‘Steven,’ she replied.
‘Do you know him well?’
She released the handbrake and reversed off the drive. ‘He’s my dead husband’s brother.’ She let that information swim around her head for a while. The dead husband was dead because she’d pushed him down the stairs. She’d killed him and, since then, she’d been trying to forgive herself. She’d never forgive him for the pain he’d put her through though – ever. ‘Give base a call and get someone over to his flat, if not, get them to keep checking back. We need to get his version of events.’
‘Guv!’ Jacob yelled out as Gina kept reversing, narrowly missing a van that had turned into the road. The driver slammed on his horn as Gina slammed on the brakes, gripping the steering wheel. ‘Didn’t you see it coming?’
‘I just missed it, sorry. Are you okay?’
‘Yes, all good. He was whizzing around too fast anyway. Back to the station or do we grab lunch?’
‘Lunch is for wimps. Let’s get back and we can eat vending machine food like real detectives.’ She plastered on a fake smile as she drove, hiding her worry that Briggs may remove her from the case. Why did Steven have to be on the list? She silently swore under her breath as they headed back.
Twenty
Her finger hovered over the delete button as she contemplated what to do about the text she’d received. She’d been harsh with Rex. Maybe just another meetup as friends would be fun, no funny business, just a drink. The thought of going back to her house alone that night sent a shudder through her body. She was stronger than she’d ever been. She’d dated other men recently and she’d had an okay-ish time with Rex. She needed to make an effort or she’d end up as needy as Dawn or worse; as needy as she once was all those years ago with Terry.
Briggs walked into her office without knocking. She placed the phone, face down on her desk. Her previous lover standing in front of her while she was thinking about her most recent one-night stand. He filled her office with the smell of his aftershave, a smell she’d enjoyed on her pillows in a past life. Sadness was etched around his eyes. She knew he’d been dating. Since his brief fling with Annie in Corporate Communications, there had been a couple of others. He’d been seen at the cinema with a woman and out at a restaurant with another. Was he hopping around like her, trying to find a connection with another person, never finding success? In another life, they’d have been the perfect couple but in this life, they were both in a serious committed relationship with the job, one in a superior position to the other. Soon realising that they couldn’t have both, they’d settled for awkward friendship.
‘You know one of the witnesses then?’
She nodded and sat back, her gaze catching his. ‘Yes, Steven. He’s my ex-brother-in-law.’
‘As it stands, I want you on the case. You’re a brilliant detective and I know you need to immerse yourself into it from the core. I don’t want you to interview him though, everyone else, yes, him, no. Let the others do it. You can watch from behind the mirror but that’s it. Are we clear on that?’
‘Yes, sir. Thank you.’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What for?’
‘For keeping me on the case. You could have taken me off.’
‘I trust you not to compromise this investigation. You’re my best detective and I know you won’t let me down. Was he around when—’ He shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t have asked.’
Gina felt a familiar pressure building up in her forehead. ‘It’s okay. You want to make sure I’m up to it, I understand. He was around and he knows all about me, about my past, about my relationship with his brother. He stood by and watched while he beat me, even encouraged it. He is a sadist, a complete piece of shit but as you said, it won’t be me who interviews him.’
‘I’m here you know, if you need to talk.’
She forced a smile as her heart pounded. Now was not the time for a chat about all the bad things that had happened in her past, and she definitely wouldn’t discuss the memories that damn party had conjured up.Please leave,she thought, but he was still standing there, fixed to the floor, waiting for her reply.
‘I think, given the circumstances, I will be Senior Investigating Officer on this case. I’m happy for you to do all that you normally do but run things by me, especially when it comes to Steven. You can run with forensics though. Whatever you need, I approve.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ She knew being SIO would be out of the question now that Steven was involved. ‘Anyway, how’s things with you?’
‘Okay, you know. And you?’
‘Okay too.’ They both knew the other had been dating but neither person was going to ask. An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Images of him making love to her on her living room floor flashed through her mind and her stomach flipped. For a moment, she was sure he could see what she was thinking. She looked away. ‘I’m trying to get out a bit more.’
He nodded and smiled as he left. That was it. That was all he was leaving her with. A nod and a smile.
She grabbed the phone and dialled the extension for the incident room. ‘Wyre, can you investigate a website called Swap Fun, maybe set up a fake profile and look into it a little. Check out the list of witnesses and get a flavour of what they’re about.’
‘Will do, guv.’
‘Has anyone found Steven Smithson yet?’
‘No, guv, uniform dropped by his flat and left a card. Nothing so far.’
Briggs’s words ran through her mind.I’m here if you need to talk.Maybe he meant well or maybe he just wanted her to make the same mistakes again and fall back into his arms, picking up where their secret relationship had left off. He wanted her to get bored with unfulfilling dates, to live a lonely life working at her kitchen table with only her cat, Ebony, for company. That wasn’t going to happen even though she often fantasised about being with him again, if only for the odd night. Fantasies were for teenagers and she wouldn’t be seduced into ruining her career, all to fulfil her silly fantasies. She didn’t need to talk. She needed to get out and forget him. She pressed send on the message to Rex that she’d typed out just before Briggs had knocked. She had to get him out of her head.
