Special Inquiries

By Chris Archer

Nick Kellister is a principled and dedicated Detective Sergeant working as part of a specialist unit within London’s Metropolitan Police. Tasked with investigating a brutal killing, he is assigned an assistant in the form of Abi Mayland, a young and attractive IT expert.
As the case unfolds, the two are drawn to each other, but when Abi reveals her deepest secret, Nick is forced to confront demons from his past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Archer
• Release date: Feb 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005036409

Book preview

Special Inquiries

by Chris Archer

Nick Kellister is a principled and dedicated Detective Sergeant working as part of a specialist unit within London’s Metropolitan Police. Tasked with investigating a brutal killing, he is assigned an assistant in the form of Abi Mayland, a young and attractive IT expert.

As the case unfolds, the two are drawn to each other, but when Abi reveals her deepest secret, Nick is forced to confront demons from his past.

Copyright © 2016 Chris Archer

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

This book is dedicated to the girls at TransScripts TG Fiction, without

whose support and encouragement it would never have existed,

and to the memory of Kris Traverse, 1966 – 2018.

www.chrysalis2017.wordpress.com

Cover Art by Bryony Marsh

www.bryonymarsh.wordpress.com

Chapter One

The phone on Detective Sergeant Nick Kellister’s desk buzzed, indicating an internal call. Lifting the receiver, he spoke into the mouthpiece.

What is it? he asked, knowing it was one of his colleagues and therefore there was no need for any formality.

Judy here, Nick, said the voice on the other end. The young lady you were expecting has arrived. Shall I send her up?

Please, Jude, he replied before replacing the handset.

Moments later, he was rummaging in a drawer of his desk when there was a light knock at the door of his small office.

Come in, he called, without looking up. Oh, bollocks, what have I done with… he muttered, before suddenly seeming to become aware that he had company; looking up, he gave his visitor a broad grin.

Sorry; I’m even more disorganised than usual this morning and that’s an achievement in itself. DS Nick Kellister, he added, rising from his chair and extending a hand over the desk, the top of which was obscured by a sprawl of papers and assorted items of stationery; he was evidently not a man given to fastidious organisation.

Abi Mayland, replied his visitor, taking his hand and shaking it gently in hers.

Nick looked at the young woman in front of him: a pretty brunette with a look of quiet intelligence. She was lightly made-up and immaculately dressed in a dark blue skirt suit and a patterned blouse, with barely-black tights and black court shoes with a moderate heel.

For her part, she took in the young man behind the desk. He had short dark hair, brown eyes and she could see that he had not shaved that morning; his dark stubble rather suited him, she thought. He wore a light blue shirt, open at the neck, through which a patch of dark chest hair was visible and he seemed to keep himself in good shape; his muscle structure was clearly defined under the cotton shirt.

Well, I have to say, you’re younger than I was expecting, he informed her in a warm tone as he sat back down.

Well, that makes a welcome change, she replied cheerfully. People are usually expecting the stereotypical ‘spotty teenage geek’.

Nick smiled. Well, the ‘geek’ bit might be helpful in this instance. How much have you been told about the job? he added, indicating the chair in front of his desk.

Not a vast amount, Abi replied as she sat. Before the interview, I was told that they need someone with particular IT skills and I seem to fit the bill. Obviously, the interview went well and so, here I am. I understand I’ll get the details of the job from you. Oh, and, of course, I’m not to speak to anyone other than you about anything to do with this.

I can’t stress how important that last bit is, he told her. If it came out that you had discussed it – with anyone – it’d be my unpleasant duty to make sure you were in a huge amount of trouble. Please don’t take that as a threat; I just need you to be fully aware of the need for absolute confidentiality here.

Don’t worry, it was made very clear to me after the interview, she replied.

He shifted in his chair and Abi could not help but notice the movement of his well-toned arm muscles.

"Okay, well, no time to waste, so let’s jump straight in. As you might or might not already know, we’re investigating a killing – now, normally, that’d be a straightforward murder inquiry, but this has been passed to us because there’d seem to be more to it than meets the eye. The victim is, or rather was, a male prostitute – a crossdresser, in fact –working from a private club in Oxley Street.

Anyway, he, or she if you prefer, was given a bloody nasty beating – so nasty, it proved fatal. Died in hospital, but not before saying some pretty cryptic stuff which would appear to imply that she knew something she wasn’t supposed to. We’ve got her personal laptop here – it’s in that safe behind me – which we need you to go through to see if there’s anything at all on there that might shed any light on this.

He paused for a moment, then continued. Y’see, when something like this comes to us, it’s because someone higher up the food chain than me thinks there’s a good reason. What that reason is in this case, I don’t know… that’s where you might be –

He stopped abruptly, noticing the look of shock on the young woman’s face. Are you alright? he asked.

Did you say the victim was a crossdresser? she asked in a quiet voice.

Is that a problem for you? His tone was sharp. Because if it is, you might as well leave now and we’ll have to get someone else.

The young woman seemed lost in thought for a few moments before replying. No, it’s not a problem, none whatsoever. It… it just took me by surprise, I suppose.

