I, Spy? (Sophie Green Mysteries, No. 1) (Sophie Green Mystery)

I’ve never seen a human body before. Not a real, battered cadaver. Bodies on TV aren’t the same. I’d never seen anything as… raw as this.
    “Went right through the mechanism,” the policeman was saying to Luke. “Take forever to clean it all out.”
    “You definitely have an ID?”
    The policeman nodded and went over to the body. It was still dressed in a ripped Ace uniform, complete with hi-vis, and in a pocket on the sleeve was his pass. All the ramp and baggage guys kept their passes on their sleeves so they didn’t get in the way.
    “Christopher Mansfield,” the copper read, smudging away some blood with a gloved finger. “Ramp operative.”
    I blinked. The name was familiar.
    “Chris Mansfield?” I tried to bring up a face and got him almost instantly. He was the guy who’d had Brown in a lock yesterday.
    All of a sudden I felt sick.
    “Oh, Christ.” I reached out for Luke, and he held me upright. “That was him, he helped me yesterday when I—when we—Jesus.”
    Luke pulled me over to a section of the belt where I could sit down and told me to put my head between my knees.
    “This your first body?”
    I nodded. “It’s not that, it’s… God, Luke, it’s…”
    “I know.” He stroked my hair. “I know.”

Chapter Five
     
    He wouldn’t let me drive and, after a huge hot chocolate from Starbucks, eventually shepherded me down to my car and drove me back to the office, glaring at the harsh gearbox.
    “I heard.” Alexa was halfway around the desk when we walked in. “Jesus, sounded brutal.”
    “Yep,” Luke said. “Did you hear the extra dimension?”
    She shook her head, glancing at me. “Are you okay? You look really white.”
    I shrugged. “I’m fine. I always look white.”
    “She’s in shock,” Luke said. “The victim helped her apprehend Brown yesterday.”
    Alexa covered her mouth. “Oh, God, you think that’s why he was killed?”
    Luke shrugged. “Wouldn’t rule it out. In fact, I’d say that’s pretty much got to be it. The Browns have an ally on the outside. A very vicious ally. One who has access to at least the undercroft. That’s a green pass at least, right?”
    I nodded. “Yeah. Green is most areas.”
    “Could even be red,” Alexa said. “Maria and Macbeth are going through the computer looking up everyone who’s gone through since last night. They reckon it must have happened this morning before the belts were started up, and he just worked through the system. Probably someone left him in the mechanism.”
    I shuddered, and Luke looked over at me.
    “Maybe it might be a good idea if you stayed at your parents’ tonight,” he said.
    I shook my head out of pride, although right now home seemed like a very good option. Lasagne and ice cream and football on the telly. Yeah. Home was good.
    I nodded, meekly.
    “Luke,” Alexa said, beckoning him over. She spoke in hushed tones, but I still heard. “Maybe you should rethink this thing. Look at the state of her.”
    Luke gave her a level look. “Lexy, the first time you saw a fresh body, you threw up.”
    She made a face. “I’m just saying. It could be that someone’s after her. From the reports I’m getting in, she was sort of high-profile yesterday.”
    Luke glanced at me. “You’re saying we should keep an eye on her?”
    Alexa nodded, and Luke sighed, like I was some big burden to him. Well, fine, but he got me into this.
    “Okay.” He looked at his watch, then at me. “Lunch?”
    I shook my head. “I’m not hungry. Besides, I’ve been up so long it’s really teatime tomorrow. Speaking of which, I said I’d go to my parents’.”
    He shrugged. “Okay. Do you think you can drive?”
    I was so shaky I had to hide my hands behind my back, but I nodded and we went outside. I got into Ted, and Luke said he’d follow in his car. He’d need to know where my parents lived, for quite a few reasons, he said, but mostly I suspect he wanted to check they weren’t ex-KGB or anything.
    I drove back home with my usual abandon, and it wasn’t until we were nearly at my house that I realised we’d gone the wrong way. Never mind. I parked up and went into the flat to get a few things.
    Most of the stuff I needed was at my parents’ house anyway, but I wasn’t about to let Luke see I’d gone the wrong way. I picked up my post and checked the answer phone. It was flashing one call, and with a sinking feeling I remembered getting cut off from Chalker that morning.
    I dug out my