Cold Death (D.S.Hunter Kerr) by Michael Fowler Read Free Book Online Page B

reaction on her face. It had been Grace who had found the photographs, hidden behind a bath panel, during the search of Paynton’s home; undraped images of pre-pubescent children. He had seen how it had disgusted her.
    “Well do you remember I had a run in with his two brothers and a cousin shortly after we got him remanded. Well I think they might have something to do with this. I think the Paynton’s might be trying to get back at me through my parents, but my dad won’t tell me anything. Could you do me a favour and just find out where the Payntons were today and see if they have access to a silver BMW. It’ll have some nearside damage to it.”
    “Hunter I can’t.”
    He listened as she excitedly related over the line what she was currently occupied with. In the glass panel of one of the doors he had exited by he caught his ghost-like image. His facial expression was one of disappointment and he was glad she couldn’t see him. As she finished he composed himself.
    “A real baptism of fire eh? Good for you. Okay Grace, don’t worry. I can see you’re going to have your hands full and it sounds as though you’ve got it all well under control. Listen I’m going to be up here for another couple of days until they release my parents. You crack on and I’ll ring you daily so that you can update me.” He ended the call sounding bright but deep down he was agitated. He needed someone to do some discreet and maybe underhand digging for him. Someone whom he knew he could trust an d Grace had been his best hope. At that moment someone else sprang to mind; someone whom he knew always got a result. Hunter checked his mobile contacts, selected the name he wanted and began to make the call.
     
    - ooOoo –
     

     
     
     
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    DAY TWO: 25th August.
    Barnwell:
     
    Coruscating light forced its way through the thin fabric of the closed blinds and the smell of fresh furniture polish greeted Grace as she breezed into the MIT office. Judging by its freshness she must have missed Angie the cleaner only by minutes she thought to herself as she swished open the blinds. That was a pity because she loved having girlie chats with Angie; she knew all the building’s gossip, especially the real juicy stuff; who was having an affair with whom.
    Shrugging off her jacket and draping it over the back of her swivel seat she pulled a large file from the top of her tray and opened it up on her desk blotter. She fired-up her computer and dropped into her chair.
    She had got into work early; in the absence of Hunter she had the responsibility of pulling together the inquest file of ‘The Dearne Valley Demon,’ and she wanted to make in-roads into its completion before things got manic when the new investigation got underway that morning.
    For a few seconds whilst waiting for the programme to load, her mind wandered - mulling once more over the events of the 12 th August, and she felt her chest beginning to tighten. As the blood pounded somewhere inside her head, causing a rushing sensation in her ears, she took several deep breaths in an attempt to retake control. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach. She hated the sensation these attacks brought and wondered if they would ever go away.
    ‘This isn’t fair. I want my life back.’ 
    After just a couple of deep breaths she could feel the tight band across her chest slacken. She steadied herself and left-clicked the computer mouse, opening up the document folder titled ‘Inquest doc.’ She’d already drafted most of it and she speed-read back over the summary to the point where she had ended the report the previous day. Closing her eyes she thought about the final points she needed to add. Less than a minute later she snapped open her eyelids, scanned the screen again, flicked the cursor to the point where she needed to pick up, clicked her mouse and began typing.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Footfalls along the corridor outside the department broke into her deep