Bite Deep by Rebekah Turner Read Free Book Online Page A

radio and heard gossip about some backpackers hitchhiking to the city, saying they got attacked by a large animal.’
    â€˜We’ll be able to see for ourselves soon enough what happened,’ Bowden said. ‘And we can always talk to Morgan later. But only if we absolutely have to.’
    Lydia tried to steady her voice, tried not to sound as frustrated as she felt. ‘After the Jane Doe murder, anything out of the ordinary is worth checking out.’
    Bowden gave her an indulgent smile. ‘I think it’s best if you let me make those kind of calls.’
    She wanted to point out she had the experience to make her own damned calls, thank you, but the defiant reply got stuck in her throat. The image of the dead girl, lying face down on the grass, was seared into her mind’s eye and she swallowed back her protests. Small steps, she reminded herself, small steps. As she had planned in the after of her attack, she’d reassured herself the job in Camden would entail very little excitement. It was a prospect she had dreaded and embraced in equal measures. She’d prepared herself for teenage shoplifters, breaking up pub brawls and settling disagreements between farmers. Not murder.
    Bowden stood and snagged his wide-brimmed hat from the hook behind him. ‘Let’s go take a look-see, shall we?’
    Novak was still hissing angry words into his mobile, but he hung up when he spied them leaving and stood. ‘Where are we off to?’
    â€˜I’m taking Lydia out to the Tanner farm,’ Bowden said. ‘Why don’t you pick us up some lunch from Fran’s for when we get back. I’ll have one of those nice chicken salads she does.’ He patted his stomach. ‘Get the dressing on the side, will you?’
    Novak sat back down slowly and Bowden looked at Lydia. ‘You want anything, Lydia?’
    Novak eyes slid to her, filled with an oily resentment. Lydia motioned to the ham and cheese on her desk. ‘I’m fine.’
    Bowden shrugged and walked out. Lydia waved goodbye to Elaine, who was still on the phone, and she gave her a tiny wave back before returning to the call. As she followed Bowden outside, Lydia wondered how much of a problem Novak was going to be. She’d already been warned by Elaine to steer clear of the prickly constable. She’d tried to explain his hostility away, saying he had domestic issues and was mean to everyone. Lydia took an educated guess that Novak was just a straight-up jerk, domestic issues or not.
    â€˜Any other details?’ Lydia asked as they approached the Ranger.
    â€˜Just that it’s messy,’ Bowden said. ‘Might have been a wild dogs. It’s happened before.’
    He popped the locks and got in. Lydia blew out a breath before climbing into the passenger side and clicking on her seatbelt. She could handle an animal kill. It wasn’t the same as a person. It just wasn’t. That was, unless it was a cute puppy, then she might feel kind of choked up. All the same, she was glad she hadn’t had a chance to eat her sandwich.
    * * *
    Coulter stared at the surveillance photos taped to one wall of the small house, filling every inch of it. He’d entered the Hunter’s tiny brick home with a building sense of dread and while he hadn’t found any pickled body parts in the refrigerator, there was enough evidence around to suggest the Hunter had become unhinged.
    Surveillance photos of the two rehabilitation centres, most of Crystal Waters, covered the lounge room walls. There were also the images of women from the compound, in town on errands, but he couldn’t see any of the men from the male compound.
    His lips thinned as he began pulling the photos off the wall and placing them in piles on the dining room table. From the kitchen next door, the Hunter spoke about what he’d learned about the two Breed communes as he made them tea.
    The information wasn’t anything Coulter