Death at the Frost Fair by Karen Charlton

Author:Karen Charlton [Charlton, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Famelton Publishing
Published: 2020-05-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

When they emerged from under the dark bridge arch, for a moment everyone was blinded by the brilliant sunlight.

Blinking, Lavender rummaged through the pockets in Truman’s well-tailored black overcoat. The first thing he pulled out was an expensive pocket watch on a gold chain that gleamed in the sunlight.

Woods whistled. ‘I guess he weren’t robbed then.’

Truman’s pocketbook was also still there. It contained two shiny new guineas, a selection of other coins and a ticket for Bartholomew Wilton’s pawn shop.

‘So, he’s been dealin’ with that old curmudgeon Wilton, has he?’ Woods said. ‘What’s this Truman fella been doin’? Pawnin’ the last of the family jewels to fund his drinkin’?’

Lavender’s eyebrows rose thoughtfully at the suggestion. ‘It’s funny you should say that, Ned—’

He broke off abruptly as the boat bumped against the icy steps. Constable Barnaby was already there, waiting for them with a blanket to cover the corpse. Lavender and Woods climbed out of the rocking vessel and everyone helped to lift the dead man onto an old board to carry him up to the road.

Barnaby’s handsome young face was flushed with excitement and cold. ‘Well done, sir! And you too, Constable Woods! When I first looked over the bridge and saw the body – just lyin’ there on the ice – I thought no one would get to ’im before ’e sank in the river. But then I ’eard Detective Lavender and Constable Woods were already ’ere and I thought – if anyone can do it, it’s them!’

‘Just give us a hand to carry him, lad,’ Woods replied gruffly, ‘and stop your chatter.’

‘I hope you’ve brought us transport,’ Lavender said.

‘Yes, Eddie’s waitin’ up on the bridge with a cart.’

With help from a couple of the watermen, the three officers carried Truman up to the road. Once the dead man was safely deposited into the back of the vehicle, Lavender paused for a moment to stamp his feet and slap the frozen front of his torso to try and get his circulation moving again. Woods went to have a word with Eddie, who stood by the horse’s head, holding the animal steady.

Away from the river, the southerly wind felt warmer, but Lavender desperately needed to find a tavern to dry off his wet clothes and thaw out.

‘Do you want us to take ’im back to the morgue at Bow Street?’ Barnaby asked.

Lavender paused for a moment in his stamping, his eyes drawn to the smoking chimneys and spires of Southwark on the south side of the river. From this elevated position on the bridge, he could just make out the shallow roof and the top of the impressive façade of Guy’s Hospital for Incurables. ‘No, take him to Guy’s Hospital and request – politely request – that Sir Richard Allison performs an autopsy on the body.’

Barnaby understood and nodded warily. All the constables at Bow Street knew the eminent surgeon from Guy’s, who often assisted them in their murder inquiries. Irascible, sarcastic and arrogant, Sir Richard expected to be

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.