Chapters (67)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
She looked at him in dread. ‘I know what you mean. I know and I’m . . . I don’t know how I’d be.’
‘That’s understandable and pretty usual, so who else do you think might be able and willing to identify your brother?’
‘Won’t the photograph do? By itself – because that’s Liam, I’d swear.’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Not Mum or Derek, I don’t want them to have to go through that. Would I – anyone – have to touch him?’
‘No. You would have to look at his face only and just for long enough to be able to say for certain that it either is or is not your brother. Someone will go with you and be there, you can ask for a female officer.’
‘Couldn’t you, Mr Serrailler?’
‘Of course I could, Lynn. So, will you do it?’
‘I have to. It’s my brother.’
Seeing her off, Simon prayed that it was, and then wondered if the prayer was entirely appropriate.
Ten
Hey. So good to see you. Can we talk? I would like us to. Coffee break doesn’t count. Have leave, Thursday to Monday, week after next. Nice quiet hotel, somewhere beautiful? Let me know soonest. Love S
As he was pressing ‘Send’, Denzil Aberra put his head round the door. ‘Got a minute, guv?’
Simon waved him in, glad of the interruption, which would distract him from listening for the ping of a reply to his text. He had an hour before he had to be at the mortuary.
‘Starly.’
‘Right. You’ve had second thoughts about our Chinese herbalist?’
‘Yes and no. I haven’t got anything new, he hasn’t been in touch, only I’ve just got a niggle.’
‘Respect it. What?’
‘I believed him when he said he didn’t know anything about the flat above. He isn’t the landlord, the entrance is separate from his shop. Whoever came and went, he most likely wouldn’t have seen them – none of his business. But I still got a sense of something . . .’
‘That he wasn’t telling you the whole story?’
‘Maybe. I wasn’t there long, but it’s still clear in my mind . . . the more I go over it, the more I think he was bothered about something . . . he was nervous all the time I was there.’
‘A lot of people are anxious if they have a cop coming through the door to ask questions, or had you not noticed? It doesn’t matter if they’re guilty of anything or nothing. The worst of the lot can be as cool as you like, the most innocent party can be shaking with fear, so you can’t rely on the initial reaction. Having said that, it’s always worth noting. Go on.’