Page 32 of Silent Scream
Bryant chuckled. ‘You know, if she could hear you, she’d probably agree.’
‘She is a bit cold, though, eh?’
Kim nodded from behind the fence. Yeah, she was happy with that.
‘Nah, she’s not as bad as you think.’
Kim almost growled. Yes, she really was.
‘In fact, she was only saying the other day that it would be nice if you guys struck up conversation with her now and again.’
She’d bloody kill Bryant. Slowly.
‘No problem, Sir. I’ll bear that in mind.’
As the constable walked away he transmitted back to the control room that the premises were all in order.
‘Bastard,’ Kim spat through the fence.
‘Oops, sorry, Guv. Didn’t realise you were there ... listening.’
Kim stood on the bin, and exited the area the same way she’d entered.
She landed on her feet but fell into Bryant and knocked him sideways.
‘Oh, sorry,’ she said.
‘On the scale of genuine apologies, I’d rate that at minus seven.’
‘Detectives,’ the professor said, appearing beside them. ‘We’re ready to begin.’
Bryant caught her gaze and held it as the professor turned and walked away.
‘So, did you learn anything on your illegal fact-finding mission?’
. ‘Contrary to the written report, that fire did not start in the kitchen.’
Eighteen
Kim caughtup with the professor as he neared Bill and Ben, as she had nicknamed his volunteers.
‘Doctor Matthews has done an initial survey of the soil to find there is a large clay content.’
Not much of a surprise in the Black Country.
‘Such conditions affect the performance of ground penetrating radar so we’re going to start with a magnetometer.’
‘Gesundheit,’ Bryant offered.
The professor ignored her colleague and carried on speaking to her as though she had a clue. Kim rarely questioned the expertise of others. She trusted people to do their jobs effectively and she expected the same in return.
‘The magnetometer uses sensors to measure the gradient of the magnetic field. Different materials can cause disturbances and this particular tool can detect anomalies caused by disturbed soils or decayed organic materials.’
Bill started walking towards them with Ben behind. To Kim, he looked like something fromTheTerminator. Over his shoulder rested a black strap fixed to a metal rod approximately six feet in length that he held horizontally at waist height. On the front tip of the pole was a second rod fixed so he carried a giant letter T. Attached to each end of the smaller rod were sensors. Black cables travelled to the reader strapped around his waist and a black canvas holdall was fixed to his back.
‘We’ll start down there at the bottom edge and work in straight lines. A bit like how you’d mow the lawn.’
Kim nodded and the three of them moved away.
