The forensics team would currently be working on Craig’s body and the autopsy results would be released in a day or two. Given their lengthy records, Kevin and Phil’s DNA profiles would both be stored in the National Database but new fingerprints and samples would be taken. The police were entitled to take a mouth swab on arrest and that would be sent off to update the database. Seeing as they had spent the evening together, there was every chance the DNA of the two brothers would appear on Craig’s body, so linking them to him wouldn’t necessarily prove anything untoward.

Neither of them said they had seen anything out of the ordinary and both claimed they didn’t know anyone who would want to harm Craig. That last part sounded particularly ridiculous given the list of people he must have wronged at some point. Jessica was fully aware not much would happen until those initial forensics results came back. Both of the brothers’ flats would be searched on the off-chance the murder weapon was found. Jessica thought they may well find drugs or a weapon but she didn’t believe either of them was a killer.

For now the team would get cracking on a list of people who had a grievance with the victim. Starting with a suspects list of zero was always a big problem. Beginning with a list that would comfortably reach double figures was barely a better result.

Jessica would leave compiling that list to someone else – seniority did have its advantages and she knew just the man for the job: Detective Constable David Rowlands.

3

Jessica found Rowlands sitting in the canteen with DC Carrie Jones. Jessica outranked both of them but had great relationships with the pair of constables. Rowlands was cocky and frequently bragged about his female conquests but, underneath all that, Jessica saw him almost as an annoying younger brother who was there for her amusement. She was an only child, so didn’t really know what it was actually like to have a sibling.

Fifteen months ago, Jessica had been involved in the first big case of her career. A complicated trail of murders had ultimately led back to her best friend Caroline’s boyfriend, Randall, who had tried to kill Jessica. She had caught him and he was now secured in a hospital having been deemed unfit to stand trial. He hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since being arrested.

It had been a tough year back at work for Jessica. Given her injuries, both physical and mental, she had been granted leave but wanted to quickly return to the job. Any officers hurt in the line of duty were obliged to undergo counselling sessions and Jessica had gone along with everything asked of her. It had been the support of the two DCs that had really helped her get her mind back on the job.

For one, Rowlands continued to poke fun at her, even when other officers were going out of their way not to say anything that could accidentally upset her. It was that normality which helped her as much as any formal counselling.

Her friendship with Carrie was something that had grown enormously since her return to work. Before they had just been colleagues but now they were firm pals. It was a bitter-sweet friendship however as it had most likely grown because Jessica and Caroline had drifted further and further apart since the incidents of last year. It wasn’t that they had fallen out but they had become different people. They had been friends for all of their adult lives but had gone from living together and talking every day to simply not speaking and seemingly having very little in common. At the time, Caroline had been planning to move in with Randall but, following his arrest, she had ended up moving out of the flat she and Jessica shared and settling into a place on her own.

The two constables were sitting opposite each other at a table with four seats. Jessica sat next to Carrie, who wasn’t eating but cradling a mug of tea, pulling out the chair with a scrape. Both were in their late twenties, although Rowlands was due to turn thirty in a few months – a source of much amusement to Jessica.

‘Is that a new wrinkle around your eye, Dave?’ she asked with a grin.

The man looked up from the food he was eating. ‘Hardee-har-har. You do know you’ll always be those few years older than me, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, but I look younger. No greys either,’ Jessica replied, holding out a few strands of her long dark-blonde hair as if to illustrate her point.

Rowlands was eating some sort of spaghetti concoction but put his fork down and touched his own spiky dark hair. ‘I don’t have any grey hairs.’

‘Only ’cos you dye it,’ chipped in Carrie with a wink to Jessica. DC Jones had a strong Welsh accent. She was short and slim with light blonde hair and a cackling laugh that carried across rooms. Jessica always marvelled at how even her laugh sounded as if it had an accent. She was the type of person that, due to her slight frame, was easily under estimated by people who didn’t know her. She was incredibly sharp though and Jessica liked her a lot.

‘Oh aye. Female union again, is it?’

Jessica and the other woman laughed together. ‘I’ve got a job for you actually,’ Jessica said when things had settled down.

Dave had now finished eating and was fiddling with something stuck between his teeth. ‘It’s something you don’t want to do, isn’t it?’

‘You’re very perceptive in your old age.’

‘Go on then.’

‘The body we found this morning, Craig Millar, he will have annoyed a fair few people . . .’ The constable rolled his eyes, guessing where the request was heading as Jessica continued. ‘We’ve got a few uniforms on his estate knocking on doors but you know what it’s like around there, people won’t want to be seen talking to us. I want you to put together a file of people who may have had it in for him. It’ll be a big list.’

Rowlands sighed. ‘Didn’t you bring in two brothers this morning?’

‘Yeah. Their flats are being searched as we speak but I’m not convinced we’ll get anything linking them to the actual killing.’

‘When are you expecting results from the scene?’

‘Dunno. Maybe tomorrow for the initial bits? It depends how busy they are with other stuff and what they found.’

‘When do you want the list by?’

‘Tomorrow’s briefing. We’ll go over it then and divide it up among officers so we can start ruling people out.’ He scowled back at her. ‘You’ve gotta be careful screwing your face up like that at your age, Dave. It’ll only add more wrinkles.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ Rowlands slid his chair back and stood up. ‘I guess I’m going to have to go get on with this ubiquitous list then.’

Jessica looked at her colleague with a look of bewilderment on her face, while Carrie gave a small laugh. ‘A what list?’ Jessica said.

‘Ubiquitous. I figured it’s about time someone around here tried to raise the standard of conversation.’ He was grinning, clearly joking.

‘Can you even spell it?’ Carrie asked.

‘Did you get into a fight with a dictionary or something?’ Jessica added.

‘I figure at least one of us should be well-read.’

‘The only thing you’re well-read in is mucky magazines and pizza menus,’ Jessica snorted. Carrie laughed loudly, the familiar accent clear.

‘You look like you’re pretty good at reading pizza menus yourself,’ Dave replied with a laugh of his own, patting his stomach and pointing at Jessica. He turned around and strolled off still chuckling before anyone could say anything back.

Jessica was mock-outraged and the other woman was clearly trying not to laugh. ‘Cheeky bastard,’ Jessica said.

In the same way that Rowlands wasn’t really going grey or wrinkly, Jessica knew she wasn’t getting fat. It was banter that got them through the days. Jessica turned to face Carrie more directly. ‘So how’s this new bloke of yours then?’ she asked.