Crack Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

Hunter Butterworth. I was supposed to meet Ms. Hunter here; I’m her trainee, you see, only, my car wouldn’t start, and I got here late, and I saw her car outside already. Can you let me through? Only, I’m supposed to be learning how to conduct interviews by observing her, and when she rang me she said Mr. Barclay’s case sounded like one I could learn a lot from,” I gabbled without pause.
    â€œMiss Hunter never said anything about expecting a trainee,” the distorted voice said.
    â€œShe’s probably given up on me. I was supposed to meet her twenty minutes ago. Please, can you let me through? I’ll be in enough trouble just for being so late. If she thinks I haven’t showed up at all, my life won’t be worth living. I’ve already had the ‘clients rely on us for their liberty, Ms. Robinson’ lecture once this week!”
    I’d struck the right chord. The door buzzed and I pushed it open. I stepped inside and pushed open the barred gate. The custody sergeant grinned at me from behind his desk. “I’m glad I’m not in your shoes,” he said. “She can be a real tartar, your boss. I had a teacher like her once. Miss Gibson. Mind you, she got me through O-level French, which was no mean feat.”
    He asked my name, and I claimed to be Kate Robinson. He made a note on the custody record, then led me down a well-lit corridor. I took care not to trip over the cracked vinyl floor tiles whose edges were starting to curl. It was hard to tell what color they’d started out; I couldn’t believe someone had actually chosen battleship gray mottled with khaki and bile green. Halfway along the corridor, he paused outside a door marked “Interview 2” and knocked, opening the door before he got a reply. “Your trainee’s here, Miss Hunter,” he announced, stepping back to usher me in.
    Like a true professional, Ruth didn’t bat an eyelid. “Thank you,” she said grimly. Typically, it was Richard who nearly gave the show away. His whole face lit up in that familiar smile that still sends my hormones into chaos.
    He got as far as, “What are you—” before Ruth interrupted.
    â€œI hope you don’t mind, Mr. Barclay, but my colleague is a trainee who is supposed to be learning the tricks of the trade,” she said loudly. “I’d like her to sit in on our consultation, unless you have any objections?”
    â€œN-no,” Richard stammered, looking bewildered.
    I stepped into the room and the sergeant closed the door firmly behind me.
    Simultaneously, Richard said, “I don’t understand,” and Ruth growled softly, “I should walk out of here right now and leave you to it.”
    â€œI know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t not. It’s too important. But look on the bright side; if I can blag my way into the secure interview room of a police station, aren’t you glad you’ve got me on the team?” I added an apologetic smile.
    Before Ruth could find an answer for that particular bit of cheek, Richard said plaintively, “But I don’t understand what you’re doing here, Brannigan.”

    â€œI’m here because you need help, Richard. I know you spend most of your time on another planet, but here on earth, it’s considered to be a pretty serious offense to drive around in a stolen car with enough crack to get half Manchester out of their heads,” I told him.
    â€œLook, I know it sounds like I’m in deep shit. But it’s not like that.” He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. “I keep trying to tell everybody. It wasn’t a stolen car. It was our car. The one we bought in Bolton on Tuesday.”

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    Before I could pick the bones out of that, Ruth interrupted. “Let’s just hold everything right there. Kate, you are here on sufferance. I, on the other hand, am here because Richard asked me to be. I’ve got a