DCI Steve Taylor stared at the parcel. He showed it to his colleague, DC Yvonne Linton, who shrugged and held out both hands. Taylor nodded and gave it to her, smiling his thanks.
He watched Linton click open the unmarked police car’s boot and place the parcel reverently on to a liner that stopped any dirt, and often blood, from staining the fabric underneath.
He waited for her to return before speaking. “What do you reckon then?”
“Ben Morton?”
Taylor nodded.
“He’s a small cog. We could leave the dog squad to it.”
Taylor laughed at her nickname for the Midbrook DSU, their Dog Support Unit. “The kid looked right scared of them. Trap him in there for long enough and he’ll get hungry. Come out begging for food. We’ve got a budget surplus to use up, so no hurry. Meantime, we go back to HQ and catch up on intel.”
Linton agreed and got in the passenger seat as Taylor started the Audi’s engine.
When they arrived, Yvonne Linton clicked open the car’s boot and pulled out the parcel, slamming the boot shut with her free hand. She tucked the parcel under her arm, supporting it with her fingertips, and followed Taylor into the building.
She knew she’d have to check the parcel in as evidence but it would have to wait. She and Taylor had their ‘intel’ to plough through and she had a date with a science teacher from the local college that evening and didn’t want to be late, so she bundled the parcel into a space under the reception counter and would deal with it the following morning.
The current desk sergeant Bradwell wouldn’t notice and she’d get in before sharp-eyed Ramsey started his shift. It would be fine.