I, Spy? (Sophie Green Mysteries, No. 1) (Sophie Green Mystery) by Kate Johnson Page A

looking all lost and helpless.
    “It’s okay, baby.” I scooped her up and she wriggled against me, all warm and sleepy and adorable. “The nasty scary people won’t get you here.”
    She curled up in the crook of my arm and went back to sleep instantly. I lay awake, somewhat harder to convince.

Chapter Six
     
    I was woken by Tammy licking my nose at half past six. My dad gets up early to go to work and usually feeds Norma Jean before he goes. I guess Tammy remembered the early breakfast from when we both lived here.
    I pushed her on the floor and tried to get back to sleep.
    Tammy burrowed under the covers and settled on my back, kneading and purring. It would have been a great free massage except that she has really sharp claws. I extracted her from the duvet and pulled it right up to my chin.
    Tammy sat on my chest and started patting my nose.
    I was about to give up when I heard Dad get up and go downstairs. Tammy bolted after him and I sank blissfully back into sleep. Ah, wonderful sleep. I love to sleep. It’s one of the things I’m really good at.
    Dad let Norma Jean out and she started barking at the rabbits on the other side of the stream.
    I gave up on sleep and went downstairs, thinking, I’ll be productive. I’ll work on the Nokia.
    I managed to set ring tones and voice mail and, by the time I’d finished, was so sleepy I dropped the phone on the floor and went back to sleep. Tammy joined me and we curled up together on the sofa, both of us exhausted by yesterday’s very long day.
    Then my new phone rang.
    It was flashing Luke’s name. “What?” I mumbled sleepily.
    “Wake up.”
    “I am awake.”
    “I’ve got a job for you.”
    “Oh, goody.”
    “Lexy’s gone through the computer and come up with a couple of names who could be behind yesterday’s grisly murder.”
    I shuddered.
    “And you want me to…?”
    “Check them out. I’m doing it too. Give me five minutes to get my contacts in and I’ll be back as Luca. Come up to the office in half an hour, I’ll give you the details then.”
    He clicked off and I sat staring at the phone. Half an hour? I had to wash my hair and everything!
    Tom was waiting as I came out of the bathroom, dripping, wrapped in a towel. He ran his eyes over me.
    “Oh Sophie,” he said longingly, “why don't you dress like that more often?”
    “Because I’m part of a huge campaign to halt bathroom perversion.”
    He winked at me and slipped into the bathroom.
    I threw on yesterday’s clothes, stopped and swore and went charging around the house for my Ace uniform.
    “I thought you were working a late today,” my mother said.
    “Change of plan. Overtime,” I explained, grabbing a shirt from the laundry basket and trying to remember where my scarf was.
    Crap. It was at home, along with my pass.
    I made it to the office only ten minutes late and scrambled inside. Luke was reading through some paperwork, looking serene and sexy in his un-crumpled uniform, eyes brown, in full Luca mode. Alexa was immaculate and smiling. I was hot, sweaty and irritated.
    “You’re late,” Luke said.
    I glared at him and he shrank away. “Next time, give me more time.”
    “Half an hour is plenty long enough to get ready and come into work.”
    I flashed a look of despair at Alexa, who rolled her eyes. “Coffee?”
    “Yes. Please.”
    She rolled over to the kettle and switched it on and, when she came back, handed me a large manila envelope. “This is all for you.”
    I looked inside. Oh God. Warrant card, red go-anywhere BAA pass, remote keys to the office, complete with passcodes, list of phone numbers for me to program into the Nokia.
    It was like Christmas.
    “Don’t save any of those numbers under their real names,” Luke said. “Put them all as Mum or Aunt Alice or make up a lot of names. But for Christ’s sake remember who they are.”
    I looked down at the list. A lot of them were police chiefs and army contacts. “Let me guess, I have to eat this when