Dead Silent by Helen H. Durrant

Author:Helen H. Durrant [Durrant, Helen H.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: UK
Published: 1999-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

DAY FIVE

“Tom! Can I have a word please?” DCI Jones strode into the incident room.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Calladine looked round from the board, which he had been studying intently.

“The States, Tom—this list. I’m thinking of the cost of all those phone calls. Are they really necessary?”

He was at it again, the penny-pinching fool!

“I’m afraid they are, sir. That list is students from the university who may be missing. At least two students from the States have ended up dead on our patch, so we need to know how many more we could be looking at.”

“I appreciate that, but couldn’t we leave the spadework to the university? They were their students after all.”

“Yes but the bodies are ours, sir. And when others turn up they will be ours too.” He spoke as calmly as he could, trying hard not to lose it. Tom Calladine was ready to blow, and if the DCI didn’t get out of his face soon …

Jones sighed. “Budgets, Tom. We only have so much money to play with. This could blow our phone bill sky high.”

“Can’t be helped I’m afraid. At the very least, the families of the dead girls need to know.”

“Okay, contact them, but leave the others for the time being. I’ll sort something out. Something cheaper.”

And exactly how was he going to do that? Calladine inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm his anger. What did Jones imagine they were all doing here? That man had spent so long tucked in that little office of his that he’d lost all comprehension of what really went on.

Ruth was sat at her desk, shaking her head and swearing under her breath. “Bloody idiot. Does he think we do this for the fun of it?

We have to spend money sometimes. I bet he’s not seen the overtime bill yet, has he, sir?”

“Now now, Sergeant Bayliss. Take it easy. Let’s not get riled, and less of the cheek…We’ll give him until lunchtime and then we’ll crack on with the calls regardless. What we all really want is an end to this. He’s with us on that one, surely?”

“Monika?”

“Not yet, and please don’t go on about it. I’ve enough on right now.”

“Coward! What’s happened to you?”

“Sleep—or rather the lack of it—that’s what happened. I’ll sort it, I promise.”

“You can tell me about it on the way to the university. And don’t go thinking I’ll let you wimp out, because I won’t. You need that woman, Tom Calladine.”

She was probably right, but he didn’t feel like dissecting his love life right now.

“Give me a minute. I want to check if Julian got anywhere with the CCTV from the undertakers.” He picked up the phone and tapped in the forensic scientist’s number. All he got was his answer service.

“He must be out, or busy.”

“Or even both.”

“Okay. We’ll get off to Manchester and check with him on our way back.”

He went into his office and grabbed his coat.

“I’m in, sir!” Imogen announced as he and Ruth made to leave.

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