Death Descends On Saturn Villa by M.R.C. Kasasian

Author:M.R.C. Kasasian
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781781859704
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2015-06-03T16:00:00+00:00

63

The Diamond Dull in the Midday Sun

SERGEANT HORWICH WAS decorated with a black eye and had a split in his upper lip.

‘Her two sons had a go at me,’ he chatted merrily, ‘but they went down like skittles. Then she came back with an uppercut – hence the shiner – but my straight right was the undoing of her. How’s Mr Grice?’

‘He has a bad fever but I think he will pull through.’

‘Oh yes.’ His face fell. ‘I’m supposed to be booking you for murder.’ He leaned forward confidentially. ‘Just between ourselves – you didn’t do it, did you?’

‘No,’ I promised. ‘Honestly.’

‘That’s good enough for me.’ He winked and tapped the side of his purpled nose.

‘But not quite good enough for me.’ Inspector Quigley materialized at my shoulder, as unsavoury as ever, a frowsy man with dry eyes and a staleness about his person. ‘Good evening, Miss Muddleton.’

‘Middleton.’

He sniffed. ‘Wonder why I always get that wrong.’

‘It could be because you are stupid,’ I told him and Horwich guffawed.

Quigley rounded on him furiously. ‘When you have stopped giggling like a silly schoolgirl perhaps you could book this prisoner in.’

The mirth fled the sergeant’s mouth in an instant. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘And find her a cell for the night.’

‘Yes, sir.’

The inspector turned to me. ‘We will talk about this in the morning.’

‘I shall look forward to it,’ I assured him.

‘Sleep well,’ Quigley called as he made his way to the exit. ‘I know I shall.’

‘That wasn’t very clever of me, was it?’ I commented as Horwich filled out my details.

‘He’s a good copper, the inspector is.’ The desk sergeant blotted his book. ‘He usually gets his man.’

‘The only trouble is,’ I retorted, ‘he does not always get the right one.’

‘A conviction is a conviction.’ Horwich shrugged. ‘It’s what the public want, so it’s what the powers that be want and it’s what they get.’ He banged on a bell and shouted out, ‘Harris, take this lady down. Cell three.’ He picked at his moustaches. ‘Busy night, tonight, Miss Middleton. You’ll be sharing.’

‘Not with your bald sparring partner, I hope,’ I said.

Horwich’s eyes crinkled. ‘Would I do that to you?’

I had never been to the cells before. They were down a flight of stone steps and halfway Harris stopped.

‘You don’t want to get on the wrong side of Quigley,’ he warned very quietly. ‘’E’s a vicious so-and-so when ’e’s roused.’

‘I will use all my feminine charms,’ I promised.

‘That’s a goodun.’ Harris chortled good-naturedly. ‘You ain’t got none, ’ave you?’

We passed through a heavy oak door to a bare passageway with eight doors to either side, each with barred windows and hinged wooden flaps below to close them off if necessary.

Harris paused again and whispered, ‘I ’ope Mr Grice will be all right. ’E ’elped me out once, but ’e made me promise not to say.’

‘Will you let me know if you hear anything?’

‘I’ll try.’ His voice rose for the audience of faces appearing in the grills. ‘Saved you the one with a sea view.’ He put a key in the lock.

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