No Questions Asked by David Menon Read Free Book Online Page A

departure to the European Crime Agency in Paris. It had been a fantastic career move for her and everybody had wished her well. Her deputy DI Tim Norris had used the opportunity to uproot himself too. He’d emigrated with his family to New Zealand and a transfer to the Wellington police. That had left Adrian and DC Joe Alexander who were both being assigned to the squad of Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton. Adrian already had something in common with his new boss. They were both widowers, although the circumstances in which they’d each lost their wives had been very different. But Adrian was also pleased to be going to the new team with Joe who’d become a trusted friend and colleague although he hadn’t trusted Joe with everything about himself.
         ‘Sit yourself down then and I’ll serve up’.
         ‘Thanks’ said Adrian as he placed a hand over his tie before sitting down. ‘I could get used to this’.
         They hadn’t been eating long before Adrian’s thirteen year old daughter Jessica came downstairs. His son Tom and his younger daughter had both stayed over with friends last night. Only Jessica had been in the house and she’d gone to bed by the time Adrian and Kate had come back from the pub.
         Jessica took one look at the kitchen and said ‘Oh I’m sorry I didn’t realise our kitchen had been rented out to a stranger’.
         ‘Jessica, don’t be rude’ said Adrian. ‘You know Kate’.
         ‘Hi Jessica’ Kate tried as warmly as she could. She saw Jessica every day at school but this was different. She wasn’t her teacher here.
         ‘I know her as Miss Branning’ said Jessica.
         ‘Shall I make you something to eat, Jessica?’ Kate ventured.
         ‘Excuse me but just who do you think you are? This is our kitchen and you’ve got no place in it’
         ‘Jessica, that’s enough’ Adrian warned. ‘Kate is my guest and you’ll show her due courtesy’.
         ‘No way will I ever show her any respect’.
         ‘I beg your pardon?’
         Jessica pointed her finger at Kate who was frozen to the spot. ‘If you’re intent on a relationship with my father then I tell you now that I will never support it because as a human being as well as a teacher you totally suck. I’m glad we’ve had this chance for a little talk away from school where I’ve got the power and you have none’.   
         ‘Jessica, apologise now!’ Adrian demanded.
         ‘I will not!’ Jessica snarled as she swept out of the kitchen and out the front door. ‘I hope my father breaks your heart because that’s what you deserve’.
         ‘Jessica!’
         ‘Its okay, Adrian’ said Kate who was close to tears but managing to hold it back. Jessica’s outburst had certainly brought her right back down to earth with an almighty great big thump. It hadn’t been entirely unexpected however. Last year Jessica had gone to Kate to say that she was being bullied. Kate hadn’t believed her and told her that she must be making it up because Kate knew the girls Jessica was accusing and had asserted that they wouldn’t be like that. Then a week or so later Kate caught the girls inflicting their torment on Jessica and she had to reprimand them and apologise to Jessica. But Jessica wouldn’t accept her apology. There’d been bad blood between them ever since.    
         ‘It’s not okay, Kate’ said Adrian who was mortified at his daughter’s behaviour. ‘I won’t have you spoken to like that’.
         ‘I’m a teacher, remember?’ said Kate. She didn’t want to tell Adrian about the bullying incident with Jessica just yet. She wanted to wait until their relationship was more solid before she dropped that little one. ‘I’m used to stroppy teenagers who think I suck’.
         ‘But you’re my girlfriend and this is my bloody house’.
         ‘It’s a family home’ said Kate who then held