Free Death Sentence by Sheryl Browne Page A

Detective ?’
    His heart twisting violently in his chest, Matthew looked away. Count , he commanded himself, swallowing back the hatred that threatened to choke him. Ignore the bastard. Taking a shallow breath, attempting to stave off the imminent wheeze in his chest, he caught Steve’s eye, who clearly noted something was wrong, and moved towards him.
    ‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ the woman said, as Matthew shook his head, indicating Steve should stay. ‘Patrick dotes on his daughter, don’t you, Pat? We’re working on having a baby of our own,’ she imparted. ‘Didn’t go to sleep until dawn, did we, babe?’
    Looking suggestively up at Sullivan, she reached to trail a long fingernail down his torso, while Matthew suppressed an urge not to shove the excuse for a human being in the pool and hold him under.
    ‘That’s right, sweetheart. Taylor can’t wait to have a little sister or brother to play with.’ Sullivan locked goading eyes with Matthew. ‘Happy?’
    Not until I see you banged up for life or six feet under . Matthew’s gaze didn’t flinch. ‘I’ll be back,’ he warned him evenly.
    ‘Ooh, move over, Arnie. I’m shaking in my boots.’ Sullivan blinked girlishly.
    ‘One day, Sullivan,’ Matthew promised. ‘One day.’
    ‘Yeah, right, maybe when you grow a pair, Adams. Meanwhile—’ Adjusting his collar and cuffs, Sullivan nodded towards the annexe doors they’d entered by. ‘Don’t have an asthma attack on the way out, will you? Oh, and give me a ring sometime, about that chauffeuring job. I’m thinking you might need one soon. Not going to go down well with your superiors, is it, you wasting valuable police resources, harassing innocent people?’
    Sub-species , Matthew thought. Then, the tightness in his chest warning him of just such an attack, he turned away before he did something that would be worth serving time for.
    ‘I guess that gives him his alibi.’ Steve sounded as despondent as Matthew felt, as they descended the steps from the annexe.
    Matthew swallowed back his repulsion. ‘As usual.’
    ‘I didn’t know you had asthma, boss,’ Steve commented, as they headed for the car. He was trying to sound casual, only mildly interested, but Matthew guessed he was actually wondering how bad it was. As in, could it cause a problem on the job? If so, how was it he was doing the job?
    ‘I don’t,’ Matthew said shortly. That was, he didn’t. Supposedly outgrowing his childhood asthma, he hadn’t had an attack in years. Not until Lily …
    ‘Oh, right. He was trying to be witty then, was he?’ Steve nodded back towards the house.
    ‘Presumably.’ Attempting to avert the conversation, Matthew glanced across the grounds, and there was Taylor, Sullivan’s daughter, leading a horse from the arena back to the stables. Birthday present , Matthew wondered. Possibly. The girl wanted for nothing. Everything a teenager could wish for bestowed upon her by her caring father. Yet he pumps girls her age full of drugs, forces them into prostitution, beats them to death.
    His anger white hot, slow-burning, Matthew looked back towards the annexe. Sullivan was watching him from the doors, a satisfied smirk all over his face and casually … cleaning his fingernails . Matthew’s heart stopped, as he noted the metal file he was using, and then kicked back hard.
    ****
    ‘Fetch us a drink, will ya, babe.’ Chelsea said as the coppers drove off. ‘I need to towel meself off before me boobs freeze.’
    ‘Silly cow,’ Patrick muttered behind her. ‘Get it yourself.’
    Taken-aback, Chelsea blinked and turned back towards him. ‘What’s your problem?’ she asked. Planting her hands on her hips, she looked him over, feeling mightily miffed. Hadn’t she just bigged him up, spouted a load of rubbish about him being the world’s greatest lover, when the truth was, he was only ever interested if she was dressed up like some cheap trollop in stilettos. Chelsea was almost at the stage of telling