Fatal Hate: The second gripping novel in a brand new British detective thriller series (DC Mel Cotton Crime Series Book 2) by Brian Price

Author:Brian Price [Price, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hobeck Books
Published: 2022-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty-One

Day 30, Friday

Weak sunshine filtered through the grime on the incident room windows as the detectives gathered for the morning briefing. One or two of them looked as though they had made a night of it in the pub, and the smell of strong coffee masked the usual odour of sweat and toiletries.

‘OK everyone,’ began Emma. ‘DI Morton has a few things to say about yesterday’s bomb.’

‘Thank you, Emma. The device was quite crude. Fortunately for DC Cotton, there were no anti-handling features, like the IRA incorporated in many of their bombs, so she was able to disarm it without it going off. It was a smart move to shove the detonator in the can and muffle it. If it had exploded too close to the main charge the shock might have set it off.

‘The charge itself was TATP, which was what we expected from the chemicals found in that basement. The tub also contained half a kilo of nails and ball bearings. The sides of the trolley had been weakened with cuts, so the blast would have spread outwards in all directions. Had the device detonated as planned, and given the number of people in the vicinity at the time, deaths could have run into three figures. There would have been hundreds of horrific injuries from flying metal and window glass.’

He paused to let his words sink in. Several detectives went white and one crossed herself.

‘Surely Farren didn’t make it himself?’ queried Jack. ‘He’s not a chemist. He’s just a violent thug.’

‘I’m sure you’re right. Making TATP is a dangerous process. It needs skill and steady hands. He could have been taught how to carry the device reasonably safely, but that’s all.’

‘So, do we have any idea who made it?’ asked Mel?

Emma replied, ‘There’s no-one on the list of Farren’s associates with any scientific training, as far as we can see, apart from deceased Duncan, that is. Their particular set of skills comprises drinking lager, shouting abuse and putting the boot in. There were no fingerprints on the device, apart from Farren’s and Harris’, and no recoverable DNA. The person who pushed the cleaning trolley into position hid his or her face and was wearing bulky clothes, but it looks as though it could have been Harris. There was no trace evidence on the Koran.’

‘And MI5 have no knowledge of a rogue chemist in the area, either,’ added DI Morton.

‘Do you think there’s another bomb in play, sir?’ Karen asked.

‘That we don’t know. Our scientists looked at the empty bottles in the basement and compared them with the amount of explosive used. It’s possible there could be more TATP out there – not as much as the last lot, but they can’t be sure. It would depend on the skill of the chemist.’

Jack Vaughan shuddered.

‘We do have one possible lead, though,’ said Emma. ‘There was a small piece of broken glass in the basement with a trace of blood on it. The lab sent a report through this morning.

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