Faithfully: Chase & Halshaw #1 Read Online Free PDF

this?”
    “She’s leading the programme to implement a replacement for
BRAHMS, and Portage’s LogiSoft system. We’ve decided
to go for a product called Logistics Unlimited. It’s a great fit, and it’s got
extensions to produce all the specialist documentation that Bearings and
Portage need. Even better, it’s cloud-based and open source, so...”
    “If you say so,” Chase interjected. “Amy said she was at
some big meeting or other, yesterday morning. What was that all about?”
    “It was the programme kick-off meeting. Justin Hargreaves
from Sandersons presented their findings...”
    “Are Sandersons the external consultants you mentioned?”
    “That’s right. After Justin had finished, Amy gave a
presentation about how she intends to structure the change programme. You know,
governance and suchlike.”
    “Who else was at the meeting?”
    “Two other consultants from Sandersons. I can’t remember
their names, I’m afraid. Frank Usher and Paul McKinley from Portage, Lorna
Hilton and Les Salter from Bearing Straight...”
    “The same Les Salter?”
    “Just so,” replied Lewis.
    “Is that everyone?”
    “I think so, yes.” He frowned. “No. There was one other
person there. Dave Kelmarsh.”
    “Who’s he?”
    “He’s my Head of Policies and Procedures.”
    Chase nodded. “I’ll need to talk to all of them, Mr Lewis.
I’m sure you understand.”
    “That’s absolutely fine, Inspector. Di will gladly help with
the arrangements, I’m sure. Any problems, please let me know.”
    “Thank you, Mr Lewis. Moving on, what do you make of Amy
Birkdale?”
    “Very good. Strong-willed, capable, intelligent. A rising
star.”
    “Do the two of you get on well?”
    Lewis permitted himself a smile. “Yes, we do, Inspector.
We’ve got a great deal in common.”
    “She told us that the two of you were working late on Monday
evening.”
    “That’s right. We were reviewing the material she was going
to present the following morning.”
    “What time did you finish?”
    “About quarter to nine, I think.”
    “Who left first?”
    “We left the office together. No. Hold on.” He stroked his
chin thoughtfully. “That’s right. We did leave the office together, it’s true,
but Amy stopped off at the Ladies. So I would have left the building before she
did.”
    “So you didn’t see her leave?”
    “No. But I went straight down to the underground car park,
so I couldn’t have done.”
    “OK. Who does she report to?”
    “Nominally, she works for a woman called Claire Parks, who
runs my Programme Management team. But Claire’s on maternity leave at the
moment so Amy’s reporting directly to me. Just as well, given the sensitivity
of this project.”
    “Sensitivity?”
    “Yes. Frank and Lorna are both spitting nails about the whole
idea, as you can probably imagine.” Lewis flashed an enigmatic smile. “So why
does Amy think someone’s out to get her?” he asked.
    “Did she mention that she’d received a text message,
apparently from the burglar?”
    “No, she didn’t.”
    “The text arrived while you were in your big meeting
yesterday morning. The wording suggested that the sender was in the meeting and
knew about the break-in at the flat.”
    “So?”
    “The strange thing is this, though. She hadn’t told anyone
about the break-in. She arrived at work late that morning and went straight
into the meeting.”
    “Oh,” said Lewis, thoughtfully. “Poor Amy! I noticed she was
looking a bit frantic at one point. I put it down to nerves at the time, I have
to confess.”
    “Nerves?”
    “Yes. She was nervous about giving her presentation. Not
that she needed to be, of course.”
    “Of course,” Chase replied. “But there’s more, I’m afraid.
She sent a reply almost immediately. Strongly worded, quite understandably. A
few seconds later you received a text. A personal one, from the expression on
your face.”
    Lewis spluttered.
    “Can you tell me who the text was from,