Nikki
'Natasha Martin' – as she's identified as, had a blow to the head, which ultimately killed her – but there was evidence of strangulation as well. She was garotted with something – possibly her own scarf – and having been nearly strangled myself, I can tell you – it's frightening. However, as the blow to the head would have been fatal - and as I'm relatively sure that it happened before the strangulation – though they both seemed to be within ten minutes of each other, she would most probably have been unaware that she was being strangled. Small mercies.
"So what was the point of the strangulation?" DCI Lindsay asks – puzzled.
"Maybe they panicked." I suggest.
There was also a very washed-out scrap of paper in her pocket. She was lying in a puddle when she was found. It's up to Clarissa and Jack to decipher what they can from the paper.
Natasha's sister arrives to view the body. She brings with her a four-month old baby, who understandably, she doesn't want to take into the chapel with her.
"Dr Alexander is brilliant with babies." Thomas says helpfully. "She'll look after her."
What?
I don't have time to verbalise my surprise as Samantha hands me the baby – and a bottle. I don't know what to do with the bottle any more than I know what to do with the baby.
"It's...it's her feeding time." Samantha stammers. "Do...do you have a microwave? - It needs heating up."
"Don't worry – Lucy will be fine. Dr Alexander is great with babies." Thomas repeats reassuringly.
Where is he getting this from?! I've never had a baby, I don't have any family or friends with one and I work with dead bodies. How would I know what to do with a baby?
I stare after Samantha and Thomas in bewilderment as they walk off down the corridor.
"Right, come on then." I mutter to the youngster left in my charge and she gurgles at me in response.
We go through the lab and I put the bottle on my desk, while I rearrange Lucy – to position her more comfortably in my arms. I have no idea what to do with the milk, but to my astonishment when I turn to pick it up, it's no longer there anyway. I glance under my desk, thinking that I must have knocked it off – but it isn't on the floor either.
Great. What do I do now? The baby wants feeding and the milk has disappeared!
"Wh-where did you get it?" Jack murmurs coming up behind me and holding up his index finger to Lucy. She grasps it with her hand and burbles at him happily. He's gone all gooey-eyed – and seems strangely enchanted to see me holding a baby.
What is wrong with these men?
"It is a baby!" I sigh. "And she's not mine – if that's what you're wondering!"
The microwave unexpectedly starts whirring in the background. That's where the bottle of milk went then. Clarissa must have worked out that I had no idea what to do with it.
"That ship has probably sailed for me, Jack." I mutter, noticing that his other arm has casually draped itself around my waist. "So, don't go getting any ideas."
Not that the two of us are that way inclined. At least, not at the moment.
Jack continues to play with the baby on my hip, and I'm not sure that he heard me. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if he was just ignoring my comment. I also can't tell whether it's me he's gazing at – or Lucy. It could be either – or both, but he's definitely gazing - as though he's been memorised.
"Here you go!" Clarissa exclaims cheerfully, handing me the newly warmed up milk.
Jack temporarily re-connects with reality. He raises his eyebrows at her. "How did you-"
"We babysit for Max's sister a lot." Clarissa shrugs.
I take the bottle off her and hold it up to Lucy's mouth. She suckles hungrily.
"You're so good at that." Jack murmurs – seemingly going back into his trance.
"Jack, will you just snap out of it!" I retort in irritation. "You're being weird. Please stop!"
He shoots a slightly embarrassed look at Clarissa and mumbles "Sorry.", as he detaches his finger from the baby and drops into his seat, staring at the desk.
I feel bad now. I hadn't meant to embarrass him and I suppose he was being kind of sweet – albeit slightly annoying.
We hear Thomas and Samantha returning.
"Here you go." Thomas comments. "Lucy's more than happy."
Yes, I think, so was Jack!
Samantha takes Lucy and the bottle off me. "You have children then?"
"No." I answer.
She looks confused and glances at Thomas.
"Dr Chamberlain just...says things sometimes." I offer by way of explanation.
Jack stifles a snigger, but luckily Samantha doesn't seem to notice.
"Well, you've done a good job." She tells me encouragingly. "Thank you."
" 'Dr Chamberlain just says things'?!" Thomas retorts indignantly after she's left.
"Well, you do!" I respond. "Look – I didn't ask to be turned into Super-nanny! I've never had a baby and I don't have a clue what to do with them!"
"Well you did a perfectly good job." Thomas argues.
"She's brilliant!" Jack mutters. He looks away quickly when I glance down – clearly worried in case he's annoyed me again. I feel bad again – and reach out to squeeze his shoulder fondly.
"You've always been good with children." Thomas points out.
"Yes," I agree. "Children who can talk to me and tell me what's wrong! Look, guys shall we just get back to work? – Lindsay and Barker will be here soon."
"Good idea." Clarissa nods. "Let's get back to work!"
She and Jack carry on working on the note, while Thomas and I gather our thoughts ready for the meeting.
"So, any possible motives?" Thomas asks Lindsay at the start of the meeting.
She shakes her head. "Not a clue. It's like her sister said – no enemies, she was liked by everyone. Never been in trouble with the law – never in trouble at work. Financially sound. There's nothing – I mean literally nothing!"
