BURIAL GROUNDS an absolutely addictive and heart-pounding crime thriller (Detective Mike Nash Murder Mystery Book 14) by BILL KITSON

Author:BILL KITSON [KITSON, BILL]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Joffe Books crime thriller and mystery
Published: 2022-04-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The tobacconist was an elderly man, who, Nash guessed, would have retired a good while ago, had he not been self-employed. Luckily, although his physical powers might have diminished with age, there was nothing wrong with his mental faculties. He only needed one swift glance to identify the lighter Nash was holding.

‘That’s a Dunhill Rollagas Signature — you don’t see many of those about. They made them in gold or silver plate. The one you’ve got is the gold version, and that’s worth around five hundred and fifty quid these days.’

‘Is it possible to identify either the owner, or the retailer who sold it, via the serial number on the base?’

‘I suppose if you were really lucky you might be able to trace the retailer, but I can’t be sure. As for tracing the owner, I wouldn’t hold your breath. That would only be possible if you could find the shop, and if they still kept a record of the transaction.’ He paused before expanding on the last comment, ‘To put what you’re asking in perspective, I think it was around 1986 or 1987 that Dunhill started putting serial numbers on their lighters. As these are sold worldwide, I reckon it would be a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.’

‘Are they still widely available?’

‘Not really. They’re an expensive item to stock. And with all the anti-smoking malarkey, and those do-good campaigners warning of the evils of tobacco, the demand for lighters is much lower than it used to be. Having said that, I did sell a second-hand one recently.’ The old man smiled. ‘Made a nice boost to my takings.’

Nash left the shop bearing a copy of the sales receipt from that transaction. He was now confident that having discovered the identity of the person who had bought the lighter, he also knew who had murdered Bridget Peters. Proving it, however, was likely to prove far from easy.

On his return to Helmsdale, after the meeting at HQ, Nash glanced round the CID suite. ‘Where’s Lisa?’ he asked.

‘She’s gone to Netherdale. Some young lad’s been caught pilfering food off one of the market stalls. Unfortunately for the thief, the stallholder took photos of him on his mobile, and one of the uniform guys recognized the youth. Lisa’s gone to confront the parents and give the lad a good talking-to. The stuff he nicked was only worth around a fiver, so the greengrocer isn’t too bothered about pressing charges. He just wants the lad teaching a lesson. It was a toss-up who went to deal with it, and Lisa called wrong.’

‘OK, Clara, will you and Viv come into my office? I’ve some work for you — for all of us in fact.’

‘Before we start, Mike, I’ve had a look through the forensic report on Bruno’s grave. They think they’ll be able to get the dog’s DNA, for any potential match. They also managed to retrieve a fingerprint from the lighter. It’s only a partial, and it’s fairly smudged, so they don’t think they’ll be able to get a hundred per cent likeness, if we get a suspect.

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