The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (best finance books of all time .txt) 📕

It would seem logical to me that anyone trading in human traffic, and it’s beginning to look like we might have a serious operator somewhere on our doorstep, would be interested in a prime example. Think of horses for a second, the best examples make the biggest bucks.’

‘Yeah, but that’s, more often than not, for breeding purposes, the stud thing.’

Walter pulled a face and said, ‘I don’t think we’d better go there.’

Karen giggled and thought of Greg and wondered how much some human dealer breeder would pay for him. Just lately his stock might have risen a tad, and then she said, ‘You think the Yet Kwai case and the Jessica Stone case could somehow be linked?’

‘Again, why not? We have nothing to say they aren’t.’

‘Or to say they are.’

‘Rule nothing out, until you can.’

‘Hate to say it, Guv, but there is another alternative, she could already be dead.’

‘That’s possible too, but a thought I would rather not explore right now.’

There was a short silence as they both thought crazy ideas and then he said, ‘Okay, clever-cloggs, let’s get back to what we were saying before in the office.’

‘About what?’

‘About what you would be doing now if I had dropped dead a week ago.’

‘Cracking open the champagne,’ she said, without a moment’s hesitation, and she glanced across at her boss and the look of mock indignation on his face was priceless. She reached over and patted his ample right thigh and said, ‘Only joking, Guv.’

‘Be serious, Greenwood!’

‘I was! ... no, not really, erm, I’d like to think I’d be doing exactly the same as we are now.’

‘Good! Me too.’

‘Can I change the subject a minute, Guv?’

‘Sure.’

‘Will I be okay to have the Friday and the weekend off next week to go to this conference?’

‘Don’t see why not. We have identified the dead girl and it could be a while before we find the killers. We can’t be putting the rest of our lives on hold while we are doing all that.’

‘Thanks, Guv.  I appreciate it. Really think there’s a story there.’

‘We are not newspaper reporters, Greenwood.’

‘I know that, Guv, just a feeling I have, you know how it is.’

‘Yes, I do. Come on, back to the farm.’

‘Eh?’

‘It’s an expression, sergeant, it means: back to work.’

‘Oh, okay Guv, you got it.’

Fifty-Six

Pryce arrived at Minstrel Electronics at twenty past nine. He was looking forward to his day. He was going to make some decent money, and that was always worth getting out of bed for. He nodded at the young guy on reception, strode down the corridor to his office, fifth room on the right. Brinton was in the office next door, his door open, and he was studying his screen intently, no doubt hoping the figures would be good.

Pryce removed his coat with a flourish and swept it onto the coat-stand like a jaunty cavalier. Sat down and yelled, ‘Brinton!’

He came and stood in the open doorway and grinned.

‘Yep?’

‘Everything all right? New units get here?’

Brinton nodded.

‘Are they any good?’

‘Maybe a bit better than last time.’

‘They’d better be. Bring them on!’

Brinton went outside. Saw Men One and Two loitering around reception. Yelled, ‘The boss has arrived. Bring the units on.’

Brinton went back into Pryce’s office and perched on the end of the desk and said. ‘They’re coming now,’ and in the next second Man One led the mini crocodile of Oriental fresh flesh into Pryce’s office: Fenfang, Lily, and Shu. Man Two stood in the doorway, ever anxious to watch proceedings, for these initial show-and-decide meetings were often good for a laugh.

The young women, tethered together, stood in a line before Pryce’s desk. He stared up at them, examining their faces, looking them up and down, an initial quick appraisal. He’d paid Sammy Tang $30,000, US, in cash for these units, and as always, he wasn’t totally sure he was getting value for money. Pryce wasn’t alone in staring, for Jun Woo glared down at Pryce, committing his face to memory. She would never forget him. Never, never, never, and so far, it looked like he was the boss, the mastermind at the UK end of things. He had a lot to answer for, and one day he would.

‘What are you staring at?’ snapped Pryce.

‘She’s trouble, that one,’ said Brinton.

‘Trouble, is she?’ murmured Pryce. ‘She’s come to the right place if she wants trouble. She can have all the trouble she can handle.’

Pryce stood up and ambled round to the front of the desk. Looked down on the first girl, the tiny Shu. Said, ‘Seen worse, I suppose, but she’s so small, looks so young.’

Brinton smirked and said, ‘Some people might enjoy that.’

Man Two in the doorway laughed.

Pryce gave him a look to say: Shut the fuck up! And then barked, ‘Open your mouth!’

Shu stared at him, insolently. He grabbed her face and forced her mouth open, shouting, ‘Open your fucking mouth! Decent teeth I s’pose, but we all had decent teeth at that age. She’s a Manchester maybe.’

Moved along the line. Lily Sang, Jun Woo. Stared into her dark eyes. There was hate and defiance in those eyes, tigerish, deep down, and she was trying to control it, not altogether successfully, but it was there right enough, or so Pryce imagined. They’d soon knock that out of her. Many of them were like that when they first arrived, until they had been broken in. It was all part of the job, and occasionally an enjoyable part. Jun stared back.

‘Don’t look at me, bitch!’ snarled Pryce.

Jun did not look away, for she thought that would reveal she understood English, and she wanted to keep that fact secret.

‘She stinks. Looks like she’s been dragged through a hedge backwards. Open your mouth!’

Jun Woo did not.

‘I said, open your fucking mouth!’ and he gently slapped the side of her face. Jun opened her mouth, revealing missing fillings and bent teeth.

He looked away and glanced back at Brinton.

‘Don’t think Harry would be too keen on that!’

Moved along the line. Stared into Fenfang’s eyes.

‘A taller