No Mercy by Colin Forbes Read Free Book Online Page A

overlook the moor. We can see what's going on.'
    'Chilly up here.'
    As they arrived at the door to Paula's room, a stout wooden affair with iron studs, it opened, Mrs Brogan walked out. Her expression was blank as she addressed them.
    'Just put 'ot water bottles in both rooms. He won't 'ave central 'eating up 'ere. Wants to keep the feeling of the old monastery. Lord knows why.'
    She padded away down the hall, turned a corner to her left and disappeared. Tweed gestured with his hand to the left.
    'There's another wing projecting out - as it was hundreds of years ago. Servants' quarters.'
    'You realize,' Paula said as they walked inside, 'we'll have to sleep in what we've got on. We left the cases in the car. No. Look. My case is at the foot of that enormous bed. How did that get here?'
    Tweed closed the door. 'When I had my private chat in the nook with Larry he said we could stay here for a night - or longer if we wanted to. I mentioned we'd left our cases in the car at Post Lacey. He said he'd send Tarvin on his motorcycle to get them so I loaned him the car key. They're only light so he was easily able to carry them.'
    'That means Tarvin would see the skeleton.'
    'Not necessarily. He'd be concentrating on keeping his machine on the difficult track. And I told Larry about that skeleton, that a police team would be arriving from London by chopper sometime in the night. At my suggestion he's promised not to mention it to a soul. No point in letting it get into the local grapevine until Buchanan and Saafeld have removed the remains.'
    'How did Larry react to the news?' she asked quietly.
    'Shock. He recovered quickly. He's got a lot of self- control. Asked me if it was a man or a woman. I told him I'd no idea. Decomposition had gone too far.'
    'I'm going to switch off the light. There should be quite a view of the moor from the strange windows.'
    Strange was the word. The windows were curved inwards like the original monastery arches. He stood beside her as she pulled back a curtain. By the light of the moon the view was breathtaking. A great sweep of dark moor rolling like the waves of a frozen sea. She took out a monocular glass from her shoulder bag and focused it.
    'The skeleton has fallen backwards. I can see the skull.'
    She handed the glass to him. 'Follow the track.'
    'I've got it. More earth movement, I imagine. Fortunately your scarf shows up clearly. The chopper will bring a searchlight.'
    He reached out to another switch on the wall, turned on the dim lanterns as she pulled the curtain closed. She sat down on a tapestry-covered chair. She was tired and had to force herself to speak clearly. She told him about her encounter with Mrs Brogan in the kitchen. The housekeeper's tale about the cult operating on the moor. The reference to cannibalism.
    Tweed smiled. 'I'd forget about that if I were you. Both Devon and Cornwall have old families who've lived here for generations. They pass on age-old legends. Plus there are some cases of intermarriages. I think you'd better get some sleep. But when I get to my room I'm going to try an experiment.' He took the walking stick that Alf Garner had given him and hooked it over his arm. On the panelled wall he tapped a tattoo. 'I'll repeat that when I get inside my room on the connecting wall. If you can hear it, repeat it back to me. Just something so you know you can contact me.'
    'I've also brought two rubber wedges,' said Paula. 'I'll jam them under the door . . .'
    When Tweed had left Paula hauled off her boots. When they arrived she had followed Tweed's example, cleaning them carefully on an old iron bar on the terrace. She walked to the adjoining wall, heard the agreed tattoo clearly. Thankfully, she repeated the tattoo with the heel of one boot. There was one tap from the other side. Tweed had heard her.
    Sagging with fatigue, she rammed the wedges underneath the door to the hall. She then forced herself to explore, opening another door. She was taken aback to find a large