I push back from my desk and stretch, breathe through the tangle in my chest. I need to work.
My eyes fall on the contents of the manila folder again. The tire impressions from Zoe’s case stare back at me, but I don’t know why. I’ve never actually used my academy training on accident investigation. It’s not something that came up in my short time as an officer.
The tire impression photo sits there, grainy and faint, like it’s been photocopied three times and then stepped on. They aren’t high-quality photos. That in and of itself is strange. Don’t they have a good camera here? My cell could take better images than this.
I lean closer, squinting when a shadow falls across my desk.
“Morning, Officer Johnson.”
I jump so hard that I hit my knees under the desk.
Chief Callum Murphy stands there with a travel mug, bright eyes, and a kind smile on his face.
I’ve been around Callum only in social circumstances and always thought he was a great guy. He’s young to be Chief of Police, only a few years older than I am, and I wonder how he got the job. Especially when Ingram is here.
He must have really impressed somebody somewhere.
“Morning,” I manage, straightening the photos into the folder.
He nods toward it. “The Marshall case?”
His tone isn’t sharp or reprimanding. It’s curious.
I admit. “I’m struggling to marry it altogether.”
“The only new reports in there are the tox and coroner’s report.” He takes a slow sip of coffee, then drags the visitor chair out and drops into it. “What are they showing that doesn’t sit right?”
“It’s not really the new reports. Not exactly. It’s more…the case in general.”
My boss narrows his eyes. “Oooo-kay.”
“I know I’m supposed to tick the boxes here, but…would you mind if I…” I don’t even know how to explain what I want to do.
Treat the case as if it just came in? Second-guess a senior officer’s work?
I settle on, “…Take more time with the details?”
His words aren’t stern, but they are serious. “Ingram was thorough.”
I brace for a no.
He rubs his chin, and it’s hard to let him think without overexplaining myself, but I’m glad I do.
He puts his mug down on my desk and leans onto his knees with his elbows. “Seeing as there’s not much to do around here on desk duty, let’s use it as a training opportunity.”
I wish I’d thought of asking for a “training opportunity”. Callum should be in politics.
He grabs the corner of one of the photos poking out and looks at it. “Walk me through what’s bothering you.”
I take the picture and put it on the desk between us.
“This is supposed to be the tread mark from Zoe’s car, right? The one near the quarry lip?”
“That’s what the report says.”
“Well…not that it’s a very clear image, but…” I slide my finger across the photo. “There are two tire marks in it. One faint, one more pronounced.”
He leans in, studying it. “Ingram suggested it was previously parked car’s tread. The faint tracks.”
