To Kill For by Phillip Hunter Read Free Book Online Page B

phone on the wall or a weapon. She didn’t do much, except move backwards, her toes dragging on the carpet. The short woman lunged at me and pushed, trying to get me back.
    â€˜Fuck off,’ she kept saying.
    It was a token effort, and we all knew it. She smelled of alcohol and when I knocked her aside she lost her balance and stumbled. I took hold of Tina and steered her through to a small back lounge. Here, too, there were some children’s toys and I saw photos of children, old faded photos and newer ones. I guessed that the woman’s children had grown up and had children of their own and that those toys in the front belonged to her grandchildren. Maybe she looked after the kids in the day. On top of the TV set was a framed photo of a bride and groom: Tina with another man. Both looked middle-aged in the picture.
    I said, ‘Where’s your husband?’
    â€˜My… who?’
    I put her in a chair and she looked up at me with drowsy eyes. She said, ‘Who are you?’
    Her speech was slurred and her eyelids were falling down. I leaned forward and slapped her lightly on the cheek. The short one tried to grab hold of my arm.
    â€˜Leave her alone.’
    I pushed her off. Tina opened her eyes a little, but not much. The short one was about to attack me again when Apron stopped her.
    â€˜Something’s wrong,’ Apron said.
    I walked into the bathroom and opened the cabinet. There was a load of medication, mostly antidepressants, benzodiazepines, that sort of thing. There was nothing in there that belonged to a man; no shaving foam, no razors, except a pink woman’s one. I saw a small white plastic bottle by the side of the sink next to a glass of water. The bottle was empty, but it had contained diazepam, in ten-milligram tablets. It had been prescribed to Christina Murray only a week earlier. It had contained thirty tablets.
    I took the empty bottle into the lounge. Apron and the short woman were sitting around, looking at Tina who was slumped in the seat, her head down. I grabbed hold of her and hoisted her up. I pinched her cheek, slapping her a little. It didn’t matter to me what she did to herself, but I wanted information. I held up the bottle. I said, ‘How many did you take?’
    Her eyes were barely open, and wouldn’t focus. Her head lolled to one side. I dropped her back onto the seat. I looked at the other women. They stared at me.
    â€˜How many did she take?’
    Apron said, ‘They’re just aspirins.’
    â€˜They’re diazepam. How many did she take?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’
    I turned to the short one. She was quiet, pale with fear. She shook her head.
    Apron said, ‘There were only a couple in there.’
    â€˜She’s had something to drink,’ the short one said. She turned to her friend. ‘I gave her some gin. I thought she needed it.’
    â€˜There were only a couple in there,’ Apron said again.
    â€˜How long have you both been here?’
    â€˜An hour.’
    Cole’s men had been here two, three hours earlier.
    â€˜What about before you got here?’
    â€˜Shit,’ the short one said. ‘Dunno.’
    â€˜Did you call an ambulance after she’d been beaten?’
    They looked at each other. Neither of them had thought of it. Probably, they were used to violence, up to a point, and wouldn’t call an ambulance for anything short of a decapitation.
    â€˜Just a couple,’ Tina mumbled.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Just wanted to… put it… put it behind me.’
    After that, she was quiet.
    â€˜She’s talking about the pills,’ the short woman said.
    â€˜We’d better call an ambulance,’ Apron said.
    That was the last thing I wanted.
    â€˜No. It’s only diazepam, it won’t kill her.’
    â€˜Are you sure?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    They were quiet for a moment, but then the short one stood and made for the phone. I had to stop