Read Online The Careless Word (#8 - The Craig Crime Series) by Catriona King - Free Book Online Page B

when Craig made it clear that he did need to know.
    “I presume you’re referring to an officer joining us? And yes, how, Liam? Did the name come to you in your dreams?”
    Liam sniffed knowingly. “As a matter of fact it did. I woke up this morning with the idea and a call ten minutes ago sorted it.”
    Annette snorted. “I bet whoever you phoned this early on a Saturday was overjoyed.”
    Craig nipped the exchange in the bud. “OK, Liam. Who and how?”
    “Aidan Hughes in Vice. I didn’t need to wake him ‘cos those boys never sleep; too many late nights staking out brothels.”
    Craig shot him a quizzical look. “You mean Aidan wants to work with us? He’s a bit senior.”
    Nicky arrived with the coffee and Liam took an enormous slurp, giving Craig a look that said he was daft.
    “No, not Aidan. He has a wee lassie on the squad and I remembered him saying she was finding Vice rough going. It seems she’s a ‘laydee’ and the filthy world of sex and drugs is not to Madam’s liking.” Liam extended his little finger like a Victorian Duchess. It looked like a sausage appearing from his mug.
    Craig smiled at the reference to ‘Little Britain’. “Does this laydee have a name, by any chance?”
    Davy leapt in. “Flower of Victorian womanhood?”
    “Don’t encourage him, Davy.” He turned back to Liam. “Well?”
    “Her name’s Carmen McGregor. She’s Scottish, from the posh part of Edinburgh. Anyway, Aidan says she’s bright and keen to learn.”
    Craig raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?”
    Liam bit into a digestive and shook his head. “What do you mean?”
    “Come off it. You know Aidan as well as I do; do you really think he’d let such a gem go without a fight, unless he wanted shot of her? ”
    Nicky had stopped typing and was craning her neck to listen and Annette wore an expression that said ‘please God, don’t let her be difficult.’
    Liam popped the last crumbs of biscuit in his mouth and was just reaching for a second when Craig’s gimlet gaze halted him. He leaned back in his chair and shrugged, conceding.
    “Aye, well… Apparently she’s a bit challenging.”
    Craig raked his hair and Annette mouthed “Oh, God.”
    “Challenging how?”
    Liam was about to play for time when four pairs of eyes warned him not to.
    “Well… She’s a bit mouthy, thinks she knows it all. And apparently she got a crush on one of Aidan’s lads and followed him around.” He saw Craig’s head begin to shake and added hastily. “But she’s got a first class degree in something and she works her ass off. And it’s only for two weeks and then we can give her back.”
    Craig thought for a moment and then dragged his hand down his face in a gesture of defeat. He looked directly at Annette. In Jake’s absence she would be the person with most contact with a new junior. If she didn’t want Carmen McGregor to join them then she wouldn’t. Annette read Craig’s mind and thought for a moment before she spoke.
    “OK, here’s the deal. Until Jake’s back Liam and I share responsibility for her equally.”
    Liam lurched forward, scattering crumbs all over the floor. “Here now, I’m a D.C.I.”
    “I don’t care if you’re the Pope, those are my terms.”
    “Ach, boss.”
    Craig ignored his whine. “Carry on, Annette.”
    “If she’s lippy we need your permission to rein her in then and there, sir, not have to refer her back to you.”
    “Agreed. Is that it?” Craig knew that it wasn’t.
    “And Davy has to let her shadow him sometimes so that we get a break.”
    Davy had only been half-listening, reckoning that a new detective was the business of the police-officers in the room, not him. He’d left a programme running on one of his computers and had been craning his neck to see how far it had progressed when he heard his name mentioned and turned back hurriedly to the group.
    “W…What?”
    Craig knew he hadn’t been listening so he summarised. “Annette wants the new girl