The Sandman
Blue Moon Investigations
Book 17
Steve Higgs
Text Copyright © 2021 Steven J Higgs
Publisher: Steve Higgs
The right of Steve Higgs to be identified as author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved.
The book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
‘The Sandman’ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead or undead, events or locations is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Steve Short, a long-time advocate of my work and dedicated member of my inner circle. He is responsible for the camouflage jackets Basic is now making a fortune with.
Thanks, Steve. Top man.
Table of Contents
Tempest. Missing Team Member. Friday, December 23rd 1517hrs
Jane. Unpleasant Sensation. Friday, December 23rd 1518hrs
Tempest. Pooling Resources. Friday, December 23rd 1519hrs
Jane. First Steps. Friday, December 23rd 1554hrs
Tempest. The Blue Moon Office. Friday, December 23rd 1607hrs
Big Ben. Jane’s Gran’s House in Aylesford. Friday, December 23rd 1622hrs
Jane. Working the Problem. Friday, December 23rd 1645hrs
Tempest. The House of Matilda Carpenter. Friday, December 23rd 1648hrs
Big Ben. A Show of Strength. Friday, December 23rd 1652hrs
Amanda. Research at the Office. Friday, December 23rd 1652hrs
Big Ben. Inside Grandma’s House. Friday, December 23rd 1653hrs
Jane. Muscular Overload. Friday December 23rd 1701hrs
Big Ben. Jane’s Bedroom. Friday, December 23rd 1709hrs
Tempest. Karen Gilbert’s House. Friday, December 23rd 1730hrs
Big Ben. Retaliation. Friday, December 23rd 1735hrs
Jane. Perseverance. Friday, December 23rd 1740hrs
Tempest. Wasting Time. Friday, December 23rd 1741hrs
Big Ben. Surrounded. Friday, December 23rd 1742hrs
Tempest. A Breakthrough, Finally. Friday, December 23rd 1746hrs
Amanda. Fingerprints. Friday December 23rd 1751hrs
Tempest. Closing In. Friday, December 23rd 1812hrs
Jane. A New Challenge. Friday, December 23rd 1836hrs
Quinn. Steely Eyed Thief Taker. Friday, December 23rd 1842hrs
Tempest. Start Talking, Punk! Friday, December 23rd 1903hrs
The Sandman. Dancing to my Tune. Friday, December 23rd 1922hrs
Big Ben. More Bad News. Friday, December 23rd 1933hrs
Amanda. Toby Carter. Friday, December 23rd 1940hrs
Tempest. Defeated. Friday, December 23rd 1942hrs
Amanda. Aliases. Friday, December 23rd 1956hrs
Tempest. Getting Rubbed the Wrong Way. Friday, December 23rd 2001hrs
Jane. Electricity. Friday, December 23rd 2007hrs
The Sandman. Listening. Friday, December 23rd 2011hrs
Amanda. Slipped Right Through our Fingers. Friday, December 23rd 2024hrs
Tempest. Time for Action. Friday, December 23rd 2031hrs
Tempest. No Need for Stealth. Friday, December 23rd 2109hrs
Jane. Not Alone. Friday, December 23rd 2112hrs
Tempest. Time to go! Friday, December 23rd 2120hrs
Tempest. Busted. Friday December 23rd 2122hrs
Jane. A Noise in the Dark. Friday, December 24th 0215hrs
Ramsey Mitchell. Everything According to his Plan. Saturday, December 24th 0217hrs
Quinn. Learning from a Master. Saturday December 24th 1127hrs
Tempest. Cautioned and Released. Saturday, December 24th 1206hrs
Tempest. When the Truth Finally Dawns. Saturday, December 24th 1310hrs
The Sandman. Valerie’s Pain. Saturday, December 24th 1327hrs
Tempest. The Blue Moon Office. Saturday, December 24th 1336hrs
Quinn. Dissection of a Serial Killer. Saturday, December 24th 1348hrs
Tempest. Locksmiths. Saturday, December 24th 1406hrs
Tempest. A Note from the Sandman. Saturday, December 24th 1417hrs
Jane. Hard Choices. Saturday, December 24th 1424hrs
Tempest. Hidden Things. Saturday, December 24th 1428hrs
Quinn. Reason to get Excited? Saturday, December 24th 1441hrs
Big Ben. Tooling Up. Saturday, December 24th 1520hrs
Quinn. Updated Information. Saturday, December 24th 1603hrs
Tempest. A Plan. Saturday, December 24th 1605hrs
The Sandman. Preparation is Everything. Saturday, December 24th 1618hrs
Big Ben. Full Assault Mode. Saturday, December 24th 1623hrs
Jane. All the Fuel I Would Need. Saturday, December 24th 1627hrs
Jane. Behind Every Great Man. Saturday, December 24th 1638hrs
Big Ben. How it Went Down. Saturday, December 24th 1630hrs
Tempest. Ambush My Ambush. Saturday, December 24th 1638hrs
Jane. The Final Fight. Saturday, December 24th 1640hrs
Tempest. Grey Hair. Saturday, December 24th 1648hrs
Tempest. Doing Something I Probably Shouldn’t. Saturday, December 24th 1715hrs
The Golem in Block C
Author’s Notes
What’s next for the Blue Moon Crew?
A FREE Rex and Albert Story
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Tempest. Missing Team Member. Friday, December 23rd 1517hrs
Amanda and I were all but running as we left the ward. My clothes were on - having dressed in a world record time – but crazily dishevelled and my hair had to be sticking out at all angles because that was what it always did until I tamed it.
None of these things registered in my head as both Amanda and I started talking.
We were having two different conversations, and neither was with each other. I was on my phone to Big Ben. Amanda was on her phone to Hilary.
Two minutes earlier, Chief Inspector Quinn had left my hospital room after dropping a bombshell about Jane. Jane is the third detective at my firm, Blue Moon Investigations, and she was missing. He didn’t say she was missing, that would be poor form for a police officer, a senior one to boot, unless he was already doing something about it, but what he did say was enough for me to believe she was in desperate trouble.
Chief Inspector Quinn revealed that Jane had music playing when her phone was answered but there was no one there to talk to. Anyone else would most likely think that was odd, yet dismiss it. Amanda and I knew what it meant, and it sent ice through our veins.
The piece of music was
