Snow Kills by Rc Bridgestock Read Free Book Online Page B

the middle of the desks to where DC Vicky Hardacre sat. Vicky stood up and smiled. Everyone knew Vicky in the nick for her breast implants, which gave her a figure to die for. This was a woman who wasn’t intimidated or embarrassed by anyone and Jackie aspired to be just like her one day, as she blushed, a fuchsia shade of pink.
    ‘Hi Jackie, what you got there love? A job for us?’ she said.
    ‘She wants to know how much it costs for a boob job like yours,’ quipped a chubby bloke with crisp, curly black hair and dark eyes who rested lazily upon one arm on his desk.
    Vicky swung round and gave him a slap on the back of his head with the palm of her hand.
    ‘You’ll be applying for some dentures if you don’t back off,’ she said, winking at Jackie. ‘Ignore him kid, every office has one.’
    Normally at moments like this Jackie would have been praying for the ground to open up and swallow her but to her surprise, she laughed instead. Vicky was cool.
    ‘Come over to my desk, in the corner, we won’t be disturbed there mate. Do you fancy a drink? Kettle’s just boiled,’ she said.
    ‘A coffee would be great, thanks,’ she said, shyly. In her experience, detectives told her to go and put the kettle on, they didn’t make a drink for her – she was pleasantly surprised.
    ‘Milk, sugar?’ Vicky enquired as she spooned the coffee powder out of the jar into two cups.
    ‘Both thanks.’ Jackie said.
    ‘Mine’s black,’ called the detective.
    Vicky flashed him her middle finger, ‘Ned,’ she said. He cocked his head. ‘Swivel. Now, what’s up love?’ she added, smiling as she slid in behind her desk and invited Jackie to sit opposite her.
    ‘Ned?’ said Jackie with a frown as she took the mug from Vicky.
    ‘DC Duncan Granger.’
    ‘So why Ned?’ she said taking a small sip of her drink.
    ‘Hung like a donkey, or so they say.’
    Jackie coughed, took another sip and coughed again mid-swallow, choking on the hot liquid.
    ‘But I wouldn’t put it past him starting the rumour himself,’ said Vicky, in a loud whisper that DC Granger couldn’t help but hear. He flashed her a V sign without lifting his head from the tabloid he was reading.
    ‘Really?’ Jackie said wiping the tears from her eyes.
    Vicky cocked an eyebrow at the young police officer, who cleared her throat and proceeded to shuffle the papers in her hand.
    Jackie cleared her throat. ‘I’m concerned about this girl that’s gone missing. To be honest, I don’t know what else I can do that I haven’t done already to try to locate her. Any ideas... I’d be really grateful?’ she said, handing Vicky the report.
    Vicky sat quietly for a moment or two, taking a mouthful of her coffee as she read the paperwork. Jackie looked around her and her eyes locked in on another man in a suit who sat nearby. She smiled, timidly and he winked at her. She looked quickly away.
    ‘Well, it’s certainly a mystery,’ Vicky said, scratching her head and gaining Jackie’s attention once more. ‘Anything else of relevance come in that night?
    ‘Not really, just a male flasher at a house in Harrowfield about tea time.’
    ‘Wonder he didn’t freeze his bollocks off,’ Vicky laughed. ‘You haven’t searched her home, her boyfriend’s or her workplace yet?’
    Jackie shook her head.
    ‘We can’t leave anything to chance and we have to be sure about those close to her, or the last person to physically speak to her, before we move on. As the boss would say, we must clear the ground beneath our feet first.’ Vicky smiled as she looked in Dylan’s direction.
    ‘The rescue teams are out there, so if she is a victim of the weather, they’ll find her, I’m confident about that,’ said Jackie.
    ‘Good,’ Vicky nodded. ‘Impressed.’
    Jackie sat and listened to the friendly blonde twenty seven year old Detective, who made everything sound so simple.
    ‘I think we had better inform the DI. He likes to be told about anything that CID might be