Murder in Primrose Hill: a very moreish English cozy mystery (The Lucia Steer London mysteries Book 4) by Sabina Manea

Author:Sabina Manea [Manea, Sabina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Book Folks - bestselling fiction publisher
Published: 2022-09-03T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

‘The tests confirm it, Lucia. Traces of fentanyl, carfentanil and U-47700 were found on Ruthie Simmons’s skin, specifically on her back and under her fingernails. The PM’s also being revised. I expect it’ll state that the cause of death is more likely to have been the effect of the grey death than the supposed strangulation. It looks like you were right all along.’

DS Trinh stood in the doorway of the office that Lucia and DCI Carliss shared, keen to be there in person to deliver the news. She had been successful in getting the tests fast-tracked and the results promised back straight after the weekend.

‘You should be getting the write-up in your inbox shortly,’ she continued, ‘so you can have a look for yourself. Where’s the boss?’

‘Out for a crafty fag, no doubt. Let’s have a look. Oh yes, here it is. Just as well we got those extra tests done, or we would have been none the wiser. When they say “traces”, there really were just the most minuscule of traces. These substances are more lethal than you can imagine, Cam. Grey death seems to be particularly popular in the States, but I guess it doesn’t take long for the trend to cross the pond. Apparently, law enforcement officers have been warned to use personal protective equipment when handling the stuff. You don’t want it coming into contact with bare skin, that’s for sure, or you’re bound to end up like poor Ruthie Simmons.’

‘How do you get hold of this shit over here, I wonder?’ said DS Trinh, who wasn’t a fan of bad language unless the situation really warranted it.

‘You can get hold of anything in London if you know who to ask and have the cash to pay for it,’ replied Lucia, omitting to mention that if she put her mind to it, she would have been able to source some grey death herself. Not that she would have gone anywhere near something so risky. A touch of cocaine, a little ketamine: those little vices were in a wholly different category, she reasoned. Nina would have backed her up, though the DCI would not have approved had he had knowledge of their recreational pursuits.

Trinh raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving. ‘People are stupid. Why dabble in something that’s so high-risk? Something that can kill you, even in the tiniest of doses?’

‘No point getting bogged down in moral judgments, Cam. In this case, it seems that the grey death wasn’t being used for kicks. It was a murder weapon.’

Trinh frowned. ‘Oh, I’m not making any moral judgments, trust me. I’m too long in the tooth to be shocked by bad behaviour. Anyway, before I forget, I went a step further than you’d asked and got hold of Ruthie Simmons’s medical records from her GP, for completeness if nothing else. As her husband said, she hasn’t got any allergies, so that ruled out any skin reactions. Otherwise, it was all pretty unremarkable. She’d always been in good health, no major illnesses, injuries, operations or anything like that.

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