Time To Play by KA Richardson (free children's ebooks online .txt) 📕

again. Crime scene investigators are still not classed as frontline staff, which is ridiculous. Half the time we’re at the scene before the cop gets there these days. It sucks.’

‘Sorry, honey. Am sure you’ll be fine though, you’re an old hand now. Hasn’t Cass put you forward for the crime scene manager training?’

‘Yeah, she’s fab bless her. There’s four of us been put forward. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed. Johnny got accepted for the arson investigation course last month so hopefully he’ll be out of the running for the CSM one; but you never know. You know what Hartside’s like. He’s a complete prick.’

‘Hate to say it, but bosses usually are. Especially ones like him with their head so far up their own arse they can practically see daylight.’

Marlo’s phone interrupted their conversation with a loud buzz. Seeing it was her sergeant, she swiped and answered.

‘Buchanan … yup, OK, Sharpie. See you in a bit.’

She didn’t even need to explain. Hanging up the phone, she watched Deena curl her legs up underneath her.

‘Yes, I’ll lock up when I leave, and no I won’t forget to wash the cups. Go to work, Marlo.’

Marlo grinned at her friend and made her way to the bathroom. At least it’s a late call in.

Container Truck, Washington Industrial Park – 2 November

The truck braked hard, jolting Elvie from a disturbed sleep. She rubbed her eyes, trying to rid them of that feeling of sandiness. She glanced down at Nita who was laid beside her. Nita’s skin was pale and clammy and there was a thin sheen of sweat over the girl’s forehead. She occasionally whimpered as the fever tried to tear her body apart.

There was no water left now. Elvie’s tongue felt swollen and cracked inside her mouth. The initial gnawing of hunger that had started when the food had run out was now nothing more than a dull ache. Her eyes were heavy and hot; she really didn’t feel too good.

The smell in the container had intensified overnight and Elvie suddenly leant over herself and heaved. There was nothing to come up, but her body kept heaving. When she sat back up, her eyes were glassy with tears. She hated being sick.

Elvie knew that some of the other girls had died, releasing their weak hold on whatever life they were heading into. She envied them in some ways. They were free, not cooped up in the stinking container where the only light was artificial, and the only warmth was each other. She cocked her head to the side, listening. The truck was no longer moving.

There was a loud clatter as the container doors were suddenly wrenched open. Two men leapt inside and started kicking at the girls on the floor.

‘Pataas,’ they said as their toes connected with ribs and legs. The men obviously didn’t know much Filipino; their pronunciation was all wrong, but ‘pataas’ was up, and ‘pumunta’ was go. It was all they needed; they weren’t paid to chat.

The girls who didn’t move, whether through illness or death, were left behind. They would be dealt with later.

Elvie was more scared than she’d ever been. She had to get Nita up. She moved to her knees and shook her friend hard. Eventually, Nita opened her eyes, struggling to focus. She felt rather than saw Elvie’s fear and turned to pull herself to her knees. Elvie helped her up, taking pretty much her full weight as Nita leant into her.

‘Pumunta,’ said one of the men, nudging them towards the open doors.

The security cameras that should’ve been watching the industrial estate had been disabled earlier in the night. There was no one to see or hear as the girls were herded from the container into nearby vans in the car park of the abandoned factory. Years ago, it had been one of the most productive factories in Washington. Now though, the only thing it was used by was the rats and pigeons.

Elvie clutched Nita tightly, knowing if she let go then her friend would fall. There was no one to help them to the ground. Elvie leant her friend against the side of the container and clambered down, wincing as the glass shards on the tarmac cut into the soles of her bare feet. She reached up and helped Nita to the ground, flinching as the men jumped down beside them.

‘These two aren’t bad. I can put up with the stink if there’s a nice warm mouth round my cock,’ said one with a sneer.

‘Boss lady said no touching,’ said the other one, looking bored. He put up with the same or similar on every transportation.

‘Come on, no one would even have to know,’ whined the first man. He wasn’t well built, verged on skinny in fact. He was well dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, his hair neatly styled. In contrast, the other was well built and muscular, also dressed in the same uniform of sorts. He lost his temper suddenly, one hand wrapped around the skinny man’s throat and he threw him against the back of the truck.

‘No … Fucking … Touching.’

The skinny man gasped and nodded, trying to catch his breath. As he was released his hands instinctively touched his neck, almost as if he were checking it was still there. He watched the other man make his way to the driver’s side of the Transit van, and only able to vent his frustration one way, he gave Elvie a sharp kick.

Elvie gasped as hot pain seared up her thigh. Why did he do that? I didn’t do anything. Tugging Nita alongside, she climbed into the back of the van. Only one of the other girls from the container was inside, huddled in the far corner, looking as afraid as Elvie felt. The doors slammed shut behind them, and within seconds the van left