2: Behind every great man…

The body of the councilman was laid on the metal table in Dr Rufus Attwa's mortuary, a few floors below the Scotland Yard station. He washed his hands and welcomed the inspector into the death smelling room. He wondered where the bright young Trewlove was.

"I'm hardly going to bring her in here, am I? It'll scare her to death." DI Crenshaw said looking at the report the doctor had written.

The doctor removed his apron.

"I don't know she might surprise you." He said smiling.

The detective inspector looked at the dead councilman on the mortuary table. "Why don't I let you surprise me doctor," he said wanting to know more about the victim.

The words from the doctor matched the report filed. He pointed out that whoever shot the councilman was known to him. He believed that the victim had plenty of time to defend himself. "If I come running at you with my fist, you'll liable to block it – right?" The doctor said.

Crenshaw thought that he'd like to see him try.

"So, what's your point?" He asked the doctor, wondering where he was going with this.

"We instinctively hold our hands out to danger. Blocking it from attacking us." The doctor put on a show of what he believed had happened. "They exchanged words, I believe the young boy found the body, maybe he heard what they said."

Dr Attwa covered the dead body with the blue linen cloth. Crenshaw reminded the doctor that their witness was a girl.

"Really!" The doctor sounded surprised.

Crenshaw walked over to the councilman's personal effects. He looked at all of the expensive items, each one more valuable than the last. As he made his notes, he soon realised this wasn't just a robbery. If anyone in Hell got a whiff of the items, they could've sold them on for a few bob. Among the effects was a piece of folded paper, the doctor confirmed it was found tucked in the councilman's jacket. He offered a suggestion that Haversham may have tried to pass it to his killer. Crenshaw opened the paper.

"What's this about?" He said showing the doctor the diagram.

There were three images on the paper:

Image 1 showed three hand-drawn man-of-war ships.

Image 2 showed a cutout of the galley on the middle ship.

Image 3 showed a pound sign.

What is this some kinda treasure map? Crenshaw contemplated what the councilman was trying to do. Was he trying to show something that got him killed or leading whoever killed him to money for them to get away?he thought.

Trewlove walked into the Mortuary and glanced at the sheet covering the body. "Sorry sir, Alex's mother has come in and wants to speak with you." She said warmly, trying not to disturb the detective inspector. She offered a sweet smile at the doctor who reciprocated the gesture.

She spotted the unfolded paper as DI Crenshaw told her to get a move on.

Walking back through the corridor the detective inspector wondered why Trewlove didn't call him on the phone, it soon occurred to him she wanted to see the body.

"Get a good look, did you?" He said walking half a step faster than she was.

"Sir?" She sounded confused, wondering what Crenshaw was implying. He smiled at her and asked her to bring him a cup of tea and to meet him inside the interview room. Alex's mother had arrived.

The shiny new interview room smelt of a new car briefly before Crenshaw's overpowering aftershave gave it a new aroma. The paint on the walls still had the scent of formaldehyde and the chairs squeaked with this being the first time it was used.

Unlike the other interview rooms this one was for children.

Trewlove sat at the back of the room looking at Alex and Mrs Kiernan, she felt the young girl was scared. Although not as intimidating as the other interview rooms in this part of the station, it still had a job to do. To confine someone in four walls, to urge them to confess so they can leave and either go to a juvenile prison or go back home and forget the ordeal.

Alex's mother was a thirty something woman, who looked meek and mild, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. It's hard for Trewlove to see what Alex would be so worried about. Her blue dress and garish makeup painted an odd picture of why someone like her would be in Carrington Forest.

"Is this going to take any longer officers, my daughter has home schooling in the morning." She said tapping Alex on the knee. "She's a rummun, at the best of times. Kids eh, who'd have 'em?"

Crenshaw looked at her, knowing how true that statement was.

For him children seemed to want to step over the line or at least push it as far as it could go. He watched Alex look nervous around her mother.

"Mrs Kiernan, how did you end up in Hell?" Crenshaw couldn't picture someone like her living in a place like that either.

