Del sighed and got up out of his chair. He walked to the window and peered out. His side profile was terribly handsome, but Kelly forced herself to focus on the job at hand. It was a sad situation that the only men she ever came across were at work. She’d met Johnny in a bar in Pooley Bridge and she recalled those days before she had Lizzie fondly. But now she didn’t get out. She was either at work or at home. Her attraction to colleagues – senior or junior – was indicative of her narrowpool of choice, and nothing to do with coppers being especially attractive.
‘She was a famous artist wasn’t she?’
‘I didn’t know you were up to date on your artists, sir.’ Kelly grinned and Del smirked. It softened the tone a bit. ‘We’re releasing both their names today. And that of a podcaster who has gone to ground.’
‘Good God, there’ll be a frenzy.’
‘Yes, sir, but that’s kind of the point.’
She had prepared a whole speech about where they were in their inquiries and what they were doing. That’s usually what she came to Carleton Hall for but what he said next threw her.
‘Hold off on that.’
‘Excuse me, sir?’
‘I said, hold off. We don’t need a media circus right now. The Home Office is adamant that relations between us and the US remain solid.’
Clearly conversations had been had behind closed doors that Kelly had no idea about. And they weren’t just cosy chats; they were taking place in the highest offices of the land.
‘Is there something you wish to share with me, sir?’
He walked back to his desk and leant over it. Kelly felt disadvantaged and very small.
‘What have you got on them?’ He sat down and waited.
She recovered herself. ‘As you know the coroner has ruled homicide for both. They both had some kind of relationship with a famous podcaster which we haven’t worked out yet. The CCTV from the guesthouse in Skelwith has flagged up some interesting leads but we’re still in the thick of it, sir. His sister was hiding a suitcase full of documents, presumably for him as he was the one who checked her in, and there was a decoy suitcase in his hotel room.’
‘So, nothing concrete then? What about the bodyguard? Can I assume you’ve let that idea go now?’
‘No, sir, the opposite in fact, it’s urgent we speak to him, if he’s still in the country. I’d appreciate your backing to put a bit of pressure on the VIPs at Dow Bank House.’
‘Anything else?’
It was abrupt. Distracted. Fucking rude.
‘They were close as brother and sister, and I’m tracking down their known associates, who weren’t many in number. Jamie’s business partner seemed to know her well, judging by photos in her camera phone, which we only discovered this morning. Also, she was pregnant, sir.’
‘Oh dear, that’s nasty.’
Kelly nodded. ‘We don’t know who the father is but we’ve taken DNA tests from the foetus just in case so they can be informed down the line. My suspicion is that it’s the podcaster.’
He stared at her and looked away, somewhere over her shoulder. She hated when people did that, not only was it unsettling and made you feel utterly irrelevant.
‘Look, I’ll get straight to the point,’ he said. ‘It’s sensitive.’
‘What is, sir?’
He sighed again. She felt as though it was code for her not being able to read his mind and she felt as though she was supposed to feel inadequate. But she didn’t. She was mad.
‘Give me a clue, boss, I’m struggling here,’ she said.
She could be open and candid with Del, despite having to call him ‘sir’ now. They had previous form on cases going back to the London Met when he’d been involved in a fraud case years ago when she was a junior detective. She’d been fond of him back then. Memories flooded back of her partner, Seb Crook, and a young Del Booker swooping in to handle a corrupt colleague whose betrayal left everybody blindsided. You always had to watch the ones who worked in professional standards becausethey were picky about detail and made ruthless officers. Del had a soft outer shell but was remorseless when it came to nailing the perp. He’d been an outstanding officer.
‘The company Jamie worked for is of vital importance to foreign trade agreements,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘You heard.’
