‘Do you think they’re going to sink, Henry? Did you weigh them down with stones?’

Heath stood on the riverbank, shivering from growing angst as opposed to cold, as he watched the cases slowly sink, but then float just an inch or two below the surface as the tide swept them away. He considered launching himself into the swirling water to retrieve them, but he knew he wasn’t up to it. Swimming wasn’t a strength he possessed. If he entered the river, he’d drown.

He had a grinding feeling deep in the pit of his gut as he returned to his car, parked a five-minute rapid walk away in the light of a half-moon partly shrouded in cloud.

He didn’t know if he’d blown it, but he knew he’d made an error. Maybe it was time to kill the brat, and her bitch mother too. The endgame was fast approaching. Why wait?

43

Kesey handed Lewis his second pint of best bitter as she joined him at the table, keen to talk. ‘So, what do you make of the suitcase killer? I don’t envy those coracle men fishing that lot out of the river. The body parts were stinking, apparently.’

‘The suitcase killer? Is that what they’re calling him?’

Kesey nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess it’s the obvious name. It’s all over the news.’

‘I’m just glad we’re not dealing with it. One major investigation is more than enough to be getting on with.’

‘It’s fortunate they found the head. Without the likeness in the local paper, the barber would never have come forward. The victim had only been in the UK for a short time, poor sod. He leaves a war zone for a better life and ends up murdered in Wales. Talk about bad luck.’

Lewis shrugged. ‘You’ve got to admit it’s a coincidence.’

‘What are you talking about?’

Lewis slurped his beer, savouring the yeasty froth at the top. ‘The victim’s from Syria, Heath worked in Syria, maybe two and two make four.’

‘Oh, here you go again.’

‘Sometimes the most obvious links are the right ones, that’s all I’m saying.’

Kesey sipped her lager shandy and laughed. ‘A lot of people work in Syria, Ray. It’s hardly evidence. It’s not a criminal offence to be based in the Middle East.’

‘I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. It’s too much of a coincidence for me.’

‘You’re obsessed with the man. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with you sometimes. There’s no evidence to suggest Heath’s committed any crime, let alone murder.’

‘Yeah, yeah, so you keep saying.’

‘I keep saying it, because I’m right.’

‘How’s Janet doing? Is she still in Scotland?’

‘Yeah, she’s there for the foreseeable future.’

He took another mouthful of beer. ‘That must be tough on you both.’

‘It’s Ed I’m missing more than anything.’

‘Trouble in paradise?’

‘No, I’m missing Jan too. She’s the love of my life.’

Lewis tilted back his head, emptying his glass before standing. ‘Right, I’d better make a move. Are you around in the morning?’