For Their Sins: a gripping crime thriller by Alex Walters

Author:Alex Walters [Walters, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books - crime, thriller and mystery
Published: 2021-03-07T16:00:00+00:00

28

‘You didn’t need to come. Or is it that you don’t trust me?’

Helena Grant gazed at the snow-covered landscape surrounding them. ‘I’ve worked with you for a long time, Alec. Of course I don’t trust you. But that’s not why I came.’

‘No?’

‘Alec, we’ve had three brutal and shocking murders here in less than a week. The Christmas break has enabled us to keep the detail out of the media so far but all hell’s going to break loose shortly. And someone’s bound to notice I’ve been conspicuous by my absence.’

‘I suppose you have a point. Hope it’s not wrecked your romantic weekend too much.’

‘A decapitated corpse does tend to put a dampener on things. But, no, it’s fine. I’ve said I’ll go back there tonight and I was planning to head home tomorrow anyway. So I’ll do that and then come in.’

‘You still don’t need to. I think you’re right about showing your face here, but nobody but me and the team will know you’re still on holiday tomorrow. We’re not going to grass you up.’

‘That’s a less reassuring thought than you imagine. But I can’t let something like this happen and stay away.’

They were standing outside Gordon Prebble’s house. His driveway was filled with police and other vehicles, and the site was being fully sealed off. ‘At least we’ve got a proper crime scene,’ McKay said. ‘Doesn’t seem much doubt that the killing happened in situ.’

‘There’s no delicate way of asking this,’ Grant said. ‘But did they find the head?’

‘It wasn’t exactly lost. The force of the blow or blows had knocked it into the corner of the room. But our witness wasn’t exactly in a state to register that.’

‘How is she?’

‘Recovering, I think. I left Ginny looking after her. Thought that might be more effective than trying to do it myself.’

‘Sound thinking, Alec. So who is this woman?’

‘Claims she was here as his cleaner. Though I’m a little unclear what sort of cleaner comes on Christmas Sunday or whatever we’re supposed to call today.’

‘What’s she like?’

‘Young. Well, young by my standards, anyway, and even younger by Gordon Prebble’s standards. Attractive.’

‘You think she was doing more than cleaning?’

‘She might just be a dab hand with a mop and feather duster. Just seems an odd time to come. But that’s a question for later.’

‘We don’t think she’s a suspect?’

‘I can’t see it. For a start, there’s no blood on her. I’ve left the scene to the examiners for the moment, but by all accounts there’s not much of the room left untouched by blood splatters. It’s hard to imagine that whoever did the deed wouldn’t have been similarly covered. In any case, she seems genuinely traumatised by it.’

‘So what do we know about Gordon Prebble? The name rings a bell.’

‘So it should. He’s another of our legitimate businessmen. Similar to Hamish Forres, though even murkier. He’s another who’s managed to avoid any formal dealings with us, but he’s come into our sights more than once. Including when we were looking into Donaldson’s associates at the start of the year.

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