Blood Symmetry Read Online Free PDF Page B

parent and child. That intimacy made me even more concerned about how Mikey would fare if his mother never came home.
    When I reached the porch, Hancock was standing there. He gave me a baleful stare as I peeled out of my Tyvek suit.
    â€˜There’s a café close by,’ I said.
    â€˜Okay, if you’re buying.’
    He said little during the short stroll to Lavender Hill, giving me the chance to observe him from the corner of my eye. His combination of white hair and lowering black eyebrows made him look like a younger, more hostile version of Alistair Darling. My request for a double espresso clearly disgusted him.
    â€˜That stuff’ll give you a stomach ulcer.’
    â€˜It’s a gamble I’m willing to take. Where are you from, Pete?’
    â€˜Tyneside, originally.’
    â€˜I recognised the lilt. So, do you dislike all shrinks, or is it just me?’
    His frown deepened. ‘I spend my days on my knees, scooping up fag ends and bodily fluids, so people like you can pontificate about modus operandi. You even get paid more.’
    â€˜And that annoys you?’
    â€˜I solve the cases for you, but most shrinks show me zero respect.’ He took a gulp of mineral water.
    â€˜Then they’re missing a trick. Seeing what the killer touched or the shoes a victim wore tells me more than any photograph. I can’t do that without your help.’
    â€˜You want me to stop moaning when you drop by?’
    â€˜Is that possible?’
    He cast me a shrewd glance. ‘Burns says you’re good at your job.’
    â€˜I hear the same about you.’
    â€˜Why aren’t you in some swanky private hospital charging two hundred quid an hour?’
    â€˜I could be crazy, but forensic work trumps a big salary for me.’
    The answer seemed to satisfy him. When we got back to Riordan’s house, it was clear Pete’s team had been working hard in his absence. Two white-suited SOCOs squeezed past us on the steps, carrying plastic evidence boxes bound for the lab. But my hour with Pete hadn’t been wasted; for the price of a bottle of mineral water, I’d reversed some of his prejudices. He’d confided that he was a lapsed Catholic, married with two kids in their twenties, a passionate Newcastle supporter with a penchant for jazz. In exchange I’d revealed my desire for a motorbike and confirmed that I was in a relationship with his DCI.
    â€˜That’s old news, Pete. Didn’t you hear?’
    â€˜I’m not one for gossip.’ He was already slipping his feet back into plastic overshoes.
    â€˜Have you found much in there?’
    â€˜The IT boys are checking her computers, but there’s something you should see.’
    I donned my sterile suit again reluctantly. I’d always hated the synthetic smell and feel of them, fabric crackling as we walked down the hall.
    Hancock came to a halt in the kitchen. ‘Notice anything?’
    â€˜A lot of expensive kit.’ I scanned the bespoke units, granite work surface and black and white floor tiles. It looked typical of a family with money: there was even a top-of-the-range juicer and Gaggia coffee machine sitting on the counter.
    â€˜Look again.’ He shone a blue light on the floor and a shadow emerged, just over a foot wide. ‘Someone’s tried to scrub it away, but we sprayed the floor with Luminol. The UV light’s picking up blood molecules.’
    â€˜It may not be hers.’
    â€˜Whoever it came from, it would have been one hell of a wound. You’d need half a pint to spread that far.’
    â€˜Can the lab tell if it’s hers?’
    He nodded. ‘We’ll take a scraping from the floor. They’ll cross-match it with her son’s DNA, but they won’t be able to date it.’
    â€˜Why not?’
    â€˜Bleach in cleaning fluid destroys everything except the genetic profile.’
    When I left at two o’clock, Hancock accompanied me to