One More Kill For Mother by C. R. Clarke

Author:C. R. Clarke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2024-08-07T00:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

GUTTERIDGE ADDRESSED THE ROOM of attentive detectives, feeling socially naked at not having DCI Bryant present on his shoulder.

He huffed the deepest of sighs laced with regret for the situation he found himself in as the opener for the meeting.

‘Well, here we are again,’ he said. ‘Two bodies in and no sign of it stopping any time soon.’

He turned mournful eyes down to the notes held in his hand, taking pains to choose his words with care.

‘We’re all aware that this city has witnessed its fair share of criminal activity over the years, but I’m sure it’s also fair to say that these recent events can be considered out of character, even for a city that can be as contentious as Gloucester.’

A murmur of solidarity filled the room, seeming to qualify his opinion. He consulted his notes again, looking through them rather than at them.

‘DCI Bryant is over with the magistrate as we speak, securing a search warrant for Terrence Masterson’s Buxton residence. DS Keaton has also contacted Derbyshire Constabulary and established a liaise for the search. Their details are on the notes you have in your hands.’

The uncomfortable silence was disrupted by the shuffling of stapled A4 sheets of paper.

‘DS Keaton and DC Koperek made the long drive to Masterson’s home to assess Masterson’s level of awareness of the case, and to try and discover if he, at any point in time, has had contact with his missing brother.’

Gutteridge turned a preparatory look to Keaton. She nodded.

‘As most of you will be aware by now, while they were there, DS Keaton thought she observed what she believes could be evidence of the existence of a body on the premises. I think it’s better if that information comes directly from her mouth.’ He stepped aside and paddled an invitational arm. ‘DS Keaton?’

Keaton stood, gathering the notes she knew she wouldn’t be needing, her relative lack of experience causing her to have thoroughly prepared for the meeting.

She exchanged a muted smile with the father of her child and turned to address the room of interested faces.

‘As DI Gutteridge was saying, myself and DC Koperek drove to Buxton in Derbyshire to interview Terrence Masterson. While we were at Masterson’s property, it not only became obvious that he knew more than he was officially letting on, but there was also a strange odour infesting the whole property – an odour I believe he’d grown so accustomed to over time that he was no longer aware of it.’

She frowned. ‘It was an odour hard to describe, something sickly sweet, but undeniably pungent, and definitely organic. A faded stench of decay that I believe had been muted by the passage of time. So during the interview, I feigned a need to use the bathroom in order to see if the scent was also present upstairs, which it was. Not only that, it was noticeably stronger. I ducked my head into one of the rooms where the scent seemed strongest, and found what seemed to be the stain of what I believe to be a body on the ceiling above the entrance to that room.

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