I’m desperately short-staffed and this is a huge case. There are lots of enquiries that need fixing up. Amy and I will take the lead, but you will be given tasks from the both of us to complete. You’re keen, you’ve been involved from day one and I think you’d be an asset to my team, eventually. What do you think, would you like to move up to CID? At least you won’t be driving a van around all day.’
Morgan let out a squeal. Grabbing hold of Ben, she threw her arms around him and he stiffened up. Realising she’d overstepped her mark, she let go, her hands dropping back down to her sides.
‘Sorry. Yes! Is this real? You’re being serious and not making fun of me?’
He shook his head.
‘Yes, yes, yes please. Oh my God, I can’t believe it, I thought I’d have to wait years for a chance to work in CID.’
Laughing, Ben shrugged. ‘To be honest you’ve kind of fallen on your feet because I’m so short-staffed; normally I wouldn’t get within a hundred feet of a rookie.’
‘Oh.’ The excitement deflated as fast as it had arrived.
‘I don’t mean that in a horrible way, it’s how it is. Circumstances have dictated otherwise though, and I know you’ll work hard and fit in with my team. So, you’re in?’
He held out his hand. She stared at it, noticing for the first time the smooth ring of skin where his wedding band should be. Grabbing hold of it, she shook it.
‘I’m in. Do I get to wear my own clothes?’
‘You certainly do.’
The curtain opened and Mark stepped out with a couple of paper evidence sacks in one hand, his case in the other.
‘All done. I think she’s going down to theatre soon.’
‘Cheers, Mark.’
Morgan stepped back into the cubicle, and Ben went to speak to the doctor in charge. If she’d thought that Bronte looked frail before, she looked even smaller now in the cotton hospital gown that drowned her tiny frame. Unable to stop herself, she reached out and took hold of her cold hand.
Clasping it tenderly, bending down, she whispered, ‘Keep fighting, Bronte, I’m going to find who did this to you and your family. I promise you.’
Sixteen
Neither of them spoke much on the way back to the station, and Morgan was desperate to change out of her soiled uniform. As if reading her mind, Ben parked up, saying, ‘You can go get changed, shower then come up to the office.’
‘I’d better go and speak to my sergeant, tell him where I’m going. They might be short on patrol if I come up now.’
‘You sort yourself out, and I’ll speak to Mads. He won’t mind; the DCI requested we ask you as soon as possible.’
That wasn’t strictly true, he knew. He’d requested Ben find someone ASAP. He hadn’t specifically requested Morgan, but she didn’t need to know that.
She went in the direction of the women’s locker room, and he headed to the patrol sergeant’s office. Knocking on the door, he walked in without waiting to be asked.
‘Mads.’
‘Ben, how’s it going? Is Morgan with you, is she coping okay? It’s a bit much for your first independent patrols.’
‘She’s fine; at least she seems it. Look, I need some help. We’re desperately short-staffed and Tom said to find someone today. I’ve asked her and she’s happy to come up and do a three-month attachment. It will be a massive help.’
‘What? It’s her second day. Don’t you want someone slightly more experienced and who’s willing to take on the extra caseload? Dan has been wanting to come up for months. He’d be more than happy to.’
Ben shut the door and lowered his voice. ‘Dan’s difficult; I can’t work with him. Not at the moment. This is the biggest murder case I’ve ever worked on, and I need to be focused. I can’t afford to spend all day wasting my effort trying to keep him in line. Morgan’s keen and has been on the case from the moment it was called in. I think she’ll be okay.’
‘I think she won’t, she’s inexperienced.’
‘Yes, but she’s confident and I have faith in her. Don’t forget, you owe me one.’
Mads squinted at him; he did owe him one. Ben had saved his arse when his wife had come looking for him at the Christmas party after he’d left early with one of the PCSOs.
‘Christ almighty, you know this is going to cause a shitstorm with Dan. He won’t be happy about it.’