Deity

gone and was sprinting up the stairs.

Back in his office, Brook sipped on the over-sweetened vending-machine tea, aware that Noble was waiting for something.

‘Something you want to say, John?’ Noble shrugged so Brook asked it for him. ‘Why did I tell Charlton it might be murder?’

‘That would cover it,’ answered Noble.

Brook took a sip of tea. ‘Are we certain there was no coercion?’

‘Habib and Petty were. And they’ve seen a lot more of these. .’

‘Tramps?’

Noble shrugged. ‘For want of a better word. And we know the path our corpse was on. He only had another year, according to Habib.’

Brook looked away. ‘You’re right. But I don’t like Brass pushing us to sign off on cases before they’re done and dusted.’

‘So we’re not ready to pass this down the food chain?’

‘Not a chance.’

‘Because of the planning that went into disposal. .’

‘Not just the way the corpse was dumped, John. The way it was filleted, treated with such care then just discarded in the water seems perverse. Almost as though. .’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know,’ Brook said. ‘But I’ve never seen anything like this. We should give it another couple of days at least.’

‘You don’t think it’s a mortuary mix-up then?’

‘You heard Habib. The body wouldn’t have been cut that way if it had been through the system.’

‘I also heard him say it wasn’t murder.’ Noble smiled at Brook. ‘But I suppose if the Chief Super thinks all bets are still on, we don’t get reassigned.’

Brook grinned back guiltily. ‘That never occurred to me.’

‘Course not.’

‘But you’re right. Charlton will have us back on fake IDs or, God forbid, break-ins if we sit around twiddling our thumbs.’

‘A valuable public service that,’ Noble suggested.

‘But not our skill-set, John — and the householders of Derby deserve better than to have their cases dumped into our inexperienced hands.’

Noble laughed then looked back at Brook.

‘Something else?’

Noble hesitated then said, ‘Never mind.’

‘No, spit it out. We don’t crack cases by suppressing ideas.’

‘It’s not about the case.’

Brook took a sip of his tea. ‘What is it? Come on, let’s hear it.’

Noble braced himself. ‘Okay. How come you go out of your way to wind up the Chief Super yet put up with all that crap from a nobody like Hendrickson?’

‘Hendrickson doesn’t like me?’ asked Brook innocently.

‘You know he doesn’t and he’s not shy about showing it. And he’s not the only one.’

Brook looked into his tea cup. ‘Like. .’ He looked up to Noble for help.

‘Keith Pullin.’

‘To name but one.’ Brook nodded.

‘That’ll be the day.’

Brook grunted in brief amusement. ‘Some time ago, Charlton tried to get me to take early retirement and he wasn’t subtle about it.’

‘Well, you did undermine a case by going to the Telegraph behind his back.’

‘Two innocent people were being railroaded, John. I couldn’t let that happen.’

‘And Charlton hasn’t forgiven you.’

‘I obviously told you all this.’ And when Noble laughed without mirth: ‘Something funny?’

‘You could say,’ replied Noble.

‘Enlighten me. Come on, let me in on the joke.’

Noble took a sip of tea. ‘How long is it since your transfer to Derby, sir?’

Brook looked briefly at the ceiling then back at Noble. ‘Six years?’

Noble shook his head in disbelief. ‘Eight — it’s eight years since you moved up from the Met and eight years we’ve worked together.’

Brook shrugged. ‘If you say so.’

‘I do say so. And you ask me whether you told me about Charlton trying to get you off the payroll.’

‘And did I?’

‘No, you didn’t. And if you had, it would have been the first time in those eight years that you told me anything that didn’t relate to a case. Everything else, every bit of gossip, every personal detail, I have to drag out of you. Sir.’

There was silence for a moment before Brook cleared his throat. ‘I’m sorry. What do you want to know?’

‘We could begin with my question about Hendrickson.’ Brook sighed. ‘What should I do? Tear a strip off him?’

‘It’s a start.’

‘He never says anything that would look insubordinate on paper.’ Brook rubbed a hand on his forehead. ‘And frankly, I don’t care enough about what he thinks. Or Charlton. Or Pullin. As long as you’re okay with me, John, I can handle the rest. Or have I misread that situation too?’

‘No, you haven’t,’ said Noble. ‘It took a while, mind, and it’s only because I work with you day in, day out. I thought the same as everyone else when you first arrived. Toffee-nosed Londoner — you know what, lording it over us yokels.’

‘What changed your mind?’

Noble narrowed his eyes in thought. ‘Seriously — you have no ego, no agenda. You don’t care about the politics or furthering your career.’

‘I must care about my career if I resisted early retirement,’ reasoned Brook.

‘Oh, you care that you have a job to keep you busy, and you care that it’s done properly. But you’re not concerned about promotion or getting in the papers or a pat on the back from Brass. The only important thing to you is the case. That’s your strength.’

Brook smiled sadly. ‘I sense there’s a but coming.’

‘You sure you want to hear this?’

‘I’m a big boy, John.’

‘Okay. Your strength is also your weakness. You don’t care, full stop. You understand the work, the hunt, the detection — but you don’t care about the people you work with. That’s a weakness in their eyes and it makes your job harder because nobody is willing to put themselves out for you. So you’ve only got yourself to blame for the contempt people like Hendrickson show you.’

Brook looked up at Noble as though about to object, but he remained silent. Then: ‘That sounds like a terrible weakness,’ he answered softly.

‘It would be unforgivable except for one thing.’

‘What’s that?’

‘The person you care about least is yourself.’

Brook nodded after a few moments of contemplation. ‘Thank you for your honesty. I can’t argue with any of that. You’re right, I tolerate the contempt. It’s the price I have to pay.’

‘To pay for what?’

Again Brook paused. ‘Keeping the blinkers on.’