in the mood to be cruel.’ She placed her hand on Kelly’s breast and caressed the tender flesh lovingly. ‘Get into bed, and let me show you my mood.’
Smiling expectantly, Kelly obeyed.
Four
It was the type of seedy pub that Jo knew only too well.
The juke box was screaming at a deafening volume, playing a thumping back-beat bereft of melody. A noisy crowd of men barracked the bar, calling to make themselves heard above the music and their colleagues. Distantly, somewhere beneath these cacophonous sounds, a fruit machine whirred and sang happily, clanging coins into a metal tray.
No wonder people get hangovers, Jo thought darkly. It’s nothing to do with how much they drink. It’s down to the noise of the bar that they’re in. She sniffed unhappily as she considered this thought, then wished she hadn’t. Like the noise, the smell of the bar was all-enveloping. The scent of stale beer and pungent spirits was so thoroughly soaked into the woodwork that the smell filled her nostrils with every inhalation.
She was not dressed as a single woman should have dressed to sit alone in such a bar. Her skirt was short enough to reveal the top of her black, seamed stockings and she made no move to conceal this fact. The long-lined jacket of her suit was almost modest, yet Jo wore it with enough of the buttons unfastened to reveal her ample cleavage. A close observer, and there had been a few already, would have quickly gleaned that, beneath the jacket, she was wearing no bra and no top.
‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’
Jo glanced up at the awkward young man leering over her. His was the fourth enquiry she had received in the past ten minutes. Fortunately, she was used to handling such attention.
‘I’m waiting for the doctor who looks after me,’ Jo said slowly. ‘He says I shouldn’t talk to men. He says that’s why I ended up in that place last time.’
The young man took an unconscious step backward. His lip quivered uncertainly as he quickly tried to think of a way out of the situation. He was saved by a taller man, clapping him warmly on the shoulder.
‘Go have a pint, Bill. On my slate,’ the taller man said warmly. ‘I’ll take care of the mental patient here.’
Jo smiled up at the newcomer. ‘You got my message, Nick.’
He settled himself on the stool opposite her. ‘I got your message,’ he said. ‘What do you want to know this time?’
Jo tried to look shocked by his suggestion. ‘Can’t a girl ask her old boyfriend for a drink without having an ulterior motive?’ she asked innocently. She placed a hand on her chest, drawing his attention to the unfastened buttons on her jacket.
Nick grinned in spite of himself. ‘Not if you’re the girl, Valentine,’ he told her. ‘What do you want to know?’
Jo sighed. ‘Why don’t we play this game properly?’ she suggested, placing a warm hand on his. ‘How’s your love life, Nick?’
‘Non-existent,’ he said sullenly. ‘Is it a difficult case you’ve landed?’
Jo shook her head and smiled at him reluctantly. She knew Nick well enough not to push him. ‘I want two things off you,’ she said boldly. ‘Number one, and most importantly, I want you to remind me how good a lover you are.’
Nick smiled, his brown eyes appraising her favourably. ‘I think I can accommodate you there,’ he said smugly. ‘What’s the other thing you want from me? Information?’
Jo grinned broadly. ‘I’ve got a missing person at the moment. I could use a little professional help,’ she said tactfully.
‘I’m not helping you to hack into the PNC again,’ Nick said firmly. ‘If that was what you wanted then I’ve got to say no right now.’
‘The Police National Computer can’t help me this time,’ Jo said quietly. She knew this was true because Stephanie had hacked into the PNC network that afternoon and instigated a joyless search for Mr Rogers’s errant spouse. Aware that Nick would not want to know
Smiling expectantly, Kelly obeyed.
Four
It was the type of seedy pub that Jo knew only too well.
The juke box was screaming at a deafening volume, playing a thumping back-beat bereft of melody. A noisy crowd of men barracked the bar, calling to make themselves heard above the music and their colleagues. Distantly, somewhere beneath these cacophonous sounds, a fruit machine whirred and sang happily, clanging coins into a metal tray.
No wonder people get hangovers, Jo thought darkly. It’s nothing to do with how much they drink. It’s down to the noise of the bar that they’re in. She sniffed unhappily as she considered this thought, then wished she hadn’t. Like the noise, the smell of the bar was all-enveloping. The scent of stale beer and pungent spirits was so thoroughly soaked into the woodwork that the smell filled her nostrils with every inhalation.
She was not dressed as a single woman should have dressed to sit alone in such a bar. Her skirt was short enough to reveal the top of her black, seamed stockings and she made no move to conceal this fact. The long-lined jacket of her suit was almost modest, yet Jo wore it with enough of the buttons unfastened to reveal her ample cleavage. A close observer, and there had been a few already, would have quickly gleaned that, beneath the jacket, she was wearing no bra and no top.
‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’
Jo glanced up at the awkward young man leering over her. His was the fourth enquiry she had received in the past ten minutes. Fortunately, she was used to handling such attention.
‘I’m waiting for the doctor who looks after me,’ Jo said slowly. ‘He says I shouldn’t talk to men. He says that’s why I ended up in that place last time.’
The young man took an unconscious step backward. His lip quivered uncertainly as he quickly tried to think of a way out of the situation. He was saved by a taller man, clapping him warmly on the shoulder.
‘Go have a pint, Bill. On my slate,’ the taller man said warmly. ‘I’ll take care of the mental patient here.’
Jo smiled up at the newcomer. ‘You got my message, Nick.’
He settled himself on the stool opposite her. ‘I got your message,’ he said. ‘What do you want to know this time?’
Jo tried to look shocked by his suggestion. ‘Can’t a girl ask her old boyfriend for a drink without having an ulterior motive?’ she asked innocently. She placed a hand on her chest, drawing his attention to the unfastened buttons on her jacket.
Nick grinned in spite of himself. ‘Not if you’re the girl, Valentine,’ he told her. ‘What do you want to know?’
Jo sighed. ‘Why don’t we play this game properly?’ she suggested, placing a warm hand on his. ‘How’s your love life, Nick?’
‘Non-existent,’ he said sullenly. ‘Is it a difficult case you’ve landed?’
Jo shook her head and smiled at him reluctantly. She knew Nick well enough not to push him. ‘I want two things off you,’ she said boldly. ‘Number one, and most importantly, I want you to remind me how good a lover you are.’
Nick smiled, his brown eyes appraising her favourably. ‘I think I can accommodate you there,’ he said smugly. ‘What’s the other thing you want from me? Information?’
Jo grinned broadly. ‘I’ve got a missing person at the moment. I could use a little professional help,’ she said tactfully.
‘I’m not helping you to hack into the PNC again,’ Nick said firmly. ‘If that was what you wanted then I’ve got to say no right now.’
‘The Police National Computer can’t help me this time,’ Jo said quietly. She knew this was true because Stephanie had hacked into the PNC network that afternoon and instigated a joyless search for Mr Rogers’s errant spouse. Aware that Nick would not want to know
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