Victim of Innocence: A DCI Matilda Darke short story. Michael Wood

out. I’m in a condemned prefab that shakes every time the wind blows.’

      Adele laughed. ‘How much longer is it going to be?’

      ‘Nothing has been done on the house since mid-January, so I think we’ll still be at the bottom of the garden when the rapture comes.’

      ‘You’re more than welcome to come and stay with me and Chris,’ Adele said, referring to her son who was at college.

      ‘I may take you up on that. I never thought I’d miss things like brick walls. The romance in a marriage sort of dies when you can hear your loved one’s bowel movements in the next room.’

      Tall, dark, brooding DC Aaron Connolly knocked on Matilda’s office door and walked in. His joy at being a newlywed had quickly faded. ‘Ma’am, I’ve heard back from forensics. The bloody fingerprint on the wall in the living room matches Caitlyn Brown.’

      ‘Thanks.’

      ‘There are a few other prints we can’t match.’

      ‘They could belong to her parents. Is her mother in a fit state to be interviewed?’

      ‘I don’t know. Anna’s still at the hospital.’

      ‘Right. Also, PC Kesinka Rani was Caitlyn’s SOLO. Her prints will probably be in the flat. You may need to talk to her.’

      ‘Will do.’

      Aaron left the office and Matilda followed him out into the main open-plan suite where members of the Murder Investigation Team were busy at work.

      ‘So,’ Matilda began, clapping her hands together to get everyone’s attention. ‘It seems that Caitlyn was attacked in the living room. The blow to her head was from behind so she was facing away from her attacker. She stumbled to the bedroom which is where she died. How are we doing on the door-to-door?’

      ‘Everyone’s given us a statement,’ Rita Morgan said. ‘Nobody heard or saw anything that troubled them until Diane Brown started screaming.’

      ‘How do you gain access to the building?’

      ‘There’s a door entry system. You have to be buzzed in.’

      ‘And, just to confirm, there was definitely no sign of a break-in to Caitlyn’s flat?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘So, either Caitlyn knew her killer and let them in, or her killer lives in the apartment block.’