Dead at Third Man

by G R Jordan

  ‘Too much screwing about,’ said Hope.

  ‘Extra-marital intercourse,’ said Macleod, horrified at the crassness of her language.

  ‘How’s Alan Painter doing?’ asked Stewart, keen to change the subject.

  ‘Not good,’ said Hope, ‘unlike Declan and his relatives. ‘But he still has a chance. They’re worried about brain damage.’ And that caused a silence amongst the group until Jane came back to the table, smiling in her upbeat fashion.

  With the meal concluded, DC Stewart said her farewells, promising to meet Macleod the next day to talk further about her transfer. Hope shook her hand, but her heart was not in it and Macleod felt for his colleague. She sat in silence in the rear of the car as Jane drove them to the airport. Dropping Hope off at the front of the building, Macleod watched her take her bag inside and turn left for the check-in.

  ‘Go and see her,’ said Jane.

  ‘It’s not the professional thing. This is about her private life and I know them both too well.’

  ‘Then don’t offer advice but get your backside in there, Seoras, and be there for her. She’s about to do this on her own. The girl’s terrified.’

  Macleod checked Jane’s face and saw that he was not going to be able to duck out of this one. ‘You know she spoke to me about it. Asked me about the problem that caused it, if I would be okay with it. If I would be okay with you doing the same.’

  ‘And what did you say?’ Jane’s face was not its usual jokey self but instead, Macleod saw a seriousness there.

  ‘I said it was your decision but that I would be okay with it. But I get his issue.’

  ‘Good,’ said Jane and leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek. ‘Now get inside and offer no more advice.’

  Macleod hauled himself out of the car, his ribs shouting at him. Seeing Hope without her bag through the glass, he recognised she was heading for the departure gate and started to run to catch up with her. Every step hurt as his ribs bounced but he knew she would be gone if he did not hurry.

  ‘Hope.’

  She turned around and looked at him, her face a world of tension and pain. He stepped forward and opened his arms, giving her a large hug. He was not expecting her to grab him so tightly back, hanging onto him as the tears began to flow. His ribs smarted from the crush, but he stayed silent, letting her cling to him. Eventually she sniffed and stepped back, her eyes now red.

  ‘Hair down when you meet him,’ said Macleod. ‘I heard him say that he liked it that way to Jane.’

  ‘He does. I think he has an image of me that I can’t live up to. One where he wants me to be like this but not like that. Free spirited as long as he doesn’t mind and then plain and proper if it gets too much.’

  ‘Jane scares me,’ said Macleod. ‘She pushes my limits, forces me to think, and be more daring and more conciliatory at times. But we nearly didn’t get started. She had to take on my baggage too. Had to help me work out how to live with the loss of my wife, and you of all people know how that messed me up. But we did it.’ Hope nodded and dropped her head ready to turn away, but Macleod grabbed her hand and lifted up her chin with his other hand.

  ‘Do you want him?’ She nodded. ‘Then damn well get him. Give him all that you are. If he wants you, he’ll take it. If he doesn’t, then he’s not for you.’

  ‘Since when are you an agony aunt?’ Hope laughed. And then she looked at him, deep into his eyes, like she was searching him. ‘You know, Seoras if I was twenty years older, I—’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Sorry, unprofessional.’

  ‘Not that. I would too, so no.’

  Smiling, she walked off to the double doors that were the departure gate and untied her hair, letting the shiny red waves fall across her shoulders. Her hips moved with a confidence that had been gone and she held her figure upright. Well, she’ll go for it if nothing else, he thought.

  And then she suddenly stopped and turned back. ‘Good choice with Stewart—I approve.’

  ‘Oh really,’ said Macleod, and mocked, ‘so good to know. And why do you approve?’

  ‘Another woman on the team, always good.’ He saw the tease in her eyes. ‘But seriously, Seoras, good to have her.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because she’s not me. She’s quite different, makes a good blend. Maybe she can handle Mackintosh for you.’ And off she went. Yes, Allinson would get Hope in all her fullness coming at him. The little barbs were back.

  Turn over to discover the new Patrick Smythe series!

  Start Your Patrick Smythe Journey Here!

  Patrick Smythe is a former Northern Irish policeman who after suffering an amputation after a bomb blast, takes to the sea between the west coast of Scotland and his homeland to ply his trade as a private investigator. Join Paddy as he tries to work to his own ethics while knowing how to bend the rules he once enforced. Working from his beloved motorboat ‘Craigantlet’, Paddy decides to rescue a drug mule in this short story from the pen of G R Jordan.

  Join G R Jordan’s monthly newsletter about forthcoming releases and special writings for his tribe of avid readers and then receive your free Patrick Smythe short story.

  Go to https://bit.ly/PatrickSmythe for your Patrick Smythe journey to start!

  About the Author

  GR Jordan is a self-published author who finally decided at forty that in order to have an enjoyable lifestyle, his creative beast within would have to be unleashed. His books mirror that conflict in life where acts of decency contend with self-promotion, goodness stares in horror at evil, and kindness blindsides us when we at our worst. Corrupting our world with his parade of wondrous and horrific characters, he highlights everyday tensions with fresh eyes whilst taking his methodical, intelligent mainstays on a roller-coaster ride of dilemmas, all the while suffering the banter of their provocative sidekicks.

