“Good idea. Oh yeah and I got you this.” She held out a spotty plastic bag. “Well not you, Joshua.”
“Tanya, you shouldn’t have. Bloody hell, this stuff’s not cheap. Carol’s going to be chuffed but really, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Nah, well I was on the site and I saw them – cute little suits. I don’t know if it’ll fit, don’t know much about babies but you can always send it back.” She was blushing.
He walked over and bent down, gave her a quick peck on the cheek. It was hard to tell but she thought he might have been blushing as well. “You’ll have to come round one weekend, meet the family, see him in his new clothes.” He had opened the bag now, pulled out the top and pants and was holding them up in front of him, grinning.
“It’s been okay hasn’t it, Charlie? I mean you were very good, you must have been a bit brassed off, me coming in on the case, but it was okay wasn’t it?”
He nodded, “Yeah. It was fine. Main thing is we cracked it, and we saved Jane. I need to tell you though,” he paused, swallowed. “I’m putting in for a transfer.”
“Oh, why?”
“Well, I think it might be best if I go somewhere else, start afresh. Carol’s up for a move, I reckon it’ll be good for her. I’ve enjoyed working with you Tanya, I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime, but well, I need to go somewhere new.”
She nodded and turned away, touched a finger to the corner of her eye. They could have been friends, she was sure of it. Oh well, she was better on her own. Less stress, fewer disappointments.
* * *
When at last she arrived home, the house was in darkness, but it was warm, and the cleaner had been – all was tidy and neat. It was like a picture in a home decorating magazine. The only sound was the click as the smart thermostat detected her presence and turned up the heat.
There was a parcel on the table, the spotty design told her what had arrived without the need to open it. Anyway, she slit along the top with her scissors and pulled out the little blue suit. It was cute, a kitten and a puppy appliqued onto the short-sleeved top, bigger than the last thing she’d bought for Charlie’s son, something intended for Joshua to grow into. She didn’t remove it from the plastic bag. The returns label was inside, and the thing was quickly prepared for sending back. This would mean a credit on her account. She needed new jeans to replace the ones ruined on the scaffolding. With a glass of wine on the desk beside her, Tanya logged on and scrolled through the images. Maybe she’d get herself a new handbag as well, a scarf, stuff for herself. There was plenty of room yet in her new dressing room.
The End
List of characters
The Team:
Charlie Lambert – Detective Inspector
Charlie is tall and good looking. He is married to Carol who is suffering from post-natal depression. He is looking for his first high profile case as he climbs the professional ladder.
Robert (Bob) Scunthorpe – Detective Chief Inspector
A decent and honourable senior officer who supports the officers under his control but is realistic about what is required of them to do the job and bring him results.
Tanya Miller – Detective Inspector
Early thirties. Slim and fit, vain, selfish and ambitious, always striving to prove herself. A shopaholic, she has recently returned to Oxford where she had been working in the missing persons section.
Sue Rollinson – Detective Constable
Young, keen, hard worker. Unmarried, from a largish family, father dead, mother an estate agent.
Paul Harris – Detective Sergeant
A plodder. Recently married and a bit of a bloke. Doesn’t really get the whole political correctness issue. Lives in a rental flat with his wife Nicole.
Kate Lewis – Detective Constable
Fifty, heading for retirement. Content with her life and achievements but refuses to be side lined due to her age and lack of professional progression.
Dan Price – Detective Constable
Young and insecure. Quiet and keeps his head down. Lives at home with his parents and one kid sister who is still at school.
Simon Hewitt – medical examiner
Tall, handsome, kind and sympathetic.
Moira – mortuary receptionist
Abrupt and unfriendly but tolerated by outsiders and affectionately so by the mortuary staff as she runs the place so efficiently.
Tony Stanley – retired inspector who mentored Tanya.
The public:
Sarah Dickinson
23, 5’4”, long blond hair, blue eyes. Book shop manageress.
Steve Blakely
26, blogger, financial advisor. 5’8”, a bit of a ponce. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Sarah’s boyfriend.
George Simpson
Manager of the motorway services, fussy, fat, middle aged, sweaty and officious.
Peter Harper
Occasional odd job man for Simpson, self-employed, gardener and house clearer.
Millie Roberts
Twenty years old. Slender, 5’6”, blond and pretty; we meet her with her friend Sonja. She has one brother, Carl.
Jane Mackie
Snarky and bad tempered, a young teen who can’t believe the shit she has to put up with.
Other titles of interest
Try out these compelling suspense thrillers also by Diane Dickson, available now on Kindle:
A secret to take to the grave?
When Lily’s partner dies, she is left with the burden of a dark secret that they had shared. This becomes an obsession. When Lily has the chance to right this past wrong, it sets off a chain of events that quickly spiral out of her control. Will she do the unthinkable to make things right?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073V1GRTT/
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After twenty years of hell, Pauline decides to leave her abusive husband. Her escape has been meticulously planned so that he will not be able to find her.
In her temporary hideaway on the Cornish coast, Pauline begins to relax and enjoy life again exploring the beach and taking in the simple rural charm. She plans a new life and savours her new-found freedom. Then some strange things begin to happen. When her past does catch up with her, it will not be at all what she is expecting.
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When attractive young Hannah sits down at her usual coffee shop, she doesn’t know that she is being watched. Unwittingly she is tricked into striking up a friendship with this stranger who has developed an obsession with her. Yet neither victim nor stalker know what is really in store for them as their lives collide.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Y5CN5B0/
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For more great titles like these, visit www.thebookfolks.com
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Broken Angel Page 19