Need You Dead

58 Monday 25 April

Back in his office, Roy Grace listened to the voicemail that had come in earlier. It was an apologetic-sounding message from a DS in Professional Standards, following up on a request from the Independent Police Complaints Commission to investigate the death of Corin Belling.

He was about to return the call when there was a rap on the door, and as usual without waiting for his reply, Glenn Branson sauntered in.

‘Hey, mate, heard you’ve been making a right pig’s ear of everything in my absence!’

‘Very funny. Good holiday?’

‘Brilliant! Stayed at Siobhan’s parents’ villa near La Cala — it was fabulous.’

‘So the romance is flourishing? Siobhan hasn’t seen through you?’

Branson frowned. ‘What?’

‘Nah, she couldn’t have done, could she?’

‘What do you mean? Couldn’t have done?’

‘Coz you’re too thick-skinned!’

‘Thanks, I don’t know why I bothered to come back.’

‘Because you missed me?’ Grace ventured.

‘Yeah, a whole seven days with no one insulting me started to get on my nerves. So, what’s up?’

‘Where do you want me to begin?’

‘At the beginning — that might be a good place.’

‘You know what? A couple of days ago I actually thought I was missing you. Now—’

‘Now you know you can’t function without me, yeah?’

‘Dream on.’

Branson perched on Roy’s desk. ‘So, start with Bruno, give me the full download.’

Grace filled him in, briefly, on meeting him in Germany, and bringing him home, Bruno going to the football with Jason Tingley and his son, the way he had seemingly taken to Noah, and swimming last night.

‘No lingo problems?’

‘He’s pretty much completely bilingual.’

‘And he starts at St Christopher’s today?’

‘He’s having his assessment.’

‘If he gets accepted, that’s going to cost you!’

Grace shook his head. ‘Sandy had a stash of money — from a rich old auntie who died. There’s a trust fund set up for Bruno.’

‘Great Dr Hook song that — about a rich old uncle who died.’ He cocked his head in response to Grace’s blank expression. ‘Yeah, he’s a bit young for your generation. He didn’t come on the scene until the late 1960s.’

‘I’m not even going to dignify that with a reply.’

‘So, work,’ Branson said. ‘Lorna Belling — you’re leaving Guy in charge?’

‘He’s doing a good job so far, but I’m keeping a close eye on it.’

‘Helped by you killing the chief suspect?’

‘Very funny. I tell you, this is a very strange one. Are we in the midst of a domestic abuse epidemic or something?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘There are three suspects in Lorna Belling’s murder — and we’re not ruling out the possibility of suicide, either. Two of them have a history with the police for violence against women.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Her husband was arrested after shoving dog shit in her mouth a couple of days before she died — and he had previous for similar offences. The next suspect, a little toerag called Seymour Darling, turns out to have form for violence against women. And now we have Mr Respectable, Kipp Brown, one of the city’s biggest charitable benefactors, who has become the latest suspect.’

‘Kipp Brown? You mean that Trust Kipp guy?’

‘Exactly.’

‘What’s your gut feeling?’

‘I don’t have one on this yet, I have a totally open mind.’

‘Want me to get involved?’

‘No, we’ve got enough people on it. What I need from you right now is a lot of help on the Tooth, Crisp and Bentley cases.’ He tapped the three manila folders on the small desk. All three were bound with white tape, one marked OPERATION VIOLIN, another, OPERATION HAYWAIN, and the third, OPERATION SPIDER. ‘Evidence on Tooth, Op Violin, and on Crisp, Op Haywain, is pretty strong. With Tooth, we have our suspect on life support in hospital, with the medics unable to predict the outcome, so all we can do is wait. I’m less confident about Jodie Bentley, Operation Spider.’

‘What are your worries about her?’

‘I’ve got a case conference in chambers coming. We’ve key evidence from four principal expert witnesses. Dr James West from Liverpool University; the herpetologist Mark O’Shea; the Home Office pathologist Dr Colin Duncton, and our forensic podiatrist, Haydn Kelly. We are very reliant on Kelly’s evidence for identifying her in several key locations — I think you should start by going through the evidence dossier, pulling out everything we are planning to use that he’s given us, and see if you can book him for a day to come down and go through it all with you.’

‘Are you worried about his evidence, boss?’

Grace shook his head. ‘No, he’s rock solid and has never let us down. He was brilliant on Operation Icon, the Gaia Lafayette case, and everything we’ve used him on. Just make sure we’ve got every box ticked on Op Spider. He’ll be wanting to cooperate — another conviction helped by his evidence will be good for his career.’

‘I’ll call him right away.’

‘So — wedding bells ringing soon with you and Siobhan? Should I phone Moss Bros and book my suit?’

Branson suddenly looked coy. ‘Yeah, actually, maybe. There’s something I was going to ask you — well — at the appropriate moment.’

‘Oh?’

‘Is this appropriate?’

‘You tell me?’

With a big smile, Branson banged his fist on the Detective Superintendent’s desk. ‘There you bloody go again!’

‘Go again?’

‘Yeah — you always used to drive me mad, and now you’re doing it again.’

‘Doing what?’

‘Replying to everything I ask you with a question.’

‘What have you asked me?’

‘You’re doing it again.’

‘I’m sorry, mate, you’ve lost me. Wind your neck in!’

Branson raised one finger in the air, then a second, followed by a third, counting out loud. ‘One... two... three...’

Grace grinned.

The DI took a deep breath. ‘What I want to ask you is — Roy — would you be my best man?’

‘Blimey, you’re really scraping the barrel. Couldn’t you find someone you actually like?’

‘Screw you!’

‘I’d be massively honoured. Thank you. Seriously.’

‘So long as you promise not to trash me in your speech, yeah?’

Grace looked him hard in the face. ‘You look so damned happy — I’m thrilled for you, matey, I really am! You two are really good together. So when’s the big day?’

‘We’ve not set it yet. We’re thinking this autumn.’

‘Well don’t leave it too long — I’m getting the impression you think I’m so old I might not last many more months.’

‘Just keep taking the tablets.’

There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in,’ Grace called out.

It was Guy Batchelor, looking pleased, waving a sheet of paper in the air.