"My good for nothing husband got himself in with the wrong crowd, dint he, drugs, violence you name it – he did it. Spent more time inside than the neighbour's cat." She said smiling. Trewlove couldn't understand why Mrs Kiernan didn't just leave him.

"I got 'im on the straight, he'll get what for if he defers from the path."

"Hardly a place for a young girl to grow up in – is it?" Crenshaw said looking at Alex who seemed a little calmer. Mrs Kiernan tapped Alex on her head.

"We're safe enough," she said smiling. "If that's all detectives we need to be getting back. My husband can't tie his own shoes without me being there."

Detective Inspector Crenshaw had gathered everything he had so far.

The evidence he had was someone had shot and killed a member of the Council with .22 calibre weapon. There didn't seem to be any answers to this. Whoever killed him wasn't interested in his wallet, at first it appeared the attack was an assassination, now Alex had given him a motive for robbery.

Crenshaw had tried to coax what Alex had seen out of her, but she didn't seem to be too cooperative. Mrs Kiernan just sat listening to the disgruntled detective.

"So come on kid, what did you see?"

Crenshaw looked at Trewlove as the girl remained calm. Alex had been given some paper and was doodling. Drawing four lines on the paper, she drew an X in the centre of her tic-tac-toe gameboard. "Kid, I don't want any of us to be here longer than we need to be, I just want to know what you saw. OK!" Crenshaw said getting agitated.

Alex pushed the paper and pencil to Crenshaw.

"Kid I haven't got time to play games, I need some answers." Crenshaw knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Alex if he didn't play her game. She was his only witness and he needed to do what he could to get something. Alex's mother didn't seem to bat an eye lid by Alex's stubbornness to handover what she saw.

He put a circle at the top middle square and pushed the paper back to Alex, who drew an X in the top left-hand corner of the grid.

"I saw someone shoot him." She said, this was the first time that Crenshaw had heard Alex say this. He felt now he was getting somewhere and asked her what the shooter looked like.

Crenshaw took the pencil and stopped Alex from getting three crosses on the grid. He smiled and could see he was going to beat a child at her own game. Alex drew an X at the bottom right of the grid, leaving Crenshaw in a position of defeat. No matter where he went next, Alex was going to win.

The detective inspector looked annoyed. Using the paper and pencil he had an idea.

"Why don't you draw what you saw?" He said pushing the paper back to Alex.

She started to draw on the piece of paper, describing the person she saw.

"The person was big…scary, like a monster." She said showing DI Crenshaw a ten-year old's depiction of a vampire. "I didn't see any fangs but I'm sure it had some."

Alex smiled pushing the paper towards the detective inspector, who didn't look pleased.

Trewlove smiled too.

Was this because he didn't beat at her noughts 'n crosses, she thought.

Crenshaw succumbed to the joviality of Alex. "Was it a Woman Vampire or a Man Vampire," he said entertaining the child. He thought, if anything, he could at least get a gender.

Alex looked at her mum. "Dad said, only give when you have met your match." Alex looked at Trewlove after, wondering if she could have a go at beating her.

Sitting at the back of the room Trewlove could see what Alex wanted to do. She stood up and walked to Crenshaw whispering in his ear. After Crenshaw agreed, she took the paper and drew another grid.

Alex went first, putting a cross in the top left corner. Alex smiled at her and could see the young police officer's brain working. She had a feeling Trewlove wasn't going to play to win, the officer was going to play to draw or more importantly to prevent her from winning.

Crenshaw tried asking again. "I suppose they didn't have a reflection in the mirror on the back wall, did they?" He said thinking about Vampire tales in books and in the movies.

Trewlove looked at the detective inspector, she can see he wasn't getting anywhere with Alex, as she drew her circle at the top right of the grid. She knew whatever would happen now would result in a draw. By design the game Tic-Tac-Toe would always result in a draw. It was a game that can never be won, assuming each player played to the best of their ability. Often remembered as one of the first games circa 1300 BC. Alex knew she wasn't dealing with just any police officer, there was someone who would beat her at her own game.

