The Upper Hand Read online

  Her stomach did a summersault.

  “Oh, shit,” she muttered under her breath. “Sandy. Sandy come here!” she called out, but the dog wouldn’t move.

  “Goddammit, Sandy,” she yelled, and the dog lifted its head to look at her. The fur around Sandy’s mouth was stained a deep red.

  “Oh god,” Deborah muttered as the dog went back to whatever it was gnawing on.

  There was nothing for it, she’d have to go get her and see what was on the other side of that trunk. Deborah took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as the smell filled her lungs. She squeezed her hands into fists as she tried to push the fear away. Marching forward, keeping her eyes firmly fixed upon her dog, she reached in to grab her collar, knowing that whatever was strung up against the tree was right above her. She pulled Sandy back to reveal a partially chewed human foot attached to a leg.

  Deborah stepped back, pulling Sandy with her, and despite every nerve in her body telling her not to, she looked up.

  “Oh crap,” she whispered as her stomach heaved and she threw up onto the ground.

  CHAPTER 3

  Taking another spoonful of muesli, Kate watched local news on the breakfast program with one eye on the clock. She was early, but this was her first day, and she wanted to make sure she got to work with time to spare.

  She was keen to get off on the right foot, and first impressions were important. She’d worked hard to get here, and she didn’t want to mess it up before she even got started.

  Chewing on a new mouthful of her cereal, the news anchor moved on to her second story of the broadcast.

  “The parents of missing local man, Mark Summers, gave a press conference today, offering a reward for any information that leads to the discovery of their son. Mark has been missing for three weeks since disappearing in Guildford after a night out. If you have any information on Mark’s location, the number to call is on the bottom of the screen.”

  Surrey might be home to some very wealthy individuals, but like anywhere in the UK, it had its fair share of problems and dangerous people.

  Finishing her breakfast with a final spoonful, she placed her bowl in the sink in the kitchenette, grabbed her jacket from the back of a chair and slipped it on, before moving to the nearby mirror to check herself over one last time.

  She’d bought a new suit for today, as well as polished her shoes to try to help with that good early impression. She double-checked she had her warrant card, cuffs, money, and phone before she cast a critical eye to her hair.

  Reaching up, she pulled her auburn hair back off her shoulders and into a ponytail to keep it out the way. Kate didn’t usually wear much makeup, but with this being her first day on a new team, she couldn’t resist using just a little bit.

  She felt sure that wouldn’t last.

  Taking a last look in the mirror, her eyes drifted to the shelf on her right, and the photo of her aunt, Fiona. Kate smiled to herself, then flashes of the nightmare that had woken her up last night appeared in her mind, reminding her of events ten years ago. Events she would rather forget.

  She reached up and touched the glass in the picture frame. “Well, I made it, Fi. I’m on the Murder Team. Finally. I won’t let you down.”

  Across the room, behind her, the folder that held the letters stood in the bookcase. Its presence weighed heavily on her mind as she looked fondly upon the image of her aunt. She might be gone, but Kate would never forget her aunt and the influence she had on her life.

  Turning away, she sucked in a deep breath and let it go, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach before grabbing her keys and leaving her flat behind.

  The drive from her home in north Leatherhead over to the new station in Horsley didn’t take long. It was still early, and although the traffic was already beginning to build, there were no holdups along the way.

  She was only maybe a minute or so from the building when she heard the familiar sirens of a patrol car approaching from behind. She pulled over to let the vehicle pass, its blue lights flashing as it zipped by at speed.

  Kate smiled to herself. She’d done three years as a uniformed officer in several roles and had been in her fair share of Incident Response Vehicles over the years, blasting through traffic with the siren and lights going. Nothing got the blood and adrenaline pumping like racing to a scene in a patrol car at high speed.

  But it was the investigation side of things that had always appealed to her, and she’d known that ultimately, she wanted to be a detective. She achieved that goal a year ago, working on various cases until she was finally eligible to be transferred to the specialised Murder Team

  Moments later she rounded the corner into Horsley on the main road that snaked through the quiet Surrey village. The station came into view from behind some trees as she navigated the S-bend.

  Rounding the second corner, she pulled off the road and into the small public car park out front and found a suitable empty spot, making sure not to park in any of the reserved spaces for the officers further up the chain of command.

  That would not be a good way to start the day.

  She knew there was another, private car park out back for them to use, but given this was her first day and she thought it better to stay here.

  Turning off the car, she took another few calming breaths and checked the time. She was over half an hour early for her shift, but now that she was here, she couldn’t help feeling nervous. She’d been here before on and off while in uniform and during her first year as a detective, always eyeing it, and the officers who worked here, with envy.

  That’s where she wanted to be, she’d thought. She wanted to be on the Murder Team, tracking down the worst of the worst. The real dregs of society.

  Well Kate, she thought, you’ve made it. You’re here. Now get a grip, go in there, and make a good first impression.

  Making sure her ID was in place; she stepped out of her car and approached the looming building. Its three storeys rose up above her, looking somehow more intimidating now, than they had ever done on her previous visits. But she ploughed on, pushing those nerves away and walked in the front door, into the reception, and up to the main desk.

