Three Little Birds by Sam Blake

Author:Sam Blake [Blake, Sam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 38

‘ARE YOU READY? Grace? I’ve put the bags in the boot.’ Carla came in through the front door. She’d only been outside a few minutes, had left Grace in the kitchen wiping down the surfaces, but she’d obviously found something else to do before they left the cottage.

‘Out here. I’m just having another coffee.’

Carla rolled her eyes. Now she’d got it into her head, she wanted to get back to Dublin, wanted to spend some time in the office to prepare before the TV crew arrived.

Pulling her phone out of her jeans, she looked at the time: 7.15. They really did have lots of time, and she’d already washed her hair this morning, loving the super soft water in the huge walk-in shower at the end of their bedroom. She just had to get home and change, and then head to the Phoenix Park ahead of the interview. In theory, the roads would be clear this early on a bank holiday, so they should make good time. As long as they left by nine at the latest, they’d be fine.

Carla reached for a coffee pod and popped it in the machine, slipping a mug under the nozzle. A minute later, her mug full of a frothy latte, she went outside to join Grace.

She was sitting on the deck with her face up to the sunshine, a navy cardigan slung around her shoulders over a sundress sprigged with yellow flowers.

‘Do you think we could buy this place? I mean, with everything happening, Melissa’s husband might be open to an offer.’

‘Grace!’ Carla sat down beside her, shaking her head, trying not to laugh. ‘You’re incorrigible. I really don’t think we should be asking right now, do you? He’ll be so deep in shock I don’t think he’ll be able for questions.’

Without turning her head, Grace smiled to herself. ‘True, but hold that thought. Jack can tell us how the land lies in due course. It would be nice to see him occasionally.’

Carla shook her head again. ‘You’re so bold.’

‘I know, but don’t you love me for it?’

Carla snorted her response and took a sip of her coffee, looking out over the lake, the surface of the water mirror-like. Grace really did have a point – this place would make the perfect weekend bolt-hole.

‘I was thinking …’ Grace turned in her chair to look at Carla and picked up her coffee. ‘There’s an intensity to these murders happening so close together. Normally a serial killer would take time between killings. The joy is in the planning, the anticipation. I’m not seeing that here.’

Carla didn’t pick her up on the ‘normally’ – was anything normal about a serial killer? – but she did have a point.

‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’

Grace screwed up her nose. ‘Clearly he’s planned them. The whole MO is significant.’

‘Taking out someone’s heart isn’t easy. The sternum’s there to protect it, and there’s a lot of cartilage where it joins the ribs. Given that he must have done it reasonably quickly, particularly in Melissa’s case, the window of opportunity is really quite narrow.

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