"What's got him in such a twist?"

DS Ronnie Brooks looked up from his paperwork as his superior officer, DCI Natalie Chandler, tapped him on the shoulder. Following her gaze, he saw his partner, DS Matt Devlin, hunkered over his desk, cell phone glued to one ear and landline to the other.

If they were working an urgent case, this wouldn't be such a shocking sight, but they were taking advantage of the momentary lull to catch up on paperwork and look into old cases. The cynic in Ronnie thought they'd probably have a fresh body by days end.

But, at the present, Matt wasn't doing anything that had to do with work.

"It's his mum," Ronnie said with a grin he shared with Chandler. "And one sister. Apparently, there's a big family to do over the holiday and Mattie there is the errand boy."

"Why on Earth do you need 40 cans of cranberry jelly?"

They looked back to see Matt scribbling notes furiously.

"Mum…Mum….Mum….I'm working!"

Chandler knew she should be annoyed that one of her officers was taking personal calls while on duty, but the sight of her normally composed young detective looking so harassed was quite amusing. The fact that it was his mother and sister who drove him to that state made it all the more comical.

"How many relatives does he have?"

Ronnie shrugged. "I don't even think he knows."

"What the hell is a turducken, Maggie? What?….Yes, sorry, Mum. Language, I know."

Amusing indeed.