SHADOW OVER THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense by JOY ELLIS

supposed to be scouting out suitable pubs for a scavenger hunt.’
    ‘My boss never gives me jobs like that! Some might say that was a very enjoyable task.’
    ‘And it might have been, if we hadn’t picked one that was evacuated because a fire alarm went off, another that was full of hairy bikers, and in the one before this; my friend had a pint of lager tipped all over her and went home in a huff! This was the last one, so I thought I’d check it out and get it over with, and found all this going on!’ She pulled a face. ‘I was just on my way out, when I saw you.’
    ‘Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter to the rescue, madam!’ He held out his hand.
    ‘Bryony Barton, ex-damsel in distress. Thank you!’ She took his hand and bowed her head, then laughed out loud. ‘Can we go somewhere quieter? Or is it obligatory to stay until you’re rat-arsed?’
    ‘Not in the slightest. But tradition demands that I must just congratulate the arresting officers, then I’m all yours.’ He stood up. ‘Excuse me, I’ll be back in five.’
    * * *
    Niall leant on the bar and dug Yvonne sharply in the ribs, ‘Gossip Alert! Gossip Alert!’
    ‘For God’s sake, Niall, mind my drink! You know, for a trendy young geezer, you are the biggest old woman on the force!’
    ‘Shut up and look! The Sarge is chatting up that super-cool bird in the blue dress!’
    ‘Are you sure she’s not chatting him up? He is probably the best-looking bloke in Greenborough.’
    Niall snorted. ‘I’m devastated! I thought you loved me, Vonnie!’
    ‘Of course, I do! In a motherly kind of way.’ Yvonne placed her glass on the bar and tried not to stare across to where Joseph Easter sat talking animatedly to the striking-looking woman. Good luck to you, she thought. After all you’ve been through, you deserve a bit of fun.
    Niall was still talking. ‘Well, I don’t know what the DI will make of that! Dear me! Whatever is he thinking of?’
    Yvonne threw him a puzzled look. ‘What are you rambling on about? Half a shandy and you’re practically incoherent! You can’t be suggesting that Holy Joe and Old Nik are an item, are you? Are you quite mad?’
    ‘Oh Vonnie! Don’t be naïve! There are meant for each other!’
    ‘Huh? The sergeant and the DI! I’ve never heard anything so barmy!’
    ‘Five squid says she’s going to be pissed off as hell when she finds out about this!’
    ‘You’re on, honey-child! Although I’m going to hate to take your pocket money quite so easily.’
    ‘Where is DI Galena anyway?’
    Yvonne took a big gulp of her wine. ‘I saw her going into the super’s office just before we left, but she’ll be along soon.’ She glanced back and raised her eyebrows. ‘Uh-oh, looks like the good sergeant has tired of our company already. And who could blame him! That woman has one heck of a good figure!’
    ‘I’ll second that!’ whispered Niall.
    ‘Put your eyeballs back in, Niall, and try to stop drooling.’
    ‘Sorry, Mother. Fancy another?’
    ‘My turn.’ Yvonne took her purse from her bag, and watched with a smile as the sergeant escorted the woman to the door and they both disappeared into the street.
    * * *
    Joseph took Bryony to a small Italian restaurant, where they shared a carafe of house red, and ate a chef’s special of four cheese ravioli and a salad. At around ten she said she had an early start the next day, so Joseph walked her down to the taxi rank.
    ‘Will you be at the pool tomorrow?’ he asked hopefully.
    ‘Not tomorrow, I have to go to Gainsborough for a meeting, but I’ll be there on Friday.’
    ‘I’ll see you there then.’ For a moment he felt like a tongue-tied kid, scared to say the wrong thing, but desperate to get the girl to see him again. ‘And when I do, perhaps you would accept an invitation to dinner on Saturday evening?’
    ‘Ask me on Friday, Joseph. And thank you for being my saving grace tonight.’
    ‘Anytime.’
    A taxi moved slowly up the rank towards them. ‘My