Free To Snatch a Thief by Hazel Cotton

surprising her in civilian clothes and a night’s growth of beard on his chin. He was dressed casual in jeans, bluey-green silk shirt that shimmered as he moved, under a black suede jacket. His boots were of butter-soft leather.
    ‘Did you touch anything down there?’ he asked, as soon as she opened the door. ‘Anything at all?’
    Skye shook her head, relieved beyond words to see him. If someone had told her a few weeks ago that she’d be on-her-knees grateful to have a snatcher in her home she’d have laughed in their face. ‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘I let myself in, saw them, had a wobbly moment or two, then took Alexei outside.’ She flicked a glance towards her brother sitting cross-legged on the floor, lost in his programme. ‘Then we came up here and I called you.’
    Hunter was all business. ‘And you’re sure they’re dead?’
    ‘Oh, yes. M-Mi…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say their names. ‘The boy’s, they were… their faces were…oh, God.’ She clutched a hand to her stomach.
    ‘Stay here while I go down and see for myself. What’s your landlord’s name, I’ll have to wake him?’
    ‘Um…it’s… I can’t think straight.’ She pressed her fingers to her temples where the buzzing was building again.
    Hunter gripped both her arms, gave her a light shake. ‘Get it together, Skye,’ he ordered, none too gently. ‘If you want to help those people, get your head straightened out and start thinking like a cadet.’
    ‘I’m sorry, you’re right.’ Taking a deep breath, she nodded. ‘I’m okay now. Um, it’s Herzl, Victor Herzl. He’s slime,’ she added, with feeling.
    She was less shaky by the time Hunter returned, speaking rapid-fire orders into his klip. She imagined a squad was scrambling at HQ. ‘No, the scene hasn’t been compromised,’ he was saying. ‘Nothing’s been touched. I’ve told the landlord to keep the door locked until you get here. Luckily it’s early so the building’s quiet, but I want two uniforms in the street to keep sightseers and the media at bay. Yeah, looks like the same MO… Yep, same as the others… They look like they just stopped living.’
    Breaking transmission, he strode into the flat, casting an eye around its shabby interior. ‘These places should be condemned,’ he scowled. ‘How long have you lived like this?’
    Her chin came up at that; a spike of anger that speared through grief. It might be a dump, but she kept it clean. ‘Beggars can’t be choosers, sir,’ she snapped back. ‘We can’t all afford Italian shoes.’
    ‘What? What are you talking about?’
    She brushed past him, flicking her eyes to his feet. ‘Just an observation. Excuse me, I have to get Lexie a drink.’
    For a moment he just stared, then dragged his hands over his face. Dropping into a chair, he blew out his cheeks. ‘Jesus, it’s freezing in here. Have you got any coffee?’ He gave a tired sigh. ‘You caught me not far from here. I didn’t get home last night.’
    ‘Slumming?’ She couldn’t resist.
    Seeing his eyes glint dangerously, she let it go. ‘I haven’t any coffee left, but there’s tea,’ she said. ‘No milk though.’
    ‘I’ll pass. How well did you know the victims?’
    ‘Not intimately.’ Skye handed Lexie the drink, then began picking up toys to give her hands something to do. ‘We weren’t bosom buddies or anything. It was more of a business arrangement really. It suited us both. Her partner bolted when Tommy was born, so the money came in handy. She looked after Lexie when I went out to work…’ She paused when he arched an eyebrow.
    ‘I did do some legitimate work,’ she said stiffly. ‘Casual kitchen stuff, cleaning if I could get it.’ She threw the last car in a box in the corner. ‘They threatened to foster Lexie out when I got sentenced. I was so scared I’d lose him; we’re all we’ve got. Shiralee stepped in. I owe her.’ Tears pricked behind her eyes for the first time. ‘I’ll take him to