02 Blood Water Falls by T.G. Reid

Author:T.G. Reid
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9798767706020
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2021-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Back at his flat, the fire engines and ambulances had gone, but there was a SOC van and a fire inspection vehicle parked up. A uniformed officer greeted him at the entrance.

“DCI Bone?” the officer said.

“Correct. How did you guess?”

“They’re waiting for you upstairs,” the PC said, and let Bone past.

At the top of the landing, he was greeted by a second PC who was guarding the burnt-out doorway of Bone’s flat.

“Detective Bone?” the uniform said.

“Is it that obvious?” Bone replied.

Just then a fireman stepped through the gaping charred hole in the door, clutching a clipboard “You must be Detective Bone,” he said, his body shifting inside his bulky, fire repellent jacket.

“I’m going to start wearing a baseball cap with my name on it,” Bone replied.

“Sorry?” the fire investigator said.

“Never mind.” Bone shook his head.

“I’m Arson Investigator Frank Copperfield.”

“What have you found?” Bone interrupted, impatiently.

“I’ve been examining the fire and while we need Forensics to confirm, it’s pretty obvious that some kind of accelerant was used to set the door alight,” he said, shifting his clipboard from one arm to the other.

“So, deliberate?”

“Without a doubt,”

“My son was here with me, the bastard,” Bone growled.

“Indeed. But as I say I’ll have to wait for the SOC team to come back with their findings before I complete my report. They’ll be here shortly.”

Bone edged towards the blackened doorway, stepping over a sodden muddy pile of burnt wood and ash.

“You might want to put on some protective gear, Detective, as this is now a crime scene,” the fire inspector said, but Bone ignored him and carried on. “We’ve opened up all the windows, but I wouldn’t advise staying here tonight, or even for the next few days until the smoke clears. That stuff is highly toxic,” the inspector called after him.

Bone carried on down the hallway and further into the gloom. The flat still reeked of smoke and Bone started coughing again. The hallway carpet squelched under his feet. The fire hoses had drenched the entire hallway, and the walls and ceiling were dripping with blackened water.

“Jesus,” he moaned.

He checked the kitchen and aside from the same cloying smell of smoke, it was untouched by the fire. Carrying on to the living room, it was the same, with no sign of fire or water damage. He let out a sigh of relief.

In the bedroom, the first rays of morning light were beginning to appear through the open window, and Bone could hear the birds singing. He sat down on the edge of his bed and retrieved his phone from the bedside cabinet. He was about to check his messages when he glanced across the room. There was something on the wall above the dressing table. He peered into the gloom and then got up for a closer look. The words LEAVE ALONE were spray-painted in blood-red capital letters covering almost the entire width of the wall.

“What the fuck?” Bone said. He pressed his forefinger onto the surface of the paint. It was dry.

A sudden voice made him spin round.

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