THE THAMES PATH KILLER an absolutely gripping mystery and suspense thriller (Detective Rob Miller Mysteries Book 1) by BIBA PEARCE

Author:BIBA PEARCE [PEARCE, BIBA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Published: 2021-06-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“Rob.” Jo glanced up and beckoned to him from across the squad room. “You need to see this.”

He got up and walked over to her sidekick’s desk, where the hulky detective was sitting, stony-faced. Jo was standing behind him, peering at his screen. “We’ve found something that may or may not be connected.”

“Oh yeah?” He leaned forward. Graham had a homicide file up on his screen on a woman called Rania Mukhtar.

“Rania’s body was discovered four years ago next to the M1. She’d been raped and strangled.”

Rob gazed at the picture of the dark-haired woman. “She looks young. Early twenties?”

“Yes, twenty-two. She’s of Pakistani origin.”

He frowned. “Strange, we never picked up on her.”

“Probably because her father, Mahmood Mukhtar, was arrested for her murder.”

Rob gawked. “Her father? Christ.”

He stared at the crime scene photo. The battered, lifeless body in the brush at the side of the road. Messy dark hair, mottled face, her lips parted as if she was gasping for air — probably had been in her last moments. He looked away.

“It was deemed an honour killing.”

Rob had come across a couple of honour killings in his time on the force. It was when a family member was killed for bringing shame or disrespect on the family. An archaic custom, in his opinion, and one that should be stamped out.

“What had she done?”

“It was what she was going to do. According to the police statement, her parents despised her Western ways, and when she got engaged to a Londoner . . . well, that was just the cherry on the cake.”

“Engaged?” His heard skipped a beat.

“Yep.” Jo grinned wryly at him. “I thought that might get your attention.”

“So, it fits our stalker’s MO?”

“It does.”

“Did the father confess?”

“No, he didn’t. That’s where it gets interesting. His DNA was discovered on her body, not inside, mind you, but on her clothes.”

“That could be circumstantial,” Rob said. “Did they live together?”

“Yes, but she spent most of her time at her boyfriend’s house. Her parents were furious about that. They made their opinions widely known after her body was found. Here’s a statement from the father.”

She read in a sober voice, “I’m not surprised. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The way she flaunted herself, it was indecent. She brought nothing but shame on her family.”

“Wow, he said that after she was murdered?”

“Yep.” Jo nodded. “In addition to the father’s DNA on her clothes, his saliva was on her cheek.”

“That could have been a kiss.” Rob scowled at the image on the screen. Could her father really have done that to her?

“Could have been.” Jo nodded. “He denied murder.”

“What about an alibi?” Rob surveyed the grisly crime photo. Rania was naked from the waist down. Her skinny jeans were bunched around her ankles, effectively preventing her from kicking free. Her hands were bound with duct tape, another common denominator, but they weren’t tied to a tree or a bush.

“His wife alibied him.” Jo raised her eyebrows. “But the jury didn’t go for it.

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