“About fucking time you earned your keep.” Crouch gives a bark of laughter. He does that, Ffion’s noticed: dilutes his obnoxious remarks with grins and guffaws, as though everyone’s in on the joke.
“We’re on our way to the lab with it now,” Leo says. “If you’re happy to authorize it, of course.”
“Of course the water will have destroyed any useful evidence,” Crouch says as though it’s Leo’s fault.
“Well, actually,” Ffion says loudly, “latent prints have been recovered from items submerged in standing water for several weeks. Studies were carried out on firearms thrown into freshwater lakes and the results showed very little degradation.” She holds Crouch’s gaze. “So we could be in luck.”
The DI leans back in his chair. “I’m coming to the conclusion you might be wasted in North Wales, DC Morgan.”
“Only on my days off, sir,” Ffion says. “They’re lethal with the measures in my local pub.”
“Ha!” Crouch swivels to his computer and jabs one-fingered at the keys. Ffion and Leo wait. “They’ll be expecting you at the lab.” Crouch looks up as though surprised to still see them there. “Well, go on, then!”
“Thanks, boss,” Leo says.
“You want to take a leaf out of that one’s book.” Crouch gestures toward Ffion, already half out of the office. “Your ball sacks empty, are they?”
“No, sir.”
“Then show a bit of spunk, for Christ’s sake.”
Ffion turns. If Leo won’t tell him, then she—
But she feels Leo’s hands on the backs of her arms, propelling her gently but firmly out of Crouch’s office.
“He needs telling,” she says when they’re on their way to Forensics.
“It’s just the way he is. He’s a dinosaur.”
“He only gets away with it because you don’t challenge him.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
Ffion lets out a burst of laughter. “Yeah, right.”
“Even if it does, it’s my life, isn’t it? Nothing to do with you or anyone else.”
Anger swells inside Ffion. “Wrong.” She stops dead, forcing Leo to do the same. “Men like that keep going until they’re stopped. Even if it doesn’t bother you—which, by the way, is the biggest crock of shit I’ve heard since Yasmin Lloyd claimed to be grief-stricken—what about the next person he picks on? A waitress, a bus driver, an officer whoisbothered by it.” Her eyes flash. “Don’t you get it? It’s not about howyoufeel. Every time Crouch goes unchallenged, you’re letting some other schmuck down.”
Ffion flings opens the door to Forensics, then lets it swing shut in Leo’s stunned face. Her heart’s thumping, and she doesn’t need a psychologist to tell her she’s projecting. Still, she’s surprised to discover there’s something on which she and Crouch are in complete agreement.
Leo Brady needs to grow a pair.
Forty-One
October
Mia
Mia’s back is killing her. She cleans for Glynis Lloyd once a fortnight and always dreads it: the woman’s hoover weighs a bloody ton. The flat above the shop has two sets of stairs, and Mia’s lugged the vacuum cleaner to the top floor to finish off there.
“Do you want me to move these boxes or work around them?” Mia calls. Glynis is never far away. Mia’s never sure whether the older woman likes to check up on her or whether she wants the company. Sure enough, Glynis is in the spare room in seconds.
“It’s a bit of a mess, I know. Just do what you can.”
“Having a tidy up?” Mia eyes the files, which cover the bed and most of the floor.
“I was trying to find some paperwork of Jac’s, but as you can see, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” In among the files are bunches of keys, piles of bank statements, letters, and articles torn from magazines. Mia picks up a newspaper clipping, yellowed with age. A teenage Rhys smiles awkwardly for the camera, holding a trophy.