Child's Play (D.I. Kim Stone #11)(13)

‘So, where was Belinda Evans going?’ Bryant asked.

Kim held up the packet of three condoms. ‘And, more importantly, who was she going with?’





Thirteen





Penn pushed away the second half of his sandwich.

‘You not eating that?’ Doug asked, screwing up the packet of his second bag of cheese and onion crisps.

Penn shook his head as Lynne smiled tolerantly.

‘Doug, I swear you’ve got a hollow leg or something.’

‘Hate waste,’ he said, reaching across the table.

Penn didn’t mind. It was a bland egg mayo on brown bread. Had he been at home making lunch with his brother he’d have gone heavier on the mayo, added a sprinkling of salt and then spread the mixture between two chunks of thick white bread. But even that wouldn’t appeal to him now.

He hated court days. He understood the need to give evidence to finish the job and close the case. And he’d done his bit. As the arresting officer, he’d been first to stand up and read his statement. A few questions had followed from the defence which he’d braced himself for, but they’d been pretty harmless.

‘That barrister went so soft on you I thought he was going to offer to rub your feet while you were up there,’ Lynne observed, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Yeah, that’s what Penn was worried about. In his experience, the defence team either went after the police or the witnesses. If they were going after police they questioned everything about the procedure. They recited passages word for word from the PACE book, analysing every action taken, search warrants, arrest procedure, questioning and covering everything from police brutality to whether the suspect had been served lunch.

Penn knew that every procedure had been followed to the letter but he had expected some kind of battle from the barrister.

So, if it wasn’t the police they were going after, what did they know about the witnesses?

‘Yeah, the guy was almost plaiting your hair,’ Doug agreed.

‘Hey, don’t knock it,’ Lynne said, nudging Doug. ‘We’re up next and I’m not in the mood for a mauling.’

He winked. ‘I’ll maul you any day of…’

‘Doug,’ Penn warned.

‘Try it, buddy,’ she responded with steel in her voice.

Penn knew Lynne didn’t need him to fight her battles. Half the team had been frightened to death of her, but sometimes Doug stepped a bit too close to the line.

Doug rolled his eyes at what he felt was an overreaction on Penn’s part, and took out his phone.

‘Frustrating, isn’t it?’ Lynne asked. ‘Having to hang around?’

Penn nodded. He’d given his evidence and now had to sit through the rest of the trial when his own team was working a murder investigation.

‘Good to have you back, though,’ she said, nudging him.

‘Yeah,’ he agreed, glancing around the room. People were starting to look at their watches as they sensed the end of lunch break approaching.

‘Off outside for a smoke,’ Doug said, pushing his chair back.

‘Mate, you’ve got less than—’

‘Stop fussing,’ he responded with amusement. ‘Just tell ’em to start without me,’ he said, slapping Penn on the shoulder.

‘Count to ten,’ Lynne advised.

‘It’s not enough.’

‘And don’t think I didn’t notice your lukewarm response to my comment about having the old team together again.’

‘Course it’s good to be back,’ he said, glancing at the clock.

‘Okey-dokey and now you’re done insulting my intelligence or forgetting just how well I know you. We’ll park that one right there.’

Had they not been in court Penn would have laughed at the knowing expression on her face.

As he’d been getting ready that morning a part of him had been looking forward to seeing his old colleagues again, being around people with whom he was so familiar, people he’d built friendships with along the way.

And yet he’d forgotten that he’d often had to play nursemaid to an officer who was almost fifteen years his senior.

But there was something else he’d realised. His old team lacked balance. The team was bigger and was an assortment of constables and sergeants but despite their individual skill sets it was a bit of a free for all when it came to task apportionment. And in some ways he could understand how that strengthened the team long-term. By making them all interchangeable no one’s absence brought down the team.

But there was no clear team cohesion, no sense of place or belonging.

In his new place their roles were defined clearly due to the size of the team. The boss and Bryant would be forging ahead, not in the office long enough to warm their seats. Stacey would get right on to data mining and online investigation. And he would do either depending on the nature of the crime. Sometimes he was data mining along with Stacey and other times he was out doing follow-up interviews, door-to-door enquiries, checking alibis or following his own instinct. Which is probably what he’d have been doing right now.

‘Hey, how’s Jasper?’ Lynne asked, interrupting his thoughts.

‘Doing good,’ he said, smiling. ‘Still talks about beating you on the go-karts.’