Trophies: a gripping detective thriller (The Wakefield Series Book 1) Read Online Free

playground on that first day with a taller fair-haired Colin Strong, they developed a mutual respect and became firm friends. Years together playing for the same football teams meant they had an almost telepathic understanding on the pitch. While Colin went off to university in Nottingham, Bob, after almost making it as a professional footballer, began to mould himself a successful career in journalism. He was Colin’s best man at his wedding in 1980. Bob felt that Colin was the sort of mate you could go months, even years without any more than a Christmas card but still knock on his door in the middle of the night and be welcomed with open arms.
    “I said, any plans to see Colin?” Jean interrupted his reverie.
    “What? Oh yeah,” he said, thoughts buzzing around his brain, “I’ll give him a call. I haven’t seen him in a long while. It’ll be nice to catch up.” And he wouldn’t be a bad contact to nurture either, he considered.
     

4
     
     
     
    The kitchen was impregnated with the smells of fresh coffee and hot toast. The sounds of a household preparing to face the new day were unmistakeable. From the radio, details of the latest hotspots on the roads were being announced, the kettle was proclaiming its high-pitched importance and Amanda was engrossed in a heated discussion with her mother, Laura, on the rights and wrongs of animal testing. Amanda was seventeen years old; headstrong, full of frustration, full of ambition. Strong set foot into this maelstrom through the back door.
    “So what do you think, Dad?” Amanda turned to him.
    “What I think,” he said, taking off his coat and nodding towards an old black Labrador slowly waddling in behind him, “is that old Jasper won’t be with us much longer. He’s really slowed down since Christmas.”
    Amanda rushed over to the dog and hugged him, all lines of argument forgotten.
    “What was up with you last night?” Laura focussed on him instead. “Something on your mind?”
    Laura should have been a detective, he thought. He was sure she’d slept all night. How he wished he’d done the same.
    She thrust a mug of fresh coffee into his hand. “It’s not like you to get up and walk Jasper. Not worried about this court case coming up tomorrow are you? Toast’s on by the way.”
    “Court? Oh, the case – no, that should be open and shut. No, I just didn’t sleep very well, that’s all. Thanks, I’ll get it in a minute.”
    She gave him a look that told him she didn’t believe him.
    He had washed his hands and was searching in vain for the towel that should have been tucked into the handle of the oven door.
    “Here.” Laura produced the missing item as if by magic from the worktop behind her. “It’s not like you, though. You can normally sleep for England.”
    “Hey, you don’t do such a bad job yourself.” He was drying his hands and keen to move the subject on. “Listen, I wanted to ask you, do you still have that speech therapist visit the school? What was her name, Mrs. Gold something?”
    “Goldsmith, Jenny Goldsmith. Yes, she’s coming in tomorrow as it happens. Why?”
    “I met her husband at one of the school functions a few years ago didn’t I? Isn’t he at the University? Something to do with studying regional dialects or something?”
    The toast made its exit from the toaster in dramatic fashion and he began to butter himself a slice.
    “Go easy with that please, you know I’m concerned about your arteries.”
    With his back to Laura, he felt safe enough to raise his eyebrows but said nothing. Amanda, who was busy packing her bag at the table, caught the gesture and grinned.
    “I think he’s still there,” Laura said. “Why? What are you up to, Colin?”
    “Nothing.” His mouth full of toast.
    “Here, use a plate. I seem to be the only one that cleans up around here.”
    “Right, it’s time I’m off,” Amanda announced. “See you two later.”
    “Bit early for you, isn’t it?” He made an exaggerated