Bliss’s natural instinct had almost persuaded him to lodge a complaint. Having been an NCA investigator himself, he understood their expertise could often make the difference in trafficking cases. But Ashton was too raw. Bliss regarded himself as Marley’s ghost, and the investigator merely the set of chains he was compelled to drag around as a penitence. Having to pander to the man was a big ask. But he was immensely grateful to Warburton for having fought for his right to run the case. Settling for what he had was ultimately the best approach.
The Major Crimes Unit morning briefing was over by the time he arrived at HQ. Earlier, he’d messaged Detective Sergeant Bishop, who was acting up as DI in preparation for making the move on a full-time basis. Explaining his tardiness, Bliss also mentioned he hoped to be bringing back a live one. Quite what the team would make of it, he had no idea. The unit had a number of cases on the go, but nothing as pressing as murder. He believed any mention of Lewis Drake and the young women found in the transport container might swing matters his way.
Only Chandler, Bishop and DC Ansari were in the squad room when he eventually made it upstairs. He glanced at a wall-mounted whiteboard on the way in, which told him DCs John Hunt and Phil Gratton were out pursuing enquires on another matter. DCI Warburton was not in her office; he doubted she had made it back from Cambridge ahead of him. He also assumed that when his boss did get in, she would head straight upstairs to discuss the case with Detective Superintendent Fletcher.
‘How’s it going, boss?’ Chandler asked. ‘I gather you might have something juicy for us?’
Bliss threw a glance at DS Bishop. Officially, the acting DI was currently Penny Chandler’s direct supervisor. As a squad, they had agreed early on that nothing much would change after Bliss had been reinstated at a lower rank. Bishop would effectively act in his stead when it came to attending meetings, stepping up as deputy Senior Investigating Officer as required, as well as addressing the day-to-day management of the unit and the administrative burden of the role. As for running operations, they continued to regard Bliss as their leader. Bishop had been the first to suggest the arrangement, but still Bliss wondered when the time would come for his DS to step forward to ask to be referred to as the boss.
It hadn’t happened yet, so Bliss was happy to continue. He explained why he’d been dragged out in the early hours of the morning. He noticed his colleagues’ heightened interest when he mentioned the business card.
‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It wasn’t any of our girls. But she had the card, which might indicate she was close to one of them. I threw Lewis Drake’s name into the mix, hoping the connection would make all the difference in how the case was eventually assigned. DI Kennedy was not overly impressed, but he understood my line of thinking.’
‘Any idea which of the girls gave up her card?’ Bishop asked.
‘No. All five went through the NRM. One of them later changed her mind and decided to be repatriated. Of the other four, one absconded from her temporary residence – I don’t know why she ran, but perhaps she thought her case wasn’t strong enough to win. The remaining three had also applied for asylum and were eventually accepted for refugee status. Perhaps the girl who chose to go back home gave her card to another trafficked young woman. I’ll be contacting the three whose details we have.’
Ansari whistled. ‘You found all that out this morning, boss?’
‘No,’ Bliss said. ‘I’ve followed their progress since the day we found them in that container. I’ve previously spoken to the three who obtained refugee status. I know how to get hold of them.’
The National Referral Mechanism was often the starting point for young people trafficked into the United Kingdom. As a body, it was capable of quickly establishing a ‘reasonable grounds’ decision in favour of the applicants, followed by a ‘conclusive grounds’ finding and eventual residence permit if things went their way. An appeal for asylum was also often made at the same time. In many cases, circumstances changed for those not wishing to return immediately to their own country. But the process could also make allowances for victims of trafficking to reside on a more permanent basis. Bliss had followed this process all the way through for the women in the container, offering documentation and his own sworn testimony to their status as trafficked people.
‘Do you ever sleep?’ Chandler asked him in almost child-like wonder. ‘Or do you have access to more than the twenty-four hours a day we mere mortals are allowed?’
‘I do sleep. Us old folk need less of it, that’s all.’
‘You want to run with that?’ Bishop asked. ‘You and Pen?’
Bliss nodded. ‘Makes sense.’
‘Good. Meanwhile, Gul and I will follow up with the pathologist and forensic bods to see if we can nail down an ID on our victim. TOD and COD as well.’
‘When you speak to Nancy, make sure you ask about lividity.’ Nancy Drinkwater was the city’s head of pathology, popular with the team.
Bishop regarded him with surprise. ‘You think our victim might have been killed elsewhere and moved?’
‘I think we ought to consider the possibility, yes. It’s been bloody cold out, the past couple of days, and even if she was a brass I don’t think she was there to meet with a punter. It could be a body dump.
