‘Family?’
‘Care kid, boss. Got no siblings and last foster family haven’t seen him for years.’
Kim couldn’t help the wave of sympathy that stole over her. That there was no family to grieve for the young man’s death saddened her. As a care kid herself there were few people from her past that had made it to her present.
‘Keats finally removed the body at around eleven,’ Bryant offered. ‘Forensic techs are on-site but it’s a bloody mess up there. That bank has been a shortcut and a hangout spot for as long as I can remember.’
Kim could only imagine the volume of debris that would need to be combed for clues.
‘Woody has been on to Lloyd House for additional manpower, which will be used for door to door on the Codsall estate. We’ll be focussing on Bubba’s associates,’ Bryant continued. ‘Trace evidence isn’t gonna solve this case any time soon.’
Kim agreed and offered him a half smile.
‘Woody spoke to you yet?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, last night.’
‘Acting DI?’ she asked.
He nodded.
‘Congratulations, Bryant,’ Stacey offered with a wide smile.
‘Are you joking?’ Dawson exploded, glaring at Bryant.
‘Calm down, Kev. It’s just a title,’ Bryant said.
‘And quite right,’ Kim offered, catching Dawson’s eye. ‘Bryant’s skills are best suited for leading this particular case but your time will come.’
‘Fair enough, boss,’ Dawson said, nodding in Bryant’s direction.
It was the obvious and correct thing to do, not only from a procedural point of view; Woody could not have a murder investigation headed by a DS. The only person who didn’t think Bryant should hold a DI rank was Bryant himself.
She was satisfied that everything had been covered. Except informing her. But it was time now to let that go.
‘Before you do anything this morning you arrange to meet with Frost, got it?’
‘Got it,’ they said together.
‘So, how’s the Henryk Kowalski investigation going?’ she asked Dawson. The case had originally been his.
‘Got a suspect on CCTV messing with his phone about two hundred metres from the scene. Caught him again scurrying past the supermarket on Manor Way but lost him at the Shenstone Island.’
‘Any personal enemies?’ she asked.
‘Oh yeah, guy next door is a real charmer who has sent the family foul messages but was unfortunately accounted for during the attack.’
Dawson’s tone told her he was seriously wishing that hadn’t been the case.
‘Respectable-looking kind of guy until you spend more than two minutes with him,’ Bryant added.
‘His social media accounts are not blocked, and he makes no secret of his racism,’ Stacey said. ‘Proud of the fact he’s a member of the National Front and has participated in more than one EDL demonstration.’
‘Criminal record?’ Kim asked.
Stacey nodded. ‘Assault charge in his teens got him a two-year suspended sentence, and he served eighteen months for harassing and threatening a family that moved into the next street.’
Kim raised an eyebrow questioningly.
‘Asian,’ Stacey confirmed.
She was beginning to agree with Dawson about this guy.
‘Thing is, boss,’ Stacey added, ‘if Flint had anything to do with the assault on Henryk Kowalski, I reckon he’d come right out and say it.’
Kim nodded her agreement. ‘Cast your net out a bit on this one, guys. A serious assault and a brutal murder with no key witnesses? Someone somewhere knows something.’
‘Flint seemed to hint that there was more to the Henryk situation,’ Bryant offered.
‘Well question him harder and find out what he knows,’ Kim said, feeling as though she was stating the obvious.
‘We need to get to Tracy Frost first, and Gary Flint will be released on bail at around nine thirty.’
Kim was confused, ‘So?’
‘We can’t do both, boss,’ Dawson said, colouring.
Kim frowned. ‘Wake up, Kev? Stacey can interview him.’
‘But he’s a full-on racist,’ Dawson said.
‘So?’ Kim asked, as Stacey’s face formed into triumph and a quiet ‘thanks, boss,’ came from her mouth.
‘I doubt very much if he’s got anything to say that Stacey hasn’t heard before, and first and foremost she is a police officer and can handle this interview. If she is uncomfortable doing so, I trust her to let me know.’ She looked at the detective constable. ‘That right, Stace?’
‘Yeah, boss,’ she said, grinning.
She looked back at the young sergeant, who was staring hard at his nails.
‘Kev, I get it but there are also a lot of misogynists and chauvinistic pigs out there as well. Should I throw every one of them your way?’
‘I got it,’ he said, and she suspected that he had.
‘How’s the joint investigation going, boss?’ Stacey asked.
‘Far too slowly for my liking,’ she said.
‘And Travis?’ Bryant asked.
‘I was taught that if you have nothing good to say…’ she said, and then remembered the events of the previous day. ‘But there are moments he is the copper I remember.’
Bryant offered a half smile.
‘Okay, guys,’ she said, taking a last swig of coffee before reaching for her coat. ‘Be good while I’m gone.’
They all murmured their assent as she headed out the door.
She had chosen not to share with them that her finger had hovered over Woody’s number the previous night. The words had been formed in her mouth. A demand to return to her own team to head the Bubba Jones murder investigation.
She would have been able to make a viable case and Woody would have authorised it.
Except it would have been at the expense of her team. By requesting her own return she would have been, effectively, declaring a motion of no confidence in the people she worked with every day. Stating to her boss that they couldn’t manage without her.
After this briefing, she was pleased that she hadn’t quite pressed that button.
FORTY-ONE
Dawson watched as Stacey stood and gathered up the Gary Flint file and a notepad.
‘See yer later, boys,’ she said, passing by his desk.
‘Ouch,’ Dawson said, once she’d left the room. He faced Bryant’s wry smile. ‘Don’t know about you but my arse is still smarting.’
Bryant nodded. ‘Oh yeah, but we deserved it,’ he said, philosophically.
‘For trying to protect her?’ he asked.
‘She’s not ours to protect, Kev. She’s a highly competent police officer, not our little sister.’
Dawson opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Bryant was right but it didn’t stop the feelings he had when he thought of her sitting in the same room as that piece of shit.
‘So, I gotta call you boss now or what?’ he asked.