Read Online The Reborn by Lin Anderson - Free Book Online

of day or maybe it was because of Kira and the missing baby.
    As Rhona approached, a girl appeared, opened the gate and went inside. She took a seat on one of the swings and began to pull herself upwards.
    Drawing nearer, she realised the girl was pregnant. And she was just a girl, not much older, at a guess, than Kira. As Rhona passed, a young male vaulted the low railing and called to the girl; the name sounded like ‘Mel’. The girl slowed the swing down and jumped to the ground before walking to meet him. They embraced.
    Without getting closer Rhona couldn’t be sure, but the young man, his arms now about the girl, looked very like the photo she’d seen in the strategy meeting of David Murdoch, the dead girl’s boyfriend. If it was him, it suggested David was friendly with more than one pregnant teenager.
    Rhona came to a halt, but the couple weren’t interested in her, only in each other. The girl was talking rapidly, the boy trying to calm her. Rhona could hear nothing of the interchange. She brought out her phone as though answering a call and surreptitiously photographed the pair.
    Her first instinct was to send the image to McNab, tell him what she’d spotted. She even brought up his number before she realised what she’d done. She stared at the screen, angry with herself for not deleting the contact already, yet unable to do so even now. She thrust the mobile back in her bag. She would email a copy to DS Clark when she reached the lab, check if it was David she’d seen.
    By the time she exited the park the pair had disappeared; the distant view was of a deserted playground, an empty swing swaying back and forth.
    ‘OK. Listen to this. Yak hair is considered to be the best material to use for wigs.’
    ‘Yak hair?’
    ‘Bear with me on this. The victim had hair under her fingernail. It isn’t human. So she picked it up from an animal. An animal that was dyed red? I don’t think so. More likely she was in contact with a dyed fur jacket, or a wig. I started with wigs. Basically, the most expensive ones are made with virgin hair which has never been chemically treated. Remy hair, human hair that has been treated, comes next in quality. Next best is a weave of human and animal hair. Further down the price scale it’s synthetic. Apparently yak hair is pretty good in a weave because it can be curled, permed, relaxed and coloured just like human hair.’
    Chrissy had launched into full flow as soon as Rhona appeared. Now she’d paused for breath, Rhona told her the news about Bill.
    ‘Ya beauty !’ Chrissy punched the air. ‘All down to us of course.’
    Chrissy took any forensic success to be a personal achievement.
    ‘It’s not over yet.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Bill was in with Sutherland when I left.’
    Chrissy put her hands on her hips. ‘He won’t demote him. Sutherland’s not that stupid.’ She took in Rhona’s doubtful expression before going on vehemently. ‘Everyone hates Slater. They want Bill back. Sutherland’ll pretend to be the big noise . . .’
    ‘Which he is.’
    ‘But he’ll try to make Bill stay.’
    ‘I don’t think it’ll work.’
    For the first time during the conversation Chrissy looked unsure.
    ‘I hope you tried . . .’
    ‘I tried,’ Rhona said more sharply than she intended.
    Chrissy’s face fell. ‘Things will never be the same again, will they?’
    ‘Things change. Besides, you have Sam and Michael now.’
    ‘And who do you have?’
    ‘You know me. I like my own company.’
    Rhona hoped her tone made it clear the discussion was at an end. Just to make sure, she changed tack.
    ‘Sutherland has asked for Magnus to be consulted on the fairground case. Slater wasn’t too keen, but he has no choice.’
    Chrissy had a soft spot for the Orcadian professor of psychology and liked the idea of a discomfited DI Slater. The small consolation seemed to perk her up.
    ‘I’d better be going. I’d said I’d meet Sam about now.’
    ‘So when will you