Run It Twice by Mark Lamont

Author:Mark Lamont [Lamont, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2024-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

The briefing over, I traipse back to my desk, a little frustrated. As far as I can tell, Roshmi’s trip to see the Basus yielded more or less bugger all, and Roshmi doesn’t seem to see how disappointing that is. More importantly, how much she’s neglecting her biggest asset in seeing through any Basu bullshit, i.e. me.

OK, I’m dangerously close to being arrogant here, over the threshold for cocky. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong, does it? I’ve acquired people-reading skills through necessity. Skills that Bernadette doesn’t have, that not even Roshmi has.

Which brings me to another issue. My world-class people-reading skills are telling me that Roshmi’s not being straight with us for some reason. She’s holding something back. I can feel it, but I just can’t square that with what I know about her. She’s not a cards-to-her-chest kind of girl, normally. She’s always open and transparent with her team. She tests, she challenges, yes. But always she tells us everything that’s on her mind. This isn’t her style, and that troubles me.

‘What’s on your mind, love?’

Bernadette’s standing next to me. She knows me too well, this one.

‘Nothing.’

‘Haven’t we had this conversation before Lila Cabot? You can’t hide anything from me, so why are you trying?’

Her voice is as soft as ever, but I don’t let that fool me. Like the Irish Sea she’s so fond of, she can turn on a sixpence. Soft and quiet one minute, a fire-breathing Celtic hellcat the next.

‘I’m pissed off, that’s all.’

‘Because we didn’t get out the thumbscrews and extract a confession from the Basus?’

Something like that, I suppose. ‘Well, why didn’t you?’

‘You mean apart from the fact that I’m a DS, and Roshmi’s a DCI? Or is it the fact that we’re dealing with a woman who’s lost her husband, and two boys who’ve lost their father?

‘Or the fact that any sign at all that we’re throwing accusations against the family will trigger an accusation of racism and/or harassment on the part of the North Yorkshire Police. An accusation that wouldn’t exactly be without precedent.’

All reasonable points. Especially that last part. We’ve not done ourselves any favours in the last few years. I don’t care if her points are reasonable though. Reasonable doesn’t get the job done.

‘Yes. Apart from that.’ Because those are excuses, not reasons, in my book.

‘Do you think that you’re uniquely capable of interviewing a suspect, Lila?’

I have to bite my tongue on that one.

‘No.’ There must be someone who could do it as well as me. HOLMES would know.

‘Bullshit. We both know that’s exactly what you think. And Lord save us, you might even be right.’

I think I really might, but now is not the time to say that out loud. That Celtic fire Bernadette keeps locked up for special occasions is bubbling away, waiting for the call.

‘But I’m a decent enough copper, and Roshmi’s the best we’ve seen. So maybe, we’re enough right now.’

‘Enough?’

‘Enough to keep them happy and off their guard. Because if they’re not on the up and up, then there’ll come a time when we can unleash Lila Cabot in all her glory.

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