Paper Girls: An Unputdownable British Crime Thriller (The Detective Kett Murder Mystery Series Book 1) by Alex Smith

Author:Alex Smith [Smith, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Relentless Media
Published: 2019-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Fucking fuckety fuck on a fucking bike!”

It was safe to say that Superintendent Colin Clare wasn’t happy. He paced restlessly in the back garden of the Crossan’s bungalow, the photograph of Delia’s family and a younger Lochy Percival clenched in his latex-gloved hand.

“I refuse to accept this, Kett,” he said, marching over and doing his best to loom. It wasn’t hard. Kett was tall, but Clare was a giant, and when he was angry he seemed to grow an extra six inches. Kett did his best not to stare up the man’s nose, turning to look through the back door instead where a forensic team was collecting evidence. The flash of their cameras lit up the house like there was a lightning storm inside, revealing glimpses of the dead woman who still lay there.

It was impossible not to imagine Billie lying there instead, butchered in a kitchen somewhere, left to rot.

“You do realise that Lochy Percival is off limits,” Clare went on. “After what happened to him last time, the false arrest, the law suit, he’s untouchable.”

“I didn’t exactly plan this,” said Kett, pushing Billie out of his head. “We just found the photo.”

And at least eight others scattered around the house, all of which showed Percival with the family. The early ones were your typical extended family group shots, all smiles or silly faces on holiday or at Christmas. But after 2013 Percival looked like a different man entirely, like he’d aged and withered overnight. No more smiles—at least none that reached his eyes—no more cheerful Uncle L.

Kett could see where he’d been stabbed as well, his body listing to one side like a sinking ship, and more often than not a walking cane gripped in his hand.

“We’ve checked,” Savage added. “Lochy is Evelyn Crossan’s younger brother, Delia’s uncle by blood. He lives across town, a nice place.”

“Yeah, we bought it for him,” said Clare. “With the payout he got when we falsely accused him last time. I will not let it happen again.”

“Even if he’s guilty?” Kett asked. Clare shot him a look that looked like he wanted to actually shoot him.

“Let’s get this straight,” the boss said. “You think Lochy Percival murdered his own sister in order to abduct his niece?”

“She’s the same age as the girl he was accused of murdering in 2013,” said Savage. “Approximately. Even if he didn’t commit that crime, there’s nothing to say he didn’t do this one. That case really screwed him up.”

“The house is secure,” added Kett. “All the windows were sealed from the inside, both doors were locked. There’s no sign of a break-in, other than the rock I used to gain entry. It makes sense that the family would open the door to somebody they knew, somebody they trusted.”

“But why?” Clare said. “It doesn’t make any sense that a man like Percival would go after his own niece. Christ, I sat in on some of the interviews with him back when he was arrested, he didn’t give off the slightest whiff of a serial arsehole.

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