Guilty as Sin Read Online Free PDF

knew.”
    “You knew? So why did you say you'd go and speak to them again?”
    “I didn't.”
    “Who else knew?” The rest of the incident room was now shuffling as uncomfortably as Luke Baxter. “Right. So when I said you went behind everyone's back, you actually just went behind my back. Why didn't you tell me too, Luke?”
    “You seemed busy.”
    “I seemed busy? Of course I seemed fucking busy – I'm in the middle of a murder investigation!”
    “All right, sorry.”
    “Sorry? Is that it?”
    “What else do you expect?”
    “I expect you to keep well out of my way.”

17
     
     
    The Prince Albert was a popular jaunt for the local police force, situated, as it was, directly next door to Mildenheath Police Station on Westgate. It was fair to say that there was rarely any trouble at the Prince Albert. Culverhouse picked up his pint of bitter and led Wendy over to the corner table at the front window. It was impossible to see anything through the frosted glass and net curtains, but it made Culverhouse feel safe and important. He was on watch.
    Wendy sipped her orange juice delicately, as she always tried to do at first. After an evening sat talking to an increasingly inebriated Culverhouse, she knew she would progress on to larger and larger gulps. She admired the genteel decoration of the pub, the horse brass decorating the out-of-use fireplace.
    It was Culverhouse who spoke first. “Baxter's had some good ideas and leads on the Danielle Levy case.”
    “I bet he has.”
    “Sorry, Knight. Can you sound a bit more jealous for me? I don't think I quite picked up on that.”
    “I'm not jealous. I'm pissed off, if the truth be told.”
    “With what? Baxter?”
    “Yeah. I appreciate his input, but I can't help feeling a bit ... undermined at times.” A downright lie, and she knew it. She didn't appreciate his input. Not one iota. She thought he was an interfering little fuckwit and she would be glad to see him kicked off the case.
    “He's not so bad. He needs to be eased in. He's a good copper.”
    “Eased in? We've got a missing persons enquiry and a murder enquiry to deal with at the moment. How is that easing him in? He could be a liability, guv.”
    “Nonsense. I think he'll add a lot of value to the team.”
    “He lowers the value, guv! He's done nothing but interfere with my leads and undermine me since he started on these cases. I don't want to give any ultimatums, but I'm finding it bloody impossible to work with him.”
    “Listen, Knight. Baxter's a promising young copper. All right, he might be a bit wet behind the ears but he's going to make a bloody good detective one day.”
    “I doubt it.”
    “I know it. I was once like that, Knight. The boy needs nurturing.”
    “So he can turn out like you?”
    “Would that be such a bad thing?” Wendy stayed quiet. Very quiet. Her raised eyebrow old Culverhouse all he needed to know to answer his question. “Listen. The reason the powers-that-be don't like me is because I'm old school. All right, it might not be politically correct or any of that bullshit, but it works. I get results. That's why I'm still here. I was once like Baxter, a new copper full of ideas and aspirations to change the world. But the world can't be changed, Knight. It's a fucking shit world and it'll always be a fucking shit world. The best thing we can do is stamp on the shit. There aren't many coppers like me left,” And rightly so, Wendy thought, “and when I'm gone, this police force will go to pot with red tape and political correctness. Don't get me wrong, but every police force needs a bit of the old school.”
    “And you think that turning Baxter into a carbon copy of you is going to help the police force?”
    “He'll get results, like I get results. When I joined the force, the DI was a man called Jack Taylor. Now, he was old school. The whole police force was compared to how it is now, but DI Taylor was a visionary, Knight. He could see the way things were going,