Mike Scantlebury

Arms It Is Mike Scantlebury

The Arms Dealers are in town! Manchester, in the North West of England, is trying hard to pretend that death dealing salesmen haven't taken over their premier exhibition space for the week. Even the elected Mayor of the county of Greater Manchester has set his face against it. Sure, he wants jobs and business to come to his part of the world. But he was hoping for something better, more humane. Not that it bothers Amelia Hartliss. She's employed by British Security, and spying on the event is just another day for her. Except that she meets an amusing young busker outside, singing songs she loves, and she is therefore distressed to find him dead, on the same day!Meanwhile, Melia's cousin Liv is finding life hard at the University, where she works. She is now living on campus, and sharing a flat with her boyfriend Don. But he's a policeman, and never seems to be at home. Other people are looking for him, and she's not sure why, but when people start bothering her, they are drug dealers and gangsters. It distresses her that they all seem to have guns. Where have those come from?If only the cousins could find help, but when Melia reports in to regional Office, she is staggered to find that her boss is serving tea. There seems to have been a complete shake-up of responsibility, thanks to a misguided training course in 'Team Building'. For her, it means she has no team to rely on. She's on her own. Only one more complicating factor, one of the weapons people that Melia starts to investigate is a rather charming young man called Tryst. It gets embarrassing when she ends up in his flat. Maybe they are becoming too close, and it's more than a 'professional' relationship. Melia isn't sure. Mickey is out of town, and anyway, he's not her boyfriend all the time, is he? He's a lot more unreliable than that. She's going to have to watch her step!