Don't Cage The Birdie (Book 2)(rough first draft)

Chapter 5. A break from work

Outside the pathologist centre James hailed a taxi and directed him back to the Plaza. He dropped the pathology report from Doctor Kingstains at his desk and called up Ming and Brewster to his desk. The two officers appeared and stopped by his desk, Brewster taking a seat and Ming standing by his side.

'How's the head?' asked James.

Brewster grunted and rubbed the back of his head. 'There's a bruise but nothing broken or anything.'

'Brain's haven't leaked out,' said Ming. 'Which is a surprise there was any in there to begin with.'

Laughing, James shook his head. 'Well I'm glad to here nothing has leaked out because we'll need all the brain power we need. The woman's name is Claudia Forrest, and the pathologist is of the opinion that this is not a suicide. So we are looking at a murder investigation right now. On top of that, Claudia Forrest had a 14 year old daughter called Marjorie Forrest, who, because it fits, must be the owner of exhibit 1, the Barbie doll. She's missing. It's a priority to find her. To find whether she's with her father, a man called Dean Locke, or whether something worse has happened.'

'Where's Dean Locke located?' asked Brewster, pulling out a police issued note pad and writing down the name.

'You need to find that out. I don't know,' said James. 'According to Claudia's neighbour at number 49 he was living at the house on and off but hasn't been seen for a few weeks. According to the owner of No. 47, Nigel Mole, who was letting Claudia and her daughter live there rent free, Claudia broke up with Dean Locke and Dean hates her for that. Mr Mole is of the opinion that Mr Locke is behind everything. Where are we at with the break in?'

'Well,' said Ming, pulling out his own note pad and reading from it, 'there have been a dozen break ins in the area in the past three months. Back doors broken in, TVs and sound equipment stolen. But no one on the street noticed anyone unusual or strange on the street last night or any time this morning.'

Interesting, mused James. Claudia still had her TV, albeit blood covered. Did the would be thief break in, see her body, freak and run? Or did he do the murder himself? Did he know Claudia or the robbery just went wrong?

'The neighbour that at 45 that called in the break in, she wasn't there when I knocked this morning. Where did she go?'

The two police officers exchanged puzzled looks and they shrugged. 'I don't know,' said Brewster. 'We saw you knock and so didn't try ourselves.'

Sighing, James ran his hands through his hair and shut his eyes, staring at the blackness it offered. It was soothing to see nothing and rest his eyes. After a few seconds he opened them again and stared at the officers. 'Call her house and see when she's in, and when she's in call me because I want to have a word with her. I have a feeling she'll know a bit more than she originally shared with officers this morning. For starts she cared enough to report the break in, and I didn't get the feeling that the man at 49 would have done that. And by the way, find out who is living at number 49. He was a right bastard this morning lying through his teeth to me and declined to give me his name. I want to know who he is. And that'll be all.'

The two officers departed leaving James with his thoughts. There were too many of them. His stomach rumbled and he sat up straight, eyes wide. 'Fuck,' he breathed, patting down his pockets for the number that Teddy had given him. He found it at last and dialled it in and listed to the tone at the other end and waited for someone to pick it up.

~

Despite being the one to make the dinner reservation James was late. First he had had to call back to his apartment to refresh and change his clothes, and then his captain had run seeking an update, and that had taken longer to get through than he had anticipated. Finally he was at the restaurant, though, and he could feel his body beginning to relax and the heat and stress of the day sinking into his body causing his eyes to droop.