Killing by Colours
Page 27
The indigo poem described the way someone he believed had swindled him of some money would be dealt with. He referred to the greed of the man who was the head of Indigo Investments. As before Martin’s team would have considered locations linked to the colour and the first one he thought of was The Indigo Indian Restaurant on Albany Road.
He and Shelley had bought a fabulous takeaway from there recently. Their king prawn karahi was a lovely blend of Indian spices cooked with sliced onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Thank God he now didn’t need to think of that place as a possible venue for murder.
Opening the violet envelope he could only think that the killer had completely taken leave of his senses. This poem didn’t even rhyme but was clearly aimed at a woman called Violet. It was all in the past tense and in it the killer expressed regret at not being able to kill the bitch because the flames had already got her. What was that all about?
Alex had now bagged all the envelopes and the coloured cords. He turned his attention to the laptop computer that was attached to a laser printer and remembered a promise that had been made by Charlie.
‘I know someone who would like to take a good look at this,’ he said. ‘I think her boast was along the lines of making the machine tell her every key that was ever pressed as she believes that there’s no such thing as a deleted file. If he planned anything on this laptop Charlie will provide us with the evidence.’
Martin imagined Austin sitting at the computer and the thought sickened him. How did anyone’s mind get to the point of being so warped planning murders in such a systematic way?
There were things that Martin was desperate to ask Norman Austin and he prayed the man would live not just long enough to answer some of his questions but to endure the punishment he deserved.
‘There’s nothing else here, is there?’ he asked Alex, and the head of SOC shook his head but then added.
‘Nothing here, but just to let you know that we found both bullets at the scene. One certainly had traces of Austin’s blood but the other looks to have ricocheted off the handle of his golf bag.’
‘OK,’ said Martin. ‘I was wondering about that and now I’ll be getting back. It’s amazing how much the fact that Austin was once one of us has taken the shine off the solving of this case. I need to get that feeling of success across to the team and I usually fork out for the drinks and nibbles on such occasions. Matt and I will collect some on the way back and we could have a round-up session at four thirty. I need to be somewhere at five so that should be fine. Does it suit you?’
‘Absolutely,’ replied Alex. ‘We’ll be finished here in about ten minutes so I’ll see you back at base.’
Fifteen minutes later, after a quick session in the supermarket, Matt was complaining. ‘I can’t get used to having to pay for carrier bags. I must have dozens of “bags for life” in my car and now I’ve got four more.’ The four bags in question were stuffed full of savoury and sweet nibbles and a variety of drinks.
News soon spread around the station that a debriefing session with DCI Phelps was on offer and by four thirty Incident Room One was crowded. The atmosphere was becoming more and more positive and the team was starting to recognise Norman Austin as a deranged killer and not as an ex-police officer. The two were very different and the officers had needed to separate them before moving on.
Alex opened the door for Charlie to weave her way through and help herself to some cheese and onion crisps. ‘Can you believe it?’ she asked. ‘Of all the expensive and exotic things I could have had a craving for, I’ve plumped for cheese and onion crisps.’
One of the PCs overheard what Charlie had said and raised her eyebrow.
Charlie smiled and looked at Alex. ‘Oh, go on, let’s tell them,’ he said. Banging his fist on one of the tables he called for silence. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he announced in an over-the-top flamboyant style. ‘It gives me great pleasure to announce that Charlie and I are about to give birth.’
He laughed as Charlie drove her wheelchair straight at him. ‘Don’t listen to him,’ she pleaded. ‘Yes, it’s true that I am pregnant, but it’s early days so I am not about to give birth – and he never will be!’
Cheers, applause, and lots of words of congratulation followed her words. The couple was extremely popular and the announcement really raised the spirits so that at last the atmosphere was as would normally be expected at a successful debriefing.
Matt walked over to Martin and pulled him to one side. ‘I’ve just had news from the hospital,’ he said. ‘It would appear that the arterial surgery has been successful, and although nothing is guaranteed yet it looks as if Norman Austin will pull through. The senior registrar told me that the next twenty-four hours will be critical but she sounded optimistic.’
