Perfect People (63 page)

There were four Senior Investigating Officers in the Sussex CID Major Crime Branch, taking it in turns to be the Duty SIO: one week on, three weeks off. His shift was due to end at 6 a.m. on Monday.
Shit.

‘Yes I am, Simon,’ he said, about as enthusiastically as a dental patient agreeing to root canal work.

‘We have a suspicious death at a farm in East Sussex.’

‘What information can you give me?’

He listened, his heart sinking further, his weekend down the khazi only hours before it began, and exchanged a glance with Cleo. He could see that she understood what was going on. She gave him a wan smile.

‘I’m on my way,’ he said.

He hung up and immediately dialled the Chief Constable’s Staff Officer, Trevor Bowles, informing him that it sounded like there was another murder in the county and that he would report back with more details later. It was important to keep the CC, as well as the Deputy Chief Constable and the Assistant Chief Constables, informed of a potential major incident to avoid putting them in the embarrassing position of hearing the news third-hand from the media. Next he dialed his colleague and friend, Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson.

‘Yo, old timer, what’s popping?’ Branson answered.

Grace grinned at his use of rap language, the latest affectation Glenn had picked up from a movie. ‘I’ll tell you what’s about to be popping – your ears. We’re going up a hill.’

Also by Peter James

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ATOM BOMB ANGEL

BILLIONAIRE

POSSESSION

DREAMER

SWEET HEART

TWILIGHT

PROPHECY

ALCHEMIST

HOST

THE TRUTH

DENIAL

FAITH

Children’s Novel

GETTING WIRED!

The Roy Grace Series

DEAD SIMPLE

LOOKING GOOD DEAD

NOT DEAD ENOUGH

DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPS

DEAD TOMORROW

DEAD LIKE YOU

DEAD MAN’S GRIP

First published 2011 by Macmillan

This electronic edition published 2011 by Macmillan
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ISBN 978-0-230-76305-0 EPUB

Copyright © Really Scary Books / Peter James 2011

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