As if by Magic Read Free

single-handedly saves thousands of people a day of inconvenience – all for no reward.’
    Ollie and Dave exchanged a look which Jessica thought looked worryingly knowing. ‘At least you won’t miss your train now,’ Ollie said, nodding at the cube. ‘And you’ve got something to keep you occupied on the journey now. Finders keepers and all that.’
    ‘Is that procedure too?’ Jessica asked. ‘I should just give it to you and let you do the paperwork.’
    Ollie rolled his eyes and held a hand out. ‘You’ve not changed a bit. Let’s have it then.’
    Jessica crouched and picked up the boxes, putting everything, including the cube, back inside each other. ‘Sod that, where’s your CCTV room? I’m going to find out whichever clown it was that made me put my life on the line.’
    ‘Won’t you miss your train?’ Ollie asked.
    Jessica turned her head to Dave and gave him a wink and then said sarcastically. ‘Oh no, you’re right. It’s such a shame this has popped up and kept us away from a really important training day.’
    Dave looked to Ollie and raised his eyebrows. ‘I’ve got to put up with this every day,’ he said with a shake of the head as Ollie turned to lead the way to the security station.
    * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    Scrolling through hours of CCTV footage was frequently a boring, unrewarding job but there were cameras covering every inch of Piccadilly Station and, within minutes of the operator scanning backwards through the images, they knew exactly who had left it. Jessica didn’t even need to call the station to know the address of the person and, before their train had left the station, she and Dave were in the multi-storey car park arguing over who was going to pay for the ticket.
    ‘Just pay the money and put it on expenses,’ Jessica ordered as they stood at the bright yellow parking meter.
    ‘I can’t put it on expenses because we’re not supposed to be here, we’re supposed to be on the way to Yorkshire.’
    ‘It’s your car, I got the tram.’
    ‘Yes but we wouldn’t be leaving now if it wasn’t for you,’ Dave protested.
    ‘I should be up for a public service award while you cowered in the corner. It’s only one pound fifty, just pay it.’
    ‘If it’s only one pound fifty, why don’t you pay it?’
    ‘Because I’m more senior than you – now pay the money or I’ll have you doing freedom of information requests all next week.’
    Dave dug into his pocket and pulled out a two-pound coin and then turned to the machine. ‘It doesn’t give change,’ he complained.
    ‘So what? Stop being so stingy, we’ve got someone to pay a visit.’
    With a queue waiting for the lift, Dave spent the entire journey up the stairs back to the car complaining about being swindled.
    ‘Think of all the fifty pences they’ve stolen over the years,’ he said as they reached the car. ‘This is an organised theft racket we’re not even aware of.’
    ‘I’ll get on to Serious Crime Division first thing Monday,’ Jessica said, rolling her eyes. ‘I’m sure they’ll quite happily drop everything to launch a full-scale investigation into Manchester’s car parking companies.’
    She climbed into the passenger’s side and, as ever when she travelled in his car, found the seats ridiculously low to the floor, falling the final few centimetres and bouncing uncomfortably. Dave started the engine, which roared to life, the exhaust sputtering noisily. Jessica directed him through the back streets until they reached a pub a few minutes away in the Northern Quarter. The area was renowned for its live music, pubs and independent shops, while the characters who frequented the alleys running along the backs of the main streets frequently provided more interesting forms of entertainment than the actual attractions.
    Dave parked his car outside the pub which had definitely seen better days and the two officers walked to an adjacent grimy once-white door. Someone had used permanent marker to