His First His Second: An Alicia Friend Investigation - Large Print Dyslexia Friendly Edition by Davies A. D

Author:Davies, A. D. [Davies, A. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery & Detective, Fiction, women sleuths
ISBN: 9781913239459
Amazon: 1913239454
Goodreads: 112707224
Publisher: Antony Davies
Published: 2022-05-06T07:00:00+00:00

Richard listened on his police scanner with a certain amusement. He saw the situation clearly: the Asian lad waved his broken bottle about, shouting demands, although Richard was too far away to hear them.

Paavan Prakash backed into the store, dragging Alicia, her feet struggling to keep up. She lost a shoe. Richard lost sight of her entirely. With guns on the way, headed by what sounded like a rather enthusiastic policeman, the situation was not looking particularly positive.

Richard climbed out of his car, leaving behind his bulky jacket and donning a long-peaked cap. Under his black pullover, he secured a hunting knife in a scabbard, the size of the one Paul Hogan used in the Crocodile Dundee movies—messy, but efficient. He also carried the throwing knife and SEAL weapon. He didn’t want to use this one, though. Couldn’t keep using the same knives, didn’t want these deaths linked to the “same” man, especially now his dumping ground had been discovered up in Eccup. Switching weapons after each kill, varying the ethnicity of his victims, and using different methods of choosing them, all kept him off the ViCap radar while he was active in the States. In this, the smaller country, and in a compact time-frame with a clear connection to one another, he would not be able to hide for long.

Sneaking around the back, Richard found the staff entrance, which was locked via a digital combination, flush smooth metal that worked through light touches to each relevant number. He breathed on the handset. Thanks to a mix of the cold air and staff using sweaty fingers fresh out of toasty-warm gloves, the most often-used keys misted over. Four digits. He guessed the combination on the third go.

Inside, pulling on black driving gloves, he had no idea where he was going, so kept his head down, the cap low. Sometimes they kitted out these stores with more cameras than the Big Brother house.

The corridor split in two. One way smelled like a canteen, so he plumped for the other.

Success.

He poked his head out of the door to the sight of Paavan between aisles, yelling at shoppers and staff, ordering them outside. He could see Paavan’s head over the bathroom supplies shelves. He couldn’t see Alicia.

He slipped out, closed the door quietly behind him, and kept low. He unhooked the clip of his hunting knife and crouch-walked to the next aisle.

Alicia talked quickly. “Paavan, you are not a suspect. You’re a witness. Please believe me.”

“Shut up,” Paavan said. “If you only wanted a statement you’d have said. You’re just like the other guy, Wellington.”

Wellington.

A name Richard had not heard so far. He made a mental note and unsheathed the knife, shining silver under the fluorescent lighting strips.

“Tanya’s uncle has been lying to us all along,” Alicia said. “Him and James, they bought you off because Henry knows more than he’s saying.”

“Keep talking.”

“He either knows why Tanya was kidnapped, or he paid someone to do it. For her money. And I think it might be the latter.

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