Read Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery for Free Online

white and black with the laminate flooring Todd just couldn't stand. Who wants their home to feel so clinical? Carpet felt much more homely in his opinion. He had a good look around as he entered, noticing a digital picture frame which flashed photos of Tony, then Mandy, then Tony with Mandy. A constant reminder to Tony of the loss he had just suffered.
    "I still can't help you with anything." Tony broke into Todd's visual investigations.
    "Ok, that's fine," Todd said; he knew his next words wouldn't be received well. "Actually I am here to ask you to provide a sample for DNA analysis."
    "What?" Tony was incredulous, "So you do think I killed her. Oh my God, this is unbelievable," he lamented before breaking down in tears once again.
    "No, no I accept what you have told me," Todd appeased him, "I'm sorry to tell you we found what we believe to be traces of semen in Mandy's body."
    "So she was raped?"
    "It's hard to tell with the injuries she had."
    Tony took a choked breath, "Oh my poor Mandy," he cried.
    "Yes it is a terrible thing that has happened to her and I want to catch this guy as soon as I can before he can do it to somebody else. Now we can analyse the semen for DNA but that would only be helpful to us if the person who's DNA it is has been arrested previously and his DNA profile is in our database. If he hasn't then the sample is no good to us at all."
    "Well surely there's some way of checking?" Tony asked.
    "Would be great if there was but we can't obtain DNA from people unless they commit a recordable offence so it still makes it very difficult in cases such as these."
    "That is shit."
    "It's not perfect," Todd agreed.
    "Well what do you want me for?" Tony asked.
    "We need a sample from you so we can eliminate you as being the person who put the semen there; it could be there from sexual activity you may have had in the days leading up to Mandy's death."
    "Oh, I understand." Tony sat down on his black leather sofa. "Well what do you want me to do?" Tony asked; "Wank into a cup or what?"
    "No, no, we can get DNA from a sample of cheek cells." Todd said as he took a pencil like plastic tube from his coat pocket. He gave Tony a form to sign which agreed to his DNA being taken for testing and then Todd removed a long thin cotton bud from the tube, gave it to Tony and asked him to scrape it along the inside of his cheeks. Tony did so and handed the now cell infested swab to Todd.
    "Thanks Tony, this really helps." Todd said as he replaced the swab in its casing.
    "So what happens now?"
    "Now we wait; hopefully there is a match on the database and we can catch whoever it was that did this to Mandy."
    "Ok," Tony sat back on the sofa and began to softly cry once again. Todd let himself out of the flat and left Tony to his misery. He couldn't dwell on the pain which murder caused those left behind; he had a job to do and there was no time for sympathy. Emotion clouded judgement and Todd needed to be the one who was objective if he was to make a successful case against anyone. He got to his car and drove the twenty minutes back to Olinsbury police station in silence, allowing himself a short moment of calm. No thought other than the drive back entered his mind; he focused completely on the twists and turns of the journey, losing himself in the mental map of Olinsbury which he knew so well.
    -x-
    Arriving back at the station Todd felt a sensation of butterflies in his stomach in anticipation Tessa may be in the front office. He got out of his car and rather than go through the side gate to the rear entrance as was customary for officers, Todd picked his way through the human detritus which lingered in the waiting room of the station reception area. He knew he was leaving himself open to being stopped by a member of the public or a local scrote who may know him, but he was inexplicably drawn to the area, like a child who just has to knock over the tower their sibling has taken an hour to build; he knew he shouldn't do it,