‘Miles and Grey? Take another run at the wife, see if you can get her to open up about what’s going on there. Tread carefully, please. DI Walsh, I would like you to coordinate with Tunney. Go through the construction company’s financials and any public information that could be of use to the investigation. Feel free to delegate.’

‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ DI Walsh said.

‘Let’s get this bastard and let’s make sure that once we have him, he is going nowhere. I have seen too many domestic abuse cases in my career where the victim goes back to the perpetrator, only to be found dead later down the line. Chop-chop.’ DCI Kapoor clapped them into action.

Adrian got up and walked out, feeling a little personally attacked, as if everyone thought he couldn’t hold his temper and be professional about this. Like he somehow needed a babysitter.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

If there was one thing Imogen appreciated about Adrian, it was that he was an open book. She rarely had to try to guess what he was thinking; he didn’t play games like that. He just came out and said what was on his mind.

His current brooding mood was frustrating for many reasons and she knew that this case was closer to the bone than most of the other ones they had been on. Whenever Adrian had talked about his past he would focus on his father’s addiction and not the violence he witnessed as a result. It was only when cases like this came up, when there was male-on-female violence, that he ever really mentioned it. Not that he would need to, because it was written all over his face. He had no poker face; his emotions were always on display.

Today, however, she was getting the cold shoulder. He was annoyed with her about something – it was mild, but it was there. The fact that they were driving in silence was a clear indication that something was wrong.

‘Have I upset you in some way?’ Imogen said.

‘What?’ Adrian said.

‘You just seem to be a little off with me.’

Imogen felt needy for even asking. This wasn’t how they did things. They were upfront with each other, weren’t they?

‘Would you care if I was?’ Adrian said, folding his arms.

‘What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I would care.’

‘It’s nothing, anyway. My problem, I expect.’

‘So, there is a problem?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘You think I’m going to drop it? You’re wrong. Don’t you know me at all? What is up with you?’

‘Me?’

‘I’m not the one with a cob on. Just tell me what the problem is,’ Imogen persisted.

He wasn’t going to get away with it this easy. She knew if she let it go then it would grow. They needed to talk about it right now.