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‘I’m Jessica Russell, the MSCAN team leader. This is Diane, our DNA expert.’

‘Your DCI’s a bit up himself,’ Diane remarked.

Jessica sighed. ‘I think it’s my presence that’s pissed him off. He rejected me on my interview for team leader role but was outvoted.’

Chapman nodded. ‘Anderson mentioned that when he was told you’d be attending the scene.’

‘That was nice of him,’ Jessica replied, frowning.

‘Well, he needs to realise that Jessica was selected to lead this unit because she’s the best person for the job . . . whether he likes it or not,’ Diane said.

Chapman held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. ‘I’m sure he will . . . in time. And I can assure you his bark’s worse than his bite.’

‘So, what’s his problem?’ Diane asked.

Chapman paused for a moment. ‘The thing is, he’s not a career detective. He transferred from uniform inspector to DI, then got promoted to DCI and made SIO thanks to . . . let’s just say friends in high places.’

‘Are you saying he’s out of his depth?’ Jessica asked.

‘At times, yes. His aggressive attitude is just a front to hide his lack of experience as a detective.’

‘Great,’ Diane grunted.

‘But look, he wants to find who is responsible for the crime as much as we all do. It’s just that he often goes about it in the wrong way.’

Taff pulled up in the van beside them and leaned out of the window. ‘Good morning, Draig and Di. Never fear, Taff is here bearing good news.’

Jessica ignored him. ‘Thanks for being frank with us,’ she nodded to Chapman.

‘I just wanted you to understand the reasons behind Anderson’s sometimes odd behaviour.’

Taff picked up on the tension. ‘Have I missed something?’

‘I’ll tell you later,’ Diane said.

Taff got out of the van and showed the team the black-handled knife that was recovered from the victim’s back, which was now inside a plastic weapons tube. ‘It’s a Japanese Damascus 67 chef’s knife, made from stainless steel and very, very sharp. I looked them up on the web. The price of a set is five to seven hundred pounds, depending on how many knives you want.’

‘How much!’ Diane exclaimed.

‘Go figure. I got a set at Lidl for under a tenner,’ Taff said. ‘I also managed to get some of the victim’s pre-transfusion blood for a DNA profile. I asked the ambulance crew if they removed any personal property. They didn’t, but the paramedic who put a pulse oximeter on his finger noticed a watch tan line on his left wrist.’

‘Meaning the intruder probably took it,’ Diane said.

‘What about the victim’s injuries?’ Jessica asked.

‘Severe fracture to the skull, three stab wounds to the back, four including this embedded knife, but none to the chest. He’s in surgery, but it’s still touch and go. Doctor said they may puthim in an induced coma if he survives, and it will definitely be a few days yet before anyone can speak to him.’

Jessica clapped her hands. ‘Right, let’s suit up and get to work. Taff, you can video and photograph the downstairs and basement, and I’ll do the upstairs. Di can follow behind you, deal with the blood on the door and examine the hallway.’

‘I’ll do light sourcing for footmarks and blood, and, if necessary, I’ll use luminol as well,’ Diane said, referring to a liquid spray that reacts to blood the eye can’t see and produces a bluish-white light that glows in the dark and enhances footmarks and blood stains.

Jessica looked at Chapman. ‘You might be standing around for a while. It’s a big house, so the video and photography will take about an hour. Then I’ll do a walkthrough of the premises to form an initial assessment, prioritise the evidence and formulate a forensic strategy.’

‘No problem. I need to brief the house-to-house officers and give them a list of questions to ask. When I’ve done that, I can drive to the garage and get everyone a coffee or anything else you want.’

‘Thanks, that would be appreciated,’ Jessica replied, removing a small wallet from her pocket.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll claim it back on expenses. Do you want anything to eat?’