  A woman in uniform smiled at her as she approached.

  “Morning,” the Station Officer said in greeting.

  “Hi. I’m DC Kate O’Connell? I’m joining the Murder Team today.”

  “Aaah yes, we’re expecting you. Welcome. You’re in early.”

  Kate smiled. “Just want to make a good impression.”

  “Of course. Well, sign in. You’ll have to take a seat, DCI Dean isn’t in yet. But I doubt he’ll be long.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Kate answered as she signed the book and stepped away from the reception desk. She noticed the chairs up against the far wall, along with the other two people sat in here waiting, neither of which looked like police officers to her, and decided to keep her distance. Besides, she wanted to be on her feet anyway. She had too much nervous energy to sit and relax.

  There were the usual notice boards with all kinds of posters and information pinned to them, none of which really interested her. But nearby, she spotted a series of framed photos that depicted the building being built and then renovated.

  Kate knew a little of the history of the place already. It was a newly-built site, planned initially as a commercial building where businesses could rent out space, but the developer went under so it sat unfinished for a while until a local man, a self-made billionaire, bought it and donated it to the police.

  The philanthropist wanted to help make a safer county with better policing, and this was just one of the ways he was helping to do that.

  Kate passed the time admiring the photos and reading the descriptions below them that detailed the history of the building. Some of the images showed it being built and then renovated, as well as pictures of the opening ceremony with the billionaire and the local Mayor. The notes below each image filled in some of the blanks in her knowledge.

&n
bsp; “DC O’Connell?” said a male voice from behind her. Kate turned and smiled at the man she found approaching her from the reception desk.

  “Good morning, DCI Dean,” Kate answered, recognising him right away. He was a stocky man in his mid-forties with a balding head that he kept shaved. She’d met him several times before in the line of duty, and again during her application to join the Surrey Murder Team.

  “You’re eager to get started then?” he asked.

  “Of course, and thank you for having me, sir. I really appreciate it.”

  “Glad to have you. Come on, follow me, let’s head upstairs. We can have a quick chat in my office.”

  “Very good, sir,” she answered, and followed him through the station. Eventually, they reached a room on the side of the Murder Team’s office and he led her inside, offering her a seat in front of his desk. DCI Dean removed his jacket and took his place opposite her with a sigh.

  “So, you found the place okay?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s a difficult building to miss,” she answered.

  He nodded. “Yeah, it’s not subtle. So, welcome to the team. I read through your file again the other day. You’ve got an impressive record, O’Connell. I think you’ll be an asset to the team.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll certainly try to live up to your expectations.”

  “I’m sure you will. So, did you always want to be a detective?

  “I have for a while, yes, sir. My dad served for many years, so that probably influenced me a bit.”

  “I saw that. He was part of the RUC in Northern Ireland during the troubles, right?”

  Kate nodded. She didn’t know a lot about that period of her father’s life. He didn’t like to talk about it, so she usually avoided the subject. She knew he’d served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, she also knew that it was during this time that he’d met her mother, who was an Irish native, unlike her father who was British by birth. “Only towards the end, but yes. My parents left Ireland and moved to the UK before I was born.”

  “Well, we’re pleased to have you with us, DC O’Connell. Now, I’m going to provisionally assign you to one of the team. I want to see how you get on before I decide where best to have you,” the DCI said, rising from his chair.I “If you’d like to follow me?”

  Kate got up and followed DCI Dean through the office, feeling the eyes of the room on her, watching the new girl.

  “Hey, Nathan,” one of them called out. “Looks like you’ve got a new Scully.”

  With a raised eyebrow she glanced at the man who’d spoken, wondering what that was all about. The short man smiled to himself as he turned and nodded to her in greeting. “Mornin’,” he said.

  “That’s enough of your smart mouth, DS Taylor,” the DCI said.

  “Skipper,” the Detective Sergeant answered with a nod of deference as Kate followed the DCI across the room.

  “Ignore them,” the DCI said over his shoulder with a note of exasperation in his voice.

  Kate let a slight smile play over her face. “Don’t worry, I can give as good as I get.”

  The DCI returned her grin. “Good, glad to hear it. Okay, here we are. DC Katherine O’Connell, meet DS Nathan Halliwell.” Kate grimaced at the sound of her full name. “You’ll be partners while you learn the ropes, Kate. Okay, Nathan?”

  “Of course, Skipper,” Nathan replied, sitting back in his chair. His eyes flicked between the DCI and herself.

  She smiled at him and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Nathan glanced at her hand for a moment before reaching out and giving it a cursory shake that was anything but firm. “And you,” he replied, looking her in the eye with an expression that gave her the impression he was assessing her somehow.

  To Kate he looked a little scruffy, with messy, mousy-brown hair that looked like it could do with a cut and an old suit that might not have seen an iron for weeks. The top two buttons on his shirt were open, and he didn’t wear a tie either.

