Dead Like You

75

Wednesday 14 January

Roy Grace followed Tony Case down the back stone staircase into the basement of the CID headquarters. No one could accuse Sussex Police of squandering money on the decor here, he observed wryly, walking past cracked walls with chunks of plaster missing.

Then the Senior Support Officer led him along the familiar, gloomily lit corridor that felt like it was leading to a dungeon. Case stopped in front of a closed door and pointed at the digi-alarm pad on the wall, then raised his index finger.

‘OK, first thing, Roy. Anyone wanting access would need the code for this – only a handful of people, such as your good self, have it – and I’ve given it to them personally.’

Case was a solidly built man in his mid-fifties, with close-cropped hair and tough good looks, dressed in a fawn suit, shirt and tie. A former police officer himself, he had rejoined the force as a civilian after retirement. With a small team, he ran the CID headquarters and was responsible for all the equipment here, as well as in the three other Major Crime Suites in the county. He could be an invaluable aide to those officers he respected and a total pain in the butt to those he didn’t, and his judgement was usually right. Fortunately for Roy Grace, they got on well.

Tony Case then raised a second finger. ‘Anyone who comes down here – workmen, cleaners, anyone like that – is escorted all the time.’

‘OK, but there must be some occasions when they would be left alone – and could rummage through files.’

Case looked dubious. ‘Not in a place as sensitive as this evidence store, no.’

Grace nodded. He used to know his way around here blindfolded, but the new team had rearranged the filing. Case opened the door and they went in. Wall-to-ceiling red-painted cages, all with padlocks, stretched into the distance. On the shelves behind them were red and green crates stacked with files, and sealed evidence bags.

‘Anything in particular you want to see?’

‘Yes, the files on the Shoe Man.’ Although Grace had summary files in his office, all the actual evidence was kept securely in here.

Case walked along several yards, then stopped, selected a key from a bunch dangling from his belt and opened a padlock. Then he pulled open the cage door.

‘I know this one,’ he said, ‘because it’s currently being accessed by your team.’

Grace nodded. ‘Do you remember Detective Superintendent Cassian Pewe, who was here last autumn?’

Case gave him a bemused look. ‘Yeah, don’t think I’ll forget him in a hurry. Treated me like his personal lackey. Tried to get me hanging pictures in his office for him. Nothing bad happened to him, I hope. Like he didn’t fall off another cliff and this time didn’t have you around to save him.’

Grace grinned. Saving Pewe’s life had turned out to be the least popular thing he’d ever done.

‘Unfortunately not.’

‘Can’t understand why you didn’t get a bravery medal for what you did, Roy.’

‘I can.’ Grace smiled. ‘I’d only have got it if I’d let him fall.’

‘Don’t worry. He’s a shit. Know what they say about shit?’

‘No.’

‘Shit always falls, eventually, from its own weight.’