Animal Instinct Read Online Free

snapped Helen, as Massey trudged into the kitchen. “Out drinking with your cronies again?”
    “We've had a meeting and you shouldn't class your brother as a crony. He's part of the team.”
    “Is that the darts team or the pool team?” asked Helen sarcastically.
    “Look, it's been a difficult day.…”
    “I don't suppose you remembered to pick up the beer and wine for tomorrow.”
    “I'll do the supermarket in the morning. It's no big deal.”
    “You arranged this party. It was your suggestion. Easter Sunday, you said. Everyone will have bank holiday Monday to recover, you said. Don't worry, you said. We'll have the whole weekend together to prepare, you said. I have hardly seen you. We were supposed to go shopping today, but oh no, not you. Out with the lads last night, a lie-in this morning and then an urgent call from the office. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were having an affair with D.C.I. Wainwright.”
    Massey poured himself a whisky and sat down at the kitchen table. Unaffected by Helen's tirade he described briefly the distressing events, which he and his colleagues had witnessed earlier that afternoon. His wife calmed down and made some fresh coffee. Their altercations were becoming more frequent as the demands of Massey's job increased. The stress of moving house combined with work pressures were adding strains to a disparate relationship where Helen was attempting to build a home and eventually a family, whilst her husband was becoming more career motivated.
    *****
    The warm spring weather persisted throughout the weekend so much so that Massey purchased some food suitable for a barbecue whilst collecting the booze from Sainsburys. Later in the day their friends arrived, the previous night's differences were put to one side and the party mood prevailed. Apart from the adjacent neighbours, the guests comprised mainly of colleagues from Helen's school or the local police force. It was inevitable, however, that the main topic of conversation centred on the apparent murder of the mystery blonde.
    At one point Massey managed to drag John Nuttall from forensics to a remote corner of the garden. “Anything interesting yet?” he asked.
    “Considering that she was completely starkers, quite a bit,” he replied. “In actual fact she wasn't completely naked. There was a watch on her left wrist, a trendy Swatch-type watch with an inscription.”
    “A name?”
    “No, just initials. It read ‘All My Love Forever, A.D. ’ There may be some helpful mileage in the other interesting discovery. She was pregnant.”
    “Really. How far gone?”
    “Not absolutely sure. Maybe ten, possibly twelve weeks. Sexual intercourse had also taken place prior to her death, so you're possibly looking at a rape victim.”
    “How did she die?”
    “Still working on that. It's weird. All those lacerations and that bruise to her head cannot be attributed to cause of death. It's more likely that she suffocated.”
    “Strangled, then?”
    “Negative. Not a mark on her neck. There was little evidence of a struggle, which unfortunately would be inconsistent with the rape theory. However, there were minute particles of unidentifiable black stuff under her manicured fingernails and microscopic slivers of metal in the bruising on her head. I've sent them for analysis. We are also checking the bin liners for fingerprints and later in the week D.N.A. from the sperm samples. That weird smell is a mystery. I'm not sure whether it originates from her, the bin-bags or the site itself. I'll need to work on that.”
    “Can you get me a head and shoulders mug-shot of her or is it too messy?”
    “I'll clean her up in the morning and see what I can do. Do you want it with or without the bruise? I can brush that out if you prefer?”
    “Oh, without. Can you sort it for tomorrow morning? Wainwright's called a meeting. So much for party recovery day,” moaned Massey.
    “Why can't bloody criminals take a holiday like the rest of