Read Blood Work for Free Online

save them both; she shuddered at the thought of
what might have happened if they hadn't. But
Wendy had survived, though she had needed several
weeks' recuperation in a private hospital and would
be discharged soon. Perhaps Siobhan could get some
stability back in her young life. Sally decided she
would do her bit, she'd get Delaney to furnish his
house properly if she had to drag him down to Ikea
herself!
    A short while later and Delaney was back
downstairs. He'd had a shave, changed his shirt and
put some eye drops in. He didn't look a million
dollars she thought, but it was a vast improvement to
the raw-eyed man who had greeted her at the garage
door. A couple of hundred euros maybe.
    'Come on, then.' Delaney led her back through the
garage and out into the rain. He scowled up at the
sky. 'What's the deal? We don't get autumn any
more, it just goes straight from summer to winter.'
    'Global warming, sir.'
    'Global warming my arse. In the seventies they
reckoned it was the Russians fucking about with the
weather. But do you know what it's really down to,
Detective Constable?'
    'Sir?'
    'England, Sally. That's what it's down to. God's
punishing us, each and every one of us. And He's
doing it by making us live in this shitehole of a
country.'
    Sally followed him out the door, not replying. She
guessed some people just weren't morning persons.
    The window was slightly open and the wind
whistling outside knocked the blind against the
wooden frame with an inconsistent rhythm. Kate
woke slowly. Lifting one eyelid, she winced a little
and closed it again. She murmured softly and turned
on to her side. She reached out a hand and snaked her
fingers through the man's curly hair and smiled.
'Jack, wake up.'
    She slid her hand down over his shoulder to tangle
her fingers in his chest hair, only his skin was
completely smooth. She frowned, puzzled for a
moment, then her smile faded, her eyes shot open
with realisation and she looked, horrified, at the
naked man sleeping beside her in her bed.
    'Shit!'
    She turned over again and looked at the clock
radio on her bedside cabinet. It was half past seven.
She cursed again and tried to remember what had
happened the night before. And couldn't.
    'Shit.'
    Quarter to eight and the rain was still falling,
although lighter than it had been. Detective Inspector
Jack Delaney and Detective Constable Sally
Cartwright were stamping their feet as they stood
outside 'Bab's Kebabs' burger van round the corner
from the police station. Roy, the corpulent owner
and chef, was flipping bacon on the hot griddle plate
as Delaney and Sally sheltered from the persistent
drizzle as much as they could under the awning.
    'Point in case . . .' He pointed his egg slice at
Delaney. 'What did you reckon of Madonna's
"American Pie", Inspector?'
    Delaney shrugged. 'I liked it.'
    'Yeah, well, you would. My point exactly. Every
man and his dog in the rest of the world thinks it's a
piece of shit, but you like it.'
    'It's a song, not a sacred cow. People should be
more tolerant.'
    Roy laughed. 'Ever heard of the pot and the
kettle?' He fixed Delaney with a puzzled expression.
'I heard you'd quit the job anyway.'
    'I did.'
    'What happened then?'
    'Shit happened, Roy. You ought to know about
that. And they needed me to clean it up. Only man
for the job.'
    Roy winked at Sally. 'And I bet you're right glad
to have this little ray of bog-trotting sunshine
back.'
    Sally laughed. 'We're all glad.'
    Roy shook his head. 'Yeah, well, I wouldn't be
betting any large change on that.'
    Delaney stirred some sugar in his coffee. 'You got
that right.'
    Sally took a sip of her herbal tea. 'Why?'
    'He put down some of your own, Detective
Constable. Never very popular thing to do.'
    Delaney scowled at Roy. 'I didn't sign up for the
police force to win popularity contests.'
    Roy handed a bacon sandwich over the counter to
him. 'Just watch your back is all I'm saying, cowboy.
You put the