A Room Full of Killers by Michael Wood

Author:Michael Wood [Wood, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Police Procedural, Hard-Boiled, Thrillers, Crime, Urban, General, Suspense
ISBN: 9780008222390
Google: 3hn6DAAAQBAJ
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Published: 2017-02-16T23:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-FOUR

Pat Campbell had stayed the night in Manchester, inviting herself back to her son’s flat. She sent Anton back to Sheffield. He hadn’t brought his medication with him, and the fish needed feeding anyway. Pat had spent the evening trying to get John to reveal more information about the Hartley case, but he made it obvious he didn’t want to talk about it. Every time she brought up the subject he had a look of faraway sadness, as if he was reliving the horror all over again. Eventually, she took the hint and probed him further about his relationship with Diane.

The next morning, she cooked John a fry-up for breakfast, which brought back the smile she missed seeing on a regular basis. As they parted, she gave him a tight hug and told him to take care of himself. Pat had been in the police force her whole working life; she knew of the dangers her son faced on a daily basis. John told her he would be fine, then warned her not to go kicking the hornet’s nest while she played at being Jessica Fletcher.

The taxi turned slowly onto a narrow road with cars lined on both sides. The road was built up of two rows of terrace properties – no front gardens, one window up and one window down. Pat looked closely at the dull front doors, once bright, vibrant colours, now faded from the years’ worth of pollution and car fumes. She spotted the green door of number twenty-seven and asked the driver to stop. He couldn’t pull over as there were no spaces left, so he stopped in the middle of the street. She paid, told him to keep the change, and stepped out into the cool Manchester air.

A stiff breeze blew around her. She pulled up the collar on her coat and gave a little shiver. She looked up at the dark sky; heavy clouds were looming and there was a rumble of thunder in the distance. Pat looked at her surroundings. There was nobody about. There were no lights on behind the grimy windows and dirty net curtains. The whole road seemed abandoned. She almost expected a bale of tumbleweed to pass by on the pavement.

She knocked quietly on the door and waited. Eventually, it was opened by a frail-looking woman in her late forties. She didn’t open the door fully, just wide enough to test the tension on the security chain. She poked her head through the small gap but didn’t say anything.

‘Debbie Hartley?’

‘Yes.’

‘My name is Pat Campbell. I’m a retired detective inspector with South Yorkshire Police. I’m currently back working on cold cases—’

‘Like New Tricks?’

Pat smiled. ‘Exactly, like New Tricks.’ She hated that programme, but was thankful to it for allowing her gain Debbie Hartley’s trust. ‘Would I be able to come in for a while, have a chat?’

‘I’m guessing this is about Thomas.’

‘That’s right.’

Debbie seemed to think for a while before closing the door. There was rattling of the chain before the door opened fully.

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