Kim leaned into the back of the car and unclicked Barney from his seatbelt. He remained seated while she attached the lead to his collar. Only when she said ‘out’ did he bounce past her legs.
He turned, sat and waited for her to close the car door.
Bryant had questioned whether Keats and Doctor A could be left alone. But Kim had every faith in their professionalism. And if that failed, Dawson was there and would soon let her know if anything began to brew.
Right now what she needed was a little space to think, the opportunity to get a little clarity. Very little about the Westerley case was making sense to her. She couldn’t help being torn between wishing for the forensic team to uncover something or someone who would help her solve the case and praying that no one else had suffered the same fate as Jemima Lowe. If she received word that there was a body in the ground she would be right back and would not leave until it had been removed.
And then there was Bob. By making a deal with the devil she had removed her own freedom of choice to investigate his murder. Both mysteries were swimming around her head.
The Clent Hills were the perfect place to help her clear her mind. Referred to as Klinter in the Domesday book, the hills rose over a thousand feet and offered 360-degree views.
Their nightly walk was a little earlier than normal. The sun was in the process of setting and they normally walked once it was dark.
Barney wasn’t keen on other people and certainly not on other dogs.
Kim often wondered what had happened in his early years to make him such a complex little character. She supposed he wondered the same thing about her.
She’d recently discovered a small wooded area at the southern base of this hill. Most people walking their dogs were heading for the summit to catch a glimpse as the sun set and plunged the Black Country into a hot, sticky night.
She headed towards an overgrown path that had once been a ramblers’ route but had been cut off by new fencing to prevent access to a hazardous area. It was perfect for just the two of them.
‘Well… fancy seeing you here,’ said a deep and slightly amused voice behind her.
Kim groaned inwardly as she turned to see Daniel Bate smiling at her.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.
‘Building a sandcastle,’ he offered sarcastically as he looked down towards Lola.
Barney had tensed his front shoulders and was staring Lola down. The brief power play ended as Lola looked away.
Instinctively Kim’s hand reached out towards the submissive dog. Lola’s nose nuzzled into her palm and her tail wagged.
Daniel reached towards Barney.
‘Don’t,’ she advised. ‘He doesn’t like it.’
Barney hated being approached by strangers and expressed his disgust in a growl. Normally.
Although he didn’t nuzzle like Lola, he tolerated the hand on his head and Kim could swear in better light his tail might have moved slightly.
‘Hmmm… sounds like a case of owner projection there, Kim.’
She resented that she could not maintain that barrier of ‘Detective Inspector’ between them, but she had no jurisdiction over him outside of a crime scene. And even then it was tenuous at best.
‘So you got yourself a dog since we last met?’ he asked.
She should have known the goldfish ruse wouldn’t last for ever.
‘Yeah, apparently they help you socialise,’ she said, raising one eyebrow.
He laughed out loud and his green eyes sparkled. ‘I can see that’s working out well for you,’ he said.
Yeah, she remembered that he was one of the rare people who had actually been able to tell when she was joking.
Silence fell between them. It was charged, and Kim had no choice but to break it.
‘What are you doing here, Daniel?’ she asked.
‘Walking my dog,’ he said, meeting her gaze. Unlike his dog, he did not look away.
‘Why here?’ she asked.
He looked around. ‘Local beauty spot. Thought the dog might enjoy it.’
‘Owner projection?’ she asked.
He shrugged and began to walk. She wasn’t prepared to let him off the hook quite so easily.
‘In this exact spot, at this time?’
‘Just a coincidence,’ he said and smirked.
Yeah and its name was Bryant. She had allowed him to tag along on one of her night-time walks but she wouldn’t bloody do it again.
‘It’s a really nice view from the top,’ she said, nodding towards a well-trodden path.
He watched as a male with two Dobermans headed in that direction. ‘Seems it might be a bit crowded that way. I think I’ll head over here.’
So her choice was to bundle Barney back in the car and take him home or to the local park.
Hang on, why the hell was she even considering it? This was her walk, not Daniel’s. He lived in Dundee and was no threat to her well-being.
She tugged gently on Barney’s lead and strode past the dawdling pair.
‘So how’s the case going?’ he asked, keeping step with her.
‘Slowly,’ she responded.
‘Any suspects?’ he asked.
‘Perhaps.’
‘Oh come on, Kim. I’m sure we can talk about our work without clashing. Ask me something about mine.’
‘When do you have to get back to it?’ she joked.
He chuckled. ‘Predictable, even for you. But to answer you, I’m due back at the weekend. I have two lectures booked for early next week.’
‘So what brought you down here?’ she asked. It looked like she was stuck with him and talk about work was safe enough.
‘The professor wrote to us asking for some advice on the timings of bone decay in sandy soil.’
‘And you couldn’t have sent an email?’
He shrugged. ‘It was worth a visit. I find myself drawn to the Black Country. There’s something dark and moody that brings me back.’
‘Yeah, it’s called smog and grime,’ she retorted.
‘You do realise just how deeply you’re overcompensating, right?’ he asked, ducking below a veil of gnats.
‘For what?’ she asked, tugging Barney away from a stinger.
‘For finding me attractive.’
‘Ha, you wish,’ she said and then offered him a bemused expression. ‘Do you think everyone who doesn’t like you really wants to sleep with you?’
He lifted one eyebrow.
She continued. ‘Because I gotta tell you, Dawson’s not that keen on you either.’
He snapped his fingers. ‘Damn, and I had high hopes for him as well.’
Kim smiled at the humour that was so much like her own.
‘You’re like the playground bully,’ he said.
‘Hey now, just a—’
‘Calm down. I’m giving you an example. It’s like you go out of your way to show people you despise me but it’s really an effort to prove it to yourself.’
‘Oh please,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘I’m sorry if you feel I’ve pulled on your pigtails or stolen your conkers but you couldn’t be more wrong.’
‘Really?’
‘Is it really inconceivable to you that I don’t find you attractive? In fact I think you’re annoying and aloof.’
Daniel surprised her by throwing back his head and laughing.
‘Aloof? You dare to call me aloof?’
Kim stopped walking and he did too. It was time to put him straight once and for all.
‘Daniel, I respect you as a colleague. I know that you’re dedicated and passionate—’
‘Thanks but I already have a CV. What I want is for you to finally take notice and admit there’s a spark between us.’
She faced him squarely. ‘Not even an ember, Doctor Bate.’
He took a step towards her. His eyes danced with the challenge.
‘Want to test the theory and see?’
No, she bloody well did not.
‘You take one more step, Daniel—’
Her words were cut off as both their phones began to ring.
Forty
Kim was back at Westerley within ten minutes of receiving the call.
She parked the Golf at the top of the site and made sure the car was ventilated for the dog.
She’d lost Daniel about three miles behind.