DI mansion was staring around the scene before him, hardly believing that the victim was another officer. He was used to having to deal with bereaved families and blood spattered walls with handprints showing the victim's last movements but this… He saw Rachel Weston almost every day, walking the corridors of the police station. Now she was lying in the hospital bed because some thug had decided to make her his next victim.
He watched as Eddie examined the crime scene, moving cotton buds over areas and instructing others to snap photos of every footprint and handprint he saw. Grace was talking to the barman, after Sally had told them that she thought he was keeping something back. Max was back at the station, trying to make sense of CCTV footage from the bar and from the roads nearby. He had phoned a while ago saying he didn't have a clear enough photo for facial recognition.
"I think I got something…" Called Eddie, causing Neil to come running.
"What?" he asked as he ducked under the crime scene tape.
"A perfect finger print at last." He replied, "Took me a while to find one that wasn't the tip of a finger."
"How can we be sure that it's not Sergeant Weston's?" Demanded Neil, dissatisfied at having to run over just for something that may be insignificant.
"We can't, but apart from her bloody handprints that's all I can get from this scene." Replied Eddie, looking stricken.
"Ok thanks Eddie." Said Neil, walking away and leaving him to search every inch for more clues.
Just as he started walking towards his car grace walked up behind him, calling his name as she went.
"Neil! I think I have something!" She shouted as she neared him.
"Ok good what?" he called back, turning to face her.
"The Bar man, Dave, he says he saw a guy in here last night, sitting on a table on his own, he seemed to be watching Sergeant Weston." She replied, slightly out of breath.
"Ok great, anything else?"
"Yeah. He left just after Sergeant Weston did."
"Get in; we need to go talk to Jack about this." He said as he opened the door to his car and let her get in first.
They drove back quickly, noticing the car in front of them as they neared the station as Jo's. When the parked Jo got out first and walked over, waiting for them both to step out.
"What is it?" asked Neil.
"We have a name: Jim Davis. Turns out he was Rachel's first case after she finished her probationary period. She got him sent down for fraud and jailed for two years." Replied Jo matter-of-factly.
"Great." Said Neil, "Come with me to the Gov's office."
As they walked Grace broke away from them, detouring to CID so she could update Max. Jo briefly knocked on the door to Jacks office and entered along with Neil.
"Gov. We know who attacked Sergeant Weston and we have sufficient proof to tie him there." Neil said, sounding confident.
"Ok, who?" replied Jack, eyes narrowing.
"Jim Davis. Sergeant Weston recognised him. She put him away for fraud three years ago." Jo replied.
"Ok that takes care of name and motive, but what is there tying him to the scene?"
"He was sitting in the bar while the relief was there and left less than a minute after Sergeant Weston." She replied.
"Has facial recognition confirmed it?" Demanded jack.
"Not yet, we're waiting on max to get a decent shot from CCTV." Replied Neil.
"Ok update me when you have got the result, for now get some uniform around the town, go door to door nearby asking if anyone saw the car early hours of the morning." Said Jack, turning away from them.
"Gov." said Neil and Jo together.
"Do you want sergeant smith leading?" Asked Neil a moment later
"No. He's gone to see Sergeant Weston." Replied Jack.