Missing Believed Dead by Chris Longmuir Read Free Book Online

own room and tried to slam the door, but he was too late. Emma pushed in after him. Anger suffused her face and he backed away from her. He had never seen her like this before and he was suddenly afraid of what she might do to him.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ he stammered, hoping to appease her.
    ‘You’re sorry,’ she blazed. ‘Damn well stay out of my room and keep your hands off my things.’ She raised a hand to strike him.
    The doorbell rang, and her hand dropped to her side. Breathing heavily, she muttered, ‘Don’t think I’m going to forget this,’ before backing out of the room.

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    After the super left, Kate took stock of her office. It was smaller than the one she had at Forfar, but the desk and chair were nowhere near as dilapidated as she was accustomed to. It reflected the priority level the Tayside force gave to Eastern division, which came lower in the pecking order than Central.
    She sank into the leather swivel chair and twirled back and forth. This definitely was a lot more comfortable than her saggy old one. Pulling out the top right desk drawer, she frowned when she saw it was full of reports. Security evidently had not been a priority with the previous DI, and if he was sloppy about security it would reflect back on the team. Things here would have to change.
    She lifted the reports out of the desk drawer and riffled through them. Nothing seemed to be urgent or pending so she got up to lock them safely away in the filing cabinet, snorting softly to herself when she discovered the cabinet wasn’t even locked. She pulled out the top drawer. It was full. She tried the rest of them until she found space in the bottom one. Placing the reports in it she slammed the drawer shut with her foot.
    A wave of despondency overtook her and she slumped back into the chair. What had she got herself into? It would take forever to sort out this mess of paperwork, never mind whip the team into shape. She stared at the closed Venetian blinds on the window separating her room from the main office and willed herself to get up and open them. If the team thought she was watching them maybe they would buck themselves up.
    She was halfway across the room when her mobile rang. Fishing it out of her pocket she flipped it open and frowned. Her finger hovered on the accept button for a moment but then she closed the screen and rammed the phone back into her pocket. It was probably another of those silent phone calls she’d been getting lately. She should report it and get a trace put on it but that would send out the wrong signal to whoever was making the calls, and she didn’t want to give them the pleasure of knowing they irritated her. Better to ignore them and the caller would eventually give up.
    Pulling the cord to open the venetians she stared with angry eyes into the team room. DS Rogers, the auburn-haired woman, was rummaging in a filing cabinet drawer. The desk next to her was now empty. DC Cartwright was hunched over a computer, while the other DC, whose name she couldn’t remember, had his head down studying a file.
    Her lips tightened when she noted no sign of DS Murphy. The venetians swung when she let go of the cord to open the office door. Marching into the main office she approached DS Rogers who was now shrugging her coat on.
    ‘I’d like a word about procedures.’ Kate found it difficult to suppress her annoyance, but Rogers had done nothing to warrant it.
    Sue smiled apologetically. ‘Can it wait, ma’am. The super asked me to represent him at a meeting at Tayside House and I don’t want to be late.’
    ‘See me when you get back.’ Kate turned away in an attempt to hide her anger. The super knew she would be starting today. Why hadn’t he asked her?
    She took several deep breaths until she felt calmer, walked over to the water cooler where she filled a paper cup and gulped its contents. That was better, her heart had stopped racing and she felt more in charge of her