Dead Inside. Noelle Holten

       CHAPTER SIX

      Maggie felt a buzz of excitement as she stepped into the room and took in her new surroundings, the open-plan office lined with modern ‘pods’ on the second floor of a grey building. She thought back to when she had first been called into the DI’s office to discuss her move from the murder investigation team. She had been advised that given her recent experience with The Chopper case, her superiors felt that a step away from the team on a temporary basis would do her good, while still allowing her to be involved with the job she’d dedicated her life to. DI Rutherford had said she thought it would help her development.

      Maggie walked through the modern office. All the new offices seemed to be set up this way now. The desks were together in groups of two, facing each other. Plain white walls lined with motivational posters preaching the higher up’s latest mantras. Although there were eight of the ‘pods’, only three desks were currently occupied. There was also a small office that looked out over the open-plan area. Maggie suspected it was the detective sergeant’s.

      ‘Hi! Are you DC Jamieson?’ One of the people in the room called out, a young male of average build. He had a bright smile which immediately made her feel welcome.

      ‘I am indeed. You can call me Maggie in the office though. And you are …?’

      ‘I’m PC Mark Fielding – Mark. The guv said you were starting today. How about I give you a quick tour of the place? No doubt DS Hooper will sort out the formal side of things when he arrives and give you a rundown of the murder case that just came in. Start as you mean to go on and all that.’

      ‘Murder?’ She swallowed, then recovered her composure. So much for a break from homicide. ‘Thanks, Mark, it would be great if you could show me around.’

      With Mark making the introductions, Maggie learnt that PC Kat Everett was a feisty one and suspected that they would get on well. Maggie could smell the cigarette smoke from Kat’s clothing and noted her colourful nails. The other officer was PC Pete Reynolds. Pete looked to be in his late thirties or early forties. He barely looked up from his computer screen as he said a strained, ‘hello’.

      ‘Don’t mind Pete.’ Mark laughed. ‘He’s just joined the team and is fairly new to the police. DS Hooper is making him read all the policies for a test at the end of the week.’ He winked, and Maggie understood the implied message – there was no test, his colleagues were just winding him up.

      ‘Ah, right then. I’ll leave you to it, Pete.’ Maggie gave him a quick nod.

      ‘We can grab a coffee and I can take you through to DI Joseph Calleja if you want?’ Mark headed towards what Maggie assumed to be the communal kitchen.

      ‘Hmmm … OK, but maybe that’s something DS Hooper will want to do? I don’t want to step on any toes, my first day and all.’

      ‘Good point! Right, let’s get the brews in. Hooper’s in a meeting at the moment. He’ll be back for the briefing at 11 a.m. Why don’t you take the desk across from me? I’ve left the details of the other agencies on your desk. We’re what they call an integrated team and have probation, the Independent Domestic Violence Advocate, Drug and Alcohol services, as well as a few other agencies involved with our team on varying levels. I’m sure the guv will explain more. Sorry, you probably know all this, right?’

      Maggie smiled. Having never worked directly with other agencies as part of one team, she wondered if they ever pulled rank or allocated blame on each other when things went wrong. She followed Mark into the kitchen hoping to pick his brains, but before she had the opportunity, a phone rang, and Mark dashed past her to answer it.

      ‘Domestic Abuse Unit, PC Mark Fielding speaking. How can I help you?’

      Mark’s voice was a welcome sound considering the way today had started, Lucy thought.

      ‘Hi, Mark. You forgot the homicide. It’s Lucy Sherwood from Markston Probation. How are you?’ Due to the nature of the individuals she worked with, Lucy, like many of her colleagues, used her maiden name for professional purposes.

       ‘Hey, Lucy! Great to hear from you! I know, I know. I still can’t get my head around homicide – why can’t they just say murder? Though I suppose DAMU is probably not the best acronym for a team like ours, is it?’

      Lucy heard him laugh down the phone.

       ‘All’s fine here … just the usual – overworked and under-resourced. To what do I owe this pleasure?’

      Lucy felt her cheeks get warm and knew she was blushing. She seemed to blush every time she spoke to Mark. He was so kind to her and made her feel like her opinions mattered, the total opposite of Patrick.

      ‘I had an interesting supervision session with Robert Millard.’ Lucy heard the groan that Mark tried, unsuccessfully, to hide.

       ‘OK, are you concerned that something is going to kick off?’

      ‘A little. I just wondered if you could flag Louise’s address and maybe do a safe-and-well check?’

       ‘The address is already flagged, but I’ll log this, and note that a safe-and-well check needs to be done. I can’t promise it will be today, we’re a little short staffed, but it is noted. We have a few new additions to the team, so maybe that will help. For now, though, we have to rely on the field teams to pick these up, depending on the other priorities.’

      ‘Cheers, Mark. That will at least put my mind at ease. I would hate to think he goes around there and something even more serious happens. Louise does have a personal alarm, but we both know she doesn’t use it. I’ll record all this in his case records and make contact with Sharon Bairden; she’s still the victim’s advocate in the unit, right? Hard to keep up with all the changes. Mr Talbot also failed to show up for his pre-sentence report and, because he has bail conditions, I informed the court and expect a warrant to be issued soon. Soooo, anyway, spill. Who are the newbies, what are they like, and when will I meet them?’

       ‘We know why Mr Talbot failed to report, I’m afraid. Someone should have contacted you. I can’t go into too much detail because it’s an ongoing investigation, but needless to say, it’s one less report you’ll need to write. About the newbie: DC Maggie Jamieson is with us from the Major and Organised Crime Department.’

      ‘Whoa! You can’t tell me what’s happened to Talbot? And nice to see you keeping it professional. I take it there are other people in the room with you then?’ Lucy laughed.

       ‘I’ll definitely keep you posted on Talbot, but I don’t have too much info myself. You know me, Lucy, I’m always professional.’

      She could just imagine Mark glancing around the room to make sure no one of authority was eavesdropping.

      ‘Of course, right, I best get back to work. I should be over at the police station soon for a catch-up. Keep me posted on any developments concerning Robert Millard and thanks for the heads-up on Talbot.’

       ‘Yeah, sorry ’bout that. I’ll have to find out why probation wasn’t contacted. Looking forward to seeing you though. Make sure you bring me a latte, or I’ll have you arrested at the enquiry desk.’

      Hearing his laugh made her smile. Lucy sighed as she hung up the phone. If only Patrick could be more like Mark.