Cold Killers by Lee Weeks Read Free Book Online Page B

happened to a nicer family. Eddie was tortured and executed. Now, I would say that was a little worrying, wouldn’t you?’
    She shook her head. ‘I don’t understand any of it. My husband built villas for a living. He was a property developer. He was not a criminal. Eddie didn’t need to make shady
deals, he earned good money from the villas.’
    ‘ Earned , past tense. Not recently, princess. This lifestyle doesn’t come cheap.’ He shrugged and began splitting the cocaine into lines again. ‘Eddie had a life
you never knew about.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I’m only saying Eddie put himself at risk by dealing with the wrong people. He should have known better. Life is cheap, princess. But, don’t worry: we’re going to make
them pay for what they did to Eddie.’
    ‘Who? Who did it? Why don’t you tell me the truth?’
    ‘Because I’m still working it all out in here.’ He tapped the side of his skull with his forefinger. ‘Lots of things need to come together, princess, then it will be
crystal.’
    Della got up and began walking away. He called after her.
    ‘Wear something sexy tonight, in honour of Eddie.’

Chapter 9
    Willis caught up with Carter at eleven that morning. He was heading into work.
    She was about to head to Kent, to the Paradise Villas headquarters. She watched him lock his car. He looked distracted. She’d been waiting for him to get in touch since the previous
evening. He returned to pick up something he’d forgotten. He caught sight of Willis. She walked across to him.
    She reached him as he passed the police vans. ‘I couldn’t get hold of you last night.’
    ‘Yes, sorry, I was dead on my feet.’
    Willis was thinking that he looked as if he hadn’t slept at all. He hadn’t shaved. He had the same clothes on as the day before.
    ‘I’m headed back to Kent to talk to Manson, the manager of Paradise Villas, again – I want to take more samples. Are you free to come with me?’
    He nodded, a hanky over his nose. ‘Let’s do it.’
    Carter drove out of the car park. Willis looked over.
    ‘You all right, guv?’
    ‘Yeah. Why?’
    ‘You look like shit.’
    ‘Thanks.’ Carter took a look at himself in the driving mirror and rubbed the stubble on his chin that sounded like sandpaper. I have a cold, that’s all, look in the glove
compartment and hand me that electric razor, will you?’
    Willis found it and switched it on as she passed it over. ‘Do you want me to drive?’
    ‘No way.’ He glanced across, grinning. ‘We need to get there today.’
    ‘You come in late to work, and you still don’t manage to shave?’ Willis frowned.
    ‘Yeah, let’s leave this conversation, Eb, if you don’t mind. Things on my mind. Besides, that’s rich coming from you – you never make an effort and I meant to tell
you to do something about your moustache months ago. Didn’t have the heart.’
    She thumped him on his arm.
    ‘Jeezus, Eb, go easy.’
    Willis and Carter had worked together for five years. Ever since she’d joined the MIT, he had been her partner. He had been a DS then, and she a detective constable. Carter was like family
to her.
    ‘Got a lot going on, that’s all.’
    He looked at his watch as he handed her the shaver back. ‘Right now I’m supposed to be in Tenerife. I’d be having my first bottle of ice-cold beer of the day.’
    ‘Why aren’t you?’
    He looked at her with a wounded expression.
    ‘Christ knows, I didn’t want to cancel it, Eb, but this case is important to me. Jeezus! I was looking forward to it.’
    ‘We can handle this without you.’
    ‘Yeah, cheers for that.’
    ‘You know what I mean.’
    ‘I know, I know, but, Cabrina doesn’t really mind. She’s gone off with Archie and taken a mate with her instead; it’s still a couple of weeks in Tenerife. She’ll
have fun. There’ll be plenty more opportunities to go on holiday.’
    Willis looked at her phone. ‘Shall I get the satnav working?’
    ‘Don’t worry, I