The Perfume Killer: a gripping murder mystery set in Belfast by Linda Hagan

Author:Linda Hagan [Hagan, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: THE BOOK FOLKS bestselling crime fiction publisher
Published: 2021-07-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

Seb was approaching Albert Mooney’s Bar and Restaurant. He could see the glossy black façade with gold lettering picking out the name and when he turned the corner to the entrance, a group of smokers standing huddled around a table outside came into view. At least that was one vice he had never acquired. Ah well, good thing for them it wasn’t so very cold this evening or raining yet either, although the TV weather girl had foretold of its imminent arrival.

Mooney’s was one of the older establishments in the area and still very popular. He had been here many times before. He supposed it was his local although he didn’t make a habit of spending the night at the pub. A glass of wine and a good book or, if he wanted company, a pretty girl to impress were his preferences. His friend Jonah had chosen this venue for their meeting.

Inside, the long bar counter was lined with customers waiting to order their drinks. There was the buzz of people enjoying a night out, lots of noise and laughter. The brown leather armchairs and squishy sofas in the raised area which fronted the main road were already all taken and Seb was glad they had had the forethought to book a table in the restaurant at the back. At least they would have somewhere to sit and the chatter all around them would mean they could talk freely without fear of being overheard. He walked through the bar and made for the restaurant area.

‘Do you have a booking, sir?’

Before answering the waiter, Seb looked around. Most of the tables were already filled and it took a moment for him to spot Jonah in the far corner.

‘My friend’s just over there.’

Seb strode across the room picking his way between the tightly packed tables, excusing himself as he brushed past a middle-aged lady almost tripping over her handbag.

‘You made it safely then, mate.’

Jonah Lunn’s eyes sparkled and his lip curled with amusement. He looked at his friend with a critical eye – hair fashionably long, sitting on the back of his collar, falling forward over his eyes, trendy metal spectacles lending an air of gravity to the professor persona, heavy black jacket over a trendy collarless shirt and designer jeans, and finally black brogue lace-up shoes. Perfectly dressed. How else? He expected nothing less. He liked Seb but considered him a bit of a Walter Mitty character. Jonah knew all about Seb’s background and was impressed that he had overcome so much to do so well and get to where he was but sometimes he found him almost overbearingly pretentious. That meant at times he just could not resist the urge to bring him down to earth. He knew how much Seb hated being addressed as ‘mate’ so took every opportunity to use the title.

Seb sat down opposite him on a red velvet-covered chair which clashed with his carefully chosen pink shirt and returned the smile. Jonah had known him for years but still enjoyed it when his friend was not perfect in every way.

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.