Great, all I needed on such a morning. The policeman stationed outside the agency’s front door looked down his nose at me as I approached, his hard face expressionless. He must have watched as the traffic warden slapped on the ticket, but I guess it would have taken an ounce of humanity to explain the circumstances to the illegal parking and the constable’s heart had no such measure.‘Where d’you think you’re going?’ he asked when I tried to slip past him.‘I’m Nick Dismas. It’s my company up there.’He seemed to enjoy towering over me. *Yes, I know who you are and you’re not going up those stairs. It’s an SOC.’‘I thought I might be able to help.’‘It’s off limits, mate, ‘specially to you.’‘Is your lot up there?’‘SOCO and CID.’Scenes of crime officers, who would be photographing the area as well as dusting for fingerprints and searching for telltale marks, loose hairs, or anything else that might be useful in solving the case, together with a couple of detectives no doubt going through desks, diaries and files, generally snooping around.‘Is Macaroon with them?’ I asked.‘Detective Chief Superintendent Macaroon, yes.’Would you let him know I’m here?’‘It’s my job to keep people out, not ran up and down stairs all day.’There’s always one.
