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Filming
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It was a sunny day. It was just the perfect weather to shoot the film they had planned.
"Ah, Lafferty! You arrive at just the right moment!" DI Lynley exclaimed seeing the pathologist climbing out of his car.
"Oh, that sounds... a bit dangerous, Sir. Morning, Barbie, have you slept well?" The winking pathologist earned a death glare from DS Havers who was just brushing Frizzles on the small green in front of the police building. The dog did not like it very much so he took the offered opportunity to escape and jump at Stuart. All her efforts were gone in the instant Lafferty started to cuddl the dog.
Earlier they had organised a camera and a tripod. The front of the police building was in full sunlight and they had arranged everything. Lynley and Havers were ready to start filming but since the other offers were busy with a car accident on a nearby road there only was one of them left here to help. Now Stuart was introduced to him and he was asked to film them. Of course he agreed.
DI Lynley in his suit and the uniformed officer stood in the background while DS Havers, today in dark blue slacks and a white blouse, stood in the front with Frizzles on the leash. He was courteously sitting still at her side after Lafferty had set him free. She even had borrowed a narrow checked cravat and a bowler which did not fit her head so she had tucked it under her arm. Her hair was pinned to a ponytail. Only seconds after they had started with the first shots she threw the bowler and the cravat into the box where the tripod had been in. It had upset her all the time.
"Stupid stuff!" she grunted. "I'm not a uniformed officer."
"Yeah, Barbie!" Stuart laughed. "Give us the grim one!"
"Shut up, Stu! And delete that from the SD card right now or I'll kill you! Now, could we please get started with this bloody filming?"
"Aaaand... action!" Tommy chuckled in her back.
Already smiling for the camera Barbara hissed through her teeth that he should beware.
Twice she talked into the camera what her boss had scribbled down at the breakfast table. Then Lafferty made a few short takes with the dog in full posture and one with Barbara's and Frizzles' faces while she said: "Please help and share your knowledge about this dog. Give us any information you have, however small it is. You can call any of the following numbers."
It took them about an hour. A few villagers of Wychwood Market had watched them and two of the officers returning from the road accident had made their fun of it. They obviously did not think it would be of any help.
"And now?" Stuart asked when Barbara went inside to send the material to London. The uniformed officer brought the camera equipment back inside.
"She sends it to London." Lynley replied. "Hillier gave us an e-mail address. They will cut the film and add a few pictures of the hut before it had burned down. Superintendent Grover had been so kind to cede it to us. Let's hope the public will help."
"Ah, the swarm intelligence. That's why I'm here. I've tried something similar." Stuart grinned. "Of course not on facebook."
"Meaning what?"
"I was quite surprised about the dead woman's jaw." He made a clattering sound with his teeth. It put a frown on Lynley's face. Sometimes he was not overly pleased with the humorous way Lafferty usually underlined his verbal reports. "So I've prepared it, took some pictures and published them in a much read professional online journal for dentists this morning."
"That's good news, Lafferty. Let's see if any of it has success."
Barbara had sent the data to London and now was in desperate need of a coffee. Approaching the small kitchenette she heard someone inside mumbling her name. Immediately knowing full well that there were two of the officers gossiping she hid at the door and listened closer.
"With Lynley?" the other voice was saying. "No way. Did you know that he's an Earl? By no means would he get involved with a simple police officer."
"Ah, I've heard rumours about him."
"Fu**ing himself through the Met?" The men gave a dirty chuckle. Barbara had to swallow down her anger. She knew Lynley's reputation but she also knew that only half of it was true.
"I've heard Miller talking to Smithy. He's seen them walking the dog together near Wychwood Mallow and what I've heard was that they were almost glued into each other's side. And Lynley had looked rather messy as if they had... you know what..."
"Hehehe - the DI and his little Sergeant... Who would have thought. Although their private pathologist seems quite close to her too."
"You filthy tongue!" the other one naughtily laughed. "But well, no. Only as a close colleague. And he obviously knows about the little secret they try to hide from us. Or at least it had sounded like that. I wasn't able to understand them clearly when they had talked. Something about the case but I also understood it was something about Lynley."
"And hey, what a nice opportunity here at the cottage. They're almost constantly there and they're probably doing everything but working at their case."
"Yeah, they're surely at it throughout the entire night. That's why she's drinking so much coffee." One of the officers laughed.
"And that's why they still have no clue at all. They can't learn anything when they're constantly f-"
This was the moment when Barbara had heard enough. She already was steaming with anger. Appearing calm she walked around the corner. Immediately the men went silent.
"Gentlemen." Barbara greeted them icy cold. "Say, what do you think you're talking about, hm?"
"Ma'am?" The younger one tried to feign ignorance.
"You know exactly what I mean. When you gossip so viciously about somebody you should make sure they can't hear you." She was 'only' a woman, she was small; but she was of higher rank and detective and she was addressing them with the sharpest voice they ever had heard. Her eyes were narrowed and it was not long before the men turned into police cadets in their first year. Barbara sharply told them a few things about being colleagues for a long time, about loyalty, trust and friendship that went beyond any sexual idea. "Even though, or maybe exactly because we're not both male. All those differences, and yes, I mean all of them including male and female, his social background and mine, are necessary for the way we're working. We complement each other. And we know each other by heart. You know, we've been partnered for a long time. Since then it wasn't always sunny, believe me. We've gone through some very, very rough times. We've managed situations you poor little village officers would not dare dream of. It bonds. It ties us together deeper than you can imagine. That's why we're also so close friends apart from work."
Barbara paused and it made the older officer feel as if she was expecting a reaction. "Yes, ma'am." he murmured.
"But even if there was," she went on. "and I don't say there is, something going on between DI Lynley and me - which is, by the way, completely inappropriate for the direct chain of commands we have here - it would be none, I repeat none of your bloody business. Is that understood?" The men silently nodded. "And now I suggest you both get busy with your own work as quick as possible. You may leave now."
What Barbara did not know was that Tommy had heard her dressing them down. He stood where Barbara had stood a few minutes ago. When the officers went past him he nodded politely and did not let on anything but before he himself would be discovered by her he quickly left for the gents. She should not know he had witnessed her lecture.
Tommy had loved to hear her defending their friendship but he wondered if she really was not feeling more than just that. For the rest of the day Tommy thought about that hint of truth in the insinuations from the officers.
For the rest of the day Barbara only wondered why her boss was so reflective but she did not dare to ask.
She did not when they had dinner. She did not when they walked the dog this evening. She did not either when they had a pint at the local pub afterwards. And when they said good night at the door to her bedroom she was far too tired to think about it.
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