Definitely Dead by Kate Bendelow (howl and other poems TXT) 📕

‘Well, I better be getting back…’ started Tony, but Elaine cut in.

‘You’re an ignorant bastard, Andy Carr, what is your problem?’ she hissed.

‘I haven’t got one.’ Andy sounded bored. He had resumed his usual position of feet up on the desk. He swept a hand through his hair before tapping away at his phone.

‘Will you at least look at me when I’m speaking to you?’ Elaine was on her feet now. Her usual ruddy cheeks had deepened to an even darker shade of red and spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke.

‘Just leave him to it, Elaine,’ Maya said placatingly.

‘Yeah, come on, walk me out to my van and we’ll have a smoke before I go,’ Tony soothed, getting to his feet.

‘I don’t want a smoke. I want him to apologise for being so bloody rude.’ Elaine was shaking now, her fists balled at her sides as she glared balefully at Andy. Maya was surprised Andy didn’t drop dead on the spot from the look of pure hatred on Elaine’s face.

Andy was still typing away on his phone, refusing to look up. He gave a little sigh and his lip curled in a sardonic manner. ‘Bit uptight today, Elaine. You not getting any? Husband still playing away with that sexy little neighbour of yours?’

Time seemed to stand still. Andy had chosen to throw the most hurtful and personal thing he could at Elaine and Maya was shocked that even he could be so cruel.

‘You bastard,’ Elaine screamed. ‘You complete fucking bastard.’ She launched herself across the desk. Andy wheeled back in his chair, openly laughing at her and waving his hands in a mock surrender. Tony had Elaine gripped around the waist and was attempting to pull her back across the desk.

‘C’mon, Elaine, he’s not worth it.’ Tony was panting with exertion. Elaine towered over him and was what Dominique would have called ‘big-boned’, so trying to restrain her was proving quite difficult. A computer monitor rocked precariously on the desk before crashing to the floor, taking the office phone with it.

‘What the hell is going on in here?’

DI Mitton was framed in the doorway glowering reproachfully at the commotion in front of her. Tony still had Elaine in a half-hug across her waist. Maya stood with her hand over her mouth, gobsmacked, the displaced monitor and phone lay at her feet.

Andy was sat back in his chair, a look of pure innocence spread across his smug, angular face. It would have looked quite a comical scene if it hadn’t been so serious.

‘Alison, good job you showed up. I thought the mad bitch was going to kill me.’ Andy puffed out his cheeks in relief.

Maya knew that Alison Mitton was no fool. She’d hazard a guess that the DI had worked with Andy and men like him for long enough to know he was no victim. As for Elaine, she was a respected SOCO known to be a sensible, strong-willed woman who wouldn’t react so aggressively to a situation without provocation.

‘It’s ma’am to you.’ Alison scowled pointedly. ‘Elaine, go and have a cigarette and calm yourself down. Maya, if you wouldn’t mind picking those bits off the floor for me, please. Andy, I’d like a full debrief of the scene examination relating to Piotr Nowak. Now please.’ She nodded to Tony and stalked out of the office.

Elaine looked close to tears; she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the office, quickly followed by Tony. Maya gathered up the phone and monitor, watching Andy out of the corner of her eye. The smug look had been replaced with an uncharacteristically sheepish expression. Maya noticed his hands were shaking as he gathered up his scene notes and quickly annotated a few lines. Clearly his paperwork wasn’t up to date. He hadn’t made the contemporaneous notes in his crime-scene report that he should have; something Kym was incredibly strict about.

Andy walked into DI Mitton’s office and sat himself down without even asking. ‘The mad bitch tries to attack me and I’m the one who gets the curly finger.’ He pouted petulantly, a pathetic look on the face of a man his age.

DI Mitton responded with a raised eyebrow, silently appraising Andy for long enough to make him squirm uncomfortably. She eventually addressed him in an even tone. ‘I was coming into your office to ask about the scene at Nowak’s. I’ve reviewed the disc of photographs you left on my desk and have to say they leave a lot to be desired.’

Andy attempted to speak but DI Mitton silenced him with a glare. ‘I’ve been told you left the scene before the search dog was brought in.’

‘I didn’t know they were using a dog. No one told me,’ he replied sulkily.

‘Well, fortunately they did as the dog found a quantity of cash and some cocaine stashed in a storage box, which you not only missed, but is in an area of the scene which does not even appear on your photographs.’ She tapped the disc as she spoke.

Andy didn’t comment. His expression remained fixed; a muscle pulsated near his jaw.

‘I’ll be discussing your failings with Kym when she’s next on duty. You can go.’

DI Mitton concentrated on a raft of paperwork in front of her, not even acknowledging Andy as he left the office. He stormed back up the corridor and began slamming items about as he gathered his paperwork. He could sense Maya watching him and that angered him even more. She’d only been in the place two minutes and was already trying to lord it over him. Playing the race card and pulling her pretty face because she didn’t like the way he talked.

Andy raged silently at the injustice that he even had to share breathing space with the likes of Maya and Elaine. Who did these fucking women think they were, treating him like they did? They had no idea who he was and what he was capable of. He should be revered by