"What happened next?" Trewlove asked after stopping Alex from winning, she hoped she wouldn't get stopped by the detective inspector. Crenshaw allowed her to carry on. Trewlove asked Alex if the councilman said anything to her.

"I heard him say he would help us. I think he was being followed as he kept looking around." Alex described the small figure being dressed in black and had the look of a vampire. She went into detail about the killer removing something from the councilman's chest.

"What was it, the money?" Crenshaw asked. The now forthcoming tom boy was giving them more, although Alex didn't know what it was. She knew it wasn't the money as the killer left that beside the councilman.

Trewlove had a feeling she knew what had been taken. The interview was interrupted by an officer telling Crenshaw there was a phone call and it was urgent.

After asking officers to sit with Alex and her mum, Trewlove followed Crenshaw back to his office and could see the large amounts of paper she needed to type up. Looking at the long list of suspects who were being interviewed by the rest of the team, she began typing up the transcripts. It was like a book of children's names, A-Z of persons of interest. There didn't seem to be anyone who had anything to say about the killing. Well not something pertinent to the case. Many tried their luck to get a free meal or place to stay, but they were sadly unable to, as some details of the case remained secret and didn't match with what they were confessing to.

Although no suspect had been arrested Crenshaw felt someone who the councilman knew was behind this. If there was missing money involved, then something went wrong. If councilman Haversham was trying to keep something quiet, they needed to know what it was.

Returning to his office, Crenshaw walked past the empty desk.

"Where's DS Graves?" He asked looking at the untidy desk. It hadn't been used in the last twelve hours. Trewlove told him she hadn't seen him. The smell of Crenshaw's Black Magic aftershave become more pungent as he peered over her shoulder, he read what she had written, tearing the paper before she could finish. She looked at him annoyed.

Walking back into his office he closed the door and sat down at his desk. Trewlove had done a great job in putting the words on paper. There was more to his officer than appeared. He knew about her heroism as well as her other abilities. She could speak French to a level no one else could at the Yard. He wasn't too sure what to do with her on this case though.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK - the loud strikes on his glass door were coming from Trewlove, she had something important to tell him. Something she felt was important at least.

"A missing tie pin." The detective inspector poked fun at the insignificant detail. "What has that gotta do with anything?"

He questioned her ability as a police officer. He knew she thought more about what was outside of the scene, that what was inside. But the reins needed pulling once or twice, before she ran off with whatever thoughts and feelings, she had about a case.

She offered him a glowering look and opened the local newspaper, folding it in the centre she pointed to the picture of the councilman's tie pin. She told Crenshaw that she found more photographs across different papers of him wearing the same tie pin. "It says here that his path to office was always because of this tie pin." Trewlove imagined the crowds laughing at such an odd inanimate object being the result of a councilman's success. "He's quoted as never leaving it out of his sight."

The inspector wasn't sure what to make of it.

"So, you think it has some sort of sentimental value, or what?"

"I'm not sure, but it clearly means something for the killer to remove it…leaves his watch, wallet and clothes which could fetch a few nicker, but only takes his tie pin…odd don't you think?" She gets her point across.

Crenshaw reminds her of one other detail, "you're forgetting the money in the envelope." He said smiling.

"Yes sir, I know, but according to Alex, that money was there when she left the body." Trewlove reminded Crenshaw of that detail too.

"Look you do the typing, leave the detecting to me and Graves…got it?" Crenshaw commanded; his voice was one octave higher as the rest of the officers looked at him through the glass. They knew he was the governor and they needed to follow his every instruction.

"Yes sir," Trewlove spoke through gritted teeth.

"Good, now we've got that settled, I think I want a cuppa tea." He said instructing her to make him a hot beverage. She put her notes down and took the cup off his desk. She could see the file he had on her and his recommendation she should be assigned to his department. It took her by surprise.

"Come on shirl, hop to it." The inspector said closing the door behind her.

Inside the kitchen she poured the water into the kettle. Her friend and colleague WPC Maud Summers walked up to her. "Hey babe, you doin' alright?" She asked looking at how troubled Trewlove looked. They smiled at one another.

