The Mermaids Singing Page 0,16

go.

Cross rounded on Carol.

"Have you got nothing better to do.

Inspector? "

"I'm waiting to make my report, sir," she said.

"You told me to wait for you after the press conference."

"Before you get into that... Torn, let me introduce you to Dr Tony Hill," Brandon said, motioning Tony to come forward.

"We've met," Cross said, sullen as a schoolboy.

"Dr Hill has agreed to work closely with us in this investigation.

He's got more experience in profiling serial offenders than just about anybody else in the country. He's also agreed to keep his involvement under wraps. "

Tony gave a self-deprecating, diplomatic smile.

"That's right. The last thing I want is to turn your enquiry into a sideshow. If there's any credit going when we nail this bastard, I want it to go to your team. They'll be the ones doing the work, after all."

"You're not wrong there," Cross muttered.

"I don't want you under our feet, getting in the road."

"None of us want that, Torn," Brandon said.

"That's why I've asked Carol to act as liaison officer between Tony and us."

"I can't afford to lose a senior officer at a time like this," Cross protested.

"You're not losing her," Brandon said.

"You're gaining an officer with a unique overview of all the cases. Could prove invaluable, Torn." He glanced at his watch.

"I better be off. The Chief's going to want a briefing on this one. Keep me posted, Torn." Brandon sketched a wave and stepped back into the street and out of sight.

Cross pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit up.

"You know your trouble. Inspector?" he said.

"You're not as smart as you like to think you are. One step out of line, lady, and I'll have your guts for a jock strap." He took a deep drag of his cigarette and leaned forward to blow smoke in Carol's direction. The gesture was ruined by the gust of wind that snatched the smoke away before it reached her. Looking disgusted. Cross turned on his heel and marched back to the scene of the crime.

"You meet a nice class of person in this job," Carol said.

"At least I know now which way the wind blows," Tony replied. As he spoke, he felt a drop of rain on his face.

"Oh shit," Carol said.

"That's all we need. Look, can we meet tomorrow? I can grab the files tonight and skim them beforehand. Then you can get stuck in."

"Fine. My office, ten o'clock?"

"Perfect. How do I find you?"

Tony gave Carol directions, then watched as she hurried back down the alley. An interesting woman. And attractive too, most men would agree to that. There were times when he almost wished he could find an uncomplicated response in himself. But he'd long since gone beyond the point where he would allow himself to be attracted to a woman like Carol Jordan.

It was after seven when Carol finally made it back to headquarters.

When she rang John Brandon'sextension, she was pleasantly surprised to find him still at his desk.

"Come on up," he told her.

She was even more surprised when she walked through his secretary's door and found him pouring two steaming mugs from the coffee maker.

"Milk and sugar?" he asked her.

"Neither," she said.

"This is an unexpected pleasure."

"I gave up smoking five years ago," Brandon confided. "Now it's only the caffeine that holds me together. Come through."

Carol walked into his office, fired with curiosity. She'd never been across the threshold before. The decor was regulation cream paint, the furniture identical to Cross's office, except that here the wood was gleaming, free from scuffs, scratches, cigarette burns and the telltale rings left by hot cups. Unlike most senior officers, Brandon hadn't decorated his walls with police photographs and his framed commendations. Instead, he'd chosen half a dozen reproductions of turn-of-the-century paintings of Bradfield street scenes. Colourful yet moody, often rain-soaked, they mirrored the spectacular view from the seventh-floor window.

The only item in the room that ran true to expectation was the photograph of his wife and children on the desk. Even that was no posed, studio shot, but an enlargement of a holiday snap on board a sailboat. Deduction: in spite of the impression Brandon strove to give as a bluff, straightforward, conventional copper, he was actually far more complex and thoughtful under the surface.

He waved Carol to a pair of chairs in front of his desk, then sat down in the other one.

"One thing I want to be clear about," Brandon said without preliminary.

"You report to Superintendent Cross. He's in charge of this operation. However, I