Detective Inspector Maeve Paulson arrived at the swimming pool and took a minute to take in the scene. She always did this to try and take a photograph in her mind of the overall picture. The minute details will come later. The body was laying on the far side at the deep end. She was laying on her side facing the back wall. Her posture was that of someone who had just lay down for a nap for a couple of minutes, to then return to her swim. Moving around the figure, Maeve saw that, even in her face she was peaceful, not even the minuteness of fear or pain.

“Another mystery I’m afraid, Maeve” said Detective Constable Jake Levison. “Can’t believe that’s the third now. Looks like we have a serial killer to find.”

“Well, talk about being thrown in the deep end” said Maeve under her breath. “When are the SOCOs getting here?” she said out loud.

“On their way. Should only be a couple of minutes” said a Constable nearby who looked as if her face had a minute tinge of green to it. Maeve allowed herself the tiniest of smiles as she remembered that it wasn’t that long ago it would be the same for her.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw something, a minute flicker of movement from the doorway towards the showers.

“Who’s there?” she demanded.

Jake spun round and saw where she was looking and ran towards the gap, closely followed by Maeve. Jake swore as he splashed through the pool of water that was invariably there at every public pool at the changing room entrances.

“What a minute, Jake. Let me radio through to make sure someone covers the exits” Maeve shouted, not expecting Jake to stop even minutely. She shouted instructions to anyone just as she heard a yell somewhere ahead of her. It didn’t sound like Jake. Had he already got the killer, in just a matter of minutes of her arriving at the scene?

She took off her shoes to go through the water and entered the changing area. She saw Jake on top of someone, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Ok, Jake, let’s cuff him”. Maeve went closer to have a look at the man. It took her a minute to recognise him. “Jimmy Cargill as I live and breathe”.

Back at the station, Maeve sat in Detective Inspector Karen Willis’s office, hoping she wasn’t getting one of her headaches as she noticed a minute blurring in the corner of her left eye.

“Good work, Maeve” said her boss “ that must be a record. How many minutes did that take?”

Maeve took the praise, but almost run out of the station as soon as she could. Once home, she fed Miles, her soft as butter ginger cat and slumped onto the sofa with a gin and tonic. Miles joined her and gave her a minute lick on her nose and settled down. Maeve smiled.