"Have you seen Nick?" Trewlove asked changing the subject.

"Nick?" Maud is unsure who she is talking about.

"DS Graves," Trewlove responded. Her friend smiled and probed her some more.

"Ooo Nick is it, are you two – ridin' the midnight express." She said smiling. The two of them pinched each other like a couple of schoolgirls talking about a crush. She still couldn't help feeling for the one man who meant more to her than just a crush. Someone she lost who died in his duties. A memory of then had become a voice of now, rattling around in her head.

"Midnight Express!?" Trewlove said to a bemused Maud. She took the tea and headed out to Detective Inspector Crenshaw's office.

She headed out the coffee room and could see Crenshaw had been told to let the Kiernan's go. Crenshaw nodded his head and Trewlove walked the Kiernan's out into the main office. Mrs Kiernan looked at Trewlove and tried to figure her out.

"You're too pretty to be a copper love, how much you make doing this job?" Trewlove wasn't entirely sure what to say to that question. She couldn't help feeling that Alex's mother was offering her something else.

"Can I ask Mrs Kiernan, why didn't you leave your husband, if he's as bad as you say?" Trewlove asked as she could see the detective inspector looking at her.

"Behind every great man, love…" She said smiling and opening the door for Alex and her to get out. she recognised what she was trying to say and looked at Crenshaw, who approached the officer to tell her he was going out.

A few streets away from the centre of London, Crenshaw opened the door to the flat and walked inside. He could see newspapers, lager cans and more than a packet of smokes extinguished in the ashtray.

"Nick?" He shouted walking through the lounge area. He arrived at the bedroom and knocked on the door. "Nick, you in there?"

Slowly opening the door, he could see someone under the bedcovers. Peeling them back he walked over to the window and yanked the curtains open, blasting the 11.30AM sunshine into the room and waking up the clean shaven, short brown-haired detective sergeant.

"W-W-What time is it?" DS Graves asked pulling the covers back over his head, blocking the stream of rays penetrating his linens.

"What time is it?" Crenshaw bellowed sarcastically, "time you stopped pissing life up at the wall. Get dressed we've got a murder to solve."

He threw Graves' suit at the moaning mid-thirties Caucasian Oxford bred man. Crenshaw walked into the kitchen and put on some hot coffee. As he stirred the cup, he gazed into the liquid seeing the reflection of his own face. He questioned why he ever agreed to do what was needed in the first place.

Graves walked in yawning, reaching for an empty can of Calston's lager, shaking the dregs. A favourite of his, as stated by the number of empty cans. Crenshaw believed he drank them all through the night.

"Jesus, you're too young to do this to yourself, wait until you've got a reason to drink, when a case torments you and you can't think of anything else other than the case. The murder, the torture, that's when you drink." Crenshaw said handing Graves the cup of coffee. "If your father could see you now, he'd string us both up by the short 'n curlies."

Gulping the black coffee down as though Graves had an asbestos mouth, he put the cup down and looked at Crenshaw, reminding him that his father wasn't with them, and they should move on.

"She's worried about you, you know!" The detective inspector could see the look on his officer's face when he asked Trewlove where the detective sergeant was.

"What about this case?" Graves asked moving the conversation away from his love life.

Crenshaw told him about the case so far and what he found at the mortuary. None of it meant anything to Graves except the fact that the new High Speed rail line was a topic of controversy for the council. And that he remembered watching a current affairs program about how Carrington Forest had become the place it was.

"That place is like a breeding ground for all kinds of drug runners, prostitutes, contract killers." He said showing a book from Professor Blaine VanHeiden, who wrote about the history of the place. It used to be a home for the very wealthy. But crime took over the leafy town and many were exiled. He opened the page about it being a dog-eat-dog world of its own. Although no one claimed ownership of the town each family challenged the next to get what they wanted.

"In my opinion that place is a cancer, spreading to other areas of London and beyond. Pull it down, salt the earth and build a new road of prosperity to the kingdom." Graves said throwing the book on the leather couch.