Strange Tide by Christopher Fowler Read Free Book Online Page B

bit?’ asked May. ‘It doesn’t lead anywhere.’
    â€˜Oh, I probably needed a wee. It certainly wasn’t for the view. Apart from the police launches there were only one or two private vessels moored along the reaches of the river. Maybe she was already on the shore, and he came in by boat and surprised her.’
    â€˜God, Dan, I hope there’s a simpler explanation than that.’ May sighed. ‘I wish Arthur was here.’ Working without his partner was like having his hands tied behind his back.
    Above them, an ambulance had arrived. As its crew disembarked, one of the EMTs came to the railing and called out, ‘How do we get down there?’
    â€˜You have to go through the office building to your right,’ May shouted back. The pair stood beside the tent waiting for the emergency team. They might have been extras on location, waiting for the director to go for a take.
    â€˜John, before they get here, can I ask you something?’ said Banbury, concerned.
    â€˜If it’s about—’
    â€˜You know who it’s about. Is he coming back?’
    â€˜I don’t see how he can.’ May glanced down at the damp sand on his shoes. ‘I’ve been summoned to a meeting with his doctor. I don’t suppose he has any good news for me. I think he’s going to say that Arthur’s reached the end of the line.’
    â€˜We won’t survive without him, John. The only reason why our strike rate is so high—’
    â€˜You think they don’t know that?’ said May angrily. ‘The performance targets come up in every Home Office assessment we’ve ever had. They stood us in good stead while everything was running smoothly. You know how many officers would be covering a case like this if CoL had to handle it? They save a fortune by using us.’
    Banbury didn’t like suggesting the idea, but he felt somebody had to say it. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, John, but have you thought about finding a replacement for Mr Bryant?’
    â€˜There’s no one who could take his place,’ said May flatly.
    â€˜What about promoting Fraternity DuCaine? He’s young, he’s smart, he’s got a lot of energy.’
    â€˜He doesn’t have enough experience, and he certainly doesn’t have Arthur’s weird way of looking at things.’
    â€˜You’re right, but you’re never going to find someone who has that. Maybe what’s needed now is a fresh approach.’
    â€˜It wouldn’t be any good. Fraternity’s mainly a tech-head. Can we not talk about this right now?’
    â€˜It’s just that . . . there’s a woman I worked with a few months ago,’ said Banbury, shifting the last of his equipment. ‘She’s a forensic specialist with a lot of unusual ideas, clever, geeky, a bit on the autism spectrum. She came to the CoL from Munich and is looking for a change. Her name’s Steffi Vesta. Maybe you could trial her.’
    â€˜It’s out of the question,’ said May. ‘Can you imagine what it would do to Arthur, knowing he’d been replaced? It would destroy him. This unit is all he has left to live for.’
    Dan glanced back at the steps and lowered his voice. ‘You don’t have to tell him, John. You always said the case has to come first. This girl was chained to a rock and left to drown. We’re going to need more help. What are you going to do, tell Raymond to turn it over to the CoL? It’s our case; nobody else will be able to do a better job, even without Mr Bryant.’
    â€˜This German woman,’ said May. ‘What’s her specialization?’
    â€˜She’s a lab rat but prefers being out on the street. Not a lateral thinker but very determined. Hell, she’s so keen to get into an outsource unit that she’s prepared to intern with us. What harm could it do?’
    â€˜No, maybe later,’ said May