Chapter 34
For a while, they travelled in silence then Degsy braced himself. “If you don’t mind me saying, Boss, I think you were a bit harsh back there, in the office.”
Thurstan looked at him quizzically, negotiated the lights, accelerated and shoved it into fourth as the A580, the famous East Lancashire Road, unfolded before him.
He settled back in his seat. “You’re probably right, Derek. But there’s something about these people that has a tendency to wind me up sometimes.” A pause. “If I embarrassed you then I apologise.”
“It’s not me you embarrassed, Boss.”
“Who then? The Chief Super? He’s a big lad. He’ll get over it.”
Silence. Thurstan shot him a glance, “You mean me, don’t you?”
Degsy stared out of the window wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.
Thurstan suppressed a smile. "Well, Derek. I have to tell you. You don’t often say much but when you do ... it’s devastating.”
The DI began to back pedal. “I’m sorry. It’s just -”
The DCI laughed. “Stick by your guns. You’re quite right. I was a bit of an arse.” He looked across at him. “And if I hear you whisper ‘bit’ under your breath you can get out here.”
They stood at the scene quietly surveying the houses backing onto it. Thurstan wandered up and down, looking at the track, the lamp post, the bushes and the railway beyond, then back to the houses.
Finally, he spoke. “It’s not a certainty by any means but ... I think whoever did this lives in one of these houses. But which one?” He leaned on the fence of the derelict house, peering over for a better view of its neighbours. “Let’s get some bodies down here, Derek. What’ve we got? Thirty houses? I don’t think we can cover that with the Matrix teams alone, even if they had nothing else to do, so, we’ll have to use some Area people as well. Matrix can do the properties closest to the scene and Area the rest. We’re not looking at the full hit at present because I want it targeted”
Degsy chipped in. “Barbed wire, gloves and implements?”
“Exactly and from what I see there’s more than several candidates.”
Back in the incident trailer they accepted mugs of coffee and sat themselves down. A stout sergeant, mid-fifties, beard, shaven head and rimless glasses, sat down next to them. They introduced themselves.
“So, Dennis. How’s the house to house going?” Thurstan asked.
“Early days yet, Sir. But we got the additional questionnaire this morning and already there’s quite a few responses to the ‘barbed wire usage’ question. I’ve passed it all on to young Sammy Nolan next door.”
“Do you know Sammy?” Degsy sipped his drink, turned to a policewoman and said, “Nice coffee, by the way.”
She smiled. “I didn’t make it. He did,” and pointed to her male colleague.
Dennis chuckled, “She’d burn water, that one. Yeah, he was a probationer of mine, many years ago now. Good bobby. Cracking footballer.”
Thurstan put his mug on the table. “We’re going to need some more personnel from Area to do some targeted searches. Nothing extraordinary but I don’t want to use anyone on the house to house. Possible conflict of interests and anyway I don’t want to slow that side down. How do you think your lot will be fixed?”
Dennis tutted and blew breath out of the side of his mouth. “We’re pretty well stretched at the moment. My opinion? It’s not going to be possible without some overtime. Even then, you could be struggling but without it, I’d say, no chance.”
Degsy hid a little smile behind his mug. “Looks like you’ll have to ask the Chief Super if he’s got anything hidden away, Boss. You could always sell it to him as a community engagement issue.”
The DCI sat back and ran his hand through his hair. “I suppose this is what they call karma.”
In answer to the tap at the door, the Chief Superintendent straightened his tie, then his blotter, and called, “Come in!”
The DCI entered and threw a sheepish grin into the ring.
“Please take a seat. It’s Thurstan isn’t it?”
“Thank you, Sir. Yes, it is.”
The Chief Super smiled amicably, but there was a hint of victory in there somewhere. It wasn’t missed by the DCI.
“And what can I help you with, Thurstan?” He already knew. He’d spoken with his opposite number in Area much earlier.
After the DCI had explained his predicament, the Chief Super calmly did a few calculations on his mobile then made a call on his phone. Replacing the handset in the cradle, he declared, “Right, I’ve got you enough of a budget for fifteen constables and one sergeant, sixteen hours unenhanced each. Divide it up as you see fit and if you can bring some change back and a result it would be very much appreciated. Anything else?”
“No, Sir and thank you very much.” Thurstan stood up and as he turned towards the door, the Chief Super added quietly, without looking up, “I wasn’t always in Community Relations, you know, Thurstan. I was posted there for personal reasons. I used to be a Detective myself once. In Sussex.”