Retreat From Life (DI Olivia Austin Book 33): A fast-paced crime thriller by Nic Roberts

Author:Nic Roberts [Roberts, Nic]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-22T00:00:00+00:00

13

Liv marched out of the main lounge, staring hatefully at the cabins. You’ve got nowhere else to fucking hide.

It had occurred to her in a charged moment that maybe she could use the shotgun to force people’s cooperation. People wouldn’t be so defiant staring down the barrel of a rifle.

But thankfully, saner heads prevailed, and she left the weapon with Archie, who stood vigil outside.

“I take it you don’t want these returned to the site manager?” Archie asked, holding both weapons as she knocked on the first door.

“As far as I’m concerned, she’s just as much a suspect as the rest of them,” she fired back, catching a glimpse of the sun setting in the sky. It’s easy to forget how soon the sun sets this time of year.

Michaela opened the door, brandishing a weapon of her own, a near-identical pickaxe to the one recovered from the car park.

She looked the woman over, trying to see for any signs of blood. Then again, the bitch could have changed her clothes.

Liv pushed past her and looked in the cabin, trying to see if there were any discarded bloody rags or weapons. Archie had told her that the figure had used hunting knives.

“You going to tell me what the fuck this is all about?” Michaela exclaimed angrily as Liv started rifling through her personal belongings, but the detective ignored the question.

“You going to tell me where it is?” Liv demanded without even turning around to look at her, on the verge of turning over everything in the cabin.

“Where what is?” Michaela demanded, gripping the pickaxe tightly. “You either tell me what’s going on or I’ll have you up on a harassment charge.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” the inspector screeched, almost at her wit’s end. The anger stunned Michaela. “I’ve got a dead man up by the car park, an officer wounded, and no way out of these fucking woods! And I found a fucking pickaxe at the scene. Given how prepared you’ve come…” Her voice trailed off.

For a moment, Michaela stood there, stunned by the outburst, and then she burst into laughter, at which Olivia clenched her hands into fists.

How the fuck is this supposed to be funny?

“And that’s what you’ve based your great summation on, Miss Marple?” she exclaimed, the grin slackening on her face. “Firstly, I am not the only person who goes hiking around here. I’ll probably be the last based on everything that’s happened here. But I’m sure there are plenty of other people that would fit the bill. Secondly, you really aren’t using your head; if I had been using a pickaxe as a murder weapon, why would I leave it at the crime scene knowing it would incriminate me? Honestly, what sort of idiot goes to all this trouble to hide and then leaves it for the world to find, knowing it would lead them directly to my doorstep? You knew I had all this equipment on hand… and all they needed to do was point you in my direction.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.