Fic: Lucked Out (Part 8)
This is coming out slower and slower, I know! And I apologize. :)
--
She waited until she felt her professional mask fall back into place before returning to her office. Entering the room, she noticed Carol had sat down and appeared to be patiently waiting, as if oblivious to the turmoil her presence had created. Or perhaps that was her professional mask. Alex confidently strode around her desk and sat in the chair Tony had vacated. Her movements crisp and economical, she handed the case file across to her visitor. “This is what we have thus far. The pathologist’s report is included as well as the names we were able to glean from the airlines. These names were the ones that raised a flag.”
Carol accepted it with a polite, “Thank you.”
Alex hesitated briefly when she saw her sheet of notes. Tony’s familiar handwriting stood out in the margin and she debated whether or not to give it to Carol. Deciding the needs of the victim superseded whatever personal events were now tied to the case, she picked up the single piece of paper and held it out. “Point-form notes to make referencing easier,” she told Carol. “Tony Hill’s additions are there as well.” It was the first time his name had been mentioned between them. Though she might not have the same skills at reading people that Tony possessed, she had spent enough time as an officer to catch Carol’s reaction. While small, the quickly clenched jaw and blink of the eyes gave her away. Carol tried to cover her ‘tells’ by brushing back a strand of her ash blonde hair behind her right ear, but it only added to her reaction. Alex folded her hands on her desk and said, “Next time, you might try calling him instead of letting it drop on someone else’s lap.”
Carol’s head sharply jerked up from the file. “I beg your pardon?”
“Did you really think you could come back to Bradfield and leave again without him finding out?” Alex asked, repeating Tony’s accusation.
“I don’t really see how that concerns you.”
“Look,” Alex said, “I’m not here to get into a pissing contest with you about Tony Hill. You’re right, whatever you two have- or don’t have- going on between you is of no concern of mine. But when it comes to affecting a member of my team, then it clearly is my business. You of all people know his value to this department and I’d appreciate not having that balance upset.”
The two headstrong women took a moment to catalogue the other and just when it appeared neither would yield, Carol said, “So noted.”
The impasse solved, Alex gestured to the file. “You know, we’re not even sure this Dangor Amadi is our man. We only got as far as back-tracking the passengers who returned to South Africa when Johannesburg notified us and put the brakes on our investigation.”
“Oh, he’s our man,” Carol assured her. “He’s a suspect in over half a dozen missing children cases. I was lucky enough- or not, depending on your view- to have been there when the first case came in over a year ago, so I’ve got a special interest in catching this bastard.”
“Have you ever found any of the children?”
“No, this is a new development. But then, I don’t think he was using the other children for a personal reason.”
“Straight forward trafficking.”
Carol nodded. “Yes. We’re assuming these other children are somewhere in Europe, most likely chained to a bed or locked in a basement, abused in any number of ways by someone most people would say ‘seemed like such a nice man’.”
The deadness in Carol’s voice made Alex grimace. “Oh, god.”
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I realized the other day that I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. I tried to figure out when I had become so jaded.”
“Tony would say it’s a defence mechanism,” Alex gently offered.
This time, his name drew a smile from Carol. “Yes, I suppose he would.”
“So what’s the next step with this case?”
Carol looked down at the file again. “I didn’t see a bone analysis from the pathologist.”
Alex shook her head. “I don’t know that he took one. He didn’t say.”
“The results take a bit longer to come in than the others. Bone minerals can pinpoint where the victim spent the majority of his life. It’ll be our best chance to prove it’s Kayode Kikobe if we don’t find a DNA donor. Ashley Vernon still the pathologist?”
“God help us, yes,” Alex quipped.
“It will be like old times, getting his ass in gear.”
“Some things never change.”
Carol thought about the comment for a moment. “No, I suppose they don’t.” Memories flashes across her face and she shook them away. “I’d like to pay Mr. Amadi an informal visit. Interested?”
“Very.”
--
“So why South Africa?” Alex asked as she navigated the narrow streets. Seeing the sidelong look cast by Carol, Alex smirked. “Idle curiosity to fill in the awkward gaps of silence, nothing more.”
“I needed a change. It took me ten years to get to DCI here. I didn’t think politics would see me getting much further any time soon.”
Alex thought of her own position, two ranks lower than the one Carol has before leaving. “That’s not a comforting thought.”
“Sorry,” Carol apologized. “What do I know? Maybe things have changed after all.”
“I won’t hold my breath for that promotion, then.”
Carol’s laughter filled the small car. “Best not, no. Is Kevin Geoffries still on your team?”
“Yep,” Alex nodded. “So is Paula McIntyre.”
“That’s good. They’re great cops. You’ve got a good team there.”
Alex acknowledged the remark. “I do.” She caught Carol gazing wistfully out the passenger window. “You miss it,” she said, more statement than query.
It took Carol a long time before she replied. “I do miss parts of it.”
