Slice by David Hodges Read Free Book Online

wouldn’t rake that up again. It was a long time ago.’
    ‘Yeah, but I still stuck my neck out for you, didn’t I? We lost a target criminal because you fell asleep on that surveillance job. If my boss had had her way, you would have been off the department there and then.’
    Oates stared at the floor for a moment. ‘Is what you’re asking me to do connected with Janet?’ he said at last.
    ‘Best you don’t know.’
    Oates groaned, ‘Oh, Guv’nor !’
    Fulton produced a piece of paper and scribbled down the number of the sports car he had noted outside his home and handed it to him. ‘George, it’s nothing illegal, OK? I just want you to find out an RO for me. Simple as that.’
    Oates looked at the number and shook his head wearily. ‘So what reason do I give for the check? Tell them I’m just returning a favour?’
    Fulton grinned at the jibe, but before he could answer, an attractive young woman in superintendent’s uniform poked her head round the door. ‘George …’ she began, then froze when she saw Fulton sitting in the corner behind the door. ‘Hello, Jack,’ she said. ‘What’s all this? Not leaning on my LIO, I hope?’
    Fulton hoisted himself up out of the chair. ‘Afternoon, Dee. Just a social visit. George and I go back a long way.’
    Superintendent Dee Honeywell looked unconvinced, her blue eyes studying his face suspiciously. ‘Got a minute, Jack?’
    He nodded, considering the slim blonde appreciatively. One of the new breed of senior officers, this one, almost straight out of university and already starred for future chief officer rank. Maybe he had been born much too early. ‘Anything for a lovely lady like you, Dee, you know that.’
    Out in the corridor she nodded towards the stairs and cornered him in the stairwell. ‘Do you have to make such overtly sexist innuendoes in front of my staff?’ she snapped.
    His jaw dropped. ‘Sexist … what? Dee, it was a joke, OK? A joke!’
    ‘Maybe,’ she agreed, her expression hard and unsmiling, ‘but those sorts of jokes have no place in today’s modern police service and you should know better. Now, I’ve given our LIO strict instructions that he is not to get bogged down with incident room enquiries – you have your own team to do that. He can provide local knowledge as and when you need it, but that’s all. Do we understand each other?’
    Fulton grunted. ‘Understanding a woman is something I’ve never been very good at,’ he retorted.
    She frowned, but chose to ignore the remark. ‘So, how’s the inquiry going?’
    He shrugged. ‘It isn’t at the moment. But we have one lead your lads might be able to help us with.’
    She raised her eyebrows. ‘ Lads ? That’s not very equal ops, is it? You mean personnel, don’t you? There are women on this police area as well, you know.’
    Fulton caught his breath quickly. ‘I’m investigating a bloody murder, Dee, all right?’ he grated. ‘I haven’t got time to worry about all this political correctness crap.’
    She compressed her lips into a tight line. ‘The chief constable might not look at it that way.’
    Fulton’s face darkened. ‘Then he can come down here and do the job himself,’ he snapped. ‘And while he’s about it, maybe he can explain why his marvellous SOCO team was so short-staffed that they turned up late and we had to borrow floodlights from traffic just to see the bloody corpse!’
    ‘Still no reason to forget the niceties.’
    ‘Niceties?’ he erupted. ‘What bloody planet are you on, Dee? A man is dead. Have you got that? D-e-a-d! Save your politically correct niceties for the officers’ mess or one of your focus groups. I have to live in the real world.’
    Her eyes glittered. ‘You’ve made your point, Jack. I think you’ve said quite enough.’
    He emitted a short, unamused laugh. ‘Oh, I haven’t said anywhere near as much as I’d like, Dee, but I think I’ll save it all for another day – or maybe for your next grammar school