"What does he do. Your father?" he asked.
"Ah… well, he's on the sick," Cassie said, her tone lowering and Janssen figured they were into uncomfortable territory for her. He didn't seek anything more on the subject but was surprised when she offered. "Has been for a long, long time."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, resuming their walk. "What's wrong with him?"
She shrugged.
"Sticky mattress syndrome, if you ask me," she replied, pointing ahead. "Is that the car?"
Up ahead of them they could see a black Range Rover. The liveried police car parked alongside it arguably gave the game away and Janssen figured she was taking the opportunity to change the subject. He didn't mind.
"So what is it that brings you to Norfolk?" he asked casually. The county was a wonderful place in his opinion but recruitment was an issue with many of those seeking adventure being drawn to the capital, much as he had been years previously. "I mean, it's quite a shift for you, isn't it?"
"I saw it as an opportunity," she said without breaking step. "Besides, I worked with DCI Greave on a national investigation a few years back and when she called… well, you know."
He nodded. This was news to him that the DCI already knew Cassie. He was surprised how she hadn't chosen to mention it to him. Maybe she feared he would question the appointment more and make assumptions about Tamara's motivation. If so, that would disappoint him. He thought their working relationship was closer than that. Then again, it didn't change his initial view of his new detective sergeant.
The uniformed constable tasked with keeping an eye on the Range Rover got out of his car as they approached, nodding a greeting to Janssen and another to Cassie. His smile seemed warmer towards Cassie, his eye lingering on her longer than Janssen would have liked. Janssen knew the constable, at least, his reputation preceded him.
"Has anyone touched the car, PC Tomlinson?" he asked, drawing the constable's attention towards him.
He shook his head. "No, sir. Not since I've been here."
"Good. You can get back in your car now but don't go anywhere, there's a good lad."
The constable seemed momentarily confused before Janssen's stern look made him acknowledge the instruction and he departed, appearing somewhat embarrassed. Cassie was mildly amused. Apparently, this wasn't the first time she had made an impression on a young man.
"Was it something he said?" she asked, once the constable's door closed and he was out of earshot. Back in his vehicle, he removed his cap. His face was a picture of thunder.
"I'd give that one a wide berth, if I were you," he said, not wishing to detail Tomlinson's well-documented exploits and attitude towards women.
"I don't know," she said, glancing in the constable's direction. "I'll bet he wouldn't know what he was up against!"
Janssen laughed. He could see he was going to have his work cut out when both Tamara and Cassie were in full flight. Eric was likely to struggle.
"Let's take a look at this car then."
Chapter Three
The Range Rover was parked at an irregular angle, appearing to have been left where it stopped. Cassie pulled on a set of latex gloves and tried the handle to the driver's door. The vehicle wasn't locked. She flicked an eyebrow in his direction and pulled the door open. The interior of the cabin was clean and well presented. She scanned the door linings as well as the fabric of the roof for any indications of a scuffle having taken place within the vehicle; blood stains, scuffs or scrapes to the linings. There were none that she could see at first glance.
The leather upholstery was a dark tan colour, useful for inadvertently concealing any telltale signs of blood but she was confident the victim hadn't been involved in an altercation, not a stand-up fight at least, so there wasn't likely to be any. The passenger door opened and Janssen dropped to his haunches, examining the interior much as she was. He was an interesting man, thoughtful and articulate, exuding a reserved confidence that appeared to put everyone in his company at ease. She liked him which was a massive improvement to what she was used to recently.
Janssen took the evidence bag Eric had given him from his coat pocket, placing it down on the passenger seat and gestured towards the ignition button. She pressed it and the dashboard lit up, thereby confirming the fob belonged to this particular vehicle. She looked at the digital dash and read the mileage. From the plate, she knew this was a recently registered vehicle and judging by the recorded miles it can't have been on the road for more than a month or two. It was also a high-specification model. She wasn't an expert on cars, they weren't really her thing, but she knew enough to mark this as a model costing upwards of eighty-thousand pounds. Perhaps more.
Turning her attention to the DI, Janssen's eyes moved around the cabin before settling on the glove box. He opened it. From her vantage point, Cassie could see a leather-bound case which she presumed contained the service record and handbook. Janssen paid it a cursory inspection before putting it down beside the evidence bag on the passenger seat.
"There's nothing in here to suggest it's a hire car. The DVLA should be able to tell us the owner," Janssen said.
He then reached back into the glove box and drew out a leaflet, taking a brief moment to read it before passing it across to her with an accompanying flick of the eyebrow.
Cassie accepted it from him, giving it the once over. It wasn't glossy and mass produced as one might find with a promotional leaflet for an attraction or a takeaway, this was a low-quality paper, most likely printed on a domestic printer. The colours were streaky in places suggesting the cartridge was running low on ink. The subject matter detailed a local food bank highlighting why it was necessary in the local area, actions people could take in order to get involved along with the contact details of the organisers. On the back were directions to where people could make donations, both financial as well as physical drop-offs. He must have picked it up, or been given it recently, because paper of this quality would easily degrade in a short period of time once thrust into pockets or stuffed into a glove box, rapidly taking on a weathered and dogeared appearance.
Glancing towards the rear seats, Janssen nodded his approval and the two of them retreated from the front of the cabin to examine the passenger seats. They opened the rear doors to find the interior to be in a similar condition to the front, although Cassie paused as her eye caught sight of mud on the edge of the seat behind the driver's. It was a small patch, not much more than a smear a couple of inches long but it was at odds with the condition of the rest of the car. Inspecting the door, she found a scuff to the trim along with more mud at the foot of the inside panel of the door lining but curiously none on the floor mats. It was dry but fresh enough to still have the appearance of a recent deposit.
Moving to the back of the car, Cassie opened the boot. The linings here were immaculate. Whatever the owner used the car for, he didn't spend much time loading or unloading items from it, reinforcing the view that this vehicle was new on the road. Janssen came to join her and, from his expression, she thought he was disappointed.
Lowering the boot lid, it closed with a smooth and reassuring click. She took out the radio she was carrying in her pocket, meeting Janssen's eye.