Read Online A Limited Justice (#1 - The Craig Modern Thriller Series) by Catriona King - Free Book Online Page A

with them. The only nods to 2012 were a huge flat-screen television and a pile of lottery tickets that poked out from behind the clock. It reminded Liam of his granny’s farmhouse – she had a huge TV as well, and when he’d asked her why, she’d just laughed and imitated a jockey. Her lottery tickets were betting slips.
    The two men perched on the edge of the too-small chairs, drinking their tea from the china cups brought out only for visitors. Liam’s huge fingers couldn’t fit through the handle, so he held the cup like a pen and tried not to drip on the rug, draining the cup in one swallow. Ida topped him up again, smiling and handing him ginger cake that was the best he’d had in ages, and he said so. She beamed at him proudly.
    “We used to run a tea-shop in Dundonald, but now I just bake for myself and visitors. I’ll give you a few cakes to take with you.”
    She smiled at the young constable. ”So nice to see a man in uniform” casting a slightly disapproving eye over Liam’s grey suit.
    “In my day, any man who wasn’t in uniform wasn’t a man at all. They were so handsome. We used to go dancing at the Floral Hall near Bellevue and have such lovely times.” She looked wistful for a moment. “So much more romantic than those disco things.”
    Liam watched her as she spoke. She was one of those elfin creatures typical of the war generation. Enforced rationing and healthy walking had left them with a legacy of slimness in maturity and frailty in old age. She still wore the strange fashion mix of a generation where style was in short supply, as if she’d never quite caught up. And her thin hands bore rings that hinted at marriage and children.
    “Do you have family nearby, Mrs Foster?” The constable’s loud voice broke through the musty air like a siren and she smiled at him again, as if he was her own child.
    “Yes, thank the Lord. My daughter lives two streets over and I have seven grandchildren and a great granddaughter – she’s getting married in June.”
    She moved suddenly, far quicker than earlier, over to a dark sideboard, and pulled a sheaf of pictures from its top drawer. Liam silently cursed the P.C. for his question, but part of him smiled at the certainty of viewing baby photos, accepting that the small kindness might mean a lot to her. Annette was rubbing off on him.
    They admired her photos, and drank and ate for about thirty minutes, until finally Liam shifted the conversation to the reason they’d knocked at her door.
    He outlined the murder without revealing the gruesome detail and as always, he was surprised by the pragmatism of the war generation. Nothing seemed to shock them, but then, they’d seen so many die. Or maybe age brought calmness. He thought wryly that Craig could do with some of that these days.
    “So, did you see anything across the road on Wednesday – anything that stood out at all, Mrs Foster?”
    “Ida.”
    “Of course. Ida.”
    “What time do you mean, Mr Cullen? I’m in the neighbourhood watch so I see a lot through my windows. I sit there and watch the world. See ...”
    She pointed towards the net curtains and Liam peered through the room’s dim light, seeing a window-seat that he hadn’t noticed before. The perfect vantage point. He walked over and lifted the curtain. Yes! She had a clear view of the garage.
    “Any time at all yesterday – were you looking out?”
    “Oh yes. Now let me think, yesterday. Well, Lizzie came in after eight on her way to work. Did I tell you she has a very important job? Up at Stormont, she’s one of those civil servants.” He half-smiled and nodded her on, encouraging her to stick to the story.
    “And when she left?”
    “Oh yes. Well I had breakfast, then I took a cup of tea and my crossword to the window and I sat there. I was probably there until five-ish when she came back, to take me to stay with her. I always stay over with Lizzie on a Wednesday night – until Thursday evening.”
    Suddenly Liam