liars use fewer is

Holder, being the most junior officer, organises the meeting between her, Jones and the boss Rawlings. Rawlings is a tall, gingerhaired man whose body ran to fat, unnoticed, after his ego did.

Holder sits demure. Its her first professional posting after leaving the training and probation sections of CID induction. She has her hair tied back and is dressed in a white blouse and sensible skirt. She is dressed like one of the early failures in the Apprentice. Jones is wearing what he always wears, slim black suit, white shirt and black tie. He imagines himself to look like a rat packer. He looks more like a rat catcher on his way to court to answer a summons for unpaid parking tickets. Rawlings looks fat and complacently competent.

"right" he says. Jones sees Holder making a note.

"Surely she's note noting that "right" down", he thinks

"This just came in, " he says. He opens his laptop and clicks an icon. The sound from the speakers is of cheap tin

"Hello, yes, er, I'd like to, er, oh god, I, my wife"

The voice of the operator kicks in, almost bored, almost

"Start at the beginning sir."

"yes, sorry, right. God, my wife, it's my wife you see. She's, well she's missing"

Jones has his eyes shut, listening for clues, for modulations and implications. Liars use fewer first person singulars, and over elaborate. you can discount the sound of nerves or hesitation. Everyone who dials 999 is nervous.

The voice of the operator: "OK, first can you give me her name"

"Mary"

"And her surname?"

"Smith, Mary, Mary Smith"

"And your name"

"Pete. Er, Peter but people call me..Peter my name is Peter"

He sounds stressed alright. Jones is keeping an open mind. Rawlings has a genius for reading people. Sometimes you can tell, even by this stage you just can, but Rawlings loathes short cuts

"And where do you live Pete"

Peter recites his address like a child "15 St Cuthbert's Road, Withington"

"And when did you last see your wife"

"She went out the night before last, sometimes she stays over in town with her friend"

Holder is noting all this down but she doesn't notice the slightness of the pause before friend. Jones does and risks a look at Rawlings. He's noticed it too, of course, and he scowls in response to Jone's look. The scowl says "listen, don't judge"

"OK"

"And then I went to work yesterday morning. I tried ringing her but her phone was off, and she didn't come home last night. I spent all night worrying, but, well, I thought of ringing you but I thought you'd tell me I was being stupid. I looked up how long it has to be before I can report someone missing and as soon as the deadline passed, here I am"

"OK. Have you checked the hospitals? Are you at home now? We'll send an officer round in half an hour or so"

"Of course I've checked the fucking hospitals! Sorry. sorry for swearing, oh god. Oh...mary"

Another pause, but no look this time.

The call continues as the operators talks of procedure and Rawlings shut the lid of the laptop. Jones is sweating, but not from the alcohol, he doesn't think. He loves the chase.

"Poor man" thinks Holder, though of course she knows were she to say that she'd be straight over to traffic.

"That was two hours and thirty eight minutes ago" says Rawlings.

"Why are they calling us in so soon" asks Mark

"When uniform went over there, he had tried to top himself. He's in MRI with wounds to his wrists"

"Which way did he slash them?" asks Mark

"Across, but that doesn't mean anything" says Rawlings

"Yes it does sir" says Holder "If he looked how long it takes before you can report someone missing, he'd look up the best way to slash your wrists. Therefore it wasn't a serious attempt"

For the first time since he saw his face in the mirror while shaving at 6.43am, Rawlings looks impressed. He's not though.

"Yes, but what did they tell you, what have I told you. Keep an open mind. Don't judge just yet"

"He's not sedated then sir"

"Of course not", the look of disgust "Otherwise I wouldn't be bothering you with it. As it is, get over to MRI, he's in ward 4 point 4"

"And Holder" he adds

"Yes sir"

"Watch what Jones here does. He may not look it, but he's average"

Jones tries to suppress the beam of pride he emits but fails, Rawlings looks disgusted. He looks at his watch. 10.17am. Is it too early for a slice of cheesecake?