First Death In Dublin City (Thomas Bishop Book 1) Read Free Page A

on Campden Street on Leaving Cert Results night, six elitist boys from Blackrock College decided a regular kid was talking too loudly in the queue, so they grabbed him, dragged him into the middle of the road and beat him to death. After a highly public trial in which evidence was publicised which showed how vicious the beating in fact has, the country had rejoiced at the thoughts of the six boys rotting away life sentences in the ‘Joy.
    The Sig Sauer shook in Tommy’s hand as he lined up the sight to ensure all still worked.
    ‘They tell me you’re quite a shot?’ Said a female voice from behind Tommy’s shoulder.
    The lady who spoke placed an M7 onto the desk in front of her, and took one of the stock sheets next to her.
    Tommy shrugged.
    ‘Best in the country I had heard?’ The girl said.
    ‘Anne?’ Tommy asked.
    ‘Tommy?’ She said, and she extended her hand; Tommy shook – her palm was drenched in sweat. Good, a partner as uncomfortable with heavy weaponry as I am.
    ‘You know you’re meant to take off your bulletproof vest before coming down to the stockroom.’ Tommy said.
    ‘I know, but Mousey told me you were down here.’ Said Anne.
    Tommy looked at his future partner.
    ‘You know, I expected someone considerably..’ He said.
    ‘Older?’ Suggested Anne.
    ‘Yeah, to be honest. Aren’t you very young to be in this unit?’ Tommy asked.
    ‘I thought you were a hotshot too? Still are, who becomes a DI at thirty?’ Anne said.
    ‘Austerity.’ Tommy said, and Anne nodded, apparently accepting that, like Tommy, her rapid acceleration through the ranks had more to do with half the force taking early retirement than any intrinsic ability on their part.
    ‘Right well, what you working on at the moment?’ Tommy said.
    ‘Cases are sorted, kind of, it’s just the fucking paperwork.’ Anne said.
    ‘Right well, change and I’ll see you up in the office in fifteen; I’ll teach you a few tricks and we’ll get through it quicker.’ Tommy said.
    It turned out to be quite an optimistic statement, that they would be able to get through it quicker. This was Anne’s first ever quarterly report and, being her first, she hadn’t figured to do it bit by bit during the quarter itself, so leaving a whole heap of reports for the deadline. In fact it was a whole six hours, breaks included of course, before they were anywhere close to finished. During that time Tommy checked his messages, which was mostly routine calls, and five calls from Mountjoy with John Ryan seeking to give Tommy some information. Tommy considered calling the prison to see who was about and whether he could arrange a visit but it was then that Mousey called them into his office.
    ‘Sit for me there. I have your first case as a, a terrible duo as they say.’ He said.
    ‘Who’s dead?’ Tommy asked.
    ‘Nobody.’ Mousey said.
    ‘No body; no job for me. It’s in my contract.’ Tommy said.
    ‘No it’s not?’ Mousey said.
    ‘Well, it should be.’ Tommy said. Anne and he looked like a strange pair, he having put on a suit for his first day, she having removed her bulletproof vest and navy police top and replaced it with a pink Jack Willis hoodie.
    ‘You’re brand new, back, been out for weeks. I’m giving you a quiet case to start out.’ Mousey said.
    ‘You know I hate dealing with victims that are alive. You’re not selling this to me really?’ Tommy said.
    ‘Good thing my job doesn’t require me to entice my subordinate Inspectors. I believe they are required to do what I tell them? Am I wrong?’
    Tommy nodded.
    ‘The address is on Castlewood Avenue.’  Mousey said.
    ‘An eleven year old has been missing since noon today. You’ve to find her.’ Mousey said.
    ‘Ah now that’s just bollocks, she’s only been missing for five hours? Jesus that’s not even long enough to count as running away from home.’ Tommy said.
    ‘She had no reason to run away.’ Mousey said.
    ‘And by that you mean she wasn’t from a