One of Us Is Dead

68 Wednesday 12 October 2022

Ten minutes later, Grace and Branson, each awkwardly holding a paper napkin balancing a crumbling slice of coffee cake, sat on chairs at the far end of the room with Digital Forensic Examiner Charlotte Mckee and Team Leader Lisa Roberts. Both women, exuding enthusiasm, were in their early thirties. Mckee had long light brown hair, a striped jumper, black leggings and trainers; Roberts was sporting cropped blonde hair, a green tracksuit top, jeans and trainers. Also present was DC Ruth Venus from the Major Crime Team.

Another member of the team, Digital Forensic Examiner Gabriella Weston, similarly dressed to Mckee — apart from a white bobble hat — and affectionally dubbed by Mckee as the Tea Lady, appeared with two steaming mugs for Grace and Branson, who were by now both desperate for a drink.

On Mckee’s desk, amid the clutter of a notepad, Thermos, Scotch-tape dispenser and electronic apparatus, was an evidence bag and, next to it, Barnie Wallace’s phone, plugged into her computer. On her right screen was an exquisite photograph of a chain of dachshunds, and on the left it was all black with white lettering; at the top it read: EXTRACTION COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY.

Grace and Branson scanned the headings:

It reminded Grace of something his former colleague Ray Packham had said to him, years back. Give me an hour with someone’s computer and I’ll know more about them than their partner does. And something that Aiden Gilbert had said to him only a year or so ago. Looking into someone’s computer — or phone, now — is like looking into their soul.

So this was the deceased Barnie Wallace’s soul. Would it provide the reason, from beyond his grave, why he had been murdered?

‘So, gentlemen,’ Mckee said in her very friendly and rather posh voice that reminded Grace quite a lot of Cleo’s equally upper-crust voice — far posher than his own. ‘Are you looking for anything specific?’

‘We are, Charlotte,’ Branson jumped in. ‘We are interested in Wallace’s movements in the four weeks before his death, in particular. And any calls he made during that period.’

‘OK, that should be easy.’ She took a swig of water from her Thermos, then tapped her keyboard. ‘I’m sure you both know how paranoid so many people are about the idea that their every movement is being tracked?’

Grace nodded.

‘And being injected with microchips to make us all love the Bay City Rollers,’ Branson added.

Charlotte Mckee frowned.

‘She’s too young,’ Grace said. ‘You’re dating yourself.’

‘Me?’ he exclaimed. ‘You’re a fine one to—’ But before he could say anything else, Mckee continued.

‘The government doesn’t need to inject tracking devices into anyone. We all carry them around with us all day long, anyway — in the form of our mobile phones.’ She smiled. ‘If you have your phone’s Wi-Fi switched on, then it says hello to every Wi-Fi router it passes. Which means, these days, every house, shop, restaurant and institution. Ruth and I can tell you from this extraction not only Barnie Wallace’s movements during the time period you need, but how long he spent in each location.’

‘Can you tell us what he was thinking when he was there, Ruth?’ Branson asked.

‘Not yet.’ She smiled. ‘But just give it a few years.’