Read Online False Witness (John Steel series Book 3) by P. S Syron-Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: P. S Syron-Jones
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large. Steel knew that he could have the man on the floor and unconscious in around a minute—maybe even in a couple of seconds.
“If we have any more questions we will let you know.” McCall turned back to face the now shaken Marie Heller who, after gathering herself together, straightened up and smiled like a cat.
“If you wish to speak to me again, Detective, it will have to be through my lawyers,” she told them.
The large man extended a hand to usher them out. Steel stopped at the entrance to the sitting room, and then turned to face Marie Heller.
“It must have shaken him up pretty badly when you dumped him for a rich guy,” he said, almost conversationally.
Marie Heller scowled, almost baring her teeth. “He left me alone with a child and no support! But I see no reason to justify my actions to you, Detective. It was his fault not mine. It was all their—” She stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly realising what she had just admitted.
“Please leave and never come back unless you have a warrant, which I doubt you will get,” Marie Heller told them curtly. She turned and looked out of the large picture window at the panoramic view of Manhattan.
As the two detectives entered the hallway, the door was slammed behind them as if it was meant as some sort of warning.
“Did you get that last speech?” Steel asked as McCall took out the recorder from her pocket and switched it off.
“How do you know I didn’t switch it off before?”
Steel tilted his head forwards as if to look down his glasses at her. “Because you knew I wouldn’t leave without getting a reaction from her.”
McCall grinned as she pressed the elevator call button. “Oh, I think you hit a nerve alright, question is, what the hell happened ten years ago?”
John Steel shrugged at the question. He had a head full of theories and none of them made sense.
“Okay, so what now?” McCall asked, looking back at the closed door to the Hellers’ apartment.
“Can I get a coffee, I never got to even start drinking mine,” Steel joked.
McCall shook her head in disbelief as the doors to the elevator slid open.
“Unbelievable,” she said, walking into the mirrored booth. As the doors started to slide shut she thought she saw the face of the maid peer round the Heller apartment’s doorway, a frightened look on her face. As they closed completely, McCall knew something was wrong.
There was a lot more to know, but Mrs. Heller wasn’t about to tell them anything.
ELEVEN
McCall and Steel headed back to the precinct after their short, but somewhat mysterious, chat with Andy Carlson’s dear ex. It was getting up to around four-thirty when McCall’s cell phone illuminated in its holder on the dash.
She reached forwards and touched the screen: the text from Tina at the ME’s office was quite clear. It said: Get your butts back here.
The traffic was a mess, with people travelling back from work, the streets an ocean of yellow as the taxis plied their trade. However, despite this, the journey didn’t take as long as McCall thought it would.
*
They found Tina Franks sitting waiting for them on McCall’s usual seat on the operating table, soft music sounded in the background and the scent of blood and disinfectant filled the air.
“Okay Tina, what you got?” Sam asked.
Tina jumped down and headed for the body of Andy Carlson that was on one of the tables.
“Once I had removed the stitching from the nose I found two small tubes in there,” Tina explained as they walked. “Someone wanted him to die slowly.”
McCall looked puzzled as they arrived at the body. She looked at the man’s stitch-free mouth. “But the scorpion?” she asked.
Tina shook her head. “This one was a Malaysian Forest Scorpion. Its sting effect is about the equivalent of a nasty bee sting.”
Sam was now looking more confused. In her head it was a done deal: scorpion sting—man dies. End of.
“So the sting
“If we have any more questions we will let you know.” McCall turned back to face the now shaken Marie Heller who, after gathering herself together, straightened up and smiled like a cat.
“If you wish to speak to me again, Detective, it will have to be through my lawyers,” she told them.
The large man extended a hand to usher them out. Steel stopped at the entrance to the sitting room, and then turned to face Marie Heller.
“It must have shaken him up pretty badly when you dumped him for a rich guy,” he said, almost conversationally.
Marie Heller scowled, almost baring her teeth. “He left me alone with a child and no support! But I see no reason to justify my actions to you, Detective. It was his fault not mine. It was all their—” She stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly realising what she had just admitted.
“Please leave and never come back unless you have a warrant, which I doubt you will get,” Marie Heller told them curtly. She turned and looked out of the large picture window at the panoramic view of Manhattan.
As the two detectives entered the hallway, the door was slammed behind them as if it was meant as some sort of warning.
“Did you get that last speech?” Steel asked as McCall took out the recorder from her pocket and switched it off.
“How do you know I didn’t switch it off before?”
Steel tilted his head forwards as if to look down his glasses at her. “Because you knew I wouldn’t leave without getting a reaction from her.”
McCall grinned as she pressed the elevator call button. “Oh, I think you hit a nerve alright, question is, what the hell happened ten years ago?”
John Steel shrugged at the question. He had a head full of theories and none of them made sense.
“Okay, so what now?” McCall asked, looking back at the closed door to the Hellers’ apartment.
“Can I get a coffee, I never got to even start drinking mine,” Steel joked.
McCall shook her head in disbelief as the doors to the elevator slid open.
“Unbelievable,” she said, walking into the mirrored booth. As the doors started to slide shut she thought she saw the face of the maid peer round the Heller apartment’s doorway, a frightened look on her face. As they closed completely, McCall knew something was wrong.
There was a lot more to know, but Mrs. Heller wasn’t about to tell them anything.
ELEVEN
McCall and Steel headed back to the precinct after their short, but somewhat mysterious, chat with Andy Carlson’s dear ex. It was getting up to around four-thirty when McCall’s cell phone illuminated in its holder on the dash.
She reached forwards and touched the screen: the text from Tina at the ME’s office was quite clear. It said: Get your butts back here.
The traffic was a mess, with people travelling back from work, the streets an ocean of yellow as the taxis plied their trade. However, despite this, the journey didn’t take as long as McCall thought it would.
*
They found Tina Franks sitting waiting for them on McCall’s usual seat on the operating table, soft music sounded in the background and the scent of blood and disinfectant filled the air.
“Okay Tina, what you got?” Sam asked.
Tina jumped down and headed for the body of Andy Carlson that was on one of the tables.
“Once I had removed the stitching from the nose I found two small tubes in there,” Tina explained as they walked. “Someone wanted him to die slowly.”
McCall looked puzzled as they arrived at the body. She looked at the man’s stitch-free mouth. “But the scorpion?” she asked.
Tina shook her head. “This one was a Malaysian Forest Scorpion. Its sting effect is about the equivalent of a nasty bee sting.”
Sam was now looking more confused. In her head it was a done deal: scorpion sting—man dies. End of.
“So the sting
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