Peter James - Dead Tomorrow

Euthanasia , he thought again. There were doctors who broke the rules because they didn’t agree with the system. For sure there would be transplant surgeons who did not agree with it either. But the list of surgeons the researcher, Sarah Shenston, had come up with was far longer than he had expected.

His computer pinged, as it did every few minutes, with yet another incoming email or batch of emails. He glanced up at the screen. Some new Health and Safety crap that he and every other serving police officer was being copied in on. In recent months he had started to hate Health and Safety even more than the whole political correctness ethos. The latest rubbish to come through was a warning that any police officer climbing up more than six feet would be deemed to be working from a height , and only allowed to go higher if properly qualified in working at heights.

How sodding great is that? he thought. If an officer was in pursuit of a criminal, was he going to have to shout out, Oi! Don’t climb higher than six feet or I’ll have to let you go?

There was a rap on his door and Glenn Branson came in.

Grace nodded at his shiny tie. ‘You need to replace the batteries. It’s not glowing so brightly.’

‘Very witty, old-timer.’ Then he looked at the Detective Superintendent. ‘You got new batteries in? You’re glowing!’

‘Want a coffee?’ Grace gestured for him to sit.

‘Nah, I’m OK. Just had one.’ Branson eased himself on a chair, gave his friend a curious look, then leaned forward, plonking his massive arms on Grace’s small desk. ‘How do you find anything, working in such a mess?’

‘Well, normally I’d take my files home and sort them at night, but I loaned my house to a nine-hundred-pound gorilla who swings around it, dangling from the light cords, and trashes it.’

The DS suddenly looked a tad sheepish. ‘Yeah, well, I’m actually planning to do a big tidy-up – you know, like a spring clean – this weekend. You won’t recognize the place.’

‘I don’t at the moment.’

‘You know, half your CDs were in the wrong sleeves – I’m sorting it all out for you. Problem is, it’s such a rubbish collection.’

‘How can a man who worships Jay-Z say that with a straight face?’

‘Jay-Z’s the man! He’s, like, God! You are so much on another planet with your taste.’ Then he grinned. ‘One good thing about your car wreck, that awful music you had in there will have gone with it!’

Grace opened a drawer in his desk, removed a small, grimy-looking Jiffy bag and tipped six CDs on to his desk. ‘Sorry to disappoint you!’

‘I thought your Alfa plunged eight hundred feet?’

‘It did, but the tide was out – I managed to get these back when they recovered the wreckage.’

Branson shook his head disappointedly. ‘So anyway, when are you getting new wheels?’

‘Still waiting on the insurance. Nick Nicholl’s wife’s got a little motorbike she never uses now – a Yamaha – I think it’s an SR 125. I thought I might buy it from them and use that for a while. Do my bit for the environment. Except Cleo’s not too happy about the idea.’

Branson grinned.

‘What’s funny?’

‘ Electra Glide in Blue - you ever see that film? About a motorcycle cop?’ Then his phone rang.

He answered immediately, standing up and moving away from the desk. ‘Glenn Branson.’ Nodding an apology to Grace, he continued, ‘Brian – hi – I’m actually just across the corridor from you, in Roy Grace’s office. Yeah, both cigarette butts, cos I want to know if it’s the same person, which would indicate he was there for a while, or two different persons. OK, brilliant. Thanks!’

He sat back down again, then gave Grace another curious look. ‘You can’t hide it, mate.’

‘Hide what?’

‘You look like the cat that’s got the cream. What’s up?’

Roy shrugged, then couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

‘You and Cleo?’

He shrugged again, grinning even more.

‘You’re not – not – not… ’ he asked, his eyes widening. ‘Is there something I should know? As your friend, right?’

Grace suppressed a smile. Then he nodded. ‘We got engaged last night. I think.’

Branson almost vaulted his desk. He threw his arms around his friend and gave him a massive bear hug.

‘That’s just wicked! The best news! You got yourself a great lady! I’m really happy for you!’ He released Grace, shaking his head, beaming. ‘Like, wow!’

‘Thanks.’

‘So, have you set a date?’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve got to go and do the meet daddy bit and formally ask him. Her family’s all a bit posh.’

‘So you’ll be able to retire and help run the family estates?’

Grace grinned. ‘They’re not that posh!’

‘Wicked!’ Branson said.

‘And you? What’s happening?’

Glenn’s face fell like a dropped barometer. ‘Don’t ask. She’s shagging someone. Just don’t go there. I need to talk to you, man, I need your help, but later. We’ll have a drink to celebrate – and perhaps a chat?’

Grace nodded. ‘What are you going to do about Christmas?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t frigging know.’ He suddenly turned away sharply, and Roy could hear his voice break. ‘I – I can’t – I can’t not spend it with Sammy and Remi.’

Roy realized that Glenn had turned away so that he could not be seen crying.

‘Catch you later,’ Branson said, choked, and headed for the door.

‘Want to stay and chat?’

‘No, later. Thanks.’

He pulled the door shut behind him.

Grace sat still for a few moments. He knew that what Glenn was going through must be hell, made all the worse by this time of year, with the dark, gloomy nights and Christmas looming. But it sounded, from all he had heard, that the marriage problems were terminal. Once Glenn accepted that, however bad the pain, then at least he could start the process of moving forward again with his life, instead of living in a hopeless limbo.

He was tempted, for a second, to go after his friend, who clearly needed to talk. But at this moment, he had to get on with his job. Ignoring another ping from his computer, he turned his attention back to his notes from the briefing meeting.

He stared at the list he had started making, beneath the heading Lines of Enquiry .

Then his internal phone rang. He picked up the receiver. ‘Roy Grace.’

It was Ray Packham, from the High-Tech Crime Unit. ‘Roy,’ he said. ‘You asked me to do a trawl on the Net for organ brokers?’

‘Yup.’

‘Well, I’ve got something that may be interesting for you. There’s an outfit in Munich, in Germany, called Transplantation-Zentrale GmbH. They’re advertising themselves as the world’s largest brokers of human organs. My boss here, Sergeant Phil Taylor, did a spell in the Interpol office a few years ago. He knows the guy on the German desk, so we were able to get a quick check done. I think you’re going to like this!’

‘Yes?’

‘The LKA – the Landeskriminalamt – sort of the Bavarian equivalent of the FBI – have had them under surveillance for some time, on suspicion of human trafficking. Now, this is the bit you will like most. One of the countries they have a link with is Romania!’

‘Brilliant, Ray!’ Grace said. ‘I have a very good contact at the LKA in Munich.’

‘Yes, well, I thought, you know, for what it’s worth.’

Grace thanked him, then hung up. Immediately, he spun his Rolodex and retrieved a card from it. It was printed Kriminalhauptkommissar Marcel Kullen.

Kullen was an old friend, from when he had spent six months on an exchange, about four years ago, at Sussex House. Marcel had helped him a while back, when there had been a possible sighting of Sandy in Munich, and Grace had gone over there for a day, on what had turned out to be a wild-goose chase.