was part of their relationship.
'Righty-ho,' Marler replied. 'I'm going to check out where we nearly lost our Deputy Director of the SIS. Takes one marksman to identify another.'
'You won't find a damned thing,' Newman joshed him.
'I won't standing around here.'
Marler was gone, closing the door quietly. Newman shrugged, picked up the newspaper to show Tweed something. The phone rang. Monica looked at Tweed and said it was Paula.
'I'm listening,' Tweed said.
'First, Pete has arrived. I think Anne likes him. I'm down in the master bedroom in the basement. He brought Butler, who's busy securing all the windows and doors. I was going to suggest to Anne I cook a meal. She shuddered, said not after her trip to the morgue in Holland Park. As you know, Saafeld has already supervised removal of Christine's body to the morgue.'
'Then I think that's it.'
'I had a thought,' Paula went on. 'Michael stayed at Bella Ashton's place for two weeks, and was then moved to Dr Saxon's charming clinic. He charges far less. This suggests to me the mysterious caller to Bella Ashton - man or woman - is short of money in substantial amounts.'
'That really does narrow the field,' Tweed said ironically. 'How many hundreds of thousands are short of money?'
'I said substantial amounts,' Paula persisted obstinately.
'I'm leaving now. To pay a brief call on Saafeld at Holland Park. He's so quick he'll have conclusions he's drawn now from the three corpses. Then back here. Bob has something he wants to show me in the paper.'
'Then I'll also go to Holland Park. Pete's coping wonderfully here.'
'This item in the paper could be important,' protested Newman.
'I won't be long. When you can, find out everything you can about our friend Abel Gallagher.'
Paula was waiting for Tweed when he arrived in Holland Park. She stood outside the large mansion screened by evergreen trees from the road. It was drizzling and she sheltered under an umbrella.
' 'Came here by taxi,' she explained as Tweed said he hadn't expected to see her here so quickly.
At once time they could have opened the gate and walked up to the front door along the winding drive. Now, Saafeld had top security. Tall wrought-iron gates were closed with an intercom in a pillar. Tweed pressed the button and announced himself and Paula. The gruff voice of Saafeld said he supposed he'd have to let them in.
The gates swung inward, and closed soon after they had walked inside. Paula had always found the drive bordered with massive clumps of rhododendrons depressing. With the heavy overcast, the drizzle and the drip-drip of rain off the rhododendrons, the atmosphere seemed even more depressing. Not because she had previously visited the best-equipped autopsy suite in the basement. It seemed as though Saafeld felt more comfortable with his grisly work shut away from the world.
He met them in the large entrance hall furnished with small, beautiful antiques. Their footsteps clacked on the polished woodblock floor as he led them into a sitting room. They were seated in comfortable armchairs when Saafeld's wife entered, carrying a silver tray with tea and cakes. She placed it on a table near to Paula. A tall white-haired woman, she had a pleasant smile. She studied both her visitors.
'You two look younger.'
'Nothing but outrageous flattery,' Saafeld growled amiably as his wife served the tea.
'Now,' he began, 'your three-time killer, possibly middle- aged, no older, is strong and fit. Has to be to wield the knife in the way it was used.'
'Three-time killer?' Tweed interposed.
'Yes. I have no doubt. The two skeletons on Dartmoor, Christine's body in that fridge, all were accomplished with the same modus operandi, as I told you before. Victims attacked from behind, heads jerked back, sharp edge of the blade used to cut the throat, blade reversed to serrated edge, used to slash halfway through to the spine. Heads still left attached. Chunks of flesh savaged off with fine edge of blade. Time of
'Righty-ho,' Marler replied. 'I'm going to check out where we nearly lost our Deputy Director of the SIS. Takes one marksman to identify another.'
'You won't find a damned thing,' Newman joshed him.
'I won't standing around here.'
Marler was gone, closing the door quietly. Newman shrugged, picked up the newspaper to show Tweed something. The phone rang. Monica looked at Tweed and said it was Paula.
'I'm listening,' Tweed said.
'First, Pete has arrived. I think Anne likes him. I'm down in the master bedroom in the basement. He brought Butler, who's busy securing all the windows and doors. I was going to suggest to Anne I cook a meal. She shuddered, said not after her trip to the morgue in Holland Park. As you know, Saafeld has already supervised removal of Christine's body to the morgue.'
'Then I think that's it.'
'I had a thought,' Paula went on. 'Michael stayed at Bella Ashton's place for two weeks, and was then moved to Dr Saxon's charming clinic. He charges far less. This suggests to me the mysterious caller to Bella Ashton - man or woman - is short of money in substantial amounts.'
'That really does narrow the field,' Tweed said ironically. 'How many hundreds of thousands are short of money?'
'I said substantial amounts,' Paula persisted obstinately.
'I'm leaving now. To pay a brief call on Saafeld at Holland Park. He's so quick he'll have conclusions he's drawn now from the three corpses. Then back here. Bob has something he wants to show me in the paper.'
'Then I'll also go to Holland Park. Pete's coping wonderfully here.'
'This item in the paper could be important,' protested Newman.
'I won't be long. When you can, find out everything you can about our friend Abel Gallagher.'
Paula was waiting for Tweed when he arrived in Holland Park. She stood outside the large mansion screened by evergreen trees from the road. It was drizzling and she sheltered under an umbrella.
' 'Came here by taxi,' she explained as Tweed said he hadn't expected to see her here so quickly.
At once time they could have opened the gate and walked up to the front door along the winding drive. Now, Saafeld had top security. Tall wrought-iron gates were closed with an intercom in a pillar. Tweed pressed the button and announced himself and Paula. The gruff voice of Saafeld said he supposed he'd have to let them in.
The gates swung inward, and closed soon after they had walked inside. Paula had always found the drive bordered with massive clumps of rhododendrons depressing. With the heavy overcast, the drizzle and the drip-drip of rain off the rhododendrons, the atmosphere seemed even more depressing. Not because she had previously visited the best-equipped autopsy suite in the basement. It seemed as though Saafeld felt more comfortable with his grisly work shut away from the world.
He met them in the large entrance hall furnished with small, beautiful antiques. Their footsteps clacked on the polished woodblock floor as he led them into a sitting room. They were seated in comfortable armchairs when Saafeld's wife entered, carrying a silver tray with tea and cakes. She placed it on a table near to Paula. A tall white-haired woman, she had a pleasant smile. She studied both her visitors.
'You two look younger.'
'Nothing but outrageous flattery,' Saafeld growled amiably as his wife served the tea.
'Now,' he began, 'your three-time killer, possibly middle- aged, no older, is strong and fit. Has to be to wield the knife in the way it was used.'
'Three-time killer?' Tweed interposed.
'Yes. I have no doubt. The two skeletons on Dartmoor, Christine's body in that fridge, all were accomplished with the same modus operandi, as I told you before. Victims attacked from behind, heads jerked back, sharp edge of the blade used to cut the throat, blade reversed to serrated edge, used to slash halfway through to the spine. Heads still left attached. Chunks of flesh savaged off with fine edge of blade. Time of
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