.

‘Your loss,’ he replied, smiling as he grabbed a pink cupcake and took a bite.

‘They’re bad for your waistline.’

‘I think I’m past caring,’ he said as he patted his belly ‘I also think O’Connor’s a bit offended, as I never eat any of his wife’s baked goodies.’ Just as he said it, O’Connor turned and spotted him eating a cupcake. Briggs held it up and smiled. ‘I’m eating one,’ he called out. O’Connor shrugged and pointed at his earphones.

‘He’s not listening.’ Gina coughed again and cleared her throat, unsure of what to say next.

Briggs nodded as he chomped on a mouthful of cake. ‘You know, they’re pretty damn good.’ He held the plate up.

‘No, I think I’ll pass.’

‘Do you fancy a drink later? We could try the new wine bar in Stratford, sit and look out at the river, get away from things for a couple of hours. I hear the Christmas decorations are good this year on the High Street.’

Gina glanced around, checking to see if anyone had noticed them talking. ‘Not here,’ she murmured. ‘Someone will hear us. Besides, I’m meant to be seeing my daughter tonight.’

‘Exciting though, isn’t it?’ He moved closer. She could feel the warmth of his body. A succession of thoughts flashed through her mind: the night in question, her legs wrapped around his body, him moving back and forth above her just where she’d needed him, the wine, and the laughs. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Her face had become an open book.