Bad Blood Pouring: A Gripping Detective Mystery by Solomon Carter

Author:Solomon Carter [Carter, Solomon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Great Leap
Published: 2022-12-19T16:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

Day two.

It was nine am when Joel Uttley arrived at the police station. Kaplan led him to the interview room. There he found Hogarth and Palmer waiting for him, seated at the interview table. Neither rose to greet him. The time for any friendliness was over. It was clear from the tension etched on his brow and the faint tremor to his movements, that Joel Uttley was scared. He’d probably never seen the business end of a police station before. At least not under these circumstances. It was Hogarth’s and Palmer’s job to discover whether his fear was the natural kind or whether there was something deeper and darker beneath the man’s well-maintained veneer. Uttley looked as if he’d dressed up for the occasion. His tie had a fat knot pulled tight at the top, worn over a fetching pale-blue striped shirt. He wore cutaway collars, and his suit jacket had thin lapels in a fancy design. A councilman, Uttley dressed like something far less mundane. Hogarth began to wonder about the man’s easy friendliness at the council meeting. Talking on the committee room steps the night before, Uttley hadn’t seemed too interested in including Kaplan and Palmer in his conversation. Hogarth noted the absence of a wedding band on Uttley’s ring finger. Hmmm. Maybe the man had seen something in Hogarth he’d never seen in himself. But whatever Uttley had seen was no more than a useful illusion.

Uttley had no solicitor. They’d assured the councillor this was all very simple, just a conversation to help police with their enquiries. A sensitive matter, which required a degree of confidentiality on all sides. As each second passed by, Uttley looked less and less convinced by such bluster.

“Mr Uttley,” Hogarth began. “Thank you for coming.”

Uttley muttered something as he settled into his seat, but his voice was so quiet it was almost impossible to decipher. He cleared his throat and tried again.

“No problem,” he said.

Hogarth gave the man a probing look. Uttley had issues; he’d already admitted to that. He’d suffered. People had wronged him, and he bore grudges. So far that made him one hundred per cent human. But Hogarth needed to dig deeper. Was this well-polished front hiding a sick and cruel man? It was possible. Where people were concerned, things were always possible.

Uttley tried to break the tension with a smile. He offered it to all three, hoping for any kind of response. He received none.

“So,” said Uttley, “you said this was something to do with the Housing Department. Some incident you’re looking into. Rather vague, I thought.”

“We have to be vague at present, sir. We’re working on a sensitive investigation.”

Uttley narrowed his eyes. “Surely there must be some other way to source whatever it is you’re after. If you sent me an email, I could ensure it went to the right party. I’d chase it up and ensure it got dealt with for you.”

“Very considerate, sir,” Hogarth replied, “but in this kind of situation we always prefer to deal with people face to face.

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