The Sect (The Craig Crime Series) Read Online Free PDF

lift.
     
    ****
     
    “Agggghhh.”
    Nicky glanced up from filing her nails to see where the noise was coming from. It was emanating from Annette’s cubicle and was followed by a sigh of such despair that she grudgingly set down her emery board and went to see what was up. As she approached she gave a warning.
    “This had better be worth me getting up. I’d just got comfortable.”
    Annette’s glossy blow-dry appeared above her PC. “Define worth it.”
    “Someone had better be dying, or at least in pain.”
    “Then I qualify. Joanne Greer’s appeal is killing me. Every time I think I’ve covered every question the prosecution service want answered they hand me another bloody list! Greer killed two people for heaven’s sake and tried to kill more; what more proof do they want?”
    Nicky’s expression said it wasn’t that clear cut and Annette conceded.
    “Oh, OK then, so she didn’t actually pull the trigger. But she and her Russian boyfriend paid someone else to do it, which is practically the same thing. I’m so sick of villains only having to find one mistake to wriggle out of their convictions, when our case has to be watertight to even get them to court!”
    Nicky was about to sympathise when a more logical voice entered the fray.
    “Innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is on us.”
    They swung round to see who’d uttered such sacrilege, only to see Davy’s youthful face grinning back.
    Davy Walsh had been the team’s analyst since 2012, but apart from growing a few inches and developing some muscles he never seemed to change. He still looked twenty even though he was now twenty-eight and he still blushed shyly at some things, even when he’d heard them a hundred times before. In fact the only things that had altered in three years were that his stammer had diminished to just the occasional ‘s’ or ‘w’ and he’d developed a noticeable cheeky streak.
    Annette’s retort was sharp. “Don’t push it, Davy. I’m not in the mood.”
    Nicky had been about to say the same thing so she scrambled quickly for something else. “And… and you won’t get any more coffee.”
    Davy lifted the thermos mug he’d brought in that morning and drained its contents with an exaggerated slurp before continuing defiantly.
    “All I’m saying is that the justice system is w…weighted on the side of the accused, and so it should be.”
    Nicky moved towards him ominously. “Because you think it’s worse for one innocent man to be wrongly convicted than for one hundred guilty ones to get away!”
    He made a face. “When you say it like that it doesn’t sound quite right.”
    Annette cut the debate short. “Fascinating as this discourse on criminal justice is, I need to get on with my list or the P.P.S. will be after me.”
    Just then Nicky’s phone rang and she went to pick it up. “Murder Squad.”
    It was Craig.
    “Oh, hello, sir. What do you need?”
    It was the tip of Craig’s tongue to say ‘perhaps I just called to say hello’ but he dismissed the idea immediately. She was right; he always needed something.
    “Could you ask Carmen to join us in Vice, please.”
    Without covering the receiver Nicky yelled across the floor.
    “CARMEN, THE BOSS WANTS YOU ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR. NOW.”
    Craig winced. Nicky’s voice was louder than a Docker’s in normal conversation; when she yelled it made his ears ring. Two minutes later Carmen entered Aidan Hughes’ small office, crowding the already full room. Craig gave up his seat, motioning Hughes to carry on.
    “As I was saying. The main gang here is Albanian. They bring in the girls through the South and ship them across the border in vans. After a day or two persuading them to cooperate they get divided between the brothels in Belfast and beyond––”
    Liam interrupted. “Do you have a list of the houses?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then why not just raid them and free the girls?”
    Hughes shook his head. “It’s not that simple; we’ve