Surprise on the Links

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

“Do you want me to come with you for the interviews?” Claire asked James in an astonished voice, her eyes trailing the progress Jo made over the green.

She had expected that by then, the DS would have sent her with Jo or would have asked her to join the forensic team and take notes.

The newly minted detective was not afraid of the two dour men, who were waiting aside to be asked more questions, as Jo had requested them to do earlier. However, Claire doubted that James would want her with him.

She had already noticed that the sergeant tried his best to dissociate himself from her. He hoped that thus no one in the squad would speculate about the relationship they might have enjoyed.

A faint smile curved her lips, and the young woman shook her head imperceptibly. Ainsley merely deluded himself if he thought that the inspectors did not have a clue about their extracurricular activities.

However, she did not want to burst his bubble, so she let him believe what he wanted. It seemed to soothe his ego, and the fresh detective did not want to ruin his beliefs.

“Aye,” the DS replied in a crisp tone of voice. “It is only normal to ask the newest detective inspector of the team to witness the interviews. That is how you learn,” he threw over his shoulder and started toward the two witnesses, leaving Claire behind, staring after him with narrowed eyes.

His words hurt her. If she had not known that the DS was not a mean man, Claire would have told him what she thought about his statement.

The woman might have just become a DI, but she had already worked with the detectives and proved her value every time. She doubted that McNamara would have pushed for her promotion otherwise. The DCI did not care for people that were not able to do their job by his rules.

Anyway, Claire did not need any pity or favours from anyone. She knew that she had worked hard to get where she was then. Therefore, the impulse to blast his ears for his misplaced display of superiority nudged at Claire.

Nevertheless, the young woman breathed in and out, trying to calm her anger. Anyway, her rage would keep. She would have enough time to make Ainsley pay in spades later. The investigation did not need her washing their dirty laundry in public.

Suddenly, James stopped in his treks. Claire practically rammed him down to the ground as she strode with determination behind him, lost in her thoughts.

“What are you doing?” the woman asked in a puzzled tone of voice, bracing a hand on his shoulder to balance herself. The DI had the feeling that she had hit a brick wall and needed the support.

“I think that I should talk to the coroner first,” James explained and changed his direction towards the bushes without paying any more attention to her.

James felt the need to slap himself silly. He could not believe that he had forgotten such an important task.

Usually, McNamara handled the discussion with the coroner. Therefore, the DS did not have the habit of making that call. Still, now he acted in McNamara’s stead, and he had to take care and not skip any of the actions the DCI would typically take.

‘Of course, you do,’ Claire rolled her eyes behind him. She understood his need to excel in that investigation, but she could not stop thinking that the man went the wrong way about it.

When she considered that she had sufficiently calmed her thundering anger, Claire followed James towards the coroner. When she caught with him, James had already greeted the doctor, David Stewart. The DS inquired about the body, already zipped in a plastic bag, ready to be taken to the morgue.

“This is a too nice day for such a horrible murder,” Stewart mentioned, rising with a medical bag in his hand.

“Aye, that’s true,” James nodded with sadness in his eyes. “Do you have anything to tell us?” he asked the coroner.

David Stewart shrugged and pointed to the bag, “I don’t think that there would be too many surprises here. However, I will perform the post-mortem investigation, of course.”

“Are you talking about the cause of death?” James frowned, not very sure how to take the coroner’s words.

“What do you think I am talking about, lad?” the doctor scowled at him. “Of course, I am talking about the cause of death. It is obvious to the n***d eye. Someone clubbed the man to death,” the doctor explained in a harsh tone of voice. “One thing, though. The man drank some before being bludgeoned to death,” he thought to mention. “I don’t know if he was drunk or not, but I will find out,” he assured the DS.

“Do you have any idea when the murder occurred?” James asked Stewart.

“Aye, a general idea, lad. I would say not sooner than five or six hours ago and not later than an hour and a half or two hours, give or take. I doubt the man met his maker after five thirty in the morning,” the coroner pursed his lips, a contemplative light in his eyes.

“Should I count on your report tomorrow morning?” the sergeant inquired with hope in his voice.

Stewart shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t. At least, not in the morning, lad. But I might have it ready for you in the afternoon,” the doctor thumped the younger man’s shoulder. Then, he turned to leave after waving to his assistant to have the body loaded in the ambulance. “I almost forgot,” Stewart slapped his forehead. “I gave the victim’s ID to Jo,” he thought to add. “By the way? When is McNamara due?” he turned fully towards James now.

“The day after tomorrow the soonest, but you never know,” the DS shrugged.

The doctor chuckled and shook his head. “It would be just like him to come to the station earlier.”

That was what James feared. He did need to hurry back to the station and put the office to rights. Hearing the man voicing his fears aloud shocked him.

“All right, lad. See you tomorrow in the afternoon,” the doctor waved towards James and then left without another glance behind.

James stared after the coroner, but his mind was somewhere else. For a moment, the sergeant did not know what he needed to do. The thought that McNamara might come to the office so early in the investigation robbed him of reason.

Claire reached out and touched the man’s arm. James seemed somewhat lost, and all her thoughts of vengeance flew out of the window.

“Are you all right?” the woman inquired in a low tone of voice.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” the man shook her hand off his arm and began marching towards the place where their witnesses would be. James did not need her compassion right then. Still, his heart cringed at the thought that his gesture might have hurt Claire.

That proved a bad morning for him. Probably, the spectre of McNamara’s arrival was more than he could take for the moment. The sand under his feet made his progress burdensome, and James cursed under his breath. Still, he continued, hoping to reach the grass soon.

Claire stared after him for a few moments and then shook her head at a loss of words. Pride was not a good bedfellow. She might give in and let James ripe what he sowed. That was the second or third time that day that the man insulted her in a way or another.

She understood that he wanted to show McNamara his value. However, that did not mean to put others down or to ride roughshod over their concerns.

Besides, Claire had her share of pride. May God help James when she asserted it!