Read Online Shades of Evil by Shirley Wells - Free Book Online Page B

found it difficult to accept failure.
    ‘So are you out training in this weather?’ she asked.
    ‘I’m trying to. It’ll either get me very fit or kill me.’
    She smiled at that. ‘Rather you than me.’
    ‘Jill—’ He hugged the clipboard to him, and clutched his hot drink tightly. ‘About the time—’
    ‘Let’s forget it, shall we?’
    She knew exactly what he referring to, and she really didn’t want to talk about it.
    ‘I just want to say sorry.’ He shuffled his feet. ‘I was horrified to be suspended from duty and I was angry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, though, and I’m sorry about that.’
    She’d known an apology was coming, but the fact that he sounded sincere surprised her.
    They’d bumped into each other in the Green Man, the day she’d deemed him unfit to work. He’d lost his temper with her, calling her a power-crazed shrink among other things.
    ‘Forget it, Clive. In the same situation, I would have been angry, too. But you did witness a terrible tragedy. Not only were you chasing a suspect, you had to try and save the life of an innocent bystander.’
    And watch the young man die as they waited for the ambulance.
    ‘Anyone would struggle to cope with that,’ she went on, ‘and I’m sure some time away from the job will do you good.’
    ‘But that’s just it. I’m not struggling. These things happen and I can accept that.’
    In other words, he was pushing it from his mind and that wasn’t healthy.
    ‘You’ll soon be back with us. And probably wishing you were still at home,’ she added with a dry smile. ‘It’s manic here right now.’
    ‘I can imagine. Trust me to be stuck at home when there’s a good juicy murder, eh?’
    The words sounded callous, but he wouldn’t be the only officer thinking that way. Clive was ambitious. He was young, too. He would have seen this as a chance to shine in front of superior officers. To him, a murder investigation would represent promotion.
    ‘There will be others, Clive.’
    ‘Yeah. Anyway, I’m sorry about – well, you know. And thanks for the sponsorship. I’m hoping to beat last year’s effort. I raised just over three grand then.’
    ‘I remember. Good luck.’
    ‘Thanks. And thanks for being so understanding. I’m really sorry.’ He spotted a couple of officers heading towards the main reception. ‘I spy more sponsorship. See you, Jill.’
    ‘See you.’
    As she waited for her plastic cup to fill, she watched him laughing with the two PCs. They wrote on his clipboard so she guessed he’d managed to get more sponsorship.
    She carried her coffee to her office, and saw that a large note had been stuck to her desk. ‘Marshall in rm 3. Give me a buzz when you’re ready.’
    Max would have to wait while she drank her coffee and checked her email.
    She was pleased they’d found Ricky Marshall, but why interview room three? It was easily the coldest place in the building and competition was stiff for that particular accolade.
    Fifteen minutes later, she phoned Max. ‘You’ve found Ricky Marshall then? How did you manage that?’
    ‘He’s well known. Are you ready for a chat with him?’
    ‘I can be.’
    Jill kept a spare jumper in her office for emergencies such as this and, before going to meet Max, she put it on. She loathed being cold. It slowed her thought processes.
    ‘Why,’ she demanded of Max as they headed along the corridor towards it, ‘is the room never used in the summer and yet seems to be first choice in winter?’
    ‘The others have been painted,’ he explained, ‘and we can’t subject people to fumes. Had I known we’d want you along, I’d have told you to wear your thermals.’
    ‘Who says I’m not?’
    She pushed open the door, saw Ricky Marshall and had to bite back a laugh. Lauren’s flatmate Jo had said she thought Ricky had his teeth done by his barber and his hair done by his dentist. A more apt description of anyone it would be difficult to find.
    She looked at Max and