Snakes & Ladders Read Online Free PDF Page A

depression, and no one had caught it. Striker was in the process of making a list of what he was seeing when a short, portly cop with white bushy eyebrows appeared in the doorway. His stomach hung way down low and he waddled more than walked. He took a few steps into the room and spotted Striker.
    ‘Shipwreck.’
    Striker looked over at the man. ‘Hey, Noodles.’
    Noodles . Real name: Jim Banner. Striker had requested him personally. Noodles was the Vancouver Police Department’s best Ident technician. Hell, he was the best tech Striker had ever worked with. The Noodles nickname had come from a near-death experience Jim had suffered when choking on creamy linguine at the Noodle Shack up in Burnaby. It was a nickname Banner had always hated, but one that would forever stick.
    That was the police way.
    ‘You friggin’ detectives,’ Noodles growled. ‘You’re ruining my social life.’
    In the sombre setting of the room, it was all Striker could do to force a grin. ‘You need friends to have a social life, Noodles.’
    ‘I was sitting there with Jack Daniel’s when you called.’ He dropped his tool box and gear just inside the door. ‘Why the hell didn’t you just call Marty? He’s already on duty.’
    ‘This one is important to me, Noodles. I wanted the best here.’
    The Ident tech raised an eyebrow and made a whatever face, but clearly liked the compliment. ‘The best, my ass,’ he said. ‘You can blow as much sunshine up my ass as you want, Shipwreck, but it don’t change nothing – you owe me one for this.’
    ‘Pick your poison.’
    ‘Jack Daniel’s. Gentleman’s blend.’
    ‘Done. Now get to work. Time is important.’
    Noodles said nothing; he just did his own visual assessment of the scene, then opened his camera box. Striker relayed the whole experience to him, in exact detail, then guided him around the room, from the body of Mandy Gill to the kitchenette and, last of all, to the window area where the camera had been set up on the ledge.
    ‘When I saw the guy, he had gloves on, but maybe he took them off at some time before I got here. I’m hoping for some prints around the lower pane,’ he explained. ‘Especially on the outside of the window, right here, where the lens was located.’ He pointed to the exact area to be precise. ‘Check all the pill bottles as well. I’ve already handled the one by the chair – gloves on – and Felicia touched the ones on the counter. Gloves, too. When you’re done with this, I need the entire fridge in unit 305 dusted. Prick was hiding in there.’
    ‘In the suite?’
    ‘In the fridge .’
    Noodles raised an eyebrow in surprise, then promised to have it done before going home tonight. For a brief moment, he focused on the body of Mandy Gill and his round, old face took on an expressionless look. After a moment, he shook his head and spoke.
    ‘She was young.’
    ‘She was a good kid,’ Striker said. ‘It’s not right.’
    The words felt heavy and the mood darkening, so Striker gave Felicia a nod to leave and they said goodbye to Noodles. Now that Ident had arrived and the scene was secure, he wanted to get out of there ASAP. For many reasons. Noodles worked faster when alone; the glove had to be properly bagged and tagged for DNA; and, without a doubt, Car 10, the Road Boss, would be pulling up on scene any minute. Striker wanted to be clear of this place – clear of this entire area – when the man arrived.
    He and Laroche didn’t exactly see eye to eye.

Nine
    Striker settled into the driver’s seat, and Felicia into the passenger’s. He’d barely driven a half-block down Union Street before he hit the brakes, stopped hard, and stared out of the window at the building on the other side of the vacant lot.
    It was an old house, a three-storey, directly west of the Lucky Lodge. Out front was a billboard notice from the City, explaining that construction would soon be underway. The place was going to be rebuilt into a quadplex.
    Typical