Nothing but Meat: A dark, heart-stopping British crime thriller Read Online Free Page B

doubted that was the case, as far as he
was concerned she was happily married and he was just using his position to
give her career a boost by giving her the opportunity to be involved in a high
profile murder investigation.
    She drove in silence while West
looked out of the window, preoccupied and deep in thought he idly caressed the
smooth metallic casing of the lighter, occasionally flicking the lid open with
his thumb and snapping it shut with the palm of his other hand. The sound was
distinctive and it took her back to her youth.
    Click,
ting, snap.
    It wasn’t an annoying sound; in fact
Simone found it reassuring.
    Click,
ting, snap.
    She glanced across at him and said,
‘Do you still smoke?’
    ‘Quit years ago.’
    ‘Me too,’ she said. ‘You still keep a
lighter though?’
    ‘Just a habit; it keeps my hands
occupied and helps me think.’
    ‘It reminds me of before.’
    ‘The more things change…’ he said and
flicked the lid of the lighter again.
    Click,
ting, snap.
    ‘…the more they stay the same. I suppose I’d better tell
you what to expect when we get there.
     

4
     
    West’s Ford crunched to a stop on the
gravel of the small parking area at the edge of the wood. They climbed out of
the air-conditioned car and into the oppressive heat of the afternoon and
Simone felt her shirt immediately cling to her back as they walked towards the
police officer on duty.
    Simone spotted a nearby information
board and large colourful map for dog walkers and bird watchers and studied it
while West produced his ID and spoke to the officer. She read that Bishop’s
Thorpe Wood was over a thousand years old and was a protected conservation site
with ancient species of tree. At over three hundred acres and with a diameter
of over forty miles it was so big and dense a series of colour-coded tracks had
been marked throughout the woods in an attempt to prevent even the most
seasoned walker from getting lost.
    The officer pointed them in the
direction of the yellow route and they set off, trudging over dry vegetation,
pine needles, leaves and the gnarled roots of towering trees. The track ahead
of them twisted and turned and although the route they followed could be
identified by the plastic yellow markers that had been tied around alternate
tree trunks Simone realised how easy it would be to get lost. One wrong turn
and anyone could be missing for days.
    They passed two more police officers
as they continued into the seemingly impenetrable wood and although it was
cooler in the shade of the trees, the officers that aided their direction
looked sweltering hot in their uniforms. Simone had done her share of sentry
duty and knew how they felt.
    It was heavy going once they had
abandoned the trail and Simone wondered how anyone could find their way here,
surely it would be close to impossible without good knowledge of the routes. West
went ahead of Simone, pushing branches away and made sure they didn’t fly back
into her face as they pressed ahead.
    They eventually came across another
officer who was leaning against a tree and quickly straightened herself up when
she saw West and Simone fighting their way through the thicket. Simone knew the
officer and nodded an acknowledgement when they flashed their badges and lifted
the blue and white tape that cordoned the perimeter of the crime scene.
    West had told Simone the details of
the murder in the car and her heart was pounding at the frightening
anticipation of what she was about to see. She knew it would be grizzly but nothing
could have really prepared her for what was waiting for them when they entered
the clearing.
    Uniformed police protected the
perimeter of the crime scene, while various specialists went about their work
collecting evidence and taking photographs. West and Simone moved into the
small natural clearing and could see the death immediately.
    They approached what from a distance looked
like a piece of meat hanging from one of the trees but Simone already