Definitely Dead by Kate Bendelow (howl and other poems TXT) 📕

that has driven over him more than once. Whoever was driving, clearly wanted him dead.’

‘Oooh, nasty. But interesting.’ Maya was startled by the realisation that discussing fatalities had suddenly become normal to her. She was clearly getting used to being a SOCO.

‘Yeah, and no sad loss either which is a bonus. Our victim is Geoffrey Doran. The bastard has made a career out of conning pensioners out of their life savings. I don’t think anyone will be mourning his unfortunate passing. My guess is he’s been finished off by a family member of one of his victims. Who knows?’ Amanda shrugged.

‘Hey, Maya, he could be another contender for your sudden death conspiracy. D’ya think your mystery killer has struck again?’ Elaine laughed raucously.

Maya’s eyes darted nervously towards Kym’s office door.

‘Shh, Elaine. I don’t need dropping in the shit again.’

Kym suddenly appeared from her office. ‘Who’s in the shit?’ She frowned, eyeing all the staff suspiciously.

Maya glared at Elaine as Amanda interjected. ‘I was just saying, they’ll be in the shit if they don’t clear all that rubbish away after their lunch.’

‘Mm, really,’ said Kym dubiously.

‘While we’re on the subject of food,’ Amanda tapped her desk for attention, ‘can I just remind you all that the freezer in here is to be used to store exhibits only? I had an officer call in yesterday to collect some blood swabs from one of Nicola’s scenes. I was mortified to open it up and find the exhibit nestling next to a box of bloody Cornettos.’

Chris and Elaine exchanged a guilty look, which sent Connor and Maya off in peals of laughter. Kym rolled her eyes and shook her head exasperatedly before turning to Maya. ‘Could I have a quick word please.’ She spun efficiently on her heel and strode back into her office with Maya following nervously behind, her fingers instinctively in her mouth as she began to chew the skin around her nails.

‘I’ll not beat about the bush. I just wanted to let you know that top office won’t be taking any form of disciplinary action against you following the unfortunate incident with Dave Wainwright. They were sympathetic to the predicament you found yourself in and are satisfied that at no point did you deliberately intend to share information about the investigation.’

Maya slumped back into the chair and sighed with relief. She was about to speak when Kym held up her hand to silence her.

‘They have, however, asked me to remind you that you should only ever use respectful language. Our job can be challenging at times and while we accept that gallows humour is a much-needed coping mechanism, there is a time and a place for it. You need to be mindful of that. That applies to whether you are in work or going about your own private business. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Crystal.’

‘For what it’s worth, I have assured them that I think you hold a lot of promise. I think you can go far in this job so long as you stay focused on the task in hand and dismiss any future ridiculous notions and avoid making assumptions. I think you should take this reprieve as an opportunity to reread the code of ethics which were explained to you when you started at Alder Street.’

Maya nodded furiously. She’d do anything to keep her job. ‘I will, Kym. Thank you.’

‘Good. Familiarise yourself with what is expected of you and ensure you adhere to it. I see this as an opportunity for you to clear the air and start again. Before we do that, is there anything else at all you think I may need to be aware of?’

Maya hesitated. For a moment it was as if time stood still and she was sat in Kym’s office at a metaphorical crossroads, deciding whether this was the one and only chance for her to come clean. To share her secret. To unburden herself from the one thing that woke her in a cold sweat most nights.

She chewed her cuticles. If Maya was ever going to admit that she had lied on her initial application form, the time was now. All she had to do was open her mouth and tell Kym that she had not disclosed the fact that the notorious Marcus Naylor was in fact her biological father. But, how could she? How could she admit to other people the one thing that sickened and terrified her to admit to herself? How could she risk her dream job and everything she had achieved by letting people know?

The minute the truth was out there, people would change around her. She would be tainted by association. Not only would she probably lose her job, but she would be judged because of who she shared her DNA with. She had come this far; she had no choice but to carry on keeping quiet.

‘Maya?’ Kym was staring at her with a mixture of concern and confusion.

‘There’s absolutely nothing else you need to know about. Everything’s fine. Couldn’t be better.’ Her finger had started to bleed, and she wiped it dismissively on her trousers. With that, Maya excused herself before Kym had the chance to detect the lack of honesty on her face. Either that or have a change of heart and tell her boss the whole, ugly, horrible truth.

37

Nowak was hunched on his bunk, brooding about the visit from Markita. She was definitely hiding something from him. Her faux cheerfulness and disingenuous claims about how much she was missing him were as transparent as the see-through bra straps she wore underneath her scanty top. He couldn’t stand that bra. The idea was to make the bra look invisible underneath certain tops, but he always thought the straps looked even more obvious. Cheap and obvious.

And it wasn’t just Markita that was winding him up. There was still no mention of a transfer to Strangeways and he felt that both the solicitor and Donnelly were dragging their feet. How much could he really trust these people?