Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn Read Free Book Online Page A

who was observing him in the same way a child might observe a
sword swallower working in a circus tent.
    'I
do,' he said. 'You should have some before I finish it all.'
    Amal
scooped food onto his plate, still wary but beginning to relax. Emmanuel
waited until the boy was halfway through a plate of rice and chicken curry.
    'When
we left the alley last night,' Emmanuel made it sound like a mutual decision
that Giriraj cart him away in a sack, 'what did you pick up as you left?'
    Amal
threw a nervous glance towards the courtyard door, then pushed a grain of rice
around the rim of his plate with a spoon. The silence dragged out. Emmanuel
leaned forward.
    'This
conversation is between you and me,' he said. 'I won't tell Parthiv or Maataa
or anyone else what we've talked about.'
    'True?'
Amal looked up.
    'True,'
Emmanuel repeated. 'That is a promise.'
    'I
picked up my torch.'
    'What
else?'
    'A
small notebook.'
    Jolly's
notebook.
    'There
are two strings tied to the spiral. One string has a pencil attached to the
end,' Amal said.
    'Have
you got it?'
    'Not
here. It's at home in my bedroom.'
    'Anything
else?'
    'No.'
Amal shifted uncomfortably and went back to toying with the rice grain. 'I
didn't see anything.'
    Emmanuel
knew his torch had rolled under a rail carriage, which explained how Amal had
missed it. What had happened to the penknife was anyone's guess. A police
search of the freight yards should have found it. A vital piece of evidence had
either disappeared or Amal had lifted it and was now too scared to admit it.
    Emmanuel
tore a piece of work paper from the science textbook. 'Can I borrow a pen?'
    Amal
extracted a ballpoint from his pocket and watched Emmanuel draw a rough sketch
of the crime scene with the shunting yards and Point Road labelled. Sometimes
the long way around was the quickest way to get information.
    'This
is the alley where the body was found.' He indicated the map. 'The X marks the
location of the body. You and Parthiv were standing about here against the
wall.'
    'I
see.'
    'Show
me where the notebook was.'
    Amal
frowned, then tapped a finger to a spot. 'It was about here.'
    'Are
you sure?'
    'Jâ, I picked it up when we were
going to the car. I thought it might have something to do with Parthiv's
business.'
    That
was a surprise. The notebook had been located between the body and the section
of alley that led back to the main road. Jolly must have cut and dumped it on
his way towards the freight yard where he was killed. Why get rid of the book?
Had he done it on purpose?
    'Look
at the map again,' Emmanuel said. 'Did you see anything else in the alley that
night? Think.'
    'There
was something.'
    'Go
on.'
    Amal
swallowed hard then whispered, 'A small knife was near the boy's hand. I... I was too scared to pick it up.'
    'It's
the job of the police to collect evidence,' Emmanuel said. 'You did the right
thing by leaving it.'
    'And
the notebook, is it yours, Detective?'
    'Yes.
It is,' Emmanuel lied. 'Can we go and get it?'
    'If
you drop me off at the school library after.'
    'I
can do that.'
    The
door leading to the courtyard swung inwards and Parthiv appeared. His brow shot
up to his hairline at the sight of Emmanuel and his little brother side by
side.
    'You
talk to him?' Parthiv went straight for Amal.
    'No.'
Amal scooted back in his chair. 'I said nothing.'
    'Hold
on.' Emmanuel addressed the older Dutta male calmly. 'I dropped a notebook in
the freight yards last night and Amal has it. That's all.'
    'You
dead meat.' Parthiv moved in with a raised hand. 'What did you tell him?'
    'Nothing.'
The boy ducked away. 'I didn't tell.'
    Parthiv
swooped and Emmanuel laid a firm hand on the padded shoulders of Parthiv's blue
silk suit. 'Step back and leave him alone,' he said. Like all policemen who'd
worked the regular foot section of the force, he hated domestics. 'Amal didn't
say anything.'
    'You
think I'm stupid? If you're not a policeman then you're a spy, isn't it? For Mr
Khan.'
    'Don't
know who Mr Khan