DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 Read Online Free PDF Page A

seeing his friend, that magician guy.’
    Jessica wasn’t too pleased at people gossiping about her but tried to hide it. ‘Hugo? No, we’re just mates. He comes round and cooks for me every week or two.’
    ‘“Cooks”? Is that what you’re calling it nowadays?’
    ‘Get out, he’s just a mate. Anyway, where’s this house we’re going to?’
    ‘Ooh, changing the subject, very suspicious.’
    Jessica was glad she had taken Izzy with her. She wouldn’t have admitted it if anyone had asked but the image of Isaac Hutchings had stayed with her and she had struggled to sleep the
previous night. She tried not to think too much about her own health but couldn’t avoid the fact that her ability to sleep deteriorated significantly each time she was involved with a serious
case. Trying to have normal conversations with people like Izzy was something that allowed her to feel as if her life wasn’t being overtaken by the job.
    After a little more teasing, they reached the address where the black car had been stolen from. Jessica had read the report and knew the car had been taken from a driveway but it seemed sensible
to go back over the details now the vehicle was part of a murder investigation.
    She parked on the road outside the property, climbing out to feel yet more drizzle. As Jessica scanned the surroundings, she could almost still feel the clingy dampness from the day before when
she had been soaked.
    When Jessica had started in the force and worked in uniform, car crime had been fairly common. That had been around a decade ago when stereos were easier to steal and provided a quick chunk of
money for addicts needing a fix. With improved security devices, cars had not only become harder to break into and pull apart – but also tougher to actually steal. Vehicle theft had
significantly decreased and most instances these days meant an owner had left the car unlocked. The area they were in wasn’t a high-crime district at all. It wasn’t quite an idyllic
paradise but most of the houses were well kept with neatly trimmed lawns and Jessica knew a car being stolen from a driveway would be a rarity.
    She didn’t need to check to remember the name of the person whose car had been taken because she had been so taken with ‘Daisy Peters’ on the front of the report. Without
meeting her, Jessica thought the name conjured thoughts of summer meadows and sunshine which perhaps wasn’t quite an accurate picture given the weather.
    The woman’s driveway was clear, backing onto a closed bright white garage door. A narrow pathway ran along the tarmac, separating it from a small patch of grass. Every property on the
estate looked the same.
    Izzy made her way around the car and Jessica resisted the urge to ask if she was all right. She herself had no particular wish for a baby or even a husband, but she figured the last thing she
would want if she were pregnant was someone asking her every five minutes if she was okay.
    They cut across the drive and reached a white double-glazed door next to a bay window that jutted out into the front garden. Jessica went to ring the doorbell but, before she could, the door
swung open and a woman with short blonde hair stood in front of them. ‘I saw you through the window,’ she said. ‘Come on in, the kettle’s already on. I’m
Daisy.’
    Jessica made sure she wiped her feet as, even from the doorway, it was clear the interior of the house was incredibly neat. The woman led them along a short hallway into a living room completely
free of clutter. There was a computer desk at one end, with a sofa and two armchairs at the other facing a television. Daisy asked if they wanted tea and, after receiving two positive replies, left
the room.
    Izzy blew out through her teeth. ‘If she does her own cleaning, she can come round mine any time.’
    Jessica nodded in agreement. ‘Clean people always creep me out.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘I don’t know, I guess I just think it’s