The Golden Shot by Michael Leese

Author:Michael Leese [Leese, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mike Leese Communications
Published: 2020-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

28

The killing of the two officers had alerted the media and the online media, and in the absence of facts, were asking difficult questions. A tricky case was getting worse.

On the ride back to Victoria, Hooley had been hoping that Roper would offer some insights. But the younger man was totally silent, lost in his own thoughts. Even when they returned to their own office, Roper simply stared into space for five minutes, then announced he was going for lunch. Before Hooley could react, he was out of the door and promising to return shortly.

The DCI watched him go, aware that this might be considered an odd time to be fixating on sandwiches. It felt like the case was going backwards, and they needed to be working harder to get a result.

But he didn’t have such an ego that he recognised he needed Roper at his intuitive best to get that break. And the best way of achieving that was allowing Roper to go on a food run. A hungry Roper was a distracted Roper. He also suspected, in defiance of the scientific evidence, that the faster Roper’s brain turned, the more calories he burned through.

A short while later, a pile of sandwiches was dumped in front of him – all of them, to his dismay, containing egg in one form or another.

To cap it all, he had the strongest instinct that he was going to receive a lecture, whether he wanted one or not. Letting out a gentle sigh, he poked the packets in front of him. He was about to be proved right.

The moment Roper started speaking, Hooley braced. He recognised the tone of voice instantly. It was the one that would brook no interference, a voice used by precocious young children explaining how technology works to an especially slow adult.

Roper was off. “I’ve majored on egg sandwiches because I think you could do with a boost of Omega oils. This case is getting quite complicated, even for me, and I am not sure you are thinking hard enough.”

Hooley narrowed his eyes. He was thinking very hard at the moment, imagining what one of the egg sandwiches would look like if he squashed it on Roper’s head. Tempted as he was, he resisted the urge.

Roper was blithely unaware of how close he was to sporting a new look in food fashion.

“At one point this morning, I noticed you were breathing through your mouth. This is not a good look and something you do when you are intellectually overloaded.”

“Intellectually overloaded?” Hooley was so outraged the words came out slowly and awkwardly.

Roper seized his moment. “You see. You are even talking strangely – as though you have some sort of brain impediment. I don’t think we can rule out a tumour, but I think it is because you are finding this hard.”

Hooley was so enraged he lost the power of speech altogether. Going extremely red, he issued a series of squeaks and grunts as he attempted to fight back.

Roper studied him carefully.

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