Time to Play (North East Police) Read Online Free PDF

towards his team. Remembering his manners, he turned back. ‘Thanks, Marlo.’
    ‘What the hell was that?’ hissed Marlo in Connor’s direction.
    ‘What was what?’ he asked, looking confused, ‘I just told him to do it himself.’
    ‘He’s a DI, Connor. Checking the pockets wouldn’t have killed you.’
    ‘Cops like that do my head in, waltzing in like they own the place and taking over. Besides, he’s a knob. It’s his fault that guy escaped the other month. Proper risk assessments weren’t carried out. Because of him, a prison guard was killed. That guard was my cousin, Billy. No way Billy deserved to die like that. His deaths on his shoulders.’ Connor jerked his head towards Ali.
    ‘I’m sorry about your cousin. But I’m sure the prison does their own risk assessments. I don’t know much about the case so can’t really comment, but –’
    ‘Well keep your comments to yourself then,’ snapped Connor before marching off towards the van.
    Marlo stared after him. Jesus, overreaction much. Though I guess I’m one to talk. It was only this morning I was bitching about Ali. Pot. Kettle.
     
    2 nd November, 0825 hours – River Wear, near Durham Cathedral, Durham
    Connor stopped beside the van, immediately regretting his harsh words to Marlo. She wasn’t to know Billy had been his cousin. To be fair, Connor had often wished he and Billy hadn’t shared familial ties anyway; his cousin had been a tosser for the most part, always had multiple women on the go and treated people like shite. Connor knew Billy had been responsible for half the drugs going into the prison, but it was just one thing on a list of many that he couldn’t prove. And regardless of his faults, he was still family.
    He sighed deeply.
    His family really were the bane of his life. He was convinced he’d been born into the wrong body. He tried his damndest to stay on the right side of the law, despite every opportunity placed in his path by his uncle. He had always been in the picture looking after Connor and his sister, and Connor had always been expected to enter the family business. If racketeering and smuggling could be called a business. Instead he’d stuck to his guns, kept his nose clean, even moved to the Midlands and joined the force.
    The rumour mill however, had closely followed him, eventually forcing him into the transfer to the North East Police.
    His new colleagues knew nothing of his family, despite the fact that Uncle Fred had soon moved up to the North East himself. To help his parents he’d said. Lord knew his mum and dad needed the help. His mum had early onset Alzheimer’s, and his dad struggled daily with looking after her. His uncle made sure the mortgage was paid, and visited every day – always making sure Connor never forgot just how much he had to be grateful for.
    And his Uncle Fred rang him every day when he was at work, fishing for goings on and information. Which Connor had to provide, or his mum and dad would end up homeless. His wage, though decent, wasn’t enough to pay their mortgage as well as his own. Not to mention the cost of putting his sister, Marie, through university. Uncle Fred took care of it all, and if all he wanted in exchange was snippets of information, then Connor really didn’t have it in him to say no.
    Connor was smart though, at least he thought he was. The information was only ever minor – drugs raids going down, whispers of searches heard in the bait room. He’d never accessed the force systems purposefully for intel, but it was still bad enough. He knew if he ever got found out, it wouldn’t be something he could just explain away. Professional standards would have his job.
    And now he’d snapped at one of his colleagues and made himself look like a prat.
    Sighing deeply, he shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned. When on earth will this all end? When will I be able to dig myself out of this shit-pit? When will I be able to make amends for all the bad things I’ve