The Shadow Strikes: A Gripping Detective Mystery by Solomon Carter

Author:Solomon Carter [Carter, Solomon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Great Leap
Published: 2025-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

The call from Southend Police Station came through to Hogarth at a brutal hour, dragging him from a groggy sleep. His eyes blinked open in the darkness, and he slowly peeled himself away from the warm comfort of Dina’s body. She murmured at his movement, her eyes fluttering open, becoming the brightest things in the bedroom. Hogarth kissed her cheek before rolling away and dragging his mobile phone from the bedside cabinet.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice full of sleep. “What do they want now?”

“Something else must have happened,” he replied.

Hogarth groaned and forced himself out of bed. He got ready quickly, slipping into his clothes from the day before, and soon made his way down to the bottom of Phoenix Heights. Leaving in a hurry didn’t sit right with him; he still needed to make up for his recent lapses and lack of presence. The night before, to make amends, he’d brought a bottle of fine whisky with him as a gift. Single malt was an acquired taste, but Dina had made more than a passing effort to acquire it. By the time they’d hit the high point of the evening, they’d drunk more than half the bottle. It was too much for a work night, and Hogarth was already facing the consequences.

On the way to Progress Road, the duty officer at the station briefed him on the situation, and it didn’t sound good. A violent fight had broken out at a disused warehouse, and things had gotten out of hand, with serious injuries reported and a haul of suspected drugs involved. Most of the drugs appeared to be missing as a host of empty crates had been found at the scene.

With a throbbing headache and still half asleep, Hogarth stopped at a petrol station to grab an essential takeaway coffee. He sipped it, wishing he was back in bed with Dina.

He pulled up at Progress Road to find Palmer and Kaplan standing beside their cars at the edge of a dark and empty park. The only movement came from the flash of blue police car lights parked beside the shabbiest warehouse in the area. Hogarth opened his car’s glove compartment and took out two of the few remaining paracetamol left from his last binge. He swallowed them with his coffee dregs, and stepped out of the car, groaning quietly to himself.

Palmer looked tired but efficient in her prosaic grey suit. She had a worn air about her, but still looked alert and ready for business. Beside her, DC Kaplan was glowing as ever. Hogarth found himself briefly wondering whether the young woman used special chemicals to erase all traces of work stress and exhaustion, but she was far too strait-laced for that. One day, he would ask her the secret but he already knew the answer. It was youth, that fleeting phase which had been a blur of work and hazy South London pubs in Hogarth’s own life.

Palmer saw him coming and launched into a summary of events.

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