Free The Coercion Key by Catriona King Page A

budgies ever do to you?”
    Craig smiled and raised his hand, stilling the next round of jokes. “John made that point to me yesterday, Jake. They killed themselves, we’re sure of that, but I think they were blackmailed into it. So that’s one crime for a start. We’re also pretty sure that John was being stalked.”
    “And you got a threatening phone-call, sir, don’t forget that.” Craig turned to Nicky just in time to see a chip disappearing through her indignantly pursed lips.
    “If we ever catch them there’ll be plenty to charge them with, Nicky, don’t worry about that. I’m more concerned with finding them before someone else dies.”
    Annette gave him a smile that said ‘come on now, tell the truth’. Craig laughed, acknowledging that she was right.
    “OK. Yes, I want to solve the puzzle too.”
    They reverted to normal chatter while the meals were eaten and the teas and coffees came. As he sipped his espresso Craig remembered something.
    “Has anyone seen Des recently?”
    There was a series of ‘no’s’.
    Liam caught on first. “Why? Is there something we should know?”
    “Annie made him shave off his beard. He looks ten years younger.”
    Nicky screwed up her face. “I’m not surprised. It must have been like kissing a Brillo-pad.”
    Davy interjected. “Do married people still s…snog then? I thought you were all too old.”
    “You cheeky young…”
    Annette smiled and shook her head. “It’s hard to imagine Des without his facial hair.”
    Craig smiled. “Ah now, I didn’t say that. He’s grown a moustache.”
    “Hitler or Stalin?”
    “More revolutionary Guevara. It looks good.”
    Liam took a gulp of tea and then laughed. “Sure, whether it does or not it’ll give us something to slag him about.”
    ***
    Jenna Graham watched the team as they strolled back from lunch, past the Rotterdam Bar and on towards the high-rise building that housed the C.C.U. Craig had ignored the warning; he was still on the hunt. That meant he needed a reminder. Craig was a stubborn bastard; normally one threat was all it took to scare people off. She shrugged and turned away, walking down Corporation Street until she reached her car. It didn’t matter what Craig did, the list was almost complete. Then they could disappear for good. Craig might think he was getting somewhere but she defied him to join the dots in time. In fact she defied him to join them at all. Only she and the others knew what this was really about and soon there would be nothing left to give the game away.

Chapter Seven
     
    St Mary’s Healthcare Trust. 1 p.m.
     
    “Guess who I saw today?”
    Natalie Ingrams picked at her sandwich trying to work out what the pink lumps inside it were, and nodded absentmindedly at her friend. They might be prawns but she couldn’t see their normal pale coat beneath the sauce, or they might be chicken, but who would cover chicken with pink paste? Finally she pushed her plate away and glanced across the canteen table at Katy. She was giving Natalie an amused look.
    “Are you going to eat that or dissect it?”
    “I was trying to work out what it was but I’ve given up. Sorry, you said something. What was it?”
    “I said, guess who I saw today?”
    “I give up, who?”
    “God, you don’t make much of an effort, do you?”
    Katy paused huffily until Natalie urged her on with a threatening look.
    “Oh, OK. Marc Craig. He was at my apartment block with another man with a moustache.”
    Natalie leaned forward, excited. “That’s Des Marsham. He works with John. They must have a case there.”
    Katy screwed up her face. “I don’t think so. We had a death last week, but it was a suicide. My upstairs neighbour Mr Warner jumped into the Lagan from his balcony and drowned.”
    Natalie’s face lit up. “Can you reach the river from your place then?”
    Katy gave her a horrified look. “Yes, you can, if you jump far enough. But that’s not the point. A man’s dead, Natalie!”
    Natalie