The Sixth Estate (The Craig Crime Series) Read Online Free Page B

time.
    “What!”
    “Apparently her solicitor has been making noises for weeks…”
    “And no-one thought to tell us?”
    Annette continued calmly. One of them had to be; Craig’s temper was threatening to boil over.
    “The Public Prosecution Service has been on. They want us to submit a report.”
    “Greer hasn’t a hope in hell of them granting her an appeal. She confessed, for God’s sake.”
    “She confessed to Ershov who’d made a deal with The Met to walk free. Now she’s saying it was entrapment.” Annette paused, waiting for Craig to say something more, when he didn’t she carried on. “Look, Greer’s just chancing her arm. It’ll get kicked out. Even if it isn’t it’ll take them months to get their case together; they won’t get a court date till at least the spring. I just thought that you should know.”
    It was Craig’s turn to sigh. Greer’s appeal would be a hell of a start to 2015.
    “OK, tell Jake and Carmen to get the case files and start familiarising themselves with it. Neither of them was on the team when we put Greer away. When does Ken get back from his training exercise?”
    Ken Smith, or Captain Kenneth Smith of the Swords Regiment to give him his full title, was an army officer on secondment to the squad until the coming July. He’d started in a liaison role during some bomb related murders and had quickly become part of the team. They would miss him when he left, which made Craig’s determination to keep Davy even more resolute.
    “Friday. Just in time for the Christmas parties to start.”
    “He’ll be doing some holiday reading then.”
    From Craig’s run through of his troops, Annette knew that she would be handed a task next. Something occurred to her.
    “Where are you and Liam? Will you be in after lunch?”
    Craig said a cantankerous “No”. He was regretting accepting the Bwye case now. The last thing he needed was to be off site when Joanne Greer was playing games. She was one of the slipperiest villains he’d ever put away, with the money and resources to get more slippery still.
    “That’s what I was calling about. We’ve been asked to consult on a case in Derry and I need you here.”
    She went to ask more but he pushed on. “Sorry, I don’t have time to brief you. Ask Nicky to print out a copy of the file; it’s in my saved messages. I need you here tomorrow morning if that’s OK?”
    Annette grinned; she loved being in the field and if that field happened to be in the countryside then so much the better. She was a Maghera girl and she missed the fresh air.
    “I’ll get the kids sorted and come up in the morning.”
    She paused, wondering whether to remind Craig about Davy or let him forget and sign off. Craig forgot nothing.
    “Pass me over to Davy now, please.”
    Davy had been watching Annette from a distance whilst trying to avoid Nicky’s martyred stare. When Annette nodded in his direction he knew his phone was about to ring. He hesitated before picking it up, dreading the conversation he was about to have. To his surprise Craig sounded cheerful, even though he cut straight to the chase.
    “Morning, Davy. I hear you’re thinking of leaving us?”
    Davy gawped at the handset, uncertain how to reply. Craig accepted his silence as assent and took the lead.
    “I want you to do your doctorate. You’re bright and I’ve no intention of trying to stand in your way.”
    Davy didn’t know whether to feel relieved at not having to defend himself, or hurt that Craig was prepared to let him leave so readily. He was still deciding when Craig spoke again.
    “However, you know I don’t want you to go so I’ve had an idea that might give us both our way. I need to check a few things and then perhaps we could have a chat?”
    Davy’s normally lightning fast brain was struggling to keep up but he could have hugged Craig for what he said next.
    “Meanwhile, I’m sure you’ve had quite enough of Nicky’s badgering, so how about you work from home