Frozen Read Online Free PDF

it – by which he means you wearing as little as possible, in the bathroom brushing your teeth, that sort of thing.’
    â€˜You’re joking. What on earth for?’
    â€˜Oh, “the human face of the female super-sleuth”.’ Delva shook her head. ‘I reminded him that if you were a man he’d ask for no such thing. He wasn’t very happy but he’s already been leaned on by the ITC for sexist innuendo in programmes, so he backed down without too much of a fight. Anyway, would you like to see the programme now?’
    Megan spent the next hour uncomfortably watching images of herself on one of the monitors. For the past three months unknown editors and production assistants had been glued to every move she had made during the filming sessions last summer, deciding where to cut and which shot of her face or body to use. They must have grown sick of the sight of her, she thought, cringing inwardly.
    She wondered how the dinosaur producer would feel if he found out she was involved in the prostitutes’ case. Would he be cutting pictures of Donna and Natalie with hers? The victims and the professional expert, as if they were worlds apart. She wished she’d never agreed to this. Neil had talked her into it. He had a way of persuading her to do things she didn’t want to do. Neil Richardson. The new male face of BTV news. Delva’s co-presenter. No wonder poor Ceri was feeling insecure.
    â€˜Don’t worry – you look great!’ Delva patted her arm, misreading her expression.
    As the credits began to roll Delva stopped the tape and asked Megan what she thought.
    â€˜It’s fine,’ Megan faltered.
    â€˜You don’t sound too convinced.’
    â€˜No – it’s really flattering. It’s just that it makes me out to be someone whose job is catching criminals and it isn’t. Occasionally I help the police narrow down the list of suspects, but I’m a researcher, not a detective.’
    â€˜You’re too modest, Megan.’ Delva smiled as she opened the door and led the way back along the corridor to her office. ‘If it hadn’t been for you West Midlands Police would never have caught the Metro rapist!’
    Megan shrugged and shook her head. Yes, she had pointed the police to a man they had already interviewed but dismissed as an unlikely suspect. But it was only because she had been carrying out research at the Domestic Violence Unit at the time. Going through the records she had come across a man of the same name who had been reported for assaulting his wife. When she had questioned the officer who dealt with the case he had revealed that an earlier charge of rape had been dropped when the wife decided not to press charges. After that, everything had fallen into place. It had been a lucky break.
    And there had been other cases. A series of armed robberies in Scotland; a paedophile ring in the south-east. The theories she had evolved from all those prison interviews had certainly helped. But that was what she was. A theorist. She lectured police officers, probation officers, social workers. Only rarely did she get the chance to apply her theories herself. And now, for the first time, she had been called in on a murder case.
    â€˜When’s it going out?’ she asked.
    â€˜Ten-thirty on the night after Boxing Day. Should be a big audience.’
    â€˜Hmmm. I might be in Wales then. Don’t think BTV reaches much beyond the border.’
    â€˜Nice try, Megan, but you can’t escape – it’s being networked!’
    â€˜I shouldn’t have done this,’ Megan said before she could stop herself. ‘God knows who’ll see it, what nutters it’ll stir up.’ She picked up her coat. She turned to say goodbye and was shocked to see Delva’s face. The lively brown eyes had lost their sparkle and a line had appeared between her eyebrows.
    â€˜Delva?’
    â€˜I’m sorry. Can I ask