Майкл Вуд – For Reasons Unknown: A gripping crime debut that keeps you guessing until the last page (страница 4)
The light above the door turned from red to green.
‘Shit,’ she said to herself. ‘Here we go.’
She stood up and straightened her new navy trouser suit. It was the first new item of clothing she’d bought in over a year, and it had been an unwelcome surprise to find she’d gone up a dress size. She ran her fingers through her dark blonde hair, which had been neatly trimmed only last week. Matilda was forty-one years old, and felt like she was about to enter the head teacher’s office to be told off for cheating on her maths test.
Before pushing down the door handle she looked at her hands; they were shaking. This was not a good sign.
‘Oh my goodness, look at you.’ Every word was said as if a sentence of its own. It was highly unprofessional, but Assistant Chief Constable Valerie Masterson leapt up from behind her oversized desk and took Matilda in a tight embrace. ‘Sit yourself down. I have a pot of coffee just made.’
They sat at opposite sides of the desk, which dwarfed the slight frame of the ACC. They examined each other in silence for a long minute.
To Matilda, Valerie looked much older than her fifty-three years. She was thinner than the last time they’d met, and she had more wrinkles, as if she had a slow puncture. Matilda briefly wondered if Valerie was thinking similar negative remarks about her;
‘You’re looking very well,’ Valerie lied convincingly.
‘Thank you. I feel well,’ Matilda lied back.
Valerie Masterson, a caffeine addict, did not like the black goo that came out of the vending machines dotted around the police station, so had her own personal Gaggia in her office. She poured them both a medium-sized cup, white with one sugar for herself and, remembering, black for Matilda.
‘So, your first day back. Are you ready for this?’
‘I really am. I want to put this past year behind me and get back to normal as quickly as possible.’
‘I’m sure you do. Unfortunately, I can’t return you to active duty just yet.’
The painted-on smile suddenly fell from Matilda’s face. ‘Why not? We discussed on the phone last week…’
‘What I mean is that I have to adhere to the conditions laid out in your psychiatric report.’
‘My what?’
Valerie leaned forward and pulled a brown folder from deep within her in tray. She took out the five-page report and began skimming through it.
Matilda was itching to lean across the desk, snatch the report from her, and find out what that belittling therapist had been saying about her.
‘Now there’s no need to worry. I don’t know any of the details of your sessions with Dr Warminster. Those, as you know, are private. However, Dr Warminster was asked to submit a report before you returned to work; giving her opinion on your readiness and the level of workload you would be able to cope with.’
‘She’s not happy with me returning to full-time duty?’ Beneath the desk Matilda screwed her hands into tight fists, her fingernails digging hard into her palms. Her knuckles were white. The pain ran up her arms and she could almost feel the instant relief.
‘Not at all. She has written a glowing report. She admires your courage and your recovery.’ The ACC smiled.
Was that a genuine smile or was it forced? There was no wrinkling around the eyes to express a sincere smile, but then there wasn’t much room on her face for more wrinkles. Matilda chastised herself for letting her mind wander. ‘But…’
‘She just doesn’t think you should be running a major department straightaway. She recommends you be eased back into work slowly, and I tend to agree.’
‘Is this a cosy way of telling me I’m being demoted?’ Throughout her nine months away, one of the main issues on Matilda’s mind was being stripped of the Detective Chief Inspector title she had worked so hard to achieve.
‘You are not being demoted Matilda. You are one of South Yorkshire’s leading DCIs. You’re well known for your work and dedication. But I can’t have you handling a major investigation until all parties concerned know you are ready to do so.’
‘All parties?’
‘You, me, Dr Warminster, the Chief Constable. We are all behind you one hundred per cent.’
Matilda knew that the support of her superiors was a hollow promise. Yes, she had made a mistake. Yes, she had suffered for it. ‘Look, there’s no denying I’ve changed in the past year, but I am still a DCI. I’m still capable of doing my job. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be here now. I know I can do this.’ She wondered who she was trying to convince.
Valerie reached into her top drawer and pulled out a thick file. The folder had seen better days and was covered in coffee-mug rings and splashes. ‘Do you remember the Harkness killings?’ she asked, interlocking her fingers and resting her hands on top of the file.
Matilda knew where this was going. ‘You’re giving me a cold case aren’t you?’
‘I just want you to look at it. A month, six weeks at the most.’
‘Is there any new evidence?’
Valerie looked down at the file. ‘Not as such.’
‘What does that mean?’ Matilda folded her arms. She could feel the prickling heat in the back of her neck.
‘Do you know the case?’
‘Everybody does. It’s part of Sheffield folklore.’
‘The house is being demolished tomorrow.’
‘About time.’
‘I had a reporter on the phone from
‘I’m guessing that it is now.’
‘Due to budget cuts we no longer have an active review board looking at resting cases. The house being demolished isn’t only going to have local interest but national too. It was a big story. I don’t want them thinking people can get away with murder in South Yorkshire.’
‘So it’s a PR exercise?’
‘Matilda, I believe this case can be solved. It may have been a long time ago but the killer is within these files. I know it. If anyone can find the killer of Stefan and Miranda Harkness, it’s you.’
Matilda knew she was being placated. With the botched Carl Meagan kidnapping still fresh in the minds of the Sheffield people it would not look good if a DCI with a heavy cloud over her head was leading a major investigation. If, on the other hand, she could solve a well-known cold case there would be smiles all round. She reached forward for the file, but pulled her hand back quickly.
‘I’ll need a DC.’
‘I’ll assign one to you.’
‘And an office to work in.’
‘Not a problem.’
‘Where’s all the evidence?’
‘On its way from storage. You’ll have access to everything pertaining to the Harkness case and carte blanche on interviews.’
Matilda rolled her eyes. The files were on their way. The decision had already been made. She began to wonder if this was the beginning of the end for her. Did anyone want to work with her any more? ‘What if I can’t solve it?’
‘I have faith in you.’
‘That’s not what I asked.’
‘Then it remains a cold case.’
‘Will I be able to return to the murder team when all this is over?’
‘That will be reviewed at the time.’
She could feel a tension headache coming on. The impulse to throw her ID on the table and resign was bubbling up inside her, almost at eruption level.
‘Are you still seeing Dr Warminster?’ Valerie asked when she saw the DCI chewing her bottom lip.
‘I have no choice in the matter. A bit like the situation here.’
‘Matilda, a great deal has changed in this past year. Work on this case, keep seeing Dr Warminster, and everyone will be happy.’
‘Everyone except me.’
‘Did you honestly think you’d be able to return to front-line duty as if nothing had happened?’
‘Yes I did. A review panel cleared me of any wrongdoing. I should be able to pick up where I left off.’