The Pulsar Files, page 28
part #1 of Matt Flynn Series
‘Chapter 11?’
‘It’s a kind of quasi-bankruptcy, provides protection from creditors while they sort the mess out.’
‘How are Chris and Louise?’
‘Louise returned to her flat and is back working at the newspaper where they are treating her as a hero. Chris is still living at his uncle’s house and planning to return to university.’
‘Excellent news,’ Matt said. ‘A successful end to a difficult case.’
‘One last thing. Dejan Katić, remember him?’
‘How could I forget?’
‘We found evidence on Leppo’s laptop that he had hired Katić to shoot down the Anderson family balloon. It has all been passed to Interpol and I suspect Katić will never see the sky outside a prison courtyard ever again.’
‘Best place for him.’
‘I agree and it’s great credit to you and Rosie for sticking with it to the end. Finding evidence that he’d been to the same field in Oxford was key to unlocking this whole case.’
‘Cases like this often have significant turning points and for us, this was it.’
‘What’s bothering you, Matt? I can sense something isn’t right. Are you hankering to come back?’
‘Yeah, but when I do, I want to go after them.’
‘By ‘them’ you mean the person or persons responsible for killing Emma?’
‘Yep.’
‘You’re in no fit state to go after anybody. Setting aside the trauma of Emma’s death, your shoulder is still in a sling and your doctors think you’re suffering from PTSD.’
‘The shoulder does hurt likes hell and I can’t distinguish PTSD from grief, but when I’m able, I want to go after them.’
‘What makes you think you could do a better job than the Serious Crime boys?’ Gill said, giving him an intensive stare. ‘They threw a lot of weight behind the investigation, as you would expect for one of their own.’
‘I don’t need to tell you, we can be a lot more persuasive than the Serious Crime boys.’
‘Only when there are good suspects or witnesses in the frame, and in this instance, there aren’t any. Matt, I need to counsel you against this sort of revenge thinking, even if we are talking about avenging the death of my niece. With the best will in the world, your judgement at the moment is clouded. Who knows how you’ll react if you end up in a room with her killer or killers, or even those in possession of some information.’
‘I know all this but if I pass the psychology tests and I’m declared fit for service, I’m convinced my judgement will be clear. I’ll be able to investigate the case without personal bias.’
‘I’m afraid I cannot agree with you.’
‘Gill, I’ll investigate this either as an agent for HSA or freelance. I’m determined to see it through and get justice for Em.’
Matt took a deep breath; decision time. If he continued to work for HSA, he could legally question subjects and apply lethal force if required, but he wouldn’t be allowed to investigate Emma’s death. If he turned freelance, he could still be armed as he knew where to buy a weapon, and he’d be free to pursue Emma’s killers, but overstep the law, and the police and agents from HSA would hunt him down.
The Director sighed. ‘I can understand your anger, Matt, but at the same time, I don’t want to lose you. That said, I can’t have you wasting your time on something the vast resources of the Met are finding difficult to solve.’ He paused, thinking. ‘This is the deal, take it or leave it, all right?’
Matt nodded.
‘I want you working full-time on any case that comes into HSA that I deem to be a high priority. Any spare time this allows, you can use it to follow up on Emma’s case. Don’t think I’m being heartless Matt. I loved Emma too and I want justice for her. Do we have a deal?’
The End
About the Author
Iain Cameron was born in Glasgow and moved to Brighton in the early eighties. He has worked as a management accountant, business consultant and a nursery goods retailer. He is now a full-time writer and lives in a village outside Horsham in West Sussex with his wife, two daughters and a lively Collie dog.
The Pulsar Files is the first book in the Matt Flynn thriller series. Find out about future releases using the links below.
Visit the website at: www.iain-cameron.com
Follow him on Twitter: @iainsbooks
Follow him on Facebook: @iaincameronauthor
Books by Iain Cameron
DI Angus Henderson Crime Novels
One Last Lesson
Driving into Darkness
Fear the Silence
Hunting for Crows
Red Red Wine
Night of Fire
Matt Flynn Thrillers
The Pulsar Files
All books are available from Amazon
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Iain Cameron, The Pulsar Files
