the flat and found what she’d written.’
‘Did she say what was the matter with her?’
‘No.’
‘It’ll show up in the autopsy report.’
‘I know it will,’ I said, ‘when I finally get my hands on the bloody thing.’
‘Meantime, how are you looking at it?’
‘Right now through this Suarez exercise book she left; I only came on this morning and it’s all I’ve got for now.’ I added: ‘In it she records some of the conversations she had with the old lady, Mrs Carstairs. She was frightened of someone, Frank.’
‘Kevin Loftus was round just now and of course we started talking about it,’ said Ballard.
‘What did he have to say?’
‘He said you were looking for a nut who had a grievance, and that the difference between a normal man and a nut was that a grievance with a nut stops being a grievance, it becomes life and death, mostly death – and I agree with him.’
‘Yes, not bad,’ I said, ‘only where does it get us? He’s a nut, all right, but he went gloved, so he’s not a raver.’
Ballard said: ‘How bad was it?’
I said: ‘The lot. He wanked into her, drank her blood, shit on the floor. Here, look at the pictures.’ I bit something back in my throat; it was grief.
Ballard saw that. He said: ‘Axe murderer. You don’t get many of them. Assuming he knew what he was doing, it makes too much mess.’
‘Anyway, one thing’s sure,’ I said. ‘We can’t dig anything up on him. And yet I’ve a feeling it wasn’t first time round for him either.’
Ballard put the pictures down and said: ‘Motive. Anything at all occur to you?’
‘From reading Suarez, I’ve an idea he may have loved her,’ I said, and added: ‘It may even have been mutual – in their idea of what that means, of course.’
‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Ballard said. He thought for a while and said: ‘Anything to suggest someone might have had a hold on her?’
‘Well, I’m not sure,’ I said, ‘that’s a very good question, Frank, and I just hope that the next card I turn up will give me part of the answer.’
Ballard said: ‘He seems to be a good climber.’
‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘we’re looking for a sporty type, like athletic.’ I added: ‘And how many young or youngish men with no form have we got like that living in the London area, always supposing that this is where he lives?’
‘You could call it a couple of million,’ Ballard said.
‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Makes it easy, doesn’t it?’
‘You’ll turn a corner and get on his track,’ Ballard said, ‘I know you.’
‘I’ll go on till I do.’
Ballard said: ‘Well, thank God they didn’t put a berk on it.’ He added: ‘You’re really personally distressed over this, aren’t you?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Somehow this is different.’
Ballard picked up one of the pictures of the bad side of Suarez’s face and said: ‘It’s one of the most appalling sights I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen all of it.’ He added: ‘And she must have been a pretty girl.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Is there anything you can think of that could help me at all, Frank? Shorten the track?’
‘Two things,’ he said. ‘I think it may have been a pretty boy who couldn’t screw her. Secondly, I don’t know why, but where I get a tingle is with this Roatta that Stevenson’s on, because that’s three violent sitting-room murders less than three hours apart in time and barely a mile in space, and that’s unusual even in the metropolitan area.’
‘Yes, I like it,’ I said, ‘seeing I’ve got nothing else to go on, and I was going to have a word with Stevenson anyway. Besides, we get on very well, which helps.’
‘Get that autopsy report. Talk to the pathologist.’
‘That’s where I’m going now.’ I looked at the time and stood up. ‘Christ, I must get going,’ I said, ‘they must have finished eating by now. Thanks, Frank – just talking to you about this has been ever such a
‘Did she say what was the matter with her?’
‘No.’
‘It’ll show up in the autopsy report.’
‘I know it will,’ I said, ‘when I finally get my hands on the bloody thing.’
‘Meantime, how are you looking at it?’
‘Right now through this Suarez exercise book she left; I only came on this morning and it’s all I’ve got for now.’ I added: ‘In it she records some of the conversations she had with the old lady, Mrs Carstairs. She was frightened of someone, Frank.’
‘Kevin Loftus was round just now and of course we started talking about it,’ said Ballard.
‘What did he have to say?’
‘He said you were looking for a nut who had a grievance, and that the difference between a normal man and a nut was that a grievance with a nut stops being a grievance, it becomes life and death, mostly death – and I agree with him.’
‘Yes, not bad,’ I said, ‘only where does it get us? He’s a nut, all right, but he went gloved, so he’s not a raver.’
Ballard said: ‘How bad was it?’
I said: ‘The lot. He wanked into her, drank her blood, shit on the floor. Here, look at the pictures.’ I bit something back in my throat; it was grief.
Ballard saw that. He said: ‘Axe murderer. You don’t get many of them. Assuming he knew what he was doing, it makes too much mess.’
‘Anyway, one thing’s sure,’ I said. ‘We can’t dig anything up on him. And yet I’ve a feeling it wasn’t first time round for him either.’
Ballard put the pictures down and said: ‘Motive. Anything at all occur to you?’
‘From reading Suarez, I’ve an idea he may have loved her,’ I said, and added: ‘It may even have been mutual – in their idea of what that means, of course.’
‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Ballard said. He thought for a while and said: ‘Anything to suggest someone might have had a hold on her?’
‘Well, I’m not sure,’ I said, ‘that’s a very good question, Frank, and I just hope that the next card I turn up will give me part of the answer.’
Ballard said: ‘He seems to be a good climber.’
‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘we’re looking for a sporty type, like athletic.’ I added: ‘And how many young or youngish men with no form have we got like that living in the London area, always supposing that this is where he lives?’
‘You could call it a couple of million,’ Ballard said.
‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Makes it easy, doesn’t it?’
‘You’ll turn a corner and get on his track,’ Ballard said, ‘I know you.’
‘I’ll go on till I do.’
Ballard said: ‘Well, thank God they didn’t put a berk on it.’ He added: ‘You’re really personally distressed over this, aren’t you?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Somehow this is different.’
Ballard picked up one of the pictures of the bad side of Suarez’s face and said: ‘It’s one of the most appalling sights I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen all of it.’ He added: ‘And she must have been a pretty girl.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Is there anything you can think of that could help me at all, Frank? Shorten the track?’
‘Two things,’ he said. ‘I think it may have been a pretty boy who couldn’t screw her. Secondly, I don’t know why, but where I get a tingle is with this Roatta that Stevenson’s on, because that’s three violent sitting-room murders less than three hours apart in time and barely a mile in space, and that’s unusual even in the metropolitan area.’
‘Yes, I like it,’ I said, ‘seeing I’ve got nothing else to go on, and I was going to have a word with Stevenson anyway. Besides, we get on very well, which helps.’
‘Get that autopsy report. Talk to the pathologist.’
‘That’s where I’m going now.’ I looked at the time and stood up. ‘Christ, I must get going,’ I said, ‘they must have finished eating by now. Thanks, Frank – just talking to you about this has been ever such a
Similar Books
