First to Die
Page 28
What had she done? Why had she agreed to go along with PCC Hope? Zain was not ready. He was not going to recover. How could she let a man with a bullet lodged in his brain be part of her team and put him and the rest of her team at risk? And yet, there was Anya Fox-Leakey. Zain had orchestrated that for her. Without him approaching DCI Cross, they might not have uncovered the extent of her fraud for months. He was good. When he was on form.
And then there was the other side. Rescuing a promising officer like Stevie from an uncertain future; almost certainly being asked to leave, if not face charges. What would that do? She would lose two of her officers and their lives would be ruined.
Truth was, Kate needed them both. She had a crisis looming in her own life that meant work would have to be as steady as possible. The doctors thought that Zain would need at least another three months before he was fit enough to have his treatment levels lowered, but they couldn’t determine how long it would be before he was fully functioning again. That might give her enough time to save Stevie and work something else out for Zain. Maybe he could have an analytical role instead of being on active duty?
Kate stared into the distance, the sound of laughter reaching her from somewhere. She remembered there had once been a time for both innocence and for laughter. But it was long gone.
She shuddered involuntarily as a chill ran through her. She didn’t know what her future was going to be, not for her professional or personal life. She had Eric, and he was fast becoming the only thing she could rely on.
And that in itself was far from ideal. Kate Riley did not depend on anyone. She would be ready though, whatever the future sent her way. She stood up and pulled her shoulders back and her spine straight as she headed into the endless maelstrom of London. And her tomorrow.
Author’s Note
I have spoken to a number of experts while researching this novel and tried to make the science as authentic as possible. I think novelists should explore the ‘what if’s’ and the ‘maybes’, which is what I have done in First to Die. Any mistakes in my understanding are my own, and not a reflection of the brilliant minds that have tried to help me understand some very complex issues.
Acknowledgements
This novel has been a typical ‘second novels are the most difficult to write’ nightmare so I owe a lot of thanks to the people that got me through it:
My agent, Luigi Bonomi: He’s the best. End of.
Alison Bonomi: Editor, therapist, friend, touchstone and general go to person for everything. There isn’t enough black daal in the world to say thank you to you.
Katherine Armstrong: The fates aligned, and I still can’t believe you are my awesome editor.
Team Bonnier Zaffre, especially Kate Parkin, the original dream maker, and Jennie Rothwell, you might be new but already have made a huge impact.
All the bloggers and reviewers: I know this is so generic, but there are so many of you I absolutely love for your support. You made Cut To The Bone what it was, and I hope I never lose your backing.
Team Twenty 7: We are still together after all this time, and I hope these bonds last a lifetime.
The Whole Kahani: Some of the most talented writers I have ever met.
A.A. Dhand, Vaseem Khan, Imran Mahmood, Ayisha Malik and Abir Mukherjee. Never laughed so much in all my life. Lullah Face. LOL!
Angela ‘Real Housewives of Crime’ Marsons and Lisa ‘Queen of Everything’ Hall: the cover queens: I will never forget.
Katherine Sunderland for forcing me to do panels. Nikki East for the same and creating a selfie monster.
My work colleagues for keeping me grounded and regularly making me realise I’m not J K Rowling.
Keshini Naidoo, Joy Kluver, Victoria Goldman, Anita Majumdar, Syed Waji Shah: you know why.
God, my family and friends: The essentials in my life.
About the Author
Alex Caan has spent over a decade working in information systems security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in terrorism studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing and writing his debut novel Cut to the Bone.
www.alexcaanauthor.com
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by
ZAFFRE PUBLISHING
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www.zaffrebooks.co.uk
Copyright © Alex Caan, 2018
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The right of Alex Caan to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978–1–78576–187–4
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