The Sister(83)

Kennedy remained impassive and thoughtful. ‘Has anyone managed to speak to this Bletchley?’ He analysed the smug look on Tanner’s face. ‘You moved quickly on this one did you?’ he said, a tight smile on his lips.

‘Yes, as soon as Natasha gave us a name. His landlady said he left to go out last night and didn’t come back. Apparently, he does that quite a lot, staying out until morning. He’s a night fisherman, sir.’

He raised an eyebrow at him. ‘It’s a good excuse to be out all night, I suppose. He fits the bill. Let’s have him in for questioning.’

‘We’re out looking for him, even as we speak, sir.’

The dryness in his throat wasn’t just from talking; he was nervous, too. Something about the whole business was disturbing him, and he guessed it disturbed Kennedy, too. He tilted his empty cup; and pulled a face at the thought of drinking the last cold drop.

Kennedy finished his tea and buzzed Theresa to ask for another. Want another tea? he mouthed. Tanner nodded.

‘Tanner would like another tea, and while you’re making him one, could you make one for me?’ Although he winked at him as he said it, his humour was just not funny, especially with him hoping to improve his chances with her. It sounded like Kennedy knew and was goading him on purpose.

‘Oh, I’ve got to admit that was very funny coming from you. You don’t really think she’ll believe it was me asking for another tea, do you?’ His cheeks flushed.

‘What are you going on about, Tanner?’

‘You, sir,’ he said angrily. ‘I’m going on about the way you treat women as lesser beings. Like they’re just there to serve you.’

‘Tanner, I was joking!’ Kennedy looked indignant; his expression darkened. ‘How dare you presume to judge me – is this because you’re jealous? That she does what I tell her and not you?’

Back footed, Tanner snorted. ‘What? Of course not! I ask her.’

The DCI stared at him; the heat of anger suddenly replaced by cold resignation. ‘I knew it; you’re shagging her, aren’t you?’

‘Come on, sir, that’s out of order!’ he said, not quite knowing what else to say.

Kennedy then changed tack so fast; he left Tanner with his mouth agape. ‘Did we get anything else from the victim?’

Tanner wet his finger and rifled through his notes quickly. ‘We did indeed.’ He scanned for the right page and then began again. ‘She had a few problems initially with Bletchley, started straight away really. The usual sort of thing, he was a bit creepy and overfriendly, but she dismissed that as him being shy and overcompensating for it. Little by little he wears her down, and she ends up going out with him a couple of times.’

There was a knock at the door behind him.

‘Ah, that’ll be our tea, get that for me, would you?’

He opened the door; Theresa brought in a tray this time, with biscuits, two mugs of tea, a couple of sugar sachets and a teaspoon. She set the tray down and slipped away without looking at him. He hoped she hadn’t heard what Kennedy said.

The more Tanner saw her around, the more he liked her. Isn’t it funny? When you think someone is unavailable, you don’t give her a second thought, but since she became available…Off duty he thought of little else, he’d started thinking about her in quiet moments. Lately, he’d been thinking about her at work, too. She was always so neat and well presented; her full-bodied dark auburn hair not quite touching the shoulders, bouncing as she walked. She had an appealing way about her, kindly, with bright cornflower blue eyes and a vague smile that was never far away from her lips.

Kennedy caught him watching her go out the door and scowled at him, making no secret of his disapproval.

Tanner began to think the chief might be a little jealous.

Kennedy stirred in his sugar first, before taking the spoon in his mouth, drawing it out between pressed lips, sucking it dry. ‘Sugar?’ he said and offered him the spoon.

Tanner declined, deciding he’d have it without. He tried a sip. It was too hot. Putting the cup down, he continued, ‘She said looking back; she shouldn’t have done it, but then hindsight is a wonderful thing. He charmed her from the start; she said he seemed too good to be true. Whatever she thought, he said he was thinking too. Whenever she spoke, he would say, “I was about to say that. Oh, that’s just like me – I’m like that!”’

Kennedy had sat forward and placed his elbows on the desk; for a second Tanner thought he did it because he was interested. Then he put his forehead down on top of the blotter and folded his hands at the back of his head.

He paused and stared at him with disbelief. ‘Sir?’

Suddenly Kennedy’s mobile vibrated and spun around, causing the surface of the teas to ripple. He snapped it up and opened it.

‘I’m going to have to take that. Give me a minute will you, Tanner?’

‘Sure,’ he said.

The moment Tanner closed the door behind him, he answered it.





Outside Kennedy’s office, he debated whether to wait or not as he leaned on the wall next to the door. Something was definitely going on. The chief never usually booted him out while he was on the telephone. The call was on his personal phone again; he hoped his mother was okay.

He stood and watched Theresa over on the other side of the office, on the telephone, writing things down. ‘Yes, okay ... got that,’ she said into the receiver and then looked up from her desk at him and feigned a yawn, flapping her hand in front of her mouth as she did so.