‘Dan Banbury, the unit’s IT guy and crime-scene manager,’ he said simply, stepping forward. ‘I trained in technology forensics and photography, I’ve operated in major incident agencies sorting data recordings, and I’ve done a lot of on-site work. People think only planes have black boxes, but anything with a microprocessor will leave a data print, and these days that includes everything from trains to washing machines. But sometimes you just want to go to a murder scene and work out who knocked over a chair.’
‘And of course you know . . .’ Land waved his hand vaguely in the direction of Longbright.
‘Detective Sergeant Janice Longbright. Mr Renfield knows me, sir. There’s really nothing more to say.’
‘Come, come, Janice. I’m sure there’s a lot we can learn from each other.’
‘You’re right, sir. From studying Renfield’s behaviour I learned how to cause a colleague’s death through incompetence.’
A cold intake of breath passed through the room.
‘I think that’s a bit ad hominem, Janice, if you don’t mind my saying so,’ said John May. ‘We’ve already been over this, and I know that Renfield feels very badly about the matter. He admitted acting wrongfully and is trying to put the events of last week behind him.’ It seemed that the sergeant’s failure to involve the hospital services after he discovered a body on the street would stay to haunt him.
‘I’d like to suggest that coming here, to work among Oswald Finch’s oldest friends, wasn’t the smartest move he could have made.’
‘I know how strongly you feel, Janice, but this unit will not survive if it is divided, so it’s our duty—’
‘I don’t think you need to lecture me on duty, John,’ said Longbright angrily.
‘She’s right,’ said Kershaw. ‘Everyone knows Renfield’s appointment is a trade-off for my promotion, and I’d rather step down than cause divisions within the unit.’
‘You’re causing a division just by offering,’ Mangeshkar pointed out.
‘This is exactly the kind of thing I expected to find here,’ said Renfield. ‘I heard you lot couldn’t organize a tug-of-war in a rope factory.’
Land could sense control sliding away from him, and raised his hands. ‘There’ll be plenty of time to get to know each other later,’ he told them. ‘So, Jack—’
‘Nobody told me there was a meeting,’ said Bryant, wandering in from the corridor billowing a bonfire-trail of acrid smoke from his pipe. ‘What’s going on? Did I miss a punch-up? Are there any doughnuts left?’
‘You can’t bring that filthy thing in here!’ Land protested. ‘I sent you an email about smoking this morning.’
‘Well, there’s your problem, old sausage, I never read them. Hello, Renfield. How are you getting on with your new team-mates? You can’t expect an easy ride, you know. Not after what happened.’
‘Where have you been?’ asked May. ‘You were supposed to be here an hour ago.’
‘British Museum. Christ’s blood,’ said Bryant. ‘I’d like to say their Earl Grey exceeded expectations, but I’d be lying.’ He turned to address the group. ‘Now look, we all know Renfield here is a humourless pain in the derrière who wouldn’t notice an ironic remark if you tied it to a stick and poked him in the eye with it, but I think that’s one of his strengths. You might also know that his father was Sergeant Leonard Renfield, an old enemy of mine at the Met, and like his father, Jack has been denied promotion several times, for which he seems to blame my reports. But he has no axe to grind with any of you, and nor should you with him. It’s early days, so let’s start by drawing a line under the past and at least withholding judgement until a later date when we can all gang up on him properly. Most of the trouble between us is because the sergeant doesn’t understand what we do, so now’s our chance to show him.’
‘You didn’t have to say that,’ said Renfield sulkily as the meeting broke up around them. ‘I’m capable of speaking for myself.’
‘I know you are,’ smiled Bryant, ‘but least said soonest mended on this occasion, I think.’
‘Well,’ May marvelled as his partner ambled past in a cloud of Sweet Briar smoke. ‘I see you’ve added diplomacy to your repertoire of talents. You know we need all the allies we can get, and that Renfield has a lot of friends in the Met. You think if we get him on our side, he’ll eventually spread the word and give us more power against the Home Office. You sly old dog.’