Good, because what we’re dealing with here isthe possible murder of a person – I couldn’t care less if they liked wearing a dress or a bloody Spiderman costume.

I assure you, Sergeant Kellister, she stated firmly, I’ve no problem at all with the trans community.

Well, as long as we’re clear on that. Incidentally, just call me Nick, everyone else here does – at least, to my face, anyway. We’re pretty informal, on the whole. So, shall we get started? You’ll be using that desk, he indicated the only other desk in the room, and you’ll need me to get that laptop out every day and I’ll put it away as well. I’m the only one with the combination to that safe.

With that he rose and she took a moment to take in her surroundings.

His office was what she could only describe as ‘spartan’; there was no sign of any concession towards personalisation.

He went to the safe, where he entered the necessary code into the keypad before opening it. He took out the laptop and placed it on the desk that Abi would be using, handed her the power cord then closed the safe again.

Would you mind plugging it in? he asked her. There’s a socket down underneath the desk. Trouble getting down there at my age… and getting up again’s even worse.

Your age? she asked with a small laugh. How old are you exactly?

Twenty-five last month and feeling every day of it, came the reply. What about you?

I’m twenty-two, so that must make me the office junior, she answered.

Indeed it does, he affirmed with another smile. Okay, you get that thing fired up and I’ll get you the case notes. I’ve got a few loose ends from my last case to tie up and I’m not doing that without tea. Want one?

I thought I was the office junior?

He gave her a staged frown. You haven’t been here long enough for me to trust you with the tea yet. Bloody stuff’s bad enough as it is.

Any chance of a coffee, please?

No pleasing some, he said, shaking his head in mock exasperation as he left the room.

Abi switched on the laptop and waited for it to load, pleased that he had made an effort to make her feel at ease. It seemed to her that he would be easy to get on with, although despite his easy-going approach, he was obviously a very capable and professional man to be in the position he was at only twenty-five.

Nick returned a few minutes later and placed a mug of steaming coffee on her desk, before putting his tea on his own and sitting in his chair.

Thanks, she smiled.

He simply nodded by way of acknowledgement and resumed his earlier search in the drawers of his desk, muttering to himself as he did so.

Abi caught the occasional mild obscenity and had to refrain from giggling.

Oh, I bloody well give up! he said after going through every drawer. How are you getting on?

Well, I’ve got it going, which is a start, she began. I’m not familiar with the operating system, it appears to be some version of – but he cut her short abruptly.

No technical stuff, please, I’m a simple country boy.

She was taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly and explained in layman’s terms how she was progressing before they each resumed their respective tasks.

~*~

Just before noon, Nick suggested that she break for lunch; he needed to go out and he was under instructions that the laptop was not to be accessed by anyone if he was not present.

She had a pleasant light meal at the nearby venue he had suggested, but had great difficulty in preventing her thoughts from straying towards the handsome young man she had been assigned to assist.

~*~

She returned to the office to find Nick already there and she got on with her task diligently; his afternoon seemed to consist of hunting for files, making and receiving phone calls and working on his PC. Ignoring the occasional curse from him as he searched the drawers of his desk and a large filing cabinet behind her, she worked steadily, but despite her endeavours, made no real progress.

Shortly before five o’clock, he looked over to her.

How far are you from being finished for today? he asked. Strictly speaking, we’re meant to finish for the day at five – bit of an overtime clampdown at the moment. If I go next door and hear the word ‘budget’ much more, I’m likely to be arrested for assaulting a police officer and that’s not generally regarded as conducive to career advancement in my line of work.

Just give me a moment, she replied. I’ll make a note of where I am rather than making a resume point. It’s only a small file but I don’t want to risk overwriting anything.

Exactly how I would have done it, he said, his expression indicating that he had little or no idea of what she was talking about. Shut that thing down and I’ll lock it away.

The machine safely stored, Nick looked at the jumbled assortment of papers he had amassed during the course of the afternoon.

Sod it, he growled and gathering them into a bundle he stuffed them carelessly into the top drawer of his desk, then took his jacket from the back of his chair. I’m going for a pint, he informed her. Fancy it?

Abi looked back at him with uncertainty. I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, she replied, her voice soft.

I’m offering to buy you a drink, he said, I’m not trying my hand. I’ve been known to get a round in before.

No, that’s not what I meant, it’s just… she paused for a moment, then continued. Actually there is something I think I need to talk to you about.

That’s settled then, he said firmly. Come on, I’m dehydrated.

They left the office, Nick closing the key-coded door behind them, and went down the flight of stairs to the front desk where Judy was evidently preparing to finish for the day herself.

After some small talk with her, during which she took Abi’s security pass and locked it away in one of the drawers of her desk, they left the nondescript building and stepped out into the quiet street.

So how many of you are there altogether? Abi asked to start conversation. She felt if she could get him talking freely, it might somehow make the daunting task ahead of her that much easier.

"Eight – myself and five others, although that’s currently under review, Judy and Bob Harker… Detective Chief Inspector Harker, I should say. He’s the head honcho –