"DI Reid," Jackie said answering the phone. She listened intently for a few minutes, jotting a few details down on a post it note. "We'll be there in twenty minutes," she said before ending the call.
Mita and Robbie fired inquisitive glances in her direction, "Body dump in the Clyde Tunnel."
Jackie handed Mita her car keys as they exited the office, heading to the car park. Her and Robbie walked a few paces behind the DS.
"Robbie, I've got an offer for you but don't give me an answer unless you're absolutely certain," Jackie said, her breath shaky with nerves for the question she was about to ask.
Robbie linked their arms. "Don't be nervous, just tell me."
Softly sighing, Jackie said, "I want you to move in with me, just until you've cleared your gambling debts."
Recognising the implications of her offer, Robbie flashed a thoughtful smile at her. "It's a big step Jackie, give me a few days to think about it."
"Yeah of course," she said.
Once they were in the car and on their way to the crime scene, Mita asked, "Whereabouts in the tunnel Jackie?"
"The Govan exit city bound, near the Braehead. Traffic division have already closed the road in both directions."
"Great timing," Robbie said scathingly, checking his watch. "The start of rush hour and people coming in and out of the shopping centre."
Thankfully the early evening traffic had been in their favour, allowing them to arrive at the crime scene a few minutes earlier than estimated. Mita parked the car close to a number of police and forensics vehicles. PC Angela Stevenson met the team giving them brief information about the victim, crime scene and what evidence forensics had already recovered in the short time the road had been closed.
Duncan approached the group, briefly acknowledging each member before speaking to Jackie. "I'm going to take the body back to the morgue now and start the autopsy; I'll let you know when I have my preliminary findings ready."
"All right, I'll let the boss know when he eventually gets here."
"Thoughtful weren't they," Duncan remarked at the timing and location of the grim discovery.
"Yep," Jackie softly chuckled. "Mita, I want you to check the CCTV for the last three hours, go back further than that if you think there might be something useful from earlier in the day. Take Robbie with you, I don't think Complaints have sent their report to the CS yet."
Mita quickly walked to the car, waiting for Robbie to catch up to her, when he turned heading back to where Jackie was talking to other personnel. "We're supposed to be checking the CCTV," she shouted at the DI.
Robbie briefly turned his head. "Give me a minute; I need a word with Jackie."
Releasing a frustrated sigh, Mita wanted nothing more than to get back to the station and make a start on the arduous task of scouring the footage for anything that might be pertinent to the investigation.
"I thought I sent you to check the CCTV," Jackie said.
"We're away in a minute." Robbie said, guiding her to a quiet spot away from the crime scene. "Listen, I can't be certain because the bloke's face is a mess but I think that's my dad."
Jackie was silent at her partner's revelatory suspicions as he walked over to the car and junior colleague.
"You finished now?" Mita said, quizzing the senior officer.
"Yeah." Robbie gave her a small smile while scrolling the contacts in his phone for an Aberdeen number. He pressed the call button and waited for an answer. "It's me, I think he's dead. As soon as Duncan tells us, I'll ring you later on and let you know."
Mita shot him a perplexed look but held back from questioning him about the cryptic, one-sided phone conversation.
Throwing an empty sandwich wrapper, crisp packet and Irn Bru can in the bin; Robbie spotted Karen heading towards his desk. "I'm just having something to eat before I get back to the CCTV room."
She placed a small stack of case folders on his desk. "These are cold cases from the Crime Review Unit; I'd like you to check them before the Chief Constable officially closes these investigations."
Jackie was about to enter the room but stopped near the doors, to watch the exchange and worrying about her partner and the boss, knowing that there was no love lost between them.
"Why can't the Crime Review Unit do it? It is their work."
Karen sighed. "Look Robbie, the investigation in to you isn't yet closed. DCI Atkins still hasn't sent me his final report; he's assured me that I'll have it by the end of the day."
"The end of the day?" Robbie said raising his voice. "It's the end of the day now!"
Rather than getting into a potentially never-ending argument with the already aggravated Detective Inspector, Karen walked away, leaving him to cool down and headed back to her office.
Robbie waited a moment before leaving his desk and the pile of Crime Review Unit cases he'd been given and followed the Chief Superintendent part of the way to her office before he was stopped at the bottom of the main staircase by Jackie, who had managed to catch up with him, standing on the step above him she placed a hand on his chest. "Don't do it Robbie," she pleaded. "It isn't worth it."
"Why not Jackie, I'll feel better once I've had my say."
"Look I know you're not happy and even though you'll feel better for it, you'll also be out of a job. Robbie, my one last chance and that offer is off the table if you go up there and tell her what you think." Jackie brushed her thumb across his knuckles to calm him down unaware that they were been observed. "Come back to the office with me and have a word with the boss, he might give you some time off if you ask him."
Robbie sighed. "It's not time off I need Jackie."
"God your hard work sometimes!" Jackie remarked, rolling her eyes at him. "What do you need then?"
"A break, I just need to get of Glasgow and clear my head."
As they made their way back to the office Jackie's phone beeped, she quickly checked the message. "Oh looks like Duncan's got something for us. I'll see you in a bit."
"Evening Duncan," Jackie said greeting the younger man.
"Jackie, DCI Burke, is Robbie not with you."
Matt looked at Jackie, then Duncan. "How is it you address me by title but her by her first name."
"Easy, she's nicer to me than you are, so is Robbie for that matter. Would you like to know what my preliminary findings are?"
The detectives nodded to the scientist.
"First of all I have a positive ID for you; the victim is Malcolm Forbes. I was able to identify him quickly because he has a DNA match in the system."
"Oh no," Jackie said.
The two men shot curious glances at the newly promoted DI. "Well spit it out hen, I haven't got all year," Matt ordered.
"Robbie's dad is called Malcolm but he hasn't seen him since he was four."
Duncan frowned at Jackie's comment. "Robbie, that's who the DNA match is, so are we, well you, still going to be investigating the murder?"
"Yes we are, unless the top floor tell us otherwise, oh and son, don't tell the top floor until we've had chance to tell Robbie."
"There is every chance he could fly off the handle like he did during the Emily Patrick case," Jackie said worryingly.
"I'm not at all familiar with that case," Duncan said.
Matt silently gave Jackie approval to fill Duncan in on some of the details. "About three years ago we had a case involving a domestic violence campaigner and one night me and Robbie we doing surveillance on a suspect, Kevin Nash, when he began to attack his wife in public and Robbie lost control."
"Lost control, how?"
"He got out of the car, ran up to him and beat him up really badly; I had to drag him off him twice. The first time he stopped, and then he started kicking him while he was down. The second time he walked away but by then I was frightened of him."
"Why was he so het up?"
Matt sighed. "His father abused his mother and he often witnessed it."
Duncan nodded, understanding that there was a lot more to the previous case and Robbie's unprovoked attack on a suspect than the detectives were willing to divulge to him. "I can't say for certain what actually killed him but his injuries are consistent with being beaten over a number of days, some of the bruises look like they could have been made by a baseball bat or similar shaped object and nearly all of his bones were broken. His hands are a mess and every bone is shattered. I don't know if it will be important to the investigation but some of his injuries are also consistent with being pushed from a moving vehicle."
"Thanks son, come up when you have more results."
"Will do."
