65 9th November
The mood in the major incident room was far more sombre than it otherwise would’ve been. Yes, they’d managed to avoid the fifth murder, but it had come at a huge cost. Not only had they failed to get their man alive, but the death of Luke Baxter had had an enormous impact on everyone who worked at Mildenheath CID.
It was rare that any officer was lost on operational duty, and it was even less likely for a CID officer. For Jack Culverhouse and Debbie Weston, the outcome was particularly bittersweet. As far as they were concerned, Luke Baxter had died a hero. He’d put himself in harm’s way to save Debbie and had given his life in protecting Culverhouse.
Even Wendy had to admit that she’d come to respect Luke somewhat after they’d cleared the air earlier that night. She was
