CRIME ON THE FENS a gripping detective thriller full of suspense (26 page)

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DI Nikki Galena Book 2

SHADOW OVER THE FENS

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/

https://www.amazon.com/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/

TWO BRUTAL KILLERS ARE LOOSE ON THE FENS BUT WHO CAN DI NIKKI GALENA TRUST?

Detective Nikki Galena’s friend and neighbour meets a tragic end but there’s more to his death than meets the eye . . .

And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter’s past is back . . .

Character List

Detective Inspector Nikki Galena

Although Nikki is a brave, honest and dedicated police officer who started at the bottom and clawed her way up through the ranks, she has been hardened by personal tragedy and some of the terrible cases that she has dealt with. She is now a loner; almost impossible to work with, and although her arrest rate is impressive, she is on a one-woman crusade to rid her town of drug dealers.

She is based in the Lincolnshire Fens and her ‘patch’ includes miles of agricultural farmland, massive stretches of dangerous marshes and Greenborough, a big market town with as many criminals as some urban areas. Nikki is divorced, with one daughter who blames her for everything, including the family break-up. In CRIME ON THE FENS she finds herself with an ultimatum; work with a new colleague, or get out. As her work is her life, she needs to make the partnership succeed, or lose everything.

Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter

Joseph had a middle-class upbringing, good education, went to university then left to join the military. He keeps this fact a secret from his colleagues as he became bitterly disillusioned after an operation went wrong and innocent people died. After travelling for a while to sort his head out, he joined the police force, where he adopted a completely different (almost spiritual) role from his aggressive past. Although he is not religious, his quiet way and calm, reasonable attitude have earned him the mess room nickname of Holy Joe. This brings its own problems as very few hard-baked police officers want to work with someone who has become the brunt of so many jokes. Joseph has asked for a transfer, as he wants a fresh start, and he has high hopes for Greenborough and its legendary and irascible DI, Nikki Galena.

DC Caitlin ‘Cat’ Cullen

Age 26, tough and shrewd on the streets. She is single with a string of failed romances. She is a bit too fond of clubbing and her time-keeping is questionable but Cat is a chameleon and works brilliantly undercover. Nikki recognises her skills and knows that she can trust her. One of Cat’s strengths is that once she gets her teeth into a problem she never gives up. Another is her keen interest in technology and computer skills. She is fiercely loyal to her team and works closely with her older working partner, Dave.

DC Dave Harris

Dave is good old cop, but misunderstood and thought to be overweight and lazy. He is actually exhausted by trying to look after his sick wife in order to prevent her going into a home; hence his unkempt appearance. Nikki knows his background, realises that his pride will not let him ask for help, and does her best to protect him. He repays her by committing wholeheartedly to her ‘dysfunctional’ team and brings with him a wealth of local knowledge and old-style intuitive policing.

Superintendent Rick Bainbridge.

Rick is nearing retirement and is not having an easy time with Nikki Galena. He is a genuine copper; an officer who has earned his reputation of being fair, and is generally respected by both lower and higher ranks.

He likes Nikki and is the only man at the station who knows the truth about what drives her. He has been out on a limb for her many times but now things are getting ugly and he cannot afford to lose his pension out of loyalty to a woman who is in danger of becoming a maverick. He needs to get his new alliance of Nikki and Joseph to work, or all their futures are in jeopardy.

Glossary of English Slang for US readers

A & E:
Accident and emergency department in a hospital

Aggro:
Violent behaviour, aggression

A Level:
exams taken between 16 and 18

Barm:
bread roll

Barney:
argument

Beaker:
glass or cup for holding liquids

Benefits:
social security

Bent:
corrupt

Bin:
wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

Bloke:
guy

Blow:
cocaine

Bob:
money

Burger bar:
hamburger fast-food restaurant

Buy-to-let:
Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

Charity Shop:
thrift store

Carrier bag:
plastic bag from supermarket

Care Home:
an institution where old people are cared for

Car park:
parking lot

Chat-up:
flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

Chemist:
pharmacy

Chinwag:
conversation

CID:
Criminal Investigation Department

Civvy Street:
civilian life (as opposed to army)

