INVESTIGATIONS OF DCI BAXTER AND DR HIDE: THE BURNT CLUE

Dr. D. Hide

Kirk drove to work the next day in his old beetle. It had been shiny silver but now it was mostly dirt. The number plate read ‘8AXT3R’ because in university it was named the Baxter Beetle. He had bought the beetle while being a student in Bath University and had never given up on it since. The front bonnet was black where it had once been replaced. It drove terribly and sounded wounded as it waddled along the road.

     Everything was still damp from the rain that night. As he stepped out of his car he threw on his long grey detective coat and locked the doors. He walked towards the police station door with his head hung low and his hands in the pockets of his coat.

     Amber burst out of the huge wooden doors of the police station. “Got a case Sir! Murder!” she shouted.

     “How did you know I had arrived?” Kirk asked

     “I waited for you sir.”

     “Two things,” Kirk sated walking back to his car while pulling his keys back out of his pocket. Amber followed him, “one, don’t wait for me if there is a murder, call me. Two…” they were now standing opposite sides of his car.

     “Yes sir?”

     “Don’t call me sir.” Kirk winked and got into his car.

      When they arrived, the crime scene was a clean tidy one floor flat, high up above the lower city of Bath. The inside was white and modern but the outside was like the rest of the buildings, historically old.

     “The body is in his bedroom.” Amber shouted striding past Kirk who was standing in the door way. He followed her into what was presumably the bedroom.

     The bedroom was small and not modern at all compared to the kitchen and the living room Kirk had just seen. In one corner was a single bed and at the end of it was a wooden desk. On one wall was a brick fireplace. Kirk looked around for clues but he had no clue what he was doing. In the last five years of being detective inspector he never thought he would become DCI any time soon. He tried to remember what DCI Quinn used to do at this point. He crouched down and examined the body in the middle of the floor and saw that there were two small cuts either side of each other on his neck like a vampire bite. ‘Rubbish’ he thought. Vampires, stupid thought.

     “Found anything interesting?” Amber asked Kirk.

     “No I have no idea what I am doing.” He confessed. “I have always looked forward to when I would be promoted to DCI; I just never thought it would be so soon. I’m not ready I didn’t take in enough of what Quinn did.”

     “You need to talk to someone” Amber said quietly crouching opposite him.

     “Who would I tell Chief Inspector Wallace? I would be laughed out of the station and anyway I’m not DCI yet it would spoil my chances of getting this job.” Kirk dropped his head, not wanting to look at Amber anymore.

     “You could go see the old DCI, the one before Quinn, David Hide. He phoned into the station this morning after he found out Quinn had died and asked if you wanted any help now that you’re the DCI.” Kirk looked back at Amber in interest. “He is retired now but I’m sure he could give you some help. They say he was the best are department ever had.” Kirk jumped up and ran out of the door. “What should I do?” Amber shouted after him. Kirk popped his head back around the corner of the door.

     “Go to the station and find out all you can on this guy.” He pointed to the body on the floor. He disappeared around again then poked his head around one last time. “Oh and thanks.”

     “Hope it helps!” she shouted after him, standing up, but he was defiantly gone this time.

     Luckily Kirk had visited David Hide’s house before with Quinn, just the once about three years ago, so he knew where to find him. He remembered him being very posh and arrogant. He didn’t like him much but he needed all the help he could get.

     He parked his car outside the massive back gate to his drive and noticed it had been left open slightly so he squeezed through the gap. As he walked closer to the house he saw how big it was. It was three stories high and had a semicircle window that stretched up the whole side of the building. Kirk thought about his tiny bedsit in the city and how nice it would be to live in a house like this when he retired.

     A short old man with a small belly and grey hair stepped out of the front door to the house. Lines were visible on his forehead from lots of thinking and he had big bushy eyebrows that sat above startling emerald eyes. He was wearing a burgundy blazer and a sky blue shirt. His trousers were neat and his shoes polished. This must be David Hide.

     “Ah you must be the new DCI; I knew you would take my offer and ask for help. I recognise you but I have forgotten your name.” David said closing the door behind him.

     “I’m Kirk Baxter, I’m here to…”

     “Oh I remember now.” David interrupted. “How’s the dog?” he grind.

     Kirk remembered the last time they met three years ago where David had apparently deduced that he had a small dog, which he did. Kirk, of course, did not believe that he had worked it out with his powers of deduction. He must have had found out from Quinn or something.

     “No, I’m sorry, when did it pass away?” David announced looking serious now.

     “How did you know that? You must have looked on my Facebook or something.” Kirk knew that they were not friends on Facebook but didn’t want him to show off like he did the last time they met. “Mr Hide I’m here for some help in a murder inquiry.”

     “Dr. Hide.” He said raising his chin in achievement. Kirk thought, ‘really a doctor, I wonder what in: showing off?’

     “Will you come to the crime scene to…?”

     “Do deductions?” David interrupted again. “I thought I didn’t do deductions I thought just ‘look it up’ but it does sound like a bit of fun.” he smiled and strode past Kirk. “I deduce that your car is just outside.” David said as he passed Kirk.

     “No you didn’t, you just guessed.” He said loudly catching up with him.

     “Oh I’m guessing as well now am I?” David smirked, quickening his pace.