Waterloo Sunset by Martin Edwards

Author:Martin Edwards [Martin Edwards]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: NOID
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

‘Sibierski is as unpleasant as he’s ugly,’ Carmel said. ‘And that’s saying something.’

They were facing each other across a table in the hospital cafeteria, a chocolate muffin and a cup of tepid coffee in front of each of them. Jim was still unconscious, but Carmel’s mood was bright, verging on febrile. He guessed the doctors had given her something to stave off the blues.

‘What’s the latest?’

‘This afternoon, I called a couple of friends in high places.’ Carmel fiddled with an earring, a habit when her mind worked overtime. ‘The smart money says that Kay was killed by the same man who murdered Denise Onuoha and Lee Welch.’

Harry had dreaded this ever since Sibierski said that the corpse had been mutilated.

‘He strangled her and then cut out her tongue?’

‘You didn’t hear it from me, OK? If the Chief Executive of the Authority finds out I’ve said anything to you, I’ll be the next one to lose a tongue.’

‘Why would Sibierski waste time questioning me?’

A long pause.

‘I hate to break this to you, Harry dear, but you’re bound to be a suspect.’

‘You can’t be serious.’

One look at her face told him she was serious. The room felt airless. His shirt was sweaty and he needed a shower. He’d assumed that, once Sibierski had had his fun, the focus would turn to Tom Gunter. A dead woman’s lover must be the prime suspect. But if the case was linked to the other murders, the kaleidoscope shifted.

‘Sibierski didn’t tell me when she was killed.’

‘The forensic boys are keeping their options open at present. All I know is that you were in the vicinity of the crime scene at roughly the right time.’

‘Who found the body?’

‘An elderly mongrel-walker.’ Carmel shivered. ‘Remind me never to get a dog. Throw them a stick and they fetch back a bit of rotting flesh.’

A wave of nausea swept over him. ‘Kay’s tongue was left at the scene too?’

Carmel nodded. ‘Whatever else he is, he isn’t a souvenir hunter.’

‘What does Tom Gunter have to say for himself?’

‘Nothing yet. He’s disappeared. When officers turned up at the Marina flat to break the news of Kay’s death, there was no sign of him.’

Harry banged his fist on the table. ‘Case solved.’

‘Not so fast. Remember what I said about the murders being linked.’

‘If you’re looking for a serial killer, he must be a candidate,’ Harry said. ‘Come to think of it, I saw him the day Lee Welch’s body was found. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.’

‘Doesn’t mean he killed those women, Harry.’

‘Why would he vanish, then?’

‘Wouldn’t you, in his shoes? Come on, Harry. As soon as he got wind that Kay was dead, he’ll have panicked. A man with his criminal CV is bound to attract suspicion. Anyway, there’s another development. The SIO has called in Professor Maeve Hopes for expert assistance.’

‘Were there no psychics or tea-leaf readers available?’

‘We know she’s a media tart, but the PR people are desperate to keep the journalists onside until there’s a positive lead.

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