The Grass Tattoo (#2 - The Craig Modern Thriller Series) Read Online Free PDF

it was definitely nothing to boast about. Politics should be left to the politicians, and solving crime to them – the force had been used by vote-hunting bureaucrats before.
    Harrison was still talking. “I’m unhappy for many reasons, D.C.I. Craig. The main one is that you are treating Mr Robert Leighton, Member of Parliament for West Antrim, as if he’s a criminal. The poor man’s just lost his wife!”
    Craig was standing in his own office in front of his own deputy, being asked to explain himself by the fat, pompous prick in his chair, and Liam could see his temper flaring. It didn’t go often, but when it did, it wasn’t pretty.
    “It would be useful if you would turn to face us, sir.”
    His tone was barely civil and Harrison heard it, swinging the chair around sharply. Craig really hoped that his obesity wouldn’t ruin the suspension; it had taken him years to wear it in.
    “I don’t like your tone, D.C.I. Craig.”
    “And I don’t like either myself or my men being accused of things that we haven’t done...sir!” The ‘sir’ was definitely an afterthought.
    “Explain yourself.”
    “I will!”
    It was half-shouted and Craig knew that he needed to wind it in quickly, before he reached over and grabbed Harrison by the throat. He looked around for a less violent way to even the power-balance, quickly finding one.
    The only free chairs in the room were in the low coffee area to one side of the office. Craig groaned inwardly. They were for visitors, and his and Liam’s height made them murder to get into and out of. But he was damned if he was going to stand there like some school-boy being told off by the headmaster, so he gestured Liam to sit down, taking them both out of Harrison’s view.
    It had the desired effect. Harrison had to walk around the desk to see them, getting him out of Craig’s chair before he completely ruined it, and throwing him momentarily off topic. Craig kept talking without skipping a beat.
    “Robert Leighton is not under arrest. He expressed a wish to find his wife’s killer, so he’s helping us with our enquiries.”
    Harrison went to speak but Craig ignored him.
    “He’s being afforded every courtesy and we’ve only had brief sessions with him. One to inform him about the death, and the second of which yielded information as to his whereabouts at the time of Mrs Leighton’s death. We’re currently checking that information to eliminate him as a suspect.”
    Harrison’s mouth kept opening to speak, and then shutting again as Craig ignored him, deftly. Liam stifled a laugh. He looked like a Guppy.
    “Mr Leighton identified his wife initially from a photograph that we showed him from the scene, and later confirmed that I.D. at Dr Winter’s laboratory on the Saintfield Road.”
    Harrison wagged an overweight finger in the air, and Craig quickly added. “The photograph was of her face, which was completely uninjured.”
    The finger dropped and Liam laughed aloud at the pantomime. Craig shot him a quick warning look; there was a time to push it with Harrison and this wasn’t it.
    Craig could see the D.C.S. hesitating and decided to play his trump card. He was in the mood to wind him up. “John...”
    This time Harrison did interrupt. “John?”
    Craig looked at him coldly. “Dr Winter.”
    The police hierarchy viewed John Winter with a wary respect, knowing that he could make their lives easy or hell. But Craig had the familiarity of a thirty-year friendship and it irritated Harrison immensely. That and the Chief Constable’s attempts to make Craig superintendent, doing Harrison out of a job at the Docklands. He’d resisted the rank so far, too many meetings and not enough crime scenes, but Harrison knew that he couldn’t resist it forever.
    Craig could feel the conversation’s power balance shifting. “The post-mortem is being rushed through and we’ll have his preliminary findings after lunch. We already have lines to pursue.”
    Harrison leaned forward