Jayne and Steelie - 01 - Freezing Read Online Free PDF Page A

paused. ‘Look, we’ve been told to make the transfer as soon as possible. In my experience, that means we’ve got two days with the body parts in our custody. Can you do an exam and a report for me in that time?’
    â€˜Could you provide X-ray facilities?’
    â€˜Sure.’
    She thought about this. Then she asked, ‘How will this be cleared?’
    â€˜Don’t have to clear it; the material’s in our custody.’
    â€˜You’ve got cold storage?’
    He nodded. ‘Big enough for this case anyway.’
    Jayne was silent for another moment, looking into the distance toward the ivory bulk of County-USC Hospital and the summer-drawn smog blanket above East LA. She felt small against the spread of the city and the thought of how many millions of people it took to make that haze by driving cars, smoking cigarettes, manning factories, wielding leaf blowers. Living. Then she thought about the paupers’ graves the county funded to bury the overflow bodies that had never been identified. She thought about the body parts from the freeway ending up there, with only some taxpayer-funded strangers to say a few words for them.
    â€˜OK, count us in,’ she said.

FOUR
    J ayne knew she was the first one back at the Agency when Scott dropped her off because Carol’s ‘Out to Lunch’ sign was still hanging on the front door. The phone started to ring as she walked in. She picked it up at Carol’s desk.
    â€˜This is Ron from A-One Electrics?’
    Jayne wondered if he was asking her or telling her. She sat down in Carol’s chair. ‘How can I help you?’
    â€˜Yeah, I’m calling about the generator?’
    â€˜The generator?’
    â€˜Yeah!’ Chewing gum snapped and clicked. ‘I’ve got a . . . uh . . . two-stroke Give-All generator with shut-off switch to deliver and I just need to confirm your address.’
    â€˜I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
    â€˜Oh, if you’re worried about the installation, that’s all included.’ He sounded pleased.
    â€˜That’s nice but I didn’t order a generator and neither has anyone else at this address, to my knowledge.’
    â€˜Well, ma’am, I’ve got the receipt right here.’
    â€˜So who ordered it?’
    â€˜Let’s see –’ snap-snap-pop – ‘I don’t have a name on the requisition sheet but there’s a note about angles.’
    â€˜ANGLES? Is it an acronym?’
    â€˜Or, “angels”? “Angels flight”?’
    â€˜What?’ Jayne stood up so abruptly she almost yanked the phone off the desk by its cord as she looked to see if Scott was still in the parking lot.
    â€˜You still there, ma’am? It is all paid for.’
    She straightened the phone. ‘Ron. I’m going to put you on hold for a minute.’
    She punched the hold button and dialed out on another line.
    â€˜Houston.’ He was on speakerphone and she could hear ambient noise in the background.
    â€˜Scott, I’ve got a guy on the other line asking me where I want my new generator. You know anything about this?’
    â€˜No-o-o.’
    â€˜No?’ Jayne was incredulous and her words came out like bullets. ‘I find that very hard to believe because he just told me that it’s for “angels flight”. Now that’s too much coincidence in my book.’
    â€˜Let’s say I do know something about it. Why are you so angry?’
    â€˜You can’t just turn up here and start giving me gifts!’
    â€˜Let me reassure you right now that I don’t think the way to a woman’s heart is through gas-powered machinery. It’s for the Agency.’
    Jayne was too hot under the collar to feel mortified. ‘I know that ! What I meant was, you can’t just give me gifts for the Agency. We’re governed by five-oh-one C three regulations. And, dammit