  A graduate of Loughborough University where he masqueraded as a chemical engineer but ultimately played American football, Gary had worked at changing the shape of cereal flakes and pulled a pallet truck for a living. Watching vegetables freeze at -40’C was another career highlight and he was also one of the Scottish Highlands “blind” air traffic controllers. These days he has graduated to answering a telephone to people in trouble before telephoning other people to sort it out.

  Having flirted with most places in the UK, he is now based in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where his free time is spent between raising a young family with his wife, writing, figuring out how to work a loom and caring for a small flock of chickens. Luckily, his writing is influenced by his varied work and life experience as the chickens have not been the poetical inspiration he had hoped for!

  You can connect with me on:

  https://grjordan.com

  https://twitter.com/carpetless

  https://facebook.com/carpetlessleprechaun

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  Also by G R Jordan

  G R Jordan writes across multiple genres including crime, dark and action adventure fantasy, feel good fantasy, mystery thriller and horror fantasy. Below are a selection of his work grouped together in their genres. Whilst all books are available across online stores, signed copies are available at his personal shop.

  The Pirate Club: A Highlands and Islands Detective Thriller (Highlands & Islands Detective Book 6)

  A body holding a spade in the sand amidst tales of a missing gem. An old boy’s network whose members are rapidly becoming extinct. Can Macleod solve the gamester’s clues before the club players are liquidated and the prize is gone forever?

  In the sixth major case of Macleod and McGrath’s partnership, a deadly game is being played in the search for a long-stolen jewel of fantastic wealth. Whilst former friends dispatch their new enemies, DI Macleod hunts the pieces of parchment that will lead him to the resting place of a Sultan’s pride and joy, and the killers who cannot live without it. Will the pirate king emerge triumphant, or can the Inspector
run their plans asunder?

  When precious things seem out of reach, death may be the only compromise.

  The Small Ferry: A Highlands and Islands Detective Thriller (Highlands & Islands Detective Book 4)

  https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-small-ferry

  A dreich day for a crossing and a small ferry packed to the gills. After off-loading one man sits dead at the wheel of the last remaining car. Can Macleod find the connections between the passengers, before the killer strikes again?

  Macleod and McGrath return to Cromarty when a man is found dead at the wheel of his car on the local ferry. As the passengers are identified, the trail extends across the highlands and islands as past deeds are paid back in full. Can the seasoned pair hunt down a killer before their butchery spreads across the land?

  “The Small Ferry” is the fourth Highlands and Islands Detective thriller and brings the odd pair back to the Black Isle when the quiet routine of the Firth is broken apart by a strange death. If you like murder mysteries set amongst the beautiful north of Scotland and its wild coastline and islands, then you’ll love the adventures of Macleod and McGrath.

  When there’s so much going on, it can be hard to see what’s happening!

  Highlands and Islands Detective Thriller Series

  https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=Highlands%20&%20Islands%20Detective%20Thriller&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=4537cd63-0683-56de-8a58-cc8a98e1e91f

  Join stalwart DI Macleod and his burgeoning new female DC McGrath as they look into the darker side of the stunningly scenic and wilder parts of the north of Scotland. From the Black Isle to Lewis, Mull to Harris and across to the small Isles, the Uists and Barra, this mismatched pairing follow murders, thieves and vengeful victims in an effort to restore tranquillity to the remoter parts of the land.

  Experience this tale of a surprise partnership amidst the foulest deeds and darkest souls who stalk this peaceful and most beautiful of lands, and you’ll never see the Highlands the same way again.

  The Disappearance of Russell Hadleigh (Patrick Smythe Book 1)

  https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-disappearance-of-russell-hadleigh

  A retired judge fails to meet his golf partner. His wife calls for help while running a fantasy play ring. When Russians start co-opting into a fairly-traded clothing brand, can Paddy untangle the strands before the bodies start littering the golf course?

  In his first full novel, Patrick Smythe, the single-armed former policeman, must infiltrate the golfing social scene to discover the fate of his client’s husband. Assisted by a young starlet of the greens, Paddy tries to understand just who bears a grudge and who likes to play in the rough, culminating in a high stakes showdown where lives are hanging by the reaction of a moment. If you love pacey action, suspicious motives and devious characters, then Paddy Smythe operates amongst your kind of people.

  Love is a matter of taste but money always demands more of its suitor.

  The Graves of Calgary Bay (Patrick Smythe Book 2)

  A naked body found on a lonely island. A band of sailors lifting graves in the dead of night. Can Paddy discover the secret that led a sheltered young man to a most gruesome death?

  “The Graves at Calgary Bay” is the second full Patrick Smythe novel and continues the tale of the Ulster sleuth as his work takes him to the Isle of Mull, and the lonely island of Gometra. If you love underdogs and smart, dogged hounds of the truth, then you will love the adventures of Paddy and his red-haired teenage understudy.

  Those who mess with the dead bring a reckoning onto themselves!