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Back The Ringmaster Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. The Ringmaster
  3. Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. Epilogue
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Copyright

‘Although I have quite enjoyed the papers on what makes the nutters tick, to be honest, I’d find it too distressing and depressing. I like my little rose-tinted view of the world where people are kind to each other and want to be your friend. I think exposing myself to all that would be toxic. Too much for this borderline-hippy chick.’

‘You’re not wrong. Sometimes it scares me how blasé I’ve become about murder and death, and I’m far more emotional about it than my colleagues, which means some of them are hardened beyond belief. I don’t know how healthy it is.’

‘Unfortunately, there are always going to be criminals and there’s always going to be a need for police. I think you do a damned good job, Sam, and the world needs people like you. So don’t let the turkeys get you down. And for the sake of all the Rose-Marie Bateman’s and Gaby Knoweses out there, keep at it.’

‘Thanks, Maggs, you’re like my one-person cheerleading squad.’

‘Actually, there are two of us on that squad, but you won’t go out on a date with the other one.’

63

My morning had got off to a slightly better start than the previous day. The shower was hot, for starters, although Mum counteracted that with a touch of the frosty nostril at breakfast and the need to ping me. Apparently, I wasn’t visiting Dad enough, but that was a little difficult considering I seemed to be working every waking hour and I’d had a few major distractions in my life. Her presence in the room like Big Chief Thundercloud wasn’t any incentive to visit, either. But on the occasions I did, Dad and I had enjoyed the Olympic sport of eyeball rolling and eyebrow lifting behind her back. He knew how it was. They were supposed to be heading home this afternoon, so I’d pop in later.

To avoid any possibility of encountering unwanted windscreen decorations, I’d walked down to work, and hadn’t even glanced in the general direction of my car.

The morning briefing was more manic than most, even though depleted in numbers. DI Johns had marched into our office and made the announcement, ‘We’ve got another body’ only minutes after I’d arrived. Dunedin was certainly having a bad run. It wasn’t doing our image as a safe and sleepy city any favours. A team of SOCOs and detectives had immediately been formed to go to the crime scene, and I, naturally, wasn’t a part of it.