Evan Blessed by Rhys Bowen Read Free Book Online Page A

interrupted. “It seems to me that we’re jumping the gun a bit with this sex offender database and profiler.”
    â€œThe sooner someone can give us a profile on the type of man who might have built the bunker, the sooner we know who we’re looking for,” Glynis countered.
    â€œWhat are you getting at, Evans?” Watkins asked.
    â€œWell, sir, I was thinking that one of us should start with the boy who reported the missing girl. Maybe go over their route with him, and talk to the other hikers at the hostel. Something might have been going on there.”
    â€œLike what?” Watkins asked.
    â€œAll sorts of strange people stay in hostels, don’t they? One of them may have had his eye on her and waited for an opportunity to get her alone. Perhaps someone overheard or noticed something out of the ordinary. We know she had a row with her boyfriend—”

    â€œI didn’t know that,” Watkins interrupted. “Nobody told me that.”
    â€œThat’s how they became separated on the mountain. She wasn’t as good a hiker as he was. He said she was going too slowly. They had words and she told him to go on ahead. He did, then felt guilty and came back to look for her.”
    â€œI see. Well, maybe you’re right, Evans. We’d better go and question him again. And ask around at the hostel.”
    â€œA couple of other suggestions,” Evan said. “Apparently she had a mobile phone on her. So why didn’t she call if she was in trouble? We can check if any calls have been made from it since she disappeared.”
    â€œI can do that, I suppose,” Glynis said, jotting down notes on a pad.
    â€œAnd we can make sure your search team keeps an eye out for the phone, Jones,” Inspector Watkins said. “If someone grabbed her, he may have discarded it.”
    â€œAnd check with the local police stations in case someone has found it and handed it in,” Evan added. “And I think we should ask around Llanberis and higher up the pass too, just in case anyone saw her trying to hitch a ride.”
    Watkins nodded. “All worth doing. I’ll drop all those in your lap, then. I’m going to meet the forensics team at the site and we’re going to take another look at that bunker in daylight. Then maybe I’ll catch up with you, Evans. At any rate, let’s meet again down here at two o’clock.”
    Sergeant Jones got to his feet. “You plainclothes types can go to your computers and your forensics,” he said slowly, “but there’s one thing that seems obvious to me that nobody has mentioned.”
    Heads turned in his direction.
    â€œWhat I want to know is how someone carried a bloody great shovel and all those supplies up a mountain path. Who could have done that without drawing attention to himself?”

Chapter 5

    Red fury seethed inside his head. How could they possibly have stumbled upon his hideaway, after he’d put in so much effort and planned so well? Meddling, interfering little busybodies. Well, he’d show them. They weren’t going to stop him now. He was going to go ahead in spite of them. Let them do their worst.
    His breath came in rapid gasps as he opened the door to the piano room, sat down, and thumped out the somber chords of the Funeral March. Then a smile crossed his face as an idea came to him and he jumped up from the piano again.
    â€œMaybe,” he said to himself, a slow smile spreading across thin lips. “Their wits against mine. No challenge at all, really. Peasants, the lot of them.”
    He turned from the piano and began to write.
    As Evan drove into the small tourist haven of Llanberis, he realized what a difficult task it would be to find anyone who had spotted the missing girl. On this sunny August morning, the town was crawling with tourists. Tour buses from strange corners of Europe belched diesel smoke as they disgorged their passengers. Families