The Careless Word (#8 - The Craig Crime Series) Read Online Free

don’t have a clue beyond the signs Des mentioned.”
    Des chipped in. “The question is why the hell would someone blow up a shop full of fusty old tomes? There must have been something crooked going on behind the scenes.”
    Craig nodded. “That’s what we aim to find out. Anything else?”
    Des nodded. “Yes, actually there is and it’s a bit strange. Something was found amongst the bomb debris.”
    Craig leaned forward eagerly. “In the shop generally, or in the bomb itself?”
    “Right in the centre of the bomb. Army bomb disposal are gathering everything they can, hoping to get the bomber’s signature, but they sent me the images of the debris because they’d never seen anything like it before.”
    Des reached for a folder that no-one had noticed him carrying and distributed the photocopies inside. There was silence for a moment as they all stared at the sheets. Amidst the charred wires and metal remnants lay the unmistakable outline of scrollwork, set in a rectangular shape.
    Craig spoke first. “It’s a photo-frame.”
    The others peered at the image and acknowledged that he was right.
    “Who the hell puts a photograph inside a bomb? You’d have to hate someone a lot to blow up their picture.”
    Craig shook his head. “Or the opposite. You could be saying ‘I did this for you’. If you hated someone you’d make them the victim of the bomb, not use the bomb to celebrate them. We’ll find out for sure when we see who was in the photo.” He turned to Des. “Was there anything that could have been a picture found nearby, Des?”
    Des shrugged. “That was all they sent through. You’ll have to ask the army.”
    Craig leapt to his feet, beckoning Liam to do the same. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Chapter Three
     
    5 p.m.
     
    Katy Stevens wrinkled her forehead at the dress in front of her, struggling hard not to show her dismay. It was a blancmange of yellow taffeta, with yards of frills down one side. Natalie Ingrams watched her best friend’s face through a lens of excitement.
    “Isn’t it gorgeous? You’ll be carrying a posy of Poinciana as well; they’re the flower of the island. It’s almost identical to my dress, except mine is white of course.”
    She grinned broadly and danced around the room, holding Katy’s bridesmaid’s dress in front of her. When Natalie slowed down, Katy took a deep breath and motioned her best friend to take a seat; rifling through her medical training to find the section headed ‘breaking bad news’. She prayed that she was equal to the task. If she wasn’t then she’d be spending Natalie’s wedding dressed as a giant fruit.
    “It’s… lovely, Natalie. Very pretty. But…”
    Natalie’s face fell and Katy felt instantly guilty. She fought her need to confess that she was trying to change Natalie’s mind because the dress was hideous, and convinced herself that it was impractical instead. She could beat herself up for the lie later.
    “It’s just… I checked the temperature on the island, so that I knew what to pack, and it’s going to be in the eighties for the whole two weeks. If you wear taffeta, you’re going to be par-boiled.” She produced the piéce de resistance. “You’ll be bright red in all your photos!”
    Katy convinced herself that it was for the greater good. The wedding photos would haunt Natalie for years, not to mention making her look like a giant grapefruit. Natalie’s small face fell further as she considered, then her expression brightened and Katy could see logic beginning to trump desire.
    “Eighty degrees? Are you sure?”
    Katy nodded, setting her blond waves flying. “Positive, I wanted to know what sun factor to bring.”
    Natalie pondered for a moment longer and Katy could see every thought reflected on her face. She interjected cautiously.
    “Have you paid for the dresses yet?”
    Natalie shook her head. “No. They’re off the peg. On approval for a week, from that bridal shop in the