Read Online If I Never See You Again by Niamh O'Connor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Niamh O'Connor
Tags: Mystery
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clicking files shut on his monitor. ‘It’s been six months now since my latest submission and I still haven’t . . .’
Dan’s presidential black leather chair creaked loudly as he shifted position. ‘I’m afraid I find myself unable to recommend it at the moment,’ he said.
‘Why? This is insane. Your life has moved on, Dan. Why can’t you give me the chance to do the same with mine?’
Rows of tired crinkles appeared at the sides of his eyes. ‘I need you to head up the Rita Nulty investigation,’ he said. ‘Solve it, and you get to go whenever you like.’
‘What?’ Jo sat down in the uncomfortable cup chair Dan kept for visitors.
He reached for a sheet of paper from the top tray and slid it across the desk. ‘These are the officers I can spare.’
A murder brief . Jo felt a jolt of excitement. ‘Thank you, Dan. You won’t regret this, I promise.’ She knew he’d take flak for this – be accused of giving her special treatment – but she also knew that she could solve the case.
Reaching over to take the list from him, she overturned the picture on his desk with her elbow. It fell, face up, revealing the snap behind the framed glass. Dan was standing behind Jeanie with his hands on her shoulders. Jeanie was nuzzling Harry on her lap. Rory stood to one side, looking a hair’s breadth off the centre of the lens, making him seem removed. Dan had a high, forced smile on his face and a round-necked jumper on – the kind men only wore at Christmas, the kind he didn’t wear, the kind that left her in no doubt that this was not a case of waving at a passer-by and asking them to take their picture. This was a posed shot, and she could tell from the background it had been taken at a photographer’s studio.
Dan stared at the picture as if he were seeing it for the first time too, then caught Jo’s eye guiltily. In that split second she saw the old Dan, the one who would say or do anything rather than hurt her. He reached over quickly and slid the photo towards a desk drawer. ‘I didn’t put that there . . .’ he began awkwardly.
‘You told me last night it wasn’t serious,’ Jo said, her breathing short.
He glanced to the door behind her then lowered his voice. ‘You still haven’t said you want me back, Jo. I can’t wait for ever.’
Jo focused on his hands gripping the desk and pictured them on Jeanie. ‘I’ve taken the house off the market,’ she said. ‘The boys have had enough upheaval. I’m sorry.’
Dan leaned his chair back as far as it would go then stood up and walked over to the window and stared out. Jo wanted to go to him, press her face against his back and wrap her arms around his waist, beg him to come home and tell him that everything would be all right.
‘Don’t you mean you have had enough upheaval?’ he answered.
Jo blinked rapidly, but held her tongue. She made a big effort to concentrate on the names on the page. As she did so, she realized her big break came with a big catch. Dan was assigning Mac and another of the station’s nonentities, Merrigan, to the case. If Rita had come from some nice leafy estate on the south side with an SUV parked outside and had not had a shitty life nobody cared about, he’d never have pulled a stunt like this. Mac was a liability and would need babysitting so as not to get into any more trouble, and Merrigan was about as politically correct as Bernard Manning. Sending either of them to interview the girls working on the street would be a disaster. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I can’t work with these guys.’
Dan turned around.
‘I need Foxy,’ Jo said. ‘I know he hasn’t been on a live case in years but he’s such a stickler for detail, I could do with a mind like his. And I want Sexton, because of his contacts on the street. As many mules as I need to cover the door-to-doors and checkpoint questionnaires, obviously, and every detective that can be spared.’
Dan loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his
Dan’s presidential black leather chair creaked loudly as he shifted position. ‘I’m afraid I find myself unable to recommend it at the moment,’ he said.
‘Why? This is insane. Your life has moved on, Dan. Why can’t you give me the chance to do the same with mine?’
Rows of tired crinkles appeared at the sides of his eyes. ‘I need you to head up the Rita Nulty investigation,’ he said. ‘Solve it, and you get to go whenever you like.’
‘What?’ Jo sat down in the uncomfortable cup chair Dan kept for visitors.
He reached for a sheet of paper from the top tray and slid it across the desk. ‘These are the officers I can spare.’
A murder brief . Jo felt a jolt of excitement. ‘Thank you, Dan. You won’t regret this, I promise.’ She knew he’d take flak for this – be accused of giving her special treatment – but she also knew that she could solve the case.
Reaching over to take the list from him, she overturned the picture on his desk with her elbow. It fell, face up, revealing the snap behind the framed glass. Dan was standing behind Jeanie with his hands on her shoulders. Jeanie was nuzzling Harry on her lap. Rory stood to one side, looking a hair’s breadth off the centre of the lens, making him seem removed. Dan had a high, forced smile on his face and a round-necked jumper on – the kind men only wore at Christmas, the kind he didn’t wear, the kind that left her in no doubt that this was not a case of waving at a passer-by and asking them to take their picture. This was a posed shot, and she could tell from the background it had been taken at a photographer’s studio.
Dan stared at the picture as if he were seeing it for the first time too, then caught Jo’s eye guiltily. In that split second she saw the old Dan, the one who would say or do anything rather than hurt her. He reached over quickly and slid the photo towards a desk drawer. ‘I didn’t put that there . . .’ he began awkwardly.
‘You told me last night it wasn’t serious,’ Jo said, her breathing short.
He glanced to the door behind her then lowered his voice. ‘You still haven’t said you want me back, Jo. I can’t wait for ever.’
Jo focused on his hands gripping the desk and pictured them on Jeanie. ‘I’ve taken the house off the market,’ she said. ‘The boys have had enough upheaval. I’m sorry.’
Dan leaned his chair back as far as it would go then stood up and walked over to the window and stared out. Jo wanted to go to him, press her face against his back and wrap her arms around his waist, beg him to come home and tell him that everything would be all right.
‘Don’t you mean you have had enough upheaval?’ he answered.
Jo blinked rapidly, but held her tongue. She made a big effort to concentrate on the names on the page. As she did so, she realized her big break came with a big catch. Dan was assigning Mac and another of the station’s nonentities, Merrigan, to the case. If Rita had come from some nice leafy estate on the south side with an SUV parked outside and had not had a shitty life nobody cared about, he’d never have pulled a stunt like this. Mac was a liability and would need babysitting so as not to get into any more trouble, and Merrigan was about as politically correct as Bernard Manning. Sending either of them to interview the girls working on the street would be a disaster. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I can’t work with these guys.’
Dan turned around.
‘I need Foxy,’ Jo said. ‘I know he hasn’t been on a live case in years but he’s such a stickler for detail, I could do with a mind like his. And I want Sexton, because of his contacts on the street. As many mules as I need to cover the door-to-doors and checkpoint questionnaires, obviously, and every detective that can be spared.’
Dan loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his
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