The Sholes Key (An Evans & Blackwell Mystery #1) by Clarissa Draper Read Free Book Online Page B

from focusing on another murder? That doesn’t make sense. Besides, we’ve had him under surveillance for months. When would he have had the time to sneak off and kill someone?”
    “Perhaps it was another person in the organization who thought you were getting too close and wanted to scare you off.”
    “Perhaps it was you, you pillock. You hate me getting close to him. Maybe you did this.”
    He stood up and walked around his desk. “I wouldn’t kill a girl. I’d just kill him.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Look, Sophia, I didn’t mean that. I can have you followed and someone can stay with you in your flat, if that will make you feel safe.”
    “You know I can’t do that.” She rose and headed toward her desk. Liam followed her. “If it is one of my current cases, it’ll become clear soon enough. The best way for me to catch the killer is by utilizing my skills, which means solving the code. Meanwhile, go talk to this detective and find out what he knows.”
    Liam sighed again and threw his hands in the air. “I don’t have time to do that.”
    “I didn’t take this job to do field work. I didn’t even want to go undercover in the Masters case. Sit at a computer staring at the screen, that’s me. Not tromping through fields, interviewing witnesses, putting my life in danger, that’s not me. Investigating Lorna’s case could put in jeopardy all the work I’ve invested in Masters. We can’t afford that—not so close to the deadline. I can’t be seen going anywhere near police officers.”
    “Just solve the code, all right, Sophia?”
    “Wait a moment, this number,” Sophia said. She grabbed the paper. “The first numbers at the beginning of the code—29065014495311—I recognize it.”
    “From where?”
    “I have no idea.”

Chapter 5

    "Today is Saturday, right?” Theo asked Dorland as he read the short report found in the file folder.
    “Yeah. Why?”
    “The report says she’s been missing since Thursday morning. Interesting.”
    “What?”
    “I have to ring the hospital.”
    “Why?” Dorland asked.
    Blackwell didn’t answer. He was already on his mobile. “Hello, I need the number for the Royal London Hospital… Whitecastle.” He fumbled around in his pockets for his notepad and Biro. “7…  3… 7… 7. All right, thanks.”
    Dorland opened his mouth, but Theo held up his hand to stop him.
    “Yes, hello,” Blackwell said. “My name is Detective Inspector Theophilus Blackwell—with the police. I’m wondering whether you still have a patient there by the name of,” he glanced at the file, “Steve McCauley. You do? The room number?”
    He wrote it down.
    “Thank you,” Theo said. He looked up at Dorland and asked, “Do you know how to get to that hospital?”
    Dorland nodded.
    “Good. Then you drive.”
    “What’s going on?” Dorland asked as he started his old maroon 1997 Ford Fiesta.
    Theo was preoccupied and didn’t reply. He picked two empty coffee cups off the floor and tried unsuccessfully to scrape dried chocolate off the seat. Afraid the melted chocolate on his trousers would resemble something unsightly, Theo reached into the back seat, took one of Dorland’s clean work shirts, and placed it under his bottom as he sat down.
    “I’ll clean my car,” Dorland said. “Just with the move and all…”
    “Dorland, your car has been this way for months.”
    “So tell me, why do we have to go to the hospital?”
    “The missing woman, Lorna McCauley, has a six-year-old son named Steve. The neighbor, a Mr. Allen Barking, brought him to the hospital Thursday very dehydrated and with a high fever. According to the report, Mr. Barking’s buzzer went off at five-thirty Thursday morning and when he opened the door, he saw Steve curled up with his blanket on his doormat. The boy told him he didn’t feel well and didn’t know where his mother was. Mr. Barking searched the boy’s flat, and when he couldn’t find the mother, decided to call an