Read Online Bye Bye Baby by Fiona McIntosh - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Fiona McIntosh
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replied vehemently.
‘I mean the church, sir.’ This was the first time Kate had really noticed the cathedral, even though she passed it almost daily. ‘That surely looks like a minaret.’
Jack didn’t respond to her question, his gaze darting from the road to quickly grab a glimpse of the building he clearly admired. ‘The tourists should come here at night when it looks its most heavenly and angelic,’ he said.
Kate smiled. ‘So, our meeting is with Diane Sheriff, right, sir?’
‘Listen, Kate, I don’t go in for that “sir” stuff when we’re not being watched over by anyone official. You’re a DI now, so get comfortable calling me Jack, and at the Yard we’ll fall back into the formalities. Okay?’
Kate nodded, and understood yet another reason why the man that people called Hawk was popular.
‘Yes, her name’s Diane,’ he continued, ‘she’s taking the afternoon off work to see us.’ He began negotiating the confusing one-way system around Victoria Station, headed for Grosvenor Place with its line of embassies.
Kate gave a soft sigh. ‘And I imagine she’s only just coming to terms with her husband’s loss. We arrive to re-open the wound like the typically heartless bastards we are.’
‘That’s why I asked you to come along,’ he said gently and glanced at her. She didn’t look at him, touched her hair instead. ‘I knew you’d handle it the right way. Cam and Bill — well,’ he shrugged, ‘you’re the right person.’
‘Thanks.’ She cleared her throat, staring at the seemingly endless red brick wall and barbed wire that was the back of Buckingham Palace. ‘Look, I haven’t really had a chance to thank you for bringing me onto this operation. I appreciate it and I’m glad to be working with you.’
‘Bored over at Kingston, were you?’
‘Dying,’ she admitted and liked how it prompted a chuckle from him. ‘Being on the HAT team sounds great, but there aren’t many homicides around the Richmond-Twickenham borough.’
‘Your talents are wasted over there, Kate.’
‘Tell that to management, would you.’
‘I did. It’s why you’re here.’
That was the end of the personal chit-chat. He moved back to the case. ‘How did you feel about Tandy’s profile?’
‘He’s right, it’s loose,’ she answered, definitely on more solid ground now. Work was safe. ‘Not much for us to go on. A late thirties, possibly early forties, left-handed killer who’s taking revenge.’
‘It’s more than we had last night,’ he replied, boldly entering the notoriously hazardous roundabout of Hyde Park that usually had her flinching. He handled the navigation smoothly though, passing the Hilton and Dorchester hotels slowly to join the thickening traffic. ‘I think it’s given us a reasonable platform.’
‘Yes, but where to start? If we haven’t already found a grudge against Sheriff, for instance, you and I both know there probably isn’t one, so we’re just going through the motions in talking to his wife. That would have been one of the first questions that Lincoln Police asked, surely?’
‘I know, but people forget things. When she was interviewed originally, Mrs Sheriff was likely out of her mind with shock and despair. She’s probably thinking more clearly now.’
‘And you believe no one’s bothered to ask since then?’ Kate said incredulously.
‘All I’m saying is that if anything has occurred to her, she perhaps doesn’t think it’s important.’
‘But Sheriff's death was only three months ago. It would be an active file.’
‘Yes, but not everyone’s as diligent as you, Kate.’
More praise. She felt her cheeks begin to flush.
‘The individual officers who originally interviewed her could have been moved to other cases, different departments, retired, been promoted or just got busy.
They might not have revisited the file for a week or more.’
‘Bet they do now,’ she said, staring out the window as they finally gathered some
‘I mean the church, sir.’ This was the first time Kate had really noticed the cathedral, even though she passed it almost daily. ‘That surely looks like a minaret.’
Jack didn’t respond to her question, his gaze darting from the road to quickly grab a glimpse of the building he clearly admired. ‘The tourists should come here at night when it looks its most heavenly and angelic,’ he said.
Kate smiled. ‘So, our meeting is with Diane Sheriff, right, sir?’
‘Listen, Kate, I don’t go in for that “sir” stuff when we’re not being watched over by anyone official. You’re a DI now, so get comfortable calling me Jack, and at the Yard we’ll fall back into the formalities. Okay?’
Kate nodded, and understood yet another reason why the man that people called Hawk was popular.
‘Yes, her name’s Diane,’ he continued, ‘she’s taking the afternoon off work to see us.’ He began negotiating the confusing one-way system around Victoria Station, headed for Grosvenor Place with its line of embassies.
Kate gave a soft sigh. ‘And I imagine she’s only just coming to terms with her husband’s loss. We arrive to re-open the wound like the typically heartless bastards we are.’
‘That’s why I asked you to come along,’ he said gently and glanced at her. She didn’t look at him, touched her hair instead. ‘I knew you’d handle it the right way. Cam and Bill — well,’ he shrugged, ‘you’re the right person.’
‘Thanks.’ She cleared her throat, staring at the seemingly endless red brick wall and barbed wire that was the back of Buckingham Palace. ‘Look, I haven’t really had a chance to thank you for bringing me onto this operation. I appreciate it and I’m glad to be working with you.’
‘Bored over at Kingston, were you?’
‘Dying,’ she admitted and liked how it prompted a chuckle from him. ‘Being on the HAT team sounds great, but there aren’t many homicides around the Richmond-Twickenham borough.’
‘Your talents are wasted over there, Kate.’
‘Tell that to management, would you.’
‘I did. It’s why you’re here.’
That was the end of the personal chit-chat. He moved back to the case. ‘How did you feel about Tandy’s profile?’
‘He’s right, it’s loose,’ she answered, definitely on more solid ground now. Work was safe. ‘Not much for us to go on. A late thirties, possibly early forties, left-handed killer who’s taking revenge.’
‘It’s more than we had last night,’ he replied, boldly entering the notoriously hazardous roundabout of Hyde Park that usually had her flinching. He handled the navigation smoothly though, passing the Hilton and Dorchester hotels slowly to join the thickening traffic. ‘I think it’s given us a reasonable platform.’
‘Yes, but where to start? If we haven’t already found a grudge against Sheriff, for instance, you and I both know there probably isn’t one, so we’re just going through the motions in talking to his wife. That would have been one of the first questions that Lincoln Police asked, surely?’
‘I know, but people forget things. When she was interviewed originally, Mrs Sheriff was likely out of her mind with shock and despair. She’s probably thinking more clearly now.’
‘And you believe no one’s bothered to ask since then?’ Kate said incredulously.
‘All I’m saying is that if anything has occurred to her, she perhaps doesn’t think it’s important.’
‘But Sheriff's death was only three months ago. It would be an active file.’
‘Yes, but not everyone’s as diligent as you, Kate.’
More praise. She felt her cheeks begin to flush.
‘The individual officers who originally interviewed her could have been moved to other cases, different departments, retired, been promoted or just got busy.
They might not have revisited the file for a week or more.’
‘Bet they do now,’ she said, staring out the window as they finally gathered some
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