‘It’s strange to think we’re rooting for a killer to survive,’ said Martin. ‘In my mind it’s the only way that justice will really be served – he has to be made to answer for not just these murders, but for some of his past mistakes.
‘Matt, do you think you could ensure that everyone finishes off these nibbles and drinks? I don’t imagine I will be long, but my meeting is with the chief superintendent and I don’t know how he operates.’
Martin left the room and made his way past Superintendent Bryant’s empty office and on to the top floor of Goleudy, where there were just two main offices and some secretarial pods.
It was only on high days and holidays that Martin visited the top floor, and although the offices were spacious they were too modern for Martin’s liking. They had been stripped of the Victorian detail that he had on his office ceiling, and even the view from the windows was not as good as his.
He had obviously been heard walking along the corridor, as even before he had knocked the chief superintendent called out for him to enter.
‘You did well at that press conference,’ he told Martin. ‘We need a few more people who aren’t reduced to quivering wrecks when they are faced with the media. I didn’t get a chance to speak to you before that meeting but I’m sure you will have guessed that I had a visit earlier from Sergeant John Evans – what a great chap.’
‘I’m not going to go over everything he said because I know he has already spoken to you. Immediately after his visit I paid a call on Superintendent Bryant, and in my blunt northern way I will tell you that I was hacked off with his petty excuses and blame-dodging.’
‘He is currently on “gardening leave” and will remain so while the investigation into the conviction of that young man for the murder of the four prostitutes is re-examined. That leaves me with a problem, and you with a number of opportunities.’
‘You can stay as you are and no one will blame you for that. Your results are first-class and you are heading up a smashing team.
‘Or, you can stand in for Superintendent Bryant as acting super and give that energetic sergeant of yours a shot at being an inspector.
‘Or, you can lead the team I will be setting up to reinvestigate the conviction of Vincent Bowen. What’s it to be Detective Chief Inspector, Phelps – what do you want to do next?’
Cover picture
The cover image comes from a photograph taken by the author When attempting to identify the possible locations of the murders, DCI Phelps and the team take readers to a variety of well-known landmarks, so choosing one was difficult. The colours of the Welsh flag framing the entrance to Cardiff Castle seemed to fit the bill.
Cardiff Castle is situated at the heart of the capital, and a visit to the castle will take you back through two thousand years of Welsh history. When the Romans invaded Wales they built forts and sited these strongholds strategically, including near to where the River Taff flows into the Bristol Channel giving them easy access to their ships.
Until the fifth century Cardiff Castle was the base for the Roman army, but after they left it was at the mercy of foreign invaders.
The next people to occupy the castle were the Normans, who recognised the value of its strategic position and bui
lt a keep on the site. Throughout the ages different features were added, and the castle was occupied by various families of the nobility. In 1766 it passed by marriage into the Bute family.
It was the second Marquess of Bute who transformed the fortunes of Cardiff when he built the docks and enabled the port to become world-famous for exporting coal. The family became very wealthy, and when Cardiff Castle and the Bute fortune passed to the third Marquess he was amongst the richest men in the world.
Money was lavished on the castle, and architect William Burges added Gothic towers, stained glass windows, and amazing carvings. The rooms within the castle are a testament to the wealth of the family with elaborate wall hangings and gold and crystal ornamental features. Each room is different and quite spectacular and it is generally believed that the third Marquess achieved his ambition to build a Welsh, Victorian Camelot.
The grounds are magnificent and of great interest to visitors is the famous animal wall. After the death of the fourth Marquess, the family gifted the castle and the adjacent grounds known as Bute Park to the city of Cardiff.
Today the castle welcomes visitors from all over the world and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Wales.
Wonny Lea, 2012.
The DCI Martin Phelps Series
Wonny Lea
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Killing by Colours
This edition is published by Accent Press 2014
Copyright © Wonny Lea 2012
ISBN: 9781783754571
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Disclaimer: This book is a work of fiction. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. All references to characters and countries should be seen in this light. All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.