The Hunted Child Read online

  ‘What?’ asked Kirsten.

  ‘Whenever you choose people and whatever you do, no one knows. You can’t go and tell anyone as much as you want to.’

  Kirsten nodded and took the hand of Anna Hunt as she extended it shaking it. ‘Welcome, new section chief. Just make sure you do a good job,’ said Anna, then she left, not once looking back. Kirsten turned around and looked at Justin Chivers at the end of the table.

  ‘I’m just going out for a few minutes to let this soak in.’

  Justin looked at her strangely, ‘Are you sure you don’t want someone to celebrate with?’

  ‘No and remember the alleyway and what can happen. Start drawing up some names, people you think are assets we can use. I’ll discuss it further with Anna.’

  Kirsten made her way down the stairs and back out of the building before catching the bus further into town. She jumped off and made a phone call asking an old colleague if he was free for a coffee. When he said yes, Kirsten made her way inside one of the coffee shops, ordered, and sat down awaiting his arrival.

  The day was busy. It was some twenty minutes before a familiar face walked in the door wearing a dark suit, a white shirt, and tie. Her old boss, Seoras Macleod, sat down in front of her. Kirsten said nothing until the coffee arrived. Then she sat in silence watching his quizzical face.

  ‘What did you drag me out here for?’ he asked. ‘I appreciate the coffee, but why am I getting coffee?’

  ‘I can’t say,’ said Kirsten.

  ‘Right, so I take it things are going well.’

  ‘I can’t say,’ said Kirsten.

  ‘Then I’m a little bit bemused,’ said Macleod.

  ‘Thanks for looking after my brother.’

  ‘I only pop in at times to see him.’

  Kirsten’s brother was in the home having lost his mind. With her detail in the service, she rarely got to see him. Macleod, however, visited him religiously.

  ‘You don’t have to buy me coffee to do this. It’s a pleasure.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ said Kirsten, ‘the coffee is not for that; the coffee is for this.’ She held up her cup indicating Macleod to do the same. ‘To me,’ she said.

  ‘To you,’ said Macleod. ‘Now, what’s this all about?’

  ‘Can’t say,’ said Kirsten and sat and drank her coffee quickly before putting it on the table. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you, inspector.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘Everything.’ With that, Kirsten gave him a hug before walking out of the coffee house.

  The End

  Read on to discover the Patrick Smythe series!

  Start your Patrick Smythe journey here!

  Patrick Smythe is a former Northern Irish policeman who after suffering an amputation after a bomb blast, takes to the sea between the west coast of Scotland and his homeland to ply his trade as a private investigator. Join Paddy as he tries to work to his own ethics while knowing how to bend the rules he once enforced. Working from his beloved motorboat ‘Craigantlet’, Paddy decides to rescue a drug mule in this short story from the pen of G R Jordan.

  Join G R Jordan’s monthly newsletter about forthcoming releases and special writings for his tribe of avid readers and then receive your free Patrick Smythe short story.

  Go to https://bit.ly/PatrickSmythe for your Patrick Smythe journey to start!

  About the Author

  GR Jordan is a self-published author who finally decided at forty that in order to have an enjoyable lifestyle, his creative beast within would have to be unleashed. His books mirror that conflict in life where acts of decency contend with self-promotion, goodness stares in horror at evil, and kindness blindsides us when we at our worst. Corrupting our world with his parade of wondrous and horrific characters, he highlights everyday tensions with fresh eyes whilst taking his methodical, intelligent mainstays on a roller-coaster ride of dilemmas, all the while suffering the banter of their provocative sidekicks.

  A graduate of Loughborough University where he masqueraded as a chemical engineer but ultimately played American football, Gary had worked at changing the shape of cereal flakes and pulled a pallet truck for a living. Watching vegetables freeze at -40’C was another career highlight and he was also one of the Scottish Highlands “blind” air traffic controllers. These days he has graduated to answering a telephone to people in trouble before telephoning other people to sort it out.

  Having flirted with most places in the UK, he is now based in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where his free time is spent between raising a young family with his wife, writing, figuring out how to work a loom and caring for a small flock of chickens. Luckily, his writing is influenced by his varied work and life experience as the chickens have not been the poetical inspiration he had hoped for!

