‘I knew you’d be like this, Hunter. Jealousy won’t get you anywhere. You and Sharp? Your days are numbered. No wonder the Chief Super had to get my DCI involved. No doubt we’ll have this case wrapped up in no time.’
‘Good,’ said Kay, keeping her smile sweet. ‘Perhaps then you could pick up where you left off here and get around to finding out who attacked Piper six months ago.’
Gavin looked up at his name, then back to his work.
Kay couldn’t blame him for ignoring O’Reilly – his nose had been left at a permanent soft angle after he was attacked in a car park close to the police station.
O’Reilly had been placed in charge of the ensuing investigation, but had gained no traction on his enquiries before disappearing from sight – and now Kay was still smarting from the news at his secondment to SOCU.
She set her jaw. No doubt the snub had been another jibe by DCI Larch to remind her of the Professional Standards investigation against her some eighteen months before, despite her innocence being upheld.
The door to the incident room swung open and Carys entered, a tray of takeaway coffee between her hands.
She stopped, the door bumping into her elbow as she spotted O’Reilly.
‘Well, if it isn’t the delightful DC Miles,’ he said, turning away from Kay as he looked Carys up and down.
‘DS O’Reilly. I-I didn’t expect to see you here.’
Kay watched with bemusement as Carys blushed, and fiddled with the strap of her handbag as it tried to slide down her arm.
‘Here, let me help you,’ said O’Reilly, and rushed to her side.
‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t get you a coffee.’
‘No problem,’ he soothed.
‘Black, one sugar, isn’t it? Same as me?’ Carys emitted a giggle. ‘You can have mine if you like?’
He winked. ‘All right, but only if you’re sure. Next one’s on me though.’
Kay looked away, her eyes meeting Gavin’s as he shook his head in disbelief and mimed putting his fingers down his throat.
It raised a smile, and she fought down the frustration that threatened common sense.
Barnes breezed in moments later, nodded to O’Reilly, took the coffee Carys handed to him and sank into his seat opposite Kay’s desk.
‘You’ve got a face like thunder. Morning get off to a good start, did it?’
Kay’s retort was cut short by their DI turning up to begin the briefing.
‘Who’s the other bloke with Sharp?’ whispered Barnes.
‘That’s the guy I told you about – Simon Harrison.’
Barnes said nothing, raised an eyebrow and spun his chair round to face the front of the room.
After introducing Harrison to the team, Sharp spent the next twenty minutes updating them about their meeting with Gareth Jenkins and his allegation that Demiri was running a people smuggling ring – and worse.
He paused to allow everyone time to catch up with their notetaking before continuing.
‘We’ve obtained search warrants for Demiri’s nightclub and we’ll be conducting that search after this briefing,’ he said.
‘What about his house and offices?’ asked Kay.
‘The magistrate was reluctant to let us have warrants on the basis of hearsay,’ said Harrison, a note of disgust in his voice. ‘Her opinion is that Jenkins may have a personal vendetta against Demiri because of the death of Katya. Unless and until we find evidence at the nightclub to substantiate his claim, we won’t get a warrant for the other premises.’
Barnes snorted, and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘So, in the meantime, Demiri gets to come and go as he pleases.’
Harrison’s mobile phone started to ring, and he glanced at the number, then Sharp. ‘I have to take this.’
He gestured to Sharp to continue the briefing, and moved to the DI’s office to take the call.
‘Right, let’s sort the teams out for the search on the nightclub while we’re waiting for Harrison,’ said Sharp. ‘You know the routine – stab vests, the lot. SOCU will be leading the raid, but they’re understaffed, too, so we need to support them in every way we can. O’Reilly – Harrison’s got you paired with Barnes so you can act as liaison for both of us. You’ll be posted towards the back of the cordon to start off with until the raid is underway.’
He proceeded to split the team into groups of two, with Kay being paired with Carys.
The younger detective pushed her chair over to where Kay sat so they could take notes together and pinpoint any prior knowledge of the area over and above the intelligence Harrison’s team had already gathered.
Kay always admired Sharp’s attention to detail and his ability to focus his team. With his military background, he was able to give clear orders without wasting words, and an intense atmosphere descended on the incident room as they listened to him.
Kay shifted her gaze as Harrison returned from Sharp’s office, his face pale.
Sharp paused mid-sentence. ‘Everything okay?’
Harrison moved to the front of the room, put his mobile in his pocket, and leaned against the desk closest to the whiteboard.
‘That was the hospital,’ he said, his eyes downcast. ‘Gareth Jenkins passed away twenty minutes ago. Despite their best efforts to resuscitate him, he succumbed to his internal injuries and there was nothing they could do to save him.’
A silence fell on the room as the news sank in.
Kay’s thoughts returned to the conversation she’d had with Jenkins the previous day.
You get him, and you make him pay for it.
She clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm.
‘We’re all sorry to hear that,’ said Sharp after a few moments.
‘He knew the risks.’ Harrison cast his gaze around the room. ‘Are we ready?’
‘We’re ready,’ said Sharp.
Harrison straightened, and adjusted his jacket. ‘All right. Let’s go.’
As the team began to move back to their desks and prepared to head to the stores room to obtain stab vests and the other paraphernalia that would be required
