Written in Blood

Written in Blood by Chris Collett Read Free Book Online

Book: Written in Blood by Chris Collett Read Free Book Online
Authors: Chris Collett
Tags: UK
down outside the changing rooms every time I try something on. Go back to work. It’s what you really want to do.’
    She was right about that, the inertia was starting to drive him mad, aggravated by the knowledge of what would be awaiting him at the office. ‘You’ll be all right?’
    She tapped her chin, frowning for dramatic effect. ‘I don’t know, if only someone could have invented some kind of portable communication device that would allow us to talk to each other during the day. Oh, guess what? They have. It’s called a mobile phone.’
    ‘Ho ho,’ said Mariner, mirthlessly. ‘Have you been getting sarcasm coaching from Tony Knox?’
    She gave him a hug. ‘I’ll keep in touch, I promise.’
    ‘Right, I’ll just go in and check the post, then.’
    ‘Good idea. Who knows, we might even have something to talk about at the end of the day.’ She looked him in the eye. ‘Something that we’re both willing to talk about, that is.’
     
    Overnight there had been a light fall of snow and the clean purity outside was at odds with Mariner’s current perception of the world. At Granville Lane he sat in his car for a few minutes, fascinated, he told himself, by watching the progress of the occasional snowflake, though in reality he was summoning the courage to walk into the building. When he finally did it he was disconcerted to see the tremor in his hand as he swiped his security pass through the pad.
    ‘How are you, sir?’ Receptionist Ella’s earnest expression lay somewhere between sympathy and wariness, something that Mariner was to see reflected on almost every face he encountered in the weeks that followed, as if he’d been a victim too. A black cloud hung over the station as it did over every OCU in the city. Crime hadn’t stopped because of the explosion, although figures later would reveal a significant dip. Even the criminal fraternity had been shocked to the core.
    ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Mariner said.
    ‘Mr Coleman would like to see you.’
    Mariner went straight to DCI Jack Coleman’s office. As his hand hovered just short of the door, it occurred to him that the nameplate wouldn’t be there for much longer.
    Coleman was due to retire at the end of January. That was only a month away. It had crept up suddenly. Hearing Coleman’s response, he went in.
    ‘Tom.’ Coleman got up from behind his desk and the two men shook hands. ‘It’s good to see you back.’
    It occurred to Mariner that Coleman didn’t look old enough for retirement. In any other career he could have had another ten years in him.
    ‘Special Branch came to see you?’ he asked.
    Mariner sat down. ‘Mm. Not that there was any point. I can’t remember seeing anything.’
    ‘I don’t suppose you were meant to.’
    ‘Have you heard much about how the investigation’s going?’
    ‘Only what’s being released to the press.’
    ‘Bugger all then. What’s going on? Usually there’s something. They can’t not know, they must be sitting on it.’
    ‘If they are I’m sure they have their reasons. How’s Anna?’ The swift change of subject left Mariner wondering if Coleman was sitting on it too, but he allowed himself to be led down the alternative route.
    ‘She’s still in shock. At least I hope she is, because otherwise we’ve lost the ability to communicate. Half the time we don’t seem to know what to say to each other, the rest of the time we’re at loggerheads.’
    ‘It’ll get better. It will help that you went through it together.’
    ‘Not the worst part. It wasn’t so much the explosion. It was afterwards, going in to find people under all that—’ He parried the image that flashed through his head.
    ‘Yes, I know.’ It was more than polite sympathy.
    Mariner could practically see Coleman’s mind reaching back thirty years to his first weeks in uniform, and that Thursday night in 1974 when the city had been ripped apart by two IRA bombs. Coleman had been on duty and had helped with the

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