Written in Blood by Chris Collett Read Free Book Online Page A

rescue. Mariner knew that the nightmares had gone on to haunt Coleman for years to come and had almost put paid to his marriage. ‘It has a certain morbid symmetry to it; an explosive beginning and end to your career,’ Mariner said.
    Coleman nodded. ‘It’s a good time to retire.’
    ‘I thought I could understand what happened to you,’ Mariner said. ‘But really I hadn’t a clue.’
    ‘Nobody ever does. Don’t underestimate the impact, Tom, on either of you. And be thankful that you have something to help you look forward.’
    Mariner looked at him blankly.
    Coleman raised his eyebrows. ‘I thought you were planning kids.’
    ‘I told you about that?’
    ‘I thought you needed time off for an appointment?’
    ‘Oh yes.’ The genetic counsellor. Coleman had done well to remember. It had slipped Mariner’s mind altogether. ‘It’ll be after the new year sometime, I suppose. Though to be honest I’m not so sure about that now. And Anna’s gone very quiet about it. I’m glad.’
    ‘You can’t let these people dictate how you live your lives. If you do, they’ve won.’ Almost word for word what Anna had said.
    ‘It’s not only that,’ Mariner admitted. ‘The truth is it scares me to death, the idea of having a child. I’ve got no experience. I keep thinking; how can I be a good dad when I don’t know what it’s like to even have a dad?’
    Coleman smiled. ‘That’s how I feel about retirement. It’s a big life change. Glenys can’t wait, but I keep wondering how I’ll cope for the first time in my life when there’s nothing to do. But I’ll do it, and so will you. You’re hardly the first to be in your position. Lots of people don’t have the experience of typical family life. You’re a good man, Tom, that’s all it takes to make a good father.’
    Mariner wished he could share Coleman’s confidence in him. ‘Anything happened here that I should know about?’ he asked.
    ‘You’ll be pleased to know that we’re on the way to an ID on your sewer queen. I won’t spoil it for Charlie Glover. As acting SIO he’ll want to fill you in. But go easy to begin with, don’t rush into anything. Take over when you’re ready.’
    ‘Yes sir.’
    Walking along to his office, Mariner couldn’t help flinching from the everyday hubbub of the building; phones ringing, doors banging, talk and laughter. The garish Christmas decorations were an insult to his mood and by the time he reached his desk his pulse raced as if he’d just climbed Caer Caradoc, rather than walked a few yards along a corridor. The temperamental 1950s heating system left his office chill but as he took off his jacket his armpits felt sticky. At least CID was quiet; officers from each OCU had been seconded to help with the leg-work on the investigation into the St Martin’s incident, and right now Charlie Glover was nowhere around.
    Mark ‘Jack’ Russell was one of the few men remaining and was immediately attentive to Mariner. ‘Is there anything you want sir?’
    ‘Just time to get my bearings again,’ said Mariner. Russell closed the door on his way out.
    On the top of Mariner’s in-tray was Charlie Glover’s progress report on the sewer queen. It was as Coleman had said. Glover had run the prints through CRIMINT but as the woman had no record they’d drawn a blank. Missing persons had turned up no likely contenders either. But Charlie Glover had used his brain, and picking up on the unusual labels on the dead woman’s clothes had established her nationality as Albanian. The last thing he’d done was to contact the National Immigration Centre in Croydon, to see if the government’s crackdown on immigration would be of any help to them. So far it was a competent investigation and, not for the first time, Mariner wondered why Glover, in his late thirties, was still only a DC. He must talk to him about that some time.
    Key photographs from the postmortem and notes from the pathologist were included in the file for