Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,4

lip quivered, and Josh could see he was struggling to hold back tears. Josh stepped back and let them have a moment.

He looked over his shoulder at a shout. He turned to see Cal peering in the door of the Fiat, as a police officer backed away and lost the contents of his stomach.

“What’s happened?” Lisa asked in a shaky voice.

“I don’t know.” But Josh had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it. “I need you to stay here. I’ve got a couple more questions.” He waited until they’d both nodded, although from their curious expressions they weren’t going anywhere, then he jogged over to the car. “What’s happened?”

Cal emerged from the car, a grim look on his face. He pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, Josh. It’s Chopper.”

Confused, Josh stared at him, then he turned to look in the car. Cal tried to stop him, but Josh peered in through the window and the evening turned to shit once more. He gagged as he saw what was wedged behind the driver’s seat. He stumbled back, his hand over his mouth, and Cal caught him.

“Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!” Josh’s voice cracked under the force of his anger. “Forget the pit. I’m going to kill her.”

“No argument from me,” Cal spat through gritted teeth.

“Do you know who this is?” A female police officer looked as grim as Josh felt.

“She is… was called Chopper, Chopper Barnes. She was my uncle’s wife,” Cal said. “The rest of her body is at Waterslea. The bitch decapitated her and set her body on fire.”

“Ms. Barnes was married to Sir Gideon Ross?”

Cal nodded and the policewoman murmured her condolences.

The police officer who’d vomited, took a swig of water from a bottle offered by one of his colleagues and spat it out. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, squared his shoulders, and joined them by the car. “I’m sorry, Sarge. It was the first time I’ve seen a… head.”

If Josh hadn’t been so damn angry he’d have probably been losing his breakfast too.

“You’ll be fine,” the sergeant said in a no-nonsense fashion, which suggested it wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with a subordinate with a weak stomach. “SOCO are on their way. You know who the victim and the perpetrator is. Your interest in the case seems to be over, gentlemen?”

Josh realized they were being dismissed. “She’s kidnapped my boss. It’s not over by a long shot.”

“We’ll contact you if we find the stolen car and the occupants.” She gazed at them, and her desire to get them away from her now-homicide crime scene couldn’t have been more obvious if she’d spelled it out in red letters.

“You do that.” Josh made a mental note to call DCI Susan Walters. His opinion of British cops was somewhat colored by DS Dirk Brenner, a dick with a hard-on for Josh and an inability to understand the word ‘no’. DCI Walters, on the other hand, was an efficient cop who had proved useful in the past. This scene was out of her jurisdiction but maybe she could talk to the right people. He tugged Cal away, just as he seemed prepared to argue with the sergeant.

“Dammit, what’s the betting we don’t get a call?” Cal muttered as they walked back toward Lisa and her father.

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“Huh, do you think our friendly DCI would have more sway?”

Josh snorted. “I’ve already made a note to call her.”

“I thought you might—” Cal broke off as shouting erupted by the tape. “What the hell?”

A skinny man dressed in a navy hoodie and sweatpants was yelling at Lisa. Josh put him to be in his mid-thirties, although it was hard to tell with his face screwed up and bright red with anger.

“You stupid cow. You hit my car.”

“Who is that?” Josh asked.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the driver of the Ford Focus and he’s about to get thumped by Lisa’s dad.” Cal jogged over to them; Josh hard on his heels.

“I didn’t touch your car,” she protested, but the man carried on as if she hadn’t spoken.

“You’re all the same, you kids. I bet you don’t have insurance.”

“You leave my daughter alone,” Riley yelled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The police officer intervened, standing between him and Riley. “You need to calm down, sir.”

The Ford Focus owner clenched his fists. “Get out of my way. Look what she did to my car! It’s wrecked.”

He pushed past the police officer