A Body in the Lakes by Graham Smith (great books of all time .TXT) 📕

the man rooting out bent cops and making sure that rules were only bent not broken, but Mannequin was as fastidious with his job as he was with his uniform. No speck of fluff was allowed to tarnish his appearance in the same way that no minor transgression of the rules was permitted.

‘DI O’Dowd and… DC Young, is it? I’m glad you’re both here.’

Eighteen

Moore shooed Beth back into the FMIT by holding his hand palm downwards and flapping his fingers towards her. It was a gesture that spoke of domineering command and told her that he knew how his reputation preceded him and wasn’t afraid to play on it.

That one unspoken gesture was enough for Beth to decide she didn’t like the man for his personality let alone his fastidiousness. When you added in his parade-ground posture and the condescending manner, it was small wonder that he was hated by almost every officer in the county.

Mannequin shut the office door in a way that caused the latch to give a deliberate click. With the door shut, he positioned himself in front of it and held his body in a rigid stance. The aftershave that he wore was a traditional one which Beth couldn’t identify. Her best guess was that it was something like Old Spice or Brut. The aroma fitted him and his personality every bit as well as his uniform.

‘DI O’Dowd, DC Unthank and DC Young I can see. However, there are four members of the Force Major Investigation Team. Where, pray tell, is DS Thompson?’

That he knew their names wasn’t a surprise to Beth. A PSD inspector would be sure to do their homework before entering any situation.

‘He’s gone to get me a low-fat mochaccino with extra cream and six sugars. Either that, or he’s out doing his job and investigating the murder and rape of four women. Which incidentally, is what the rest of us would be doing if you hadn’t arrived to hold us back.’

Beth wanted to applaud O’Dowd for the way she got under Mannequin’s skin. There wasn’t a part of her target’s body that wasn’t quivering with suppressed anger. O’Dowd had scored her points, but until they learned why the PSD inspector was here, it might have been wiser to play along rather than antagonise the man.

‘I see you have not changed since our last little meeting, Inspector. Still the same confrontational nature. You may not believe it, but I am not here to persecute you, nor do I take any delight in reprimanding any of my colleagues. I am merely the upholder of the high standards that her Majesty expects of those paid to keep the streets of her mighty kingdom safe.’

‘Spare us the holier-than-thou rhetoric and say what you have to say and then beggar off so me and my team can get on with our jobs.’ There wasn’t a sneer on O’Dowd’s face, but Beth couldn’t miss the one in her voice. ‘If you’re here to bollock us, do it and be on your way. If, as you say, you have another purpose for being here, state it and be on your way. When I said we have four rape and murder cases to investigate I wasn’t kidding.’

‘It is those very crimes that I am here to discuss with you.’

Beth felt her pulse throb that little bit harder. Did Mannequin have a vested interest in the cases?

O’Dowd twirled a pen around her fingers. ‘I’m curious as to why a PSD inspector wants to discuss an ongoing case when the investigating team haven’t had any time for impropriety. Unless that is, a complaint has already been made against us.’

‘There have not been any complaints, Inspector. It does interest me, though, that you suggested that one may have been made. That tells me you are sailing as close to the wind as you usually do. On that point, I think it is only fair to warn you that I will be paying very close attention to this case. I shall be reviewing the tapes from the interview room, reading all statements. To all intents and purposes, I will be a silent partner to your team. However, that is not why I came to see you on this occasion. You mentioned a moment ago that you have only had this case a short time. That is correct. Your team, however, is not the first to investigate three of the rapes and murders. Three other teams worked on them. They failed to get a result. Neither the second or third teams, nor their superiors, managed to identify that Cumbria has what appears to be a serial rapist and murderer at large. That speaks to me of failings. Whether it is the system that has failed or individual officers is something I have to identify. The three unsolved murders which your team has been tasked with investigating are as good as cold cases. Should you solve them, it will be because your team is better than the others. You have the highest-rated team in the county, and I think that if anyone can catch this killer, it is FMIT. However, you must see that if you do solve the murders as cold cases, the original investigating teams are sure to have their deficiencies highlighted.’

Beth wanted to rage at Mannequin, to tell him what an odious creep he was. Explain to him how his proper enunciation and clothes-horse appearance was nothing more than someone applying polish to a steaming pile of excrement. Not only had he warned them they’d be under his direct scrutiny for the duration of this case, he’d as good as intimated that he’d use any success they had as a stick to beat other officers with. That wasn’t just wrong, it was demoralising and little more than bullying. There was no justice to be had in what the PSD man was saying, just persecution.

‘We understand your concerns, Inspector, and we will, of course, bear them in mind at all times during this