DCI Isaac Cook Box Set 1

was not, and as for his children, he did have some regrets, although he tried to keep Sundays free for them. Not always successfully, though.
‘Let’s state that the woman is dead,’ Isaac said.
‘I thought we agreed on that yesterday.’
‘You’re right, but we still maintained a glimmer of hope. Let’s throw that out of the window and go for broke. No longer do we regard this as a missing person investigation. Now, we classify it as a murder enquiry.’
‘Can we do that?’
‘Officially, it may be difficult. Unofficially, I don’t see a problem.’
‘I still think we need to bring the Super in on this. Maybe grill him some more as to what he knows.’ Farhan made the suggestion, realising that Isaac and their boss had an easier relationship, and Isaac would be the better of the two to do it.
‘I’ll phone him now,’ Isaac said. Before he could call, his phone rang. He excused himself from the room. Farhan could hear a muffled conversation. Isaac returned sheepishly five minutes later.
‘Important?’ Farhan asked.
‘Jess O’Neill.’
‘Some new evidence?’
‘Maybe, maybe not. It’s more likely a ruse to meet up.’
‘She’s a good-looking woman.’ Farhan had seen a photo.
‘Good-looking she may be, but we’ve just upgraded this to a murder investigation. It wouldn’t look right if I were playing around with a potential suspect, would it?’
‘And if she wasn’t a potential suspect?’
‘You know the answer to that already.’ Isaac smiled.
Isaac, no longer making excuses for a possible future romantic encounter, phoned their boss. It was nine in the evening, but Isaac knew his phone call at such an hour would not cause any problems.
‘Sir, we want to upgrade this to a murder investigation.’
‘Okay, stay where you are. I’ll be in the office within the hour,’ Goddard said.
It was closer to ninety minutes when he arrived, pizza box in hand. Isaac, who had promised to look after his diet better, could only thank him for the food.
Farhan could see that it was going to be a later finish than the previous night. Maybe she’ll be asleep when I finally make it home, he thought, but realised it was just wishful thinking.
Isaac was the first to speak after they had finished with the pizza. ‘These so-called influential persons, are they critical to the investigation?’ His question was levelled at the detective superintendent.
‘You’re asking questions I’m not able to answer.’
‘But why? If it’s a murder investigation, doesn’t that change the situation?’
‘I don’t see how.’ The detective superintendent appeared to be stalling. ‘There’s no deceased, so how can you call it a murder investigation?’
‘We’re just calling it a murder enquiry. Do you want to make it official?’
Richard Goddard sat upright before he continued. ‘I don’t know the full story, not much more than you. Dead is okay by them. It’s if she is alive that worries them,’ Richard Goddard said.
‘What do you mean?’ Isaac could see them treading where they were not wanted, asking questions certain people did not want to be asked.
‘Isaac,’ his senior said, ‘drop the case. Just declare that she has gone missing.’
‘But why? I thought we were meant to find her. Are you suggesting we should walk away from a potential murder?’ Isaac sensed the trepidation in his senior officer. It was something he had not seen before.
‘We must. I’ll tell my contact that we’re pulling out. I’ll tell him that the leads have gone cold. She’s disappeared of her own free will, and will no doubt reappear when she feels inclined.’
‘Do you believe what you just said?’ Isaac looked the senior officer direct in the eyes.
‘If her reappearance frightens some people, then what will happen if you manage to find out why she’s disappeared?’
‘Is that a reason to pull back?’ Isaac asked. He realised what their boss was trying to say, Farhan did not.
‘Some people have a reason to wish her dead. Have we considered what they might do to keep it that way?’
‘Do you think it’s as bad as that?’ Isaac asked.
‘Official Secrets Act? What do you think?’
‘I believe you're probably right.’
‘Then we pull out?’ Richard Goddard posed a rhetorical question.
Isaac looked at Farhan. ‘What do you reckon?’
‘We continue.’ Farhan was resolute.
‘I was told by my contact that if you get close, I was to communicate with him,’ Goddard said.
‘We’ll agree to that.’ Isaac looked at Farhan, who nodded in agreement.
The detective superintendent excused himself and left the room. He returned five minutes later. ‘I’m meeting with my contact tomorrow at eight in the morning. I will brief you on my return.’ It was already two in the morning. Fifteen minutes later, all three left the office: Isaac to an empty bed, Farhan to a complaining wife, and Richard Goddard to a comfortable house in a pleasant suburb. Detective Superintendent Goddard was a worried man. He knew he would not sleep much that night.
***
Angus MacTavish showed none of the affability he had shown the detective superintendent on his previous visit. The man was not in good humour. ‘I told you to keep your people out of this, Detective Superintendent Goddard.’
‘I was under the impression that the investigation was to continue.’ The detective superintendent’s hackles raised by the tone of the man in front of him: the man who had deliberately failed to shake his hand.
‘I thought I made it clear that they were to focus on finding the woman, not delve into speculation as to her importance.’
‘It’s a police investigation. How do you think it’s conducted? They pry, probe, ask awkward questions, and dive into the dirty laundry that everyone carries around as baggage.’
‘Don’t get smart with me, Goddard. I know how the police work.’
Richard Goddard assumed the changed attitude came with being the Government Chief Whip: when all was going well – magnanimous and affable;