Detective Spikey

The call came in as Detective Inspector Spikey was about to take an extended nap on a Saturday morning after a hard night with his pals at the Zodiac Club. Bob Spikey was not a great drinker, but he enjoyed the company of his friends who were good for a laugh and teased Bob Spikey relentlessly because of his unusual name. He was often referred to as Spike or just plain Spikey. He acknowledged it was an unusual name, but secretly he was proud to be different from the rest. He took the jibes and the jokes in good humour and joined in the fun, and was always able to laugh at himself. He never took himself too seriously, but he took his job as a Police Inspector very seriously. He had never married, but he had a succession of different partners who he was never able to commit to permanently. He enjoyed his independence but deep down he never felt it would be fair to a partner to spend so much time away from them, due to the dedication he had to his job. He often spent nights working, and the job never seemed to end, even on his days off and weekends.

Detective Inspector Spikey was a big man but he was kind and gentle and uncharacteristically he did not have a big ego like some of his lesser colleagues, but through hard work and being a dedicated character he was able to get results, which was quietly recognised by his superiors. He was a fairly laid back character, and not someone who would seek to be noticed, or want to be the centre of attention.

The mobile phone call was picked-up as it buzzed on the bedside table. Chief Inspector Hanratty spoke in his usual irritated way. Bob Spikey knew it must be important if the Chief was calling him. “Another body has been found,” he said with a sense of annoyance and because he knew it was another case that would likely remain unsolved. “I’m putting you on this case because I want results this time, all the others have failed and it’s time to nail the bastard that is doing this.” Bob knew that there had been a spate of murders that all followed the same or similar pattern. His colleagues in the force in his opinion were at best inept, and at worst just stupid. They could not solve a case if the criminal walked into a station and offered a cast iron confession. Bob would often think of watching the Keystone Cops from his childhood days, and drawing a parallel to their escapades and inadequacies. Bob was different though, he had an intelligence to get inside the mind of a criminal, and to have a sixth sense that often led him to resolving complex cases. His success was also born out from hard work and perseverance to get the job done, and to get the criminal locked up behind bars. Chief Inspector Hanratty never gave any credit to Bob, which over the years Bob became indifferent about seeking acknowledgement for his successes, not least from Hanratty.

Bob blearily replied to the irate Chief, “OK boss give me the details. I will get to the station in 30 minutes or so-” “Make it snappy.” Hanratty said with a sense of urgency and dissatisfaction. Bob knew how to handle Hanratty and passively let him sound off before simply cutting off the call. Hanratty was never one for pleasantries or politeness; he was always direct and brusque. How anyone could live with him Bob often thought it must be like living in hell, and an unhappy time spent. It’s probably why he was still unmarried, and without a partner after all these years he thought to himself, and who in their right mind would put up with such hostility from such an odious man.

Bob arrived at the station. It was still mid-morning and he needed his first coffee of the day. He took it black and strong for the first cup, to bite through and get the caffeine into his body. Usually, he took a walk across the road to a café that served Costa coffee, and that was always his first priority after checking into the station, but Hanratty saw him arrive, and Bob instead made his way to the station canteen shared with other operations in the building. Hanratty stormed into the near empty station canteen and said to Bob, “Another body has been found. “ With a level of composure that was not expected. Bob thought it strange because once Hanratty is in full flight he seldom bothered about other people that might be in earshot. Hanratty toned down his clear annoyance that more work had landed on him, and that he had more work to manage, and more cases to resolve with a limit on resources. As a police officer his man management skills were non-existent, how this vile man rose to such a senior rank Bob often questioned. “She was found this morning.” Hanratty said, again in quiet tones. “Let’s go to my office.” Bob duly followed as if he was connected to Hanratty by his coat tails. Hanratty sat down in his big chair and rested back as if to put his feet on the desk in front of him. At that moment he lost control and needed to firmly lurch forward to grab the edge of the desk to stop himself from going head-over-heels. He shouted, “I need to get this chair fixed; the springs have lost their stiffness.” Bob could see the funny side, but he did not think it was the moment to laugh or show any form of amusement. He sombrely asked for more details, as was promised earlier by Hanratty. “The body was found in an apartment in the centre of town. The flatmate of the deceased found her when she returned from an overnight stay at her college; she thought she was away from the apartment at first, but then found the body. “What was her work,” Bob asked. “I understand she was a room cleaner at the Graces Hotel”. Hanratty was not very politically correct and Bob immediately thought he should score points by correcting him. “Room attendant or chambermaid,” Bob surmised apologetically. “Yes, yes, yes, of course, a room chambermaid.” It was not as though Bob was politically correct either, but it was an opportunity to fire back at Hanratty because he supposedly followed everything by the book, and had often reprimanded others for the misuse of language as part of their police training. Bob felt a little guilty afterwards given the gravity of the situation, but in some ways he had become hardened to the awful things he faced as an inspector. “She was only young, and we assume she was not from these parts,” Hanratty volunteered. “We know she was at the university too, based on information given by her flatmate. She also attends the same university; she knows that she was doing a physiotherapy course. I suggest you contact her; the details are in the file. We know her name was Pratty or something; it was also on a name badge in her room when the body was found. PC Carmichael was the first on the scene this morning; get in touch with him for more details.”