03 The Darkness Within by Graeme Hampton

Author:Graeme Hampton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Canelo Hera
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Two

Molly had barely been in the office for ten minutes when she spotted a stony-faced Denning arrive. She had planned to come in early again that morning, but she’d forgotten to set the alarm the night before and had had to rely on Jon to wake her, by which time it was nearly eight thirty. Already running late, she had managed to spill a glass of orange juice over her skirt during breakfast and then dropped her phone in a puddle on the way to the bus stop. She’d had better starts to her working day.

With only the briefest glimmer of eye contact, Denning asked if he could have a word with her in McKenna’s office. She’d dutifully followed him in, trying to guess what it could be about.

Betty Taggart was sitting behind her desk looking even more stony-faced than Denning. Denning stood against the wall, still trying his best to avoid looking her in the eye. She sat on the hard chair opposite Betty Taggart, whose sharp black eyes – unlike Denning’s – seemed to bore into hers like a dentist’s drill.

There was a noticeable chill in the office, and it wasn’t down to a lack of heating.

‘How well do you know Magda Kilbride?’ Betty Taggart asked.

Molly felt her heart thudding in her chest. Had Mags made an official complaint about her? It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d gone running to Denning telling tales. At least last time, Denning had had the good sense to know he was being played. Judging by the look on his face, this time he seemed to be taking matters more seriously.

‘She’s a journalist,’ Molly heard herself saying; her voice sounding slightly cracklier than usual. ‘She’s a known trouble-maker, and I wouldn’t take anything she says seriously.’

‘So you wouldn’t describe her as a friend?’ Betty Taggart asked.

‘No. She’s certainly not that.’ She clocked Denning and McKenna exchanging glances. ‘Why? What’s she said now?’

‘She hasn’t said anything.’ McKenna replied coldly. ‘She’s been murdered.’

‘Murdered?’ Molly was aware her voice had suddenly risen an octave. ‘When?’

‘Her body was found earlier this morning,’ Denning said. ‘In a car park next to a sports centre in Bethnal Green.’

‘How? I mean, what was she doing there?’

‘That’s a very good question. I can see why you wanted to be a detective.’ McKenna’s face was a mask of granite.

‘Sorry?’

‘At this stage it looks like she was attacked sometime after she left Jericho’s Bar yesterday evening,’ Denning said.

‘That would be some time after she met you at Jericho’s Bar yesterday evening, DS Fisher.’ Betty Taggart was still staring at her, as though trying to burn a laser beam into her soul. ‘Perhaps you could join up some of the dots for us?’

Molly looked at McKenna and then Denning. She wanted to open her mouth and say something but her throat felt like the Sahara.

‘It seems that Miss Kilbride used an old-fashioned Filofax-type diary,’ Denning said, filling the silence. ‘SOCO found it in her bag. The entry for yesterday evening states that she had arranged to meet you in the Jericho Bar off The Strand.

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