"We have CCTV of Natasha being dumped early this morning. by what we believe to be another woman, rather than a man – judging by the build. It's too dark to see her face." Clarissa begins, playing the CCTV."As she was a regular runner in the park, we also went back a bit further back and found something else on the CCTV of the park where she was found." Clarissa explains.
Jack plays the other footage. "On Tuesday morning, about 6am, Natasha is running through the park, when the same woman abducts her at knife-point. You can see the woman also pushes a piece of paper into Natasha's pocket-"
"It looks like you, Doc!." Barker snorts at me, in the most inappropriate manner.
I see sudden movement from Jack - suggesting that he's about to swing for the man. I leap to my feet and put my arm across his chest to stop him.
"Barker – outside, now!" Lindsay snaps at her counterpart.
"Please let me hit him." Jack snarls through gritted teeth after they leave the room.
"No." I answer firmly.
"He's a prat – and I won't let him talk to you like that!" he growls.
"Yes, you're right." I tell him gently. "He is a prat. But if you wallop him – it'll be you that gets in trouble. The sooner the case is solved – the sooner we get rid of him."
If I'm honest, I'm surprised it's taken this long for Jack to snap. I find working with this man extremely trying at the best of times – and I've got a lot more patience than Jack,.
The police officers return and sit down again.
"Paul has something he'd like to say to you, Nikki." DCI Lindsay announces , looking at him pointedly. "Don't you, DS Barker?"
"I'm very sorry, Dr Alexander." He tells me. "I meant no offence."
Yeah right, Barker!
"Quite a lot taken." I hear Jack mutter next to me under his breath. Luckily, his comment seems to go unnoticed by everyone else in the room. I can't imagine it would have gone down very well.
"I think what Paul was trying to say is that it was dark and the street lamps don't appear to be working. Is it possible that the perpetrator thought Natasha was someone else?"
"What – mistaken identity?" Thomas questions.
I nod. "Well, that would fit with my findings. The woman – for whatever reason, abducts her from the park. Natasha's not going to resist much with a sharp knife by her throat. The woman gets her back to where ever they're going and discovers it's not who she thought it was, but she can't just let her go – in case Natasha alerted the police. She knocks her out – either accidentally or deliberately and either doesn't realise she's dead and tries to make sure – or realises she's dead and strangles her to cause confusion."
"Then because she's panicking she dumps the body where she took her from." Lindsay agrees.
"Yes." I reply. "The two methods of killing suggest panic. She didn't plan to kill her like that – and the note, maybe that wasn't for her."
Jack pulls an image of the illegible scrap of paper up on the board. "Clarissa and I have been examining it and it seems to say: 'Deception is expensive'."
"What does that mean?" Barker snorts.
"I don't know." Jack retorts – cross at being interrupted. "I'm just explaining the evidence!"
My mind wanders slightly.Tuesday morning she was abducted – the time I normally go for a run. I've seen Natasha before – when I've been out running, though not very often. Her sister told the police that she normally ran later as she didn't start work until 10am. Apparently, she only went earlier if she woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. That's another thing that suggests mistaken identity. Either the perpetrator was hanging around on the off-chance – unlikely, given that this crime seems surrounded by panic – or it wasn't meant to be Natasha.
I couldn't be bothered to go for a run on Tuesday morning.
Maybe if I had, I could have saved this woman.
Jack
"Deception..." Lindsay mumbles. "Expensive...deception...is...expensive...fraud..." Her eyes seem to fall on Nikki.
"I told you...he's dead!" Nikki exclaims.
"Are you sure?" The DCI presses her.
"Am I sure my father's dead?!" Nikki retorts indignantly.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time he's disappeared, would it?" Lindsay says as gently as possible.
"I went out to Africa and identified his body – so I'm pretty certain, yes!" Nikki responds icily. "But if you don't believe me, I brought him back here afterwards and buried him next to my mother, so why don't you go and dig him up to make sure!" She snaps before storming out.
I can't say I blame her.
"Whoa – touchy!" Barker has the gall to remark.
"Shut up!" I rage at him.
"Jack – go and see if Nikki's ok." Thomas instructs me in a warning tone – he's clearly trying to diffuse the building tension of this meeting.
I find Nikki exactly where I expected – outside the Lyell, taking a breather. It's where she always goes when she needs to 'get out' – not that it happens very often.
"Hey, you alright?" I ask, sitting down next to her on the step.
Stupid question – but she's going to say yes anyway.
"Fine." She mutters. "Dad's dead - and he's still running my life!" She sighs and throws the stick she's been fiddling with on the ground in front of her. "I could have stopped it." She whispers. "If I'd gone running on Tuesday like I was meant to – I could have stopped her from being taken."
I put my arm around her and pull her closer. "And the woman – whoever she is, would have killed you both – then who would find out who killed Natasha?" I point out, kissing her head. "Besides, I can't eat all the pizzas on my own, can I!"
She smiles weakly. "I suppose not."
Nikki
My father is coming up a lot more often than I'd like.
That can of worms is well and truly open.