Page 99 of Making a Killing

‘OK,’ he says slowly, ‘so who’s Sabrina what’s-her-name?’

‘That’s the name Daisy Mason has been using.’

Stirling opens his mouth to say something but Asante forestalls him. ‘I know it’s frustrating but I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you at the moment. But if you can ask your wife to call us as soon as possible, that would be very helpful. In the meantime, we’d like your permission to do a full forensic search of the house. And I’m afraid we will need you to stay somewhere else until that’s completed –’

Stirling frowns. ‘Oh for fuck’s sake, is thatreallynecessary?’

‘I’m afraid it is, sir. We don’t know where Robin was killed, and it’s quite possible it was here, given that’s where she was staying.’

‘I told you, everything looked the same, there was nothing missing and the cleaners have been in since then –’

‘Even if the killer did a very thorough clean-up, a forensic search can still detect –’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ he says testily, ‘I watch TV too. OK, I suppose, if it’s really that important, we could probably get a room at the pub.’

‘Thank you, sir. We’ll contact the station now and they’ll let you know when the team are on their way so you can be here to let them in.’

As they walk back to their cars, Asante is on the phone talking to the scenes of crime team.

‘They’re coming first thing,’ he says to Bradley, finishing the call. ‘So one of us will need to be here.’

‘I’ll get Bell on it. Chance to redeem himself. I wouldn’t trust Holloway to feed my budgie right now without cocking it up.’ She smiles. ‘Not that I actuallyhavea budgie.’

‘He’s young, he’ll learn,’ says Asante. ‘Bell, I mean. But I’m afraid when it comes to Holloway, you’re on your own.’

She laughs. ‘I dread to think what I did in a previous life to deserve him.’

Asante stops at his car. ‘So, enjoy seeing your friend.’

She hesitates. ‘As it happens, they just messaged to cancel, so I’m thinking …’

He grins. ‘Let me guess – if this new seafood place is as good as they say, it’d be a pity to waste that reservation?’

She’s grinning now too. ‘Great minds.’

***

‘Quinn called last night,’ says Baxter, dumping his morning coffee and newspaper on his desk. ‘He wants us to check out dating sites. Looks like she may have been seeing a bloke called Finn she met on one of them.’

Roberts pushes his glasses up his nose. ‘Dating sites? She’s a bit young for that, isn’t she?’

Baxter gives him a withering look. ‘Not thekid, Roberts,Kate.’

‘Oh, right, I see –’

‘I’ve been wondering about that,’ says Morris, who hadn’t been wondering about it at all, but knows a decent idea when he hears one. ‘Though there’s no guarantee she’d be using her real name.’

Roberts frowns. ‘Bit high risk, though, surely? I mean, if you meet someone you actually like you’re going to have to tell them the truth eventually.’

Baxter makes a face. ‘Yeah, right. My wife’s father was on dating sites for years, and never ’fessed up to his real age. As soon as women found out how old he really was the first thing they wanted to know was what else he was lying about. We kept telling him but he never listened. Bloody idiot.’

‘Do you want me to take a look at some of the obvious apps?’ says Roberts, evidently trying to get back on the front foot.

‘Let’s divvy them up,’ says Baxter. ‘Start with people living in Belfast. We’ve got that pic of Madigan in the file and Quinn’s given me a description of this “Finn”, though I wouldn’t exactly call him distinctive. Just work on the assumption that the duller the profile, the more likely it is you’ve found our man.’

***

DC Bell arrives at the house just as the SOCO van is parking up on the drive. He’s slightly surprised that the DS didn’t want to be here herself, and more than a little intrigued that the call he got last night was clearly from a bar. That was definitely a first. But then again, he thinks, why the hell shouldn’t Bradley let her hair down occasionally? She works hard enough.

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