Alex didn’t need to be a cop to suss out what- or who- Carol meant.
--
--
She waited until she felt her professional mask fall back into place before returning to her office. Entering the room, she noticed Carol had sat down and appeared to be patiently waiting, as if oblivious to the turmoil her presence had created. Or perhaps that was her professional mask. Alex confidently strode around her desk and sat in the chair Tony had vacated. Her movements crisp and economical, she handed the case file across to her visitor. “This is what we have thus far. The pathologist’s report is included as well as the names we were able to glean from the airlines. These names were the ones that raised a flag.”
Carol accepted it with a polite, “Thank you.”
Alex hesitated briefly when she saw her sheet of notes. Tony’s familiar handwriting stood out in the margin and she debated whether or not to give it to Carol. Deciding the needs of the victim superseded whatever personal events were now tied to the case, she picked up the single piece of paper and held it out. “Point-form notes to make referencing easier,” she told Carol. “Tony Hill’s additions are there as well.” It was the first time his name had been mentioned between them. Though she might not have the same skills at reading people that Tony possessed, she had spent enough time as an officer to catch Carol’s reaction. While small, the quickly clenched jaw and blink of the eyes gave her away. Carol tried to cover her ‘tells’ by brushing back a strand of her ash blonde hair behind her right ear, but it only added to her reaction. Alex folded her hands on her desk and said, “Next time, you might try calling him instead of letting it drop on someone else’s lap.”
Carol’s head sharply jerked up from the file. “I beg your pardon?”
“Did you really think you could come back to Bradfield and leave again without him finding out?” Alex asked, repeating Tony’s accusation.
“I don’t really see how that concerns you.”
“Look,” Alex said, “I’m not here to get into a pissing contest with you about Tony Hill. You’re right, whatever you two have- or don’t have- going on between you is of no concern of mine. But when it comes to affecting a member of my team, then it clearly is my business. You of all people know his value to this department and I’d appreciate not having that balance upset.”
The two headstrong women took a moment to catalogue the other and just when it appeared neither would yield, Carol said, “So noted.”
The impasse solved, Alex gestured to the file. “You know, we’re not even sure this Dangor Amadi is our man. We only got as far as back-tracking the passengers who returned to South Africa when Johannesburg notified us and put the brakes on our investigation.”
“Oh, he’s our man,” Carol assured her. “He’s a suspect in over half a dozen missing children cases. I was lucky enough- or not, depending on your view- to have been there when the first case came in over a year ago, so I’ve got a special interest in catching this bastard.”
“Have you ever found any of the children?”
“No, this is a new development. But then, I don’t think he was using the other children for a personal reason.”
“Straight forward trafficking.”
Carol nodded. “Yes. We’re assuming these other children are somewhere in Europe, most likely chained to a bed or locked in a basement, abused in any number of ways by someone most people would say ‘seemed like such a nice man’.”
The deadness in Carol’s voice made Alex grimace. “Oh, god.”
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I realized the other day that I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. I tried to figure out when I had become so jaded.”
“Tony would say it’s a defence mechanism,” Alex gently offered.
This time, his name drew a smile from Carol. “Yes, I suppose he would.”
“So what’s the next step with this case?”
Carol looked down at the file again. “I didn’t see a bone analysis from the pathologist.”
Alex shook her head. “I don’t know that he took one. He didn’t say.”
“The results take a bit longer to come in than the others. Bone minerals can pinpoint where the victim spent the majority of his life. It’ll be our best chance to prove it’s Kayode Kikobe if we don’t find a DNA donor. Ashley Vernon still the pathologist?”
“God help us, yes,” Alex quipped.
“It will be like old times, getting his ass in gear.”
“Some things never change.”
Carol thought about the comment for a moment. “No, I suppose they don’t.” Memories flashes across her face and she shook them away. “I’d like to pay Mr. Amadi an informal visit. Interested?”
“Very.”
--
“So why South Africa?” Alex asked as she navigated the narrow streets. Seeing the sidelong look cast by Carol, Alex smirked. “Idle curiosity to fill in the awkward gaps of silence, nothing more.”
“I needed a change. It took me ten years to get to DCI here. I didn’t think politics would see me getting much further any time soon.”
Alex thought of her own position, two ranks lower than the one Carol has before leaving. “That’s not a comforting thought.”
“Sorry,” Carol apologized. “What do I know? Maybe things have changed after all.”
“I won’t hold my breath for that promotion, then.”
Carol’s laughter filled the small car. “Best not, no. Is Kevin Geoffries still on your team?”
“Yep,” Alex nodded. “So is Paula McIntyre.”
“That’s good. They’re great cops. You’ve got a good team there.”
Alex acknowledged the remark. “I do.” She caught Carol gazing wistfully out the passenger window. “You miss it,” she said, more statement than query.
It took Carol a long time before she replied. “I do miss parts of it.”
Alex didn’t need to be a cop to suss out what- or who- Carol meant.
--