  “Well, as much as I hate to leave this scintillating conversation, I have a lot to do today, so I’ll leave you to settle in. That’ll be your desk, Kate,” the DCI said, indicating the empty one behind Nathan. “I’ll check in on you later, I’m sure Nathan will find you something to do.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Kate replied happily.

  The DCI nodded to her and then turned to Nathan. “Don’t you scare her off, alright? We’re short staffed as it is.”

  Kate noticed Nathan roll his eyes at the comment and look away. She looked back at the DCI who winked at her and then walked off. Kate watched him go and then looked back at her new partner.

  “So, Nathan, how’s things? Are you busy?”

  “I guess,” he replied, and she got the feeling he didn’t really want to talk to her. But given they were going to be partners, at least for a little while, she wouldn’t be put off by him that easily.

  She walked over to her desk and sat in the chair, testing out its movement and adjusting the height of the seat to suit her.

  Satisfied, she looked back over to Nathan. He was turned mostly away from her, looking through something on his desk.

  “Well, I’m looking forward to working with you,” she said.

  “That’ll make a nice change,” he replied.

  “Have you been on the Murder Team long?”

  “Yep,” he said.

  She considered leaving it there, as he really didn’t seem to want to talk, but after a moment she decided to push a little further. “How long, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Nathan lifted his head and turned to look at her. He looked her up and down with a frown on his face. “Long enough.”

  Kate shrugged, deciding to leave that line of questioning and try another tack. “What are you working on?”

  Nathan raised an eyebrow at her, apparently a little surprised by her tenacity. He sat back and placed the end of his pen in his mouth. “Just some theories.”

  “Anything I should know?” she continued. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. She had wondered if he might ask any questions back, but so far, nothing.

  “Not if you like your reputation,” he replied, his eyebrows raised.

  “Oh,” Kate answered, not quite sure what he meant by that.

  “Get yourself settled in. I’ll find something for you to do in a minute,” he said, turning back to his desk. Kate watched him look away, not too sure what to make of him, and then looked over the office, noticing the eyes of a couple of the other officers on her. Most of them looked away as she met their gaze.

  She looked back at Nathan and noted the position of their desks as they related to the others. They were slightly apart and on their own. She wondered if there might be some significance to this, as she turned to face her desk. A note stuck to the edge of her keyboard had her temporary login details written on it, but otherwise the desk was clean and clear.

  She checked through the drawers, and in the bottom one—a deep filing drawer—something vaguely round and shiny glinted in the shadows. She eyed it curiously and then reached in and fished it out.

  Turning the strange creation over in her hands, she suddenly realised it was a tin foil hat. She looked at it in confusion for a moment and heard a stifled laugh a short distance away in the office. She looked up to see the detective who had made the Scully comment watching her. He smirked again.

  Kate sighed but couldn’t help the smile that played over her face. With a shrug, she placed the hat on her head, looked over to DS Taylor and struck a pose for him with her hand on her hip.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Kate looked up to see the DCI stood nearby, this time with another officer just behind him.

  Kate reached up and removed the hat. “Just giving as good as I get, sir.”

  A slight smile played over DCI Dean’s face. “Glad to hear it,” he said, and then glanced over to DS Taylor, who quickly busied himself at his desk.

  “What’s up, Skip?�
� Nathan asked.

  “I’ve just taken a call from Duty Officer Dyson who’s on the scene of a murder, and I’m going to assign it to you, Nathan.”

  “Me, sir?” Nathan asked, sounding surprised.

  “I’ll be your SIO, but with Kate here, I think you two can take this one on between you.”

  “Are you sure?” Nathan sounded cautious.

  “Nathan,” the DCI sighed, “you know what you’re doing. It’s been a long time since the Steed case, and you’ve proven yourself many times since. I have full confidence in you. Plus, this sounds like your kind of case.”

  “My kind of case?”

  Kate caught a look of exasperation from the officer behind DCI Dean, who did not look impressed with this conversation.

  “Sounds ritualistic from what Dyson said on the phone. Anyway, like I said, I’ll be your SIO, and I’ll probably have Mason here be Deputy SIO and liaise between us, but this’ll be your case, Nathan. Understood?”

  “Of course, Skipper.”

  “I’m heading there now, the details are on the system, follow us there.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Nathan said.

  The DCI looked over at Kate and smiled. “Looks like you’re jumping in the deep end Miss O’Connell. We’ll see if you sink or swim.”

  Kate gave him a curt nod. “I’m a good swimmer, sir.”

  He smirked at her answer as he turned and walked towards the exit.

  Kate cringed. Good swimmer? Idiot, she admonished herself. Beside her, Nathan checked his computer.

  He read a short briefing, made a few quick notes, stood up, and pulled his jacket on. “Right, we’ve got a murder scene to attend.”

  “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing the tin foil hat off her desk and screwing it up into a ball as she walked. Taking aim, Kate threw it over the intervening desks where it caught DS Taylor on the face and landed in his lap as he jumped in shock.

  DS Taylor looked up at her in surprised indignation. Kate shrugged, and with a smile, turned to follow Nathan who was giving her an appraising look.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I think so… Come on, let’s hit the road.”