Rules of Honour by Matt Hilton

Author:Matt Hilton [Hilton, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Thrillers, General, Suspense
ISBN: 9781444728750
Google: j_3UUPH5zrYC
Amazon: B009S8AU46
Publisher: Hachette UK
Published: 2013-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Melissa Yoshida was sitting opposite the sergeant’s desk as Detective Jones ushered me out of our meeting. I wouldn’t have noticed her had Jones not given her a slight wave, and told her he’d be ready to speak with her in a few minutes.

‘Thank you, Detective,’ Melissa responded. ‘I’m fine here.’

She wasn’t fine; she looked distraught and little wonder. I hadn’t anticipated that she would be called in for questioning, but it was obvious when I thought about it. Jones and Tyler were trying to piece together the killer’s motive and Melissa could possibly tell them something important. I doubted it. If Takumi had been anything like Yukiko then he had kept his secret to himself.

I felt guilty for some reason, as if I should apologise to her for not doing more to save her grandfather, and the shame hit me like a punch to the gut. I averted my face, doing my best to avoid notice. Maybe I’d have got away clean if Detective Jones hadn’t said: ‘Stay in touch, Mr Hunter. Anything you learn, I’d like to hear about it.’ He handed me a card with his telephone number on it.

The gregarious desk sergeant unlatched the flap to let me out, smiling and nodding, and as I moved into the public area I felt Melissa’s gaze on me. I couldn’t help glancing over at her, and our eyes met and stuck.

She was already getting up off the public bench, approaching me. She was dressed in a black trouser suit over a purple blouse, with her dark hair pulled back and barely a trace of make-up. Though I knew her to be in her early twenties, she appeared more mature, and – dare I say it – very pretty, despite her sadness. She was clutching a small purse against her abdomen, her head to one side as she studied me. It was as if she recognised my face, but how was a mystery to me. I’d only seen her that one time when she’d leaped from the taxi and run towards the burning house and she hadn’t looked at me then. I pulled up, casting a glance behind me to check Gar Jones had gone: he wouldn’t appreciate his key witnesses talking. Then again, that could have been his intention. Maybe he’d engineered that we meet. Perhaps he thought I’d share what I knew with the woman and he’d be able to tease the information from her. The best thing I could have done was smile, turn away and walk directly out of the police station.

Her gaze caught mine again though, and I waited for her to speak.

‘Excuse me,’ she said timidly. ‘Are you Joe Hunter? Only I just heard the detective say your name and thought . . .’

There was no getting away now, not without appearing rude. ‘I’m Joe Hunter, yeah.’

She nodded, holding her bag even tighter to her body. Her face tipped down, and briefly I expected it to rise with a look of recrimination. It didn’t; when she looked at my face her dark eyes shone.

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