Blood Fountain: A Yorkshire Murder Mystery (DCI Harry Grimm Crime Thrillers Book 19) by David J. Gatward

Author:David J. Gatward [Gatward, David J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Published: 2024-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

Harry had done a lot of strange and bizarre things in his life as a police officer. He’d dealt with the theft of a penguin by a toddler who had somehow managed to squirrel the creature away in his buggy without his parents noticing. He’d arrested someone after a burglary at a 7Eleven whose response to being found was to argue that no, he wasn’t a burglar at all, but a shadow, and had refused to leave his hiding place under a car. He’d even, on one occasion, pulled into a service station to have a van driver in front of him send him a friendly wave, utterly oblivious to the fact that the fake numberplate he had stuck over his real one had just come loose.

What he had never done, though, not even once in all his years on the Force, was to help prepare breakfast for a group of grieving friends so hungover their collective moans sounded like Paul McCartney’s Frog Chorus, played at half speed.

‘Pretty sure this wasn’t on the job description,’ said Matt, heading through to the lounge with the last of the bacon butties.

‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a lot of what we do isn’t on the job description,’ said Harry, deciding not to clear anything away, because that was a step too far. ‘They’re eating, yes?’

‘Eddie is still really into that breakfast cereal,’ said Matt. ‘But yes, they’re all eating. Even Geoff, and honestly, when he first came in, I thought he was seconds away from just dissolving in front of our eyes.’

Harry followed Matt through to the lounge. Geoff, Chris, Henry, and Eddie were occupying the sofas, all of them forcing themselves to eat, some with greater success than others, though that wasn’t saying much.

‘Don’t avoid the water and the tea,’ Harry advised. ‘A hangover is dehydration, so get it down your neck.’

‘I don’t like sweet, milky tea,’ said Henry, his goatee shiny with bacon grease.

‘And I don’t like having to walk around with a face that looks like I had an argument with a lawnmower, and yet here we are, all together in the same room, just getting on with our lives, aren’t we, Henry?’

Henry didn’t reach for his mug of tea.

‘Henry?’ Matt whispered, and pointed at the mug.

‘I don’t …’ Henry began, then saw Matt shaking his head very slowly.

He picked up the mug, took a sip.

‘Good lad,’ said Matt. ‘Now, isn’t that better?’

A groan was the only answer he received, but it was enough.

‘Firstly, and ignoring how you all decided to deal with the news about Mickey,’ Harry began, eyeballing each of them in turn, ‘I really am genuinely sorry about your loss. And don’t for one second think that I don’t mean that, because I do. I’ve lost friends myself, and I do not say this lightly: I know what it’s like, and it’s horrendous.’

‘I can’t believe he’s gone,’ said Chris. ‘You’re sure it’s him? Like absolutely sure?’

‘His parents are identifying his body today,’ said Harry, ‘but yes, we’re sure.

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