Usual disclaimer. Don't own the characters. They belong to the great Sally Wainwright and Red Production Company.
A/N1 Sorry for lack of updates but I have been trying to get the crime story right. It had to do two things 1. Use both Mandy's and Rachel's talents together, 2. throw Rachel and Mandy together on a personal level. I think I might have cracked it (finally).
A/N2 I try to keep chapters to between 900 and 1000 words. So I broke this chapter at the point where Mandy and Rachel are about to leave to visit Central Cabs.
A/N3 I will use Police jargon, where this has not appeared in the programme I will explain it in footnotes
"Two odd puncture marks on his right arm. They are odd for two reasons: one there are some old puncture marks on his left arm, and two these have what appear to be burning beneath the skin." Gill was part way through the briefing. She passed round pictures of the puncture marks.
" We still don't know who he his, he doesn't match any MFH reports we have. Nothing on Merlin*." Gill continued. "But given these marks which Professor Jackson thinks might be the result of injection with a caustic substance, I have been given the go ahead to treat this death as suspicious rather than unexplained. Either we have a very bad batch of injectables or we have someone injecting this man with something, possibly something caustic which is going to kill him deliberately. Either way we have a duty of care to the community. We have to find out who did this.
"So how are we getting on with the CCTV Lee?"
"I have gathered all that is available from the local area in. I am still compiling full viewing logs. There is none of him collapsing but there is some earlier of him staggering along Catfield Road from the direction of Marlborough Street and on Marlborough Street itself. From the direction of the main Stockport Road. This is the first image I have, unfortunately the CCTV from this camera is on timelapse, 1 frame every 30 seconds so he seems to appear in Marlborough Street from nowhere. I am gathering in CCTV from the area around where he first appeared."
"Good, anyone any ideas as to how he could suddenly appear in Marlborough Street?" Gill asked the obvious question.
"In 30 seconds you'd walk how far? 10, 20 yards?" Rachel guessed.
"At an average walking speed of one and a half meters per second it would be more like 50 meters. But he isn't walking at that kind of speed. I could work a maximum distance if I could look at the CCTV boss. But do you want me spending half a hour on it?" said Mandy.
"Umm yes if you wouldn't mind." said Gill.
"OK" said Mandy.
"Right. Go home, get your heads down. Uniform can follow up on the missing house-to-house tonight. Meet back here at 0800" Gill ordered.
Two days later Rachel was back in the office at 7:30 am. Gill who was already in her office looked up and came out to see Rachel.
"How did it go yesterday?"
"OK as far as I could tell ma'am".
"Good - the only significant thing you missed was that Mandy calculated that at his average staggering speed our victim would have gone no more than 15 meters. Plus she found a CCTV angle that Lee had not yet looked at and we now know that he got out of a cab belonging to Central Cabs at 06:30."
"But why would you take a cab to Marlborough Street, there's nothing there."
"Good question, I'd like you to go with Mandy to talk to Central Cabs this morning."
"OK."
By this time the rest of Syndicate 9 had arrived.
Rachel walked over to Mandy. "Boss'd like us to talk to Central Cabs this morning."
"I know she told me last night. I've done some prep. They are a largish outfit with 20 cars. The cars don't have vehicle tracking though. So we'll have to trust what they tell us about the pick up. Something not quite right about the finances though. Just can't quite put my finger on it."
"Mmmmmm, and why are we bothering with checking their finances?" asked Rachel.
"Because if there is anything dodgy about them it might show up in the finances. Explain about the figures Mandy." Gi1l had been listening to the whole conversation.
"Well we've only got their statutory accounts. But the balance sheet just doesn't seem show enough asset value for twenty cars and the profit and loss account doesn't seem to show enough income to justify twenty cars." Mandy looked puzzled. "Not that I am an expert on cab company finances though."
"Can you elaborate? We are going to need more than your gut feeling." queried Rachel.
"As I said I am not an expert but I'd have thought cab companies tend to buy or lease their cars new. It seems to me that there is not enough outgoings for the lease of twenty cars." Mandy was beginning to wish she hadn't raised this but carried on "And if you look at the ..."
"Ah this is Manchester cabs can be up to 7 years old at the time they get a PHV licence." said Rachel.
"Ahh but I still think it is worth looking at even then. For twenty cars the income seems low as well." said Mandy.
"Again this is Manchester – cabs tend to be cheaper than in London." replied Rachel.
" Yeah I know and I've allowed for that. It still seems low." said Mandy.
"If you get a hint that they aren't cooperating ask them to explain it. It'll do no harm for them to know we're looking into them thoroughly." said Gill.
"OK let's go." said Rachel. And with that Mandy and Rachel left the office to go the Central Cabs.
*Merlin is the national missing persons database.