  You can connect with me on:

  https://grjordan.com

  https://facebook.com/carpetlessleprechaun

  Subscribe to my newsletter:

  https://bit.ly/PatrickSmythe

  Also by G R Jordan

  G R Jordan writes across multiple genres including crime, dark and action adventure fantasy, feel good fantasy, mystery thriller and horror fantasy. Below is a selection of his work. Whilst all books are available across online stores, signed copies are available at his personal shop.

  The Express Wishes of Mr MacIver (Kirsten Stewart Thrillers #3)

  A scramble for diamonds on Scotland’s north coast. A murderous group intent on an explosive end if disappointed. Can Kirsten prevent a catastrophe on the largest cruise ship to visit the Hebridean Isles?

  In her third novel, Kirsten must use the guile and expertise of her newly formed team to prevent the largest shipping disaster ever seen in the northern waters of Scotland. With the clock ticking and a nation with its finger on the trigger, will the Inverness team find a country’s missing heritage, or will they join thousands in an explosion of titanic proportions?

  The cold waters of the Minch await the tardy courier!

  The Culling at Singing Sands (Highlands & Islands Detective Book 15)

  A glamorous retirement village on an isolated island. A brutal killer culls the elderly starting with the oldest resident. Can Macleod discover the murderous motive and prevent the island graveyard from overflowing?

  When the Isle of Eigg enjoys the opening of ‘The Singing Sands’ Later but Better Township’, little do they realise that death is only round the corner for the new arrivals. Joy turns to sorrow as old friends meet a bloody end, and DI Macleod and DS McGrath are dispatched to investigate. As a determined clientele and some unseasonal weather hamper the investigation, the detectives must look to the past to prevent the dispatching of those seen to be past their time.

  Even in paradise you’re only one step from the grave!

  Corpse Reviver (A Contessa Munroe Mystery #1)

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1073785

  A widowed Contessa flees to the northern waters in search of adventure. An entrepreneur dies on an ice pack excursion. But when the victim starts moonlighting from his locked cabin, can the Contessa uncover the true mystery of his death?

  Catriona Cullodena Munroe, widow of the late Count de Los Palermo, has fled the family home, avoiding the scramble for title and land. As she searches for the life she always wanted, the Contessa, in the company of the autistic and rejected Tiff, must solve the mystery of a man who just won’t let his business go.

  Corpse Reviver is the first murder mystery involving the formidable and sometimes downright rude lady of leisure and her straight talking niece. Bonded by blood, and thrown together by fate, join this pair of thrill seekers as they realise that flirting with danger brings a price to pay.

  Highlands and Islands Detective Thriller Series

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/48685

  Join stalwart DI Macleod and his burgeoning new DC McGrath as they look into the darker side of the stunningly scenic and wilder parts of the north of Scotland. From the Black Isle to Lewis, from M
ull to Harris and across to the small Isles, the Uists and Barra, this mismatched pairing follow murders, thieves and vengeful victims in an effort to restore tranquillity to the remoter parts of the land.

  Be part of this tale of a surprise partnership amidst the foulest deeds and darkest souls who stalk this peaceful and most beautiful of lands, and you’ll never see the Highlands the same way again

  The Disappearance of Russell Hadleigh (Patrick Smythe Book 1)

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1028112

  A retired judge fails to meet his golf partner. His wife calls for help while running a fantasy play ring. When Russians start co-opting into a fairly-traded clothing brand, can Paddy untangle the strands before the bodies start littering the golf course?

  In his first full novel, Patrick Smythe, the single-armed former policeman, must infiltrate the golfing social scene to discover the fate of his client’s husband. Assisted by a young starlet of the greens, Paddy tries to understand just who bears a grudge and who likes to play in the rough, culminating in a high stakes showdown where lives are hanging by the reaction of a moment. If you love pacey action, suspicious motives and devious characters, then Paddy Smythe operates amongst your kind of people.

  Love is a matter of taste but money always demands more of its suitor.

  Surface Tensions (Island Adventures Book 1)

  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/723294

  Mermaids sighted near a Scottish island. A town exploding in anger and distrust. And Donald’s got to get the sexiest fish in town, back in the water.

  “Surface Tensions” is the first story in a series of Island adventures from the pen of G R Jordan. If you love comic moments, cosy adventures and light fantasy action, then you’ll love these tales with a twist. Get the book that amazon readers said, “perfectly captures life in the Scottish Hebrides” and that explores “human nature at its best and worst”.

  Something’s stirring the water!