Settled Blood by Mari Hannah

Author:Mari Hannah
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

47

‘T893!’ Daniels yelled. ‘Ring any bells?’

The Toyota was stationary, parked in a place they always used when they wanted to have a rant without fear of being overheard. It was a busy underpass close to Newcastle’s central bypass. Rush hour. Cars and lorries flashing past in both directions. Exhaust fumes. Irate drivers. The usual city mayhem. A throwback from her days in the drugs squad. A place to meet her snouts.

The graffiti on Gormley’s side of the car was the best he’d ever seen, a flamboyant piece of street art with a tag he didn’t recognize. New kid on the block, perhaps? As soon as Daniels pulled in, he could see that something was troubling her. And now he knew why.

‘Tango, fucking, eight, nine, three!’ she said again, so enraged her face had gone white.

Gormley stopped admiring the wall and turned to face her, curiosity getting the better of him. ‘That’s Bright’s old number from when he was in Traffic, isn’t—’

‘Precisely!’ Daniels said. ‘The RTA report on Beth Finch? Guess who the attending officer was? Only he was a sergeant then and not the head of fucking CID!’

Gormley flinched as she continued to rant. In all the years they had worked together, he’d never seen her so angry. She looked as if she was about to blow a gasket. ‘It was a long time ago. Maybe he didn’t think it was relevant now, forgot to mention it. Who knows? You said yourself he’s had a tough time of it lately.’

His attempt to calm Daniels down by making light of what he knew was a very serious situation only made matters worse. ‘That’s bollocks! You know it and so do I!’ Daniels rounded on him. ‘He deliberately kept it from us, Hank. He’s been protecting Finch all along. And the only way I get to find out why is by asking him outright.’

Gormley settled back in his seat, defeated. ‘Headquarters it is then.’

‘He’s gone home,’ Daniels grumbled. ‘Or so he told Ellen.’

‘Another one of his headaches?’

‘Not yet,’ she said caustically. ‘Ask me later!’

She started the engine and pulled out into fast-moving traffic, receiving a blast from the horn of the Vauxhall behind. Its driver was red in the face, a man carrying too much weight and far too much attitude for Daniels’ liking. He remained glued to her bumper as they sped along the dual carriageway, flashing his lights and yelling like a man possessed.

Daniels was seething. ‘You seen this wanker behind?’

Gormley glanced in his wing mirror and caught the whites of a man’s eyes. Each time Daniels changed lanes he was right on her tail, weaving in and out of traffic like he owned the bloody road, causing alarm and distress to other motorists forced to take avoiding action.

‘He’s going to kill someone unless you show him a clean pair of radials.’

‘I’ll do more than that.’

Daniels floored the accelerator. As her advanced police driving skills automatically kicked in, Gormley relaxed back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, a huge grin on his face.

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