Electric Light (Blair Dubh Trilogy #3) by Heather Atkinson Read Free Book Online Page A

said Gary.
    “Yeah, there is that.”
    “So what’s happened?” said Steve. “All we’ve been told is that there was a shooting.”
    “There was. Apparently Adam shot Fred and Joanie through the window of their cottage with a sniper rifle then shot at me, Jimmy and Bill when we went in to check on them. Then he shot himself in the head.”
    “No fucking way,” they both said in unison.
    “That’s just what I was thinking,” replied Craig, looking up at Adam’s bedroom window.
    “Is the fud here?” said Gary.
    “Afraid so, probably pissing off a lot of armed officers.”
    “Hopefully one of them will shoot him,” said Gary. “Sorry,” he added when they both looked at him aghast, astonished by his tactlessness.
    The man himself emerged from the house. “What are you two doing standing about chatting when there’s work to be done?” Hughes demanded of Gary and Steve.
    “The Sarge was just giving us some background,” replied Steve.
    “You don’t need any background. All you need to do is guard the crime scenes. You two stay here, I’ll take the McNab house. Okay?”
    Gary clicked his heels together and saluted him. “Yes Mein Commandant.”
    “Don’t be a smart arse, you haven’t got the brain capacity,” muttered Hughes as he strode past them towards the McNab’s cottage.
    “How has he still got a job?” said Craig, glowering at Hughes’s retreating back.
    “Friends in high places. One day he’ll do something that not even the Chief Constable can protect him from,” replied Steve.
    “Talking of happier things, you’ll never guess Sarge. Steve’s getting married,” said Gary.
    “That’s great news. Congratulations,” Craig smiled, shaking his hand. “Who to?”
    “A real woman,” Gary replied, as though he couldn’t believe it.
    Steve gave his colleague a snooty look before turning his attention back to Craig. “Her name’s Monica and she’s gorgeous.”
    “It’s true, she is. I don’t know what she sees in this string bean,” said Gary.
    “Maybe it’s because I have an IQ higher than a can of lager.”
    Before the bickering could continue Hughes bellowed at them from across the road, “get to work.”
    Muttering oaths to themselves they wandered off to carry out their orders, leaving Craig to stare up at the window of Adam’s bedroom. Something wasn’t right.

CHAPTER 6
     
    Graeme was virtually ignored by the armed officers. After being frisked he was ushered into the pub with the rest of the villagers who’d been rounded up while every building was checked in case there was more than one gunman. Toby grumbled the entire time, complaining that being searched by a burly armed officer was an infringement of his human rights then vocalising loudly that they had no right to hold them prisoner, even if the prison was a fully stocked pub.
    “Give it a rest will you?” sighed Graeme, squeezing through the crowd gathered at the windows to watch the circus. “They’re just doing their jobs.” He made himself a promise that as soon as he recommenced his great work this arsehole would be the first on the list, he felt he would be doing the entire country a service.
    Graeme listened to the wild rumours put forth by the villagers as he nursed his whisky, most of which seemed to centre around Adam. They were all unable to figure out whether he was a victim or the perpetrator. Everyone had noticed the peculiar concentration of officers around his cottage, had seen a distraught Betty being escorted out and taken away in an ambulance. Some of the villagers were sat quietly in a corner, teary-eyed. They’d heard Joanie and Fred were dead and they mourned them. 
    When an exhausted Bill walked in they all congregated around him, demanding to know what was going on.
    “Where’s my Craig?” said Nora, clutching onto the front of Bill’s shirt, balancing on her crutches.
    “He’s fine, he’s a hero actually, he saved mine and Jimmy’s lives. He’s out there helping the