Meet Your Maker: A Suspenseful Thriller (Martin Rhodes Book 5) by Thomas Fincham

Author:Thomas Fincham [Fincham, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

FORTY-NINE

“Let’s talk about Derek Pratchett,” Kimber said in a tone that told Rhodes he was just getting warmed up. “You were found near the body. His lungs were punctured.” He looked at Rhodes now with true disgust. “Who the hell punctures a man’s lungs? Can you imagine the agony he must have been under in those final moments? You’d have to be a sicko to cause that kind of pain.”

“That’s not me,” Rhodes protested.

“What about the murder weapon? What did you use to kill Pratchett?”

“I didn’t kill Pratchett,” Rhodes was getting impatient with this constant stream of questions. “I don’t know what was used to kill him–the killer must have taken it with him. And you never found any weapon on me. So how the hell am I supposed to have discarded the weapon in the seconds between Pratchett dying and you arresting me?”

Kimber clearly hadn’t considered that point.

“You’re playing at being a detective, so I’m going to show you how it’s done,” Rhodes said, leaning across the table. “You’ve been doing this for some time, so I’m guessing you’re familiar with a suspect’s three interdependent criteria: means, motive, and opportunity. Opportunity and means go hand-in-hand; we both know it is impossible for me to have killed Pratchett and then hide the weapon in the time before you got there.

“And as for motive, I have none. Why would I want to kill people connected to an animal sanctuary? The most I’ve ever had to do with animal rights is the occasional Greenpeace donation.”

For a moment, he thought this would be enough to sway Kimber.

But then Kimber came back with, “That doesn’t explain why you were at the sanctuary in the first place.”

Momentarily caught off-guard, Rhodes gathered himself, “Pratchett came to me, saying he wanted protection from the killer.” He was taking great pains, not to mention Heidi.

“Why not come to us? Why go to a washed-up detective?” Kimber asked pointedly.

“Maybe he didn’t think you were going to do a good job of protecting him,” Rhodes suggested.

“Well, maybe if he had come to us in the first place, he’d still be alive,” Kimber suggested.

Seeing that the confrontational approach was getting him nowhere, Kimber tried a different tactic. “Aren’t we supposed to be on the same side? If we both want the same outcome?”

“But we’re not on the same side,” Rhodes said bitterly. “You made that clear to me the night I found Kaufman’s body.”

“You know, if you’re holding out on any information,” Kimber stated, “it would be in your best interests to share it with us. Help us catch this man before he kills again.”

“After your little siege, I figured you’d know everything I know,” Rhodes offered. “I’m presuming you found the workshop? And the blueprints?”

“We did, actually,” Kimber admitted, shifting in his seat. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do anything with that information. It goes some way to telling us the who, but not the why.”

“And you were hoping that I would fill in those blanks,” Rhodes retorted, folding his arms.

“Look,” Kimber said.

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