Death's Cold Hand: A DCI Will Blake Novel (DCI Will Blake Crime Mystery Thrillers Book 6) by J.E. Mayhew

Author:J.E. Mayhew [Mayhew, J.E.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Obolus Books
Published: 2021-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The first ripples of the media storm arrived in the form of Deirdre Lanham, reporter from the Wirral Argus, a local paper. She was a short, middle-aged woman with a round face, framed by long, blonde hair. Blake had run into her on a number of occasions and knew her to be hard-nosed but fair. She sat waiting in HQ reception as he entered to start the day which he didn’t take as a great omen.

“DCI Blake,” she called as he passed her. “Is it true you’re investigating a possible terrorist link to the murder over in Port Sunlight?”

Blake winced. “No comment,” he said.

“I take it from the expression on your face that we weren’t meant to know,” she said, with a mischievous grin. “You should know, it’s all over Twitter.”

“What are you asking me for then?” Blake said. “Isn’t that what you journalists do these days? Look on social media and regurgitate unfounded comments and opinions?”

Deirdre bridled a little. “I came here, hoping to get some kind of helpful information, DCI Blake. There was a time when you didn’t object to the media helping you fight crime. You revelled in it in fact.” She hummed the opening bars of the Searchlight theme. “So, what are you looking at?”

Blake leaned on the reception counter and folded his arms. “I’m looking at you and wondering why you’re clogging up reception, to be honest.”

“Look, Blake,” Deirdre Lanham snapped. “This is going to be a shit show and you know it. You’ll need all the help you can get in a few days. I can go and mine social media for information and print that or you can give me a few morsels that I can use and print the truth. Or maybe you want Tommy Robinson holding a rally in Port Sunlight…”

“Jeez,” Blake muttered. He turned to Madge at the counter. “Is there an interview room available Madge? Just for ten minutes.”

*****

Superintendent Martin sat blinking at Blake as though he’d just pinched his cheek, ruffled his hair and called him ‘darling’. “You did what?”

“It was a snap decision, sir. What Deirdre Lanham said was true. There’s a huge scope for misinformation here…”

“Which is why we have a Media and Communications Manager whose job it is to handle… the media, funny that isn’t it, Will? Fancy that eh? Hannah Williams gets paid a wage for dealing with journalists. She’s a qualified professional.”

“All I said was that we had interviewed some teenagers in connection with the murder and we were sceptical about reports of it being a terrorist incident…”

“And that’s enough, is it? In your professional opinion? Oh no, wait I forgot, you used to be on the telly, didn’t you, Will, so you know better than Hannah.” Martin threw his hands up.

“Sir, why would terrorists kill someone wandering home from the pub in the middle of the night? Hardly a huge spectacle, is it?”

“You’re an expert on terrorism now, too. Christ on a bike! Why don’t we just sack half the force

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