[Inspector Peach 05] - The Lancashire Leopard by J M Gregson

Author:J M Gregson [Gregson, J M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Police Procedurals, Thrillers & Suspense, Crime, Murder, Crime Fiction
Amazon: B01417ZC6Y
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2015-08-15T23:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Tuesday, January 29th

Superintendent Tucker was not looking forward to this. Peach was sure to be reactionary and unhelpful: he rejected all the modem ideas. And for some reason he didn’t seem to like notions which came from his chief; that would surely make it even more difficult for him to take it on board. The bolshy little bugger clearly didn’t take kindly to direction.

The fact that Peach was working ten or twelve hours a day on this Leopard case had only made him more difficult. He seemed to think it allowed him to be more tetchy with his superintendent as well as those working beneath him. Peach needed to be kept in his place, there was no doubt about that. But Tucker had to be careful; the last thing he wanted was for the man to throw up his hands and demand that the superintendent responsible for directing the biggest criminal hunt in Brunton history actually did his job.

Well, Thomas Bulstrode Tucker told himself, this was part of management. Your staff must know who was boss, when it came to it. He ran a finger round the inside of his immaculately pressed collar, licked his lips, and buzzed for DI Peach to come up from the Murder Room.

Coffee, Peach noted. On a tray, with cups and saucers. Ginger nuts. He was being treated like a visitor from outside. Danger. Tommy Bloody Tucker was looking to pull a stroke of some kind. Better let him make the running then; Tucker wasn’t good at that.

“How’s the case going?” said Tucker nervously. He didn’t need to identify which case: smaller criminal investigations went on, as they had to, but the Leopard was now dominating the station’s thinking as completely as the public’s.

“We’re continuing to eliminate people. There’s not a lot else we can do. The man left nothing of himself behind at any of the crimes. Motive doesn’t seem to be much help: we’ve already eliminated the immediate circle of family and close acquaintances for all three of the women involved. We’re having to work on opportunity, and that leaves too wide a field.” This was all in the written summary which lay unopened on Tucker’s desk, but Peach didn’t trouble to taunt him with that; he was too busy watching for whatever fast one the man was trying to pull.

“Yes. Yes, I see. Well, it may be that I can offer you some help there.”

That would be a first, thought Peach. Time to baffle the bugger with science, if he was about to speak. “We’ve got these two hard men who were involved in a knife fight on Sunday night. One of them on drugs, the other a known hard man with a record of violence. Both live alone; both of them have not as yet been able to alibi themselves for any of the three killings. But nothing specific to tie either of them up with the Leopard.”

“Yes, I see. Well, it may be—”

“Even managed to justify a search of their residences in each case, but it hasn’t produced anything you can call a clincher.

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