Deadly Deceit by Mari Hannah Read Free Book Online Page A

half, his ruddy face topped with a mop of strawberry blond hair. He was a great bloke whose parents were employed at either end of the lifecycle – his mother a midwife, his
father an undertaker – which Brown always said equipped him well for the brief interlude in between. He was Daniels’ obs man, the detective she used whenever there was a need for
surveillance. He had the capacity to sit still for hours and could survive with very little sleep.
    Sitting next to him, as always, was Lisa Carmichael. They had joined the squad together and were the best of mates. She was about to bin her lunch when DS Neil Maxwell reached out and took it
from her. Large, lazy and lethargic, he was nicknamed Sicknote by the others. He had a fondness for women and soft porn, in any order, and both at the same time if he could possibly manage it.
He’d been forced upon the squad, arriving under a cloud on a final warning. Considered the weak link in the team, he’d shown significant improvement after a choice word in his
shell-like from Daniels, a true believer in three strikes and you’re out.
    And lastly, DS Paul Robson, Robbo for short. A skilled detective but a man whose popularity had plummeted following mistakes he’d made recently that reflected badly on the team as a whole.
A new father with a gambling addiction he’d not yet come to terms with, he still looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
    Daniels got straight down to business, giving a brief case review to kick-start the enquiry. The consensus among the team was pretty clear-cut. If Mark Reid was last seen alive by Maggie Reid at
around seven-thirty when she put Jamie down for the night – the same woman who’d dialled 999 nearly five and a half hours later – that in itself was highly suspicious.
    ‘Then again . . .’ a voice at the back said, ‘the West End shite wouldn’t call the police if the aliens had landed—’
    ‘I need evidence, not innuendo,’ Daniels countered. ‘Having talked to the woman myself, I’m not convinced she’s anything other than a grieving mother.’ She
looked at her watch. ‘I’ll let you know when I’ve seen her again. Hank and I are due there in twenty minutes.’ She eyeballed the smartarse at the back. ‘Remind me
never to recommend you for Community Crime Prevention.’
    A titter went round the room.
    Daniels allowed them their moment of fun, naming Robson as statement reader before moving on to specific actions she wanted carried out immediately. ‘Lisa, look into Mark Reid’s
background. Find out who his friends are, talk to his work colleagues, try to build a picture of the kind of man he was.’ Her gaze shifted to Brown. ‘Andy, until we know more, I want
covert surveillance of that street in case there’s a pyromaniac on the loose. Fix it up with Technical Support. Tell them it’s an urgent job, no excuses. Then liaise with the Search
Coordinator. Drains and rubbish bins are to be searched before the next collections in case evidence was dumped by the perpetrator fleeing the scene. Neil, canvass all local petrol stations. Make a
note of anyone buying petrol in a can of late. And seize CCTV where you think appropriate.’
    It was a start, of sorts.
    Daniels left the station with Gormley. Leaving the city centre, they headed up the West Road passing the motorcycle garages where the DCI spent a lot of her off-duty time. A little further up
the hill a fight was going on outside the bowling alley, two uniforms getting stuck in. She slowed the car in case they needed a hand. Satisfied that they had everything under control, she picked
up speed again passing the City West Police Station on her left where she once worked, a challenging location for any officer on the force.
    As she drove by, she thought of the staff there with affection. In the bate room at the back, you could see all the way to the Angel of the North. It was the place she’d first met Gormley.
She drove on, counting