The Scotsman: A Patricia Duncan crime novel by M. P. Roberts

Author:M. P. Roberts [Roberts, M. P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-31T23:00:00+00:00

The call came anonymously and in a distorted voice. It was obviously a professional who knew what to do.

The police would not be able to identify the voice. The fact that the call came from a phone box on Raphoe Road also hid any clue about the anonymous caller. Within ten minutes, however, two patrol cars were on the scene and the entire street was quickly cordoned off.

Chief Inspector Ralph Conrad got out of his car and walked under the yellow and black barrier to the crime scene. He was prepared for what awaited him but seeing it with his own eyes hit him much harder than he had feared.

The dark grey Vauxhall was parked on the left-hand side of the road. The driver's door was open and forensic technicians were taking photos and searching the vehicle for fingerprints.

Thomas Knight was bent over on the steering wheel. From this perspective, one could not see the injury that had cost him his life but you could see the blood that had spilt all over the inside of the vehicle and even splattered onto the road.

Conrad slipped on the latex gloves and stepped up to his murdered colleague. It always cost him a great deal to see dead police officers. Unfortunately, in many cases, the UVF was to blame for young and inexperienced police officers losing their lives.

While Conrad took a closer look at the car and the body, more and more patrol cars arrived, bathing the street in blue flickering light. A huge number of uniformed officers were already ringing door bells and taking statements from residents of Raphoe Road and the side streets.

Conrad did not know what Knight had been doing here. He did not live here and, from what the Chief Inspector knew, Knight had no relatives in this area.

So, if his business was not personal, what was he doing here?

Since October last year, the constable had changed without Conrad being able to say what this change had consisted of. He had blamed it on one of those training courses Knight had attended, where he must have been given some kind of idea.

Or was there more to it than that?

Conrad decided to take another look at the courses his constable had attended. Maybe there was something he had overlooked that could explain the change in Knight's behaviour.

A movement made Conrad sit up and take notice.

A curtain had moved, revealing a face that looked familiar to him for a split second.

He slipped off his gloves and gave them to one of the technicians. Then, with quick steps, he made his way to the house where he had noticed the movement.

He did not know the Ford Fiesta in front of the house nor did the name Sheldon on the letterbox mean anything to him at first. When he rang the bell, a woman with a beige blouse and dark brown skirt opened the door. She looked at him kindly and, before he could say anything, she was already inviting him into the house.

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