Clock:
punch

Cock up:
mess up, make a mistake

Common:
an area of park land/ or lower class

Comprehensive School (Comp.):
High school

Cop hold of:
grab

Copper:
police officer

Coverall:
coveralls, or boiler suit

CPS:
Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

Childminder:
someone who looks after children for money

Council
: local government

Deck:
one of the landings on a floor of a tower block

Deck:
hit (verb)

Desperate Dan:
very strong comic book character

DI:
detective inspector

Do a runner:
disappear

Do one:
go away

Doc Martens:
Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole

DS:
detective sergeant

ED:
accident and emergency department of hospital

Early dart:
to leave work early

Eggy soldiers:
strips of toast with a boiled egg

Estate:
/files/13/27/39/f132739/public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)

Estate agent:
realtor (US)

Fag:
cigarette

FMO
: Force medical officer

Geordie:
from Newcastle

Garden Centre:
a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold

GP:
general practitioner, a doctor based in the community

Graft:
hard work

Hancock:
Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s

Hard nut:
tough person

HDU:
high dependency unit in hospital

HOLMES:
UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents

Home:
care home for elderly or sick people

IC1:
police code for White — North European

Inne:
isn’t he

Into care:
a child taken away from their family by the social services

ITU:
intensive therapy unit in a hospital

Karzy
: toilet

Lad:
young man

Lass:
young woman

Lift:
elevator

Lord Lucan:
famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.

Lorry:
a truck

MOD:
ministry of defence

Mobile phone:
cell phone

MP:
Member of Parliament, politician representing an area

Naff:
lame, not good

National Service:
compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s

Net curtains:
a type of semi-transparent curtain

NHS:
National Health Service, public health service of UK

Nick:
police station (as verb: to arrest)

Nowt:
nothing

Nutter:
insane person

Nursery:
a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)

Old Bill:
police

Owt:
anything

Pants:
noun: underwear adjective: bad/rubbish/terrible

Para:
paratrooper

Pay-as-you-go:
a cell phone you pay for calls in advance

PC:
police constable

Petrol
: gasoline

Piss off:
as exclamation, go away (rude). Also can mean annoy.

Pissing down:
raining

Playing field:
sports field

Pleb:
ordinary person (often insulting)

Portakabin:
portable building used as temporary office etc.

Post:
mail

Planning Department
: the local authority department which issues licences to build and develop property

Prat
: silly idiot

Premier League:
top English soccer division

Public Analyst:
scientists who perform chemical analysis for public protection purposes

Rag
: newspaper

Ram-raiding:
robbery where a vehicle is rammed through a shop window

Randy:
horny

Right state:
messy

Ring:
telephone (verb)

Roadworks:
repairs done to roads

RTC:
road traffic collision

Rugger:
rugby (posh American football)

Sarge:
sergeant

SAS:
Special Air Service, UK special forces

Scrote:
low life

Semi:
Semi-detached house, house with another house joined to it on one side only

Shedload:
a large amount

Shout the odds:
talk in a loud bossy way

Sixth-form college:
school for high school students in final two years.

SIO:
senior investigating officer

Skip:
a large open container used for building waste

Slapper:
slag

SOCO:
scene-of-crime officer

Sod:
an annoying person

Sort:
to do or make

Solicitor:
lawyer

Spook:
spy

Squaddie:
a soldier of low rank

Stunner:
beautiful woman

Super:
superintendent (police rank)

Sweeting:
endearment, like sweetheart

Tabloid:
newspaper

Tea:
Dinner (Northern English)

Till:
cash register

Tipsy
: a bit drunk

Top himself:
commit suicide

Torch:
flashlight

Tutor:
university teacher

Tower block:
tall building containing apartments (usually social housing)

Upmarket:
affluent or fancy

Wacky baccy
: cannabis

Wally:
silly person

War Cry:
Salvation Army magazine

Wash:
the washing machine

Water board:
company supplying water to an area

White van man:
typical working-class man who drives a small truck

Widow’s weeds:
black clothes worn by a widow in mourning

Wilco:
will comply i.e. yes

Yellowbelly:
native of Lincolnshire

Yob:
a rude or aggressive youth or person