The Summons (Peter Diamond Book 3) by Lovesey Peter

Author:Lovesey, Peter [Lovesey, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781569478127
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2004-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

ONE OF THE first people they saw on returning to Manvers Street was Chief Inspector John Wigfull, officious as usual, issuing orders along the corridor to some hapless civilian clerk who had rashly stepped out of her office.

“There you are,” he said when he’d done with her, pointing toward Diamond and Julie as if they needed to account for themselves. “Can I have a word?”

“What about?” asked Diamond.

“Mrs. Violet Billington. You interviewed her this morning, I believe.” The tone was definitely accusing.

“I did.”

“Alone?”

Diamond said, “Yes,” trying to sound unflustered while his thoughts careered both backward and forward seizing on alarming possibilities. Surely the old biddy hadn’t made a complaint. He’d treated her fairly, for pity’s sake. Once before in this place where protocol was holy writ he’d been carpeted on a trumped-up charge of assault. That was the occasion when he’d thrown up the job.

“How was she?” asked Wigfull.

“What’s this about?”

“Mrs. Billington. I’m asking how she was.”

He shrugged and spread his hands. “All right.”

Wigfull said, “Because we’ve got her downstairs. She’s battered her husband senseless. Any idea why?”

Diamond shook his head, lost for words.

Wigfull went on to explain that less than an hour ago an emergency call had come in from the house in Larkhall. The student lodger had returned from college to discover her landlord, Winston Billington, lying unconscious in the hall bleeding from head wounds. Assuming that someone had broken in, the student had rushed through to the kitchen to see whether Mrs. Billington had also been attacked. She had not. She had been sitting at the table drinking vodka. She had admitted to the student that she was responsible for the assault and had agreed that as her husband still appeared to be breathing they had better call an ambulance.

“Where is he?” Diamond asked.

“In intensive care at the RUH. We’ve got a man at the bedside in case he recovers.”

“He’s that bad?”

“They say the injuries are severe. She used a plastic bag filled with copper coins. They kept it by the door and put their excess change in it to dole out to people collecting for charity. Two pounds’ worth of coppers can make quite a dent in someone’s skull.”

“And is she talking?”

“At this minute, no. She’s in the toilet, throwing up. Too much vodka. Don’t worry. WPC Blinston is with her.”

Diamond turned to Julie. “You’d better get down to the hospital.”

Wigfull said, “Didn’t you hear? There’s a man at the bedside already.”

“I want Julie there.” Momentarily it threatened to become a clash of wills. In a rare act of conciliation, Diamond confided, “We’ve got new information on his possible involvement in the Britt Strand murder. We were all set to interview him. If he should come round, anything he says could be vital.”

Julie left for the hospital.

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