New Tricks2003

[first lines]

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
Last week, Peter Offord, a forty-three-year-old plumber, was arrested on suspicion of a warehouse robbery in Wembley, but his DNA didn't match any found at the scene. However, it did show a link to a man found strangled on a tube train *here* in March ninety-six. Dead man's identity has never been established.

Jack Halford:
Until now?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
Turns out Peter Offord was that murder victim's son.

Gerry Standing:
Yeah? How'd he react to that?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
Never knew his dad, apparently; he was brought up alone by his mum.

Gerry Standing:
Hmh.

Brian Lane:
But I don't understand; if this fellow died on the tube, then surely this is one for the British Transport Police.

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
Yeah, well, since two thousand two, the Commissioner and the Transport Police Chief Constable confer on such cases, and it's been mutually agreed that UCOS should take this one on.

Gerry Standing:
What she means is it's been dumped on us.

Jack Halford:
Any scene of crime photos?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
Nope.

Jack Halford:
List of suspects?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
No scene of crime photos, no list of suspects and we don't even know the victim's name.

Gerry Standing:
Well, what happened to him?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
He was strangled face to face.

Gerry Standing:
What sort of bloke was he?

Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman:
A vagrant.

Brian Lane:
What, a tramp?

Gerry Standing:
Oh, great!