Dead Wrong. Noelle Holten

after having been seconded for nearly a year to the Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit. She had forged some meaningful friendships at the DAHU and was really impressed with the multi-agency approach. It was her intention to use this model, as much as her DI would allow, within this team. It just took one thing to blow a case open and Maggie didn’t want to mess up just because the police were sometimes too precious to ask for assistance from other agencies.

      The current detective sergeant of her team was on long-term sick leave and had yet to be replaced. DI Rutherford hinted that she was hoping Maggie would apply for the Acting Up position, but it just wasn’t going to happen. She enjoyed the operational side of her job, being in the thick of things and using her brain to piece the puzzle together. Ridiculous targets, politics and a lack of resources within the force would frustrate the hell out of her. She had encouraged her partner, Nathan Wright, to go for the post, but he seemed to be of the same frame of mind as her, or so she had thought.

       CHAPTER FIVE

      Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Maggie laughed to herself as Nathan Wright tried to sneak past DI Rutherford unsuccessfully.

      ‘I’ll see you all in fifteen minutes for today’s briefing,’ DI Rutherford commented before returning to her office.

      Maggie couldn’t be one hundred per cent sure, but a strange look seemed to pass between them.

      ‘What was that about?’ Maggie poked him on the arm. Nathan seemed unable to make eye contact with her. He wasn’t the best at hiding his feelings and usually Maggie could read him like a book. She watched as he shifted nervously from foot to foot.

      ‘What are you talking about?’ He walked towards his office.

      ‘Stop-right-there. Look at me. Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?’ Maggie didn’t like to be caught off-guard and paranoia coursed through her veins.

      Nathan fumbled his words and started pulling at his right index finger. ‘Uh. I don’t think I’m allowed to say anything just yet, but the guv will tell you … I mean all of us, in the briefing.’

      Her eyes squinted, and she stared at him. ‘You’d better tell me now. I don’t need any more surprises today … have they got a new DS? Is that it? Shit – not Cooper? I hate that misogynistic bastard—’

      ‘OK. OK. Stop stressing. I’ll tell you on the condition that you act surprised, and maybe a little bit pleased, when the announcement is made. We are getting an Acting DS but it’s not Cooper … it’s … me.’ He looked down at the floor, and guilt flooded over her.

      ‘Oh my god, Nathan, great news! Why didn’t you say? I thought we were closer than that. Thank God, it’s not Cooper!’ Maggie felt a rush of relief, tinged with shock.

      ‘So, you’re not pissed off?’ He studied her face, as if he was trying to find a smidge of anger.

      ‘Why the hell would I be pissed off?’

      ‘Well, even though we both took the sergeant’s exam, we sort of had this unspoken pact that neither of us would go for it.’

      ‘I was a little taken aback, but it’ll be a great experience for you and I couldn’t wish for a better boss – I mean, who else will let me get away with slightly longer lunch hours?’ She grinned and waited for Nathan to catch on to the joke.

      ‘Don’t say that! I’ll be taking this very seriously and can’t afford to give people any special favours.’

      She burst out laughing. ‘I’d never do that; I think you’ll make a great DS – but I’m curious, what made you change your mind?’

      Nathan explained to Maggie about how his wife wanted to start a family. He believed that not only would the DS opportunity afford him a more comfortable lifestyle, he would also be in a more stable position that would put his wife’s mind at rest. Although Maggie wasn’t wholly convinced, his mouth said one thing but his eyes another, she would support his decision because that’s what friends did.

      ‘Well let me be the first to … secretly … congratulate you. I’m dead chuffed and will do whatever I can to back you up, OK?’

      ‘Thanks. That means a lot. You know how much I look up to you.’

      ‘That’s only because you’re a foot shorter than me …’ And with that, any tension between the pair had been broken. Maggie knew she might struggle a bit to think of Nathan, one of the few people who really understood her, as her superior.

      ‘So, am I calling you boss now? Or would you prefer guv? Or how about your excellence?’ Maggie exaggerated a curtsey before him.

      ‘Let’s just leave things as they were. Nathan is fine, you cheeky cow.’

      ‘Oi, sir! You can get yourself in trouble for saying things like that.’ She laughed as she watched her partner squirm. Nathan looked around the room to make sure no one had overheard their conversation.

      ‘Be careful, or I’ll make sure your next duty is one that will wipe that smile clean off your face …’

      ‘Now THAT is better. Spoken like a true DS. Right then, are you ready to head to this briefing?’

      He took a deep breath. ‘Ready as I’ll ever be …’

      Maggie walked down the corridor to the incident room and found a seat at the back. She was curious as to how the rest of her colleagues would react to the news, but she also wanted to sit far enough away from DI Rutherford to avoid giving the game away. This was Nathan’s moment and she didn’t want anything to spoil it.

       CHAPTER SIX

      Maggie squeezed into the incident room and took a seat next to Bethany. With the evidence boards set up and the additional chairs, there was barely enough space to stretch your legs.

      DI Rutherford walked to the board at the front of the room with a concentrated frown and began describing the most recent findings. ‘Good afternoon. I appreciate it’s really cramped in here, we normally don’t have this many people, so I’ll try not to keep you longer than necessary. I just want to recap, especially for the benefit of the field team joining us today. A little over three weeks ago, a member of the public was pulling her bin to the kerb for collection when she noticed it was particularly heavy. She thought the neighbour had dumped extra items inside. But when she tore open one of the bags, she was horrified to find dismembered body parts. These were the remains of a female, now identified as Lorraine Rugman.’

      ‘What made her decide to actually open the bags, ma’am?’ Maggie hadn’t been part of the crime scene investigation and her curiosity was getting the best of her.

      ‘The witness said there was an odd odour as soon as she lifted the bin lid. She believed she might find something inside that could help identify whoever had dumped the bag.’

      ‘Were there any other witnesses?’ One of the field officers called out.

      ‘An older gentleman across the road claims a security light came on across the road in the early hours of the morning and he saw someone poking about the bins. He couldn’t give a full description, as he wasn’t wearing his glasses. It wasn’t until the next morning when he heard his neighbour scream that he knew he possibly saw the killer.’

      ‘Other than what we have already been given, has any new information come in that we can share with the field officers, ma’am?’ Maggie was churning the information through her head at a mile a minute.

      ‘We were waiting for pathology to confirm the weapon, but it looks like some sort of saw was used to dismember the body. We haven’t found any other body parts relating to the victim, and at the moment, we’re treating this separately from the original Chopper Investigation.’

      The