Devil's Play by Sarah Sheridan

Author:Sarah Sheridan [Sheridan, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books

27

‘Well, here we are again,’ Shirley said, pulling into Royal Buckingham University’s visitor car park. She drained away the last bit of her extra-strong large coffee – a vital and much needed purchase from their most recent petrol station stop. Their meeting with Alistair Parkhurst that morning had been a strange experience, and she’d come away with a lot to mull over. As well as a hefty deposit in her account, a down payment for necessary resources, which was brilliant as she’d now be able to pay the head-trauma expert, if he got back to her with the go-ahead. And several new photographs of Eleanor, and other bits and bobs to do with her schooling, hobbies and former childhood friends. And she’d been surprised to find – when returning to her car in Mr Parkhurst’s drive – that Lucifer Johnson, chapter head of the UK’s Satanic Temple, had already emailed her back with a rather sweet message, suggesting they meet up in London the following Tuesday. So she’d pinged him a note back agreeing. The more she could learn about Satanism the better. Then she’d phoned ahead to the university, and got the head honcho’s secretary, who’d said no there was no news on whether Shirley could inspect Eleanor’s room, which was now locked and off-limits to everyone except the police. She’d have to get in there sooner or later, Shirley thought, there would no doubt be important evidence in there that had been overlooked, especially since the coroner had so hastily ruled Eleanor’s death an accident…

‘Come on, Noah, let’s go and find out who runs the New Satanism Society,’ she said. ‘I have a feeling that the events of Eleanor’s last night may start to become clearer when we speak to whoever that is.’

Ten minutes later, after questioning several students and members of staff about who ran the Satanic society, they had been pointed in the direction of a small stone cottage on the edge of the grounds. Apparently they needed to speak to Dillon Rushwell, the groundsman and general odd-job guy, who ran the society from some building in the grounds called the ruined temple. Reaching the cottage, Shirley approached the thin wooden front door and rapped sharply three times. Good, the subsequent noises from within meant that this Dillon character was home. She glanced at her watch, it was quarter past three. Crikey. They’d already accomplished a lot, and the day was far from over yet. But bloody hell, she needed more caffeine; tiredness was beginning to make her feel pissed off.

A beautiful-faced man opened the door and smiled. His long brown hair was wound up in a topknot and his bare arms were covered in ink. A sweet smell of incense wafted out either side of him.

‘Hi,’ he said in a husky voice. ‘Can I help you?’

Shirley paused for a minute, wrong-footed. For some reason, she’d been expecting an older, rough-looking man, not this tattoo-covered gorgeous piece of flesh. She’d personally always been attracted to girls, but was willing to admire a perfect male specimen when she saw one.

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