It’s here . . . and this is how it begins

Family Matters is now available!

I’m delighted to say,  book 8 in the Meredith & Hodge series, is done, dusted, and ready for a kindle near you! (Paperback to follow shortly) For those of you who didn’t get the sneak preview, you can read the first few pages below. Meredith is about to have his day ruined.

Chapter One

Alan Jenkins loosened his tie. Leaning back in his chair, he checked his watch again. Increasingly irritated, he drummed his fingers on the box in front of him. How long did it take to get rid of a bag of clothing?  As he pondered whether to make a call, he heard movement outside the door and sat upright.

“About bloody time. What took you so long?” He pointed to the chair in front of the desk. “Sit.”

Jenkins’ nephew Max Deegan shrugged as he dropped his heavy frame into the chair opposite. “It was covered in blood. I couldn’t just dump it. I had to burn it, needed to make sure it was done properly. Took ages, that was my favourite T-shirt too.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have let yourself get carried away. A slap would have done. I’ve bloody warned you about your temper.”

“Yeah, well, he pissed me off. It was my favourite—”

“Yes, you said. Because of your handiwork with that knife, you’ll have to take care of Meredith. I was hoping to drag that out.” Sliding the box across the desk, Jenkins shook his head. “I’d not finished with him, but I’ve got another load coming in and the house needs sorting.” Rubbing his brow in an attempt to disperse the headache he knew was coming, Jenkins tried not to think about it. He pointed at the box. “That’s got a silencer. Use it, I don’t want to draw any more attention.”

“Why?” Frowning, Deegan tried to remember the minimum sentence for killing a police officer, bent or otherwise.

“Why don’t I want attention? Fuck me, Max, I know you’re not the brightest spark, but please!”

“No. Why kill Meredith? I thought that was the whole point of getting him roped in.” His frown deepened. “I thought you had big plans for Meredith.” Trying to imitate Jenkins’ voice and failing miserably, he tried again. “What I’m trying to say is, killing him might be the wrong move. After all, he can hardly run to the police himself, can he? And, that’s if he finds out what happened to his mate.”

“Who knows? I’m not prepared to wait and see. As things stand he doesn’t know who we are or that we were involved, and I want to keep it that way.” Jenkins glanced at the screen of the laptop to his left. “Shame, I wanted to play with him a bit, they’re pretty girls. I wanted to see his face when he watched the tape.”

Remembering why this wouldn’t be possible, his face contorted, and he saw Deegan flinch. “And that’s your fault. You’ve denied me” He slammed his hands on the desk. “Now do as you’re told and get it done.” He nudged the box closer for good measure. “Don’t cock it up. You’re sure you’re up to this, aren’t you?” Jenkins hadn’t missed Deegan’s reluctance to take the box.

“Of course.” Deegan was anything but confident, but he didn’t want his uncle to know that. Jerking his thumb to the screen of the laptop, Deegan smirked. “You can still have fun with those two, can’t you?”

“Possibly. Won’t be as much fun now Meredith won’t get to see it. Go on, fuck off. I can’t look at your stupid mug a minute longer.”

Pushing back the chair, Deegan got to his feet and lifted the box. “How do I find him though?”

“We know where his mother lives, and I’m tracking his phone. Take this.” Lifting a mobile phone from the top drawer he tossed it to Deegan.

“It’s all set up. He’s nearly in Bristol. Before you set off, two things. First, drop my car off to Alex, tell him I want it spotless and to make sure there’s not a trace of blood left. If it stains I’ll need to get both the front seats recovered, and you’ll be paying. When you’ve done that, go to Bristol, and torch the car in the layby on your way. Don’t want the police picking up your prints and coming back to me.”

He waited until the door shut behind Deegan and pulled the laptop closer. Meredith’s woman was a looker, but his daughter was the one he wanted. She looked like him, seeing her fear, her agony, would give him great pleasure.

********

Hope that whetted your whistle, you can get your copy HERE.

Before I  go, a smidgen of other business: Misplaced Loyalty will remain free until 16th February. The Making of Meredith: Amazon had drastically reduced the price of the ebook for The Making of Meredith, and in the UK they have also reduced the paperback to £1.10. So, if you want to grab a bargain, pop over there. WARNING This promotion is not controlled by me, so if you are interested, please double check the price before you order, I have no idea how long this will last.

That’s it. Have a great weekend,

Happy reading!