Dead Like You by Peter James

Author:Peter James
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Suspense, Fiction
ISBN: 9780230706873
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2010-07-01T05:00:00+00:00

57

Monday 12 January

MIR-1 was capable of housing up to three Major Incident investigations at the same time. But with Roy Grace's rapidly expanding team, Operation Swordfish needed the entire room. Fortunately he'd always kept on the right side of the Senior Support Officer, Tony Case, who controlled all four Major Incident Suites in the county.

Case obligingly moved the only other major investigation currently taking place in Sussex House at the moment - the late-night street murder of an as yet unidentified man - to the smaller MIR-2 along the corridor.

Although Grace had held two briefings yesterday, several of his team had been absent on outside inquiries, for a number of important reasons. He had ordered full attendance this morning.

He sat down at a free space at one of the workstations, placing his agenda and Policy Book in front of him. Beside them sat his third coffee of the day, so far. Cleo was constantly reproaching him for the amount he consumed, but after his early pleasant but testy meeting with ACC Rigg, he felt in need of another strong caffeine hit.

Although MIR-1 had not been redecorated or refurbished for some years, the room always had a sterile, faintly anodyne modern-office smell. A big contrast to police offices before the smoking ban had been imposed, he thought. Almost all of them reeked of tobacco and had a permanently fuggy haze. But it gave them atmosphere and in some ways he missed that. Everything in life was becoming too sterile.

He nodded greetings to various members of his team as they filed into the room, most of them, including Glenn Branson, who appeared to be having yet another of his endless arguments with his wife, talking on their phones.

'Morning, old-timer,' Branson greeted him when he ended his call. He pocketed his phone, then tapped the top of his own shaven dome and frowned.

Grace frowned back. 'What?'

'No gel. Did you forget?'

'I was seeing the new ACC first thing, so thought I ought to be a little conservative.'

Branson, who had given Roy Grace a major fashion makeover some months ago, shook his head. 'You know what? Sometimes you're just plain sad. If I was the new ACC, I'd want officers with a bit of zing - not ones who looked like my grandfather.'

'Sod you!' Grace said with a grin. Then he yawned.

'See!' Branson said gleefully. 'It's your age. You can't take the pace.'

'Very funny. Look, I have to concentrate for a few minutes, OK?'

'You know who you remind me of?' Branson said, ignoring him.

'George Clooney? Daniel Craig?'

'Nah. Brad Pitt.'

For a moment Grace looked quite pleased. Then the Detective Sergeant added, 'Yeah, in Benjamin Button - like at the point where he looks a hundred and hasn't started getting younger yet.'

Grace shook his head, stifling a grin, then another yawn. Monday was a day most normal people dreaded. But most normal people at least started the week feeling rested and fresh. He had spent the whole of his Sunday at work, first going to the pier,

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