Read Online The Elemental (Blair Dubh Trilogy #1) by Heather Atkinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Atkinson
Ads: Link
steer him back to the sitting room. He walked like a zombie, eyes wide with shock and if Martin hadn ’t been helping him he might have fallen over. They all skirted by the pool of vomit left by Howard, who was shivering on the floor. Brenda helped him up and he clung onto her.
“ I’ll call the Police,” said Martin, pulling out his mobile phone.
Craig’s shift started with a fight in the small town of Fairlie, nothing serious, just a couple of teenagers who almost burst into tears when he said he had to tell their parents. When that was done he was ordered to go to Blair Dubh, there’d been a suspicious death.
He drove far too fast all the way there in the torrential rain, terrified something had happened to Freya or that she ’d lost her temper and hurt someone. He was first on the scene, although back-up was on its way.
“ Craig, thank God you’re here,” said Martin the moment he opened the door of Catriona’s cottage.
“ What’s happened?” he said, scanning the room, relieved to see Freya wasn’t there.
“ It’s Catriona. She’s upstairs, drowned in the bath. She was murdered.”
“ How do you know it wasn’t an accident?”
“ Her hands are tied behind her back.”
“ Jesus.”
He regarded the five pale shaky people looking back at him, their eyes wide and scared.
“Book Club?” he asked Martin, who nodded. “I’ll take a look. I must ask you all to wait here. I’ll need to take your statements.”
They all appeared so miserable he felt sorry for them, they probably just wanted to get out of there.
Martin led the way and Craig found himself staring down at the body of a woman he’d known his entire life.
“ I’ve already ascertained that she’s dead,” explained Martin.
Craig just nodded. It wasn ’t the first dead body he’d seen, nor was it the first time he’d seen someone he knew dead. But viewing his dad in the funeral home laid out respectfully after he died of natural causes was very different to this show of violence and her death had clearly been terrifying. Objects were scattered about the room, lying in the puddles of water on the floor, a tall cabinet overturned. Her wrists were bruised from the ropes binding them, biting into the bloated skin.
“ How long would you say she’s been dead?”
“ I’m no pathologist but I’m guessing no longer than a couple of hours.”
“ I’ll call it in.”
While they waited he went downstairs to take their statements, but they all told him the same thing and he learnt nothing that could help him find who did this.
“Can we go now? I need to get out of here,” said Howard, still a little hysterical.
“ I’m sorry but you have to stay. A detective’s on their way, they’ll want to talk to you.”
“ Please, I have to get out,” he cried, racing for the door.
Craig put himself before it and Howard found himself staring up at six foot one of solid policeman.
“Sorry Howard, you’re staying.”
When Howard buried his face in his hands and started to cry Brenda wrapped an arm around him, led him to the couch and thrust a whisky into his hands. The little man took a sip of the liquid and coughed. Brenda sat down beside him and puffed on the blue inhaler clutched in her hand.
“Are you okay?” Craig asked her.
She nodded, releasing a wheezy breath. “The asthma gets worse when I’m under stress. I’ll be fine, much better than Catriona,” she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Craig was relieved when he saw the lights of the emergency vehicles cutting through the gathering darkness, watching the convoy approach from the door of Catriona ’s cottage. The storm was really starting to kick up, belching in cold air through the open doorway but that was preferable to waiting in the house with the body and five overwrought witnesses, all of whom wanted to leave. He saw Freya standing at the door of her cottage anxiously looking out so he jogged over to her.
“ What’s going on?” she
“ I’ll call the Police,” said Martin, pulling out his mobile phone.
Craig’s shift started with a fight in the small town of Fairlie, nothing serious, just a couple of teenagers who almost burst into tears when he said he had to tell their parents. When that was done he was ordered to go to Blair Dubh, there’d been a suspicious death.
He drove far too fast all the way there in the torrential rain, terrified something had happened to Freya or that she ’d lost her temper and hurt someone. He was first on the scene, although back-up was on its way.
“ Craig, thank God you’re here,” said Martin the moment he opened the door of Catriona’s cottage.
“ What’s happened?” he said, scanning the room, relieved to see Freya wasn’t there.
“ It’s Catriona. She’s upstairs, drowned in the bath. She was murdered.”
“ How do you know it wasn’t an accident?”
“ Her hands are tied behind her back.”
“ Jesus.”
He regarded the five pale shaky people looking back at him, their eyes wide and scared.
“Book Club?” he asked Martin, who nodded. “I’ll take a look. I must ask you all to wait here. I’ll need to take your statements.”
They all appeared so miserable he felt sorry for them, they probably just wanted to get out of there.
Martin led the way and Craig found himself staring down at the body of a woman he’d known his entire life.
“ I’ve already ascertained that she’s dead,” explained Martin.
Craig just nodded. It wasn ’t the first dead body he’d seen, nor was it the first time he’d seen someone he knew dead. But viewing his dad in the funeral home laid out respectfully after he died of natural causes was very different to this show of violence and her death had clearly been terrifying. Objects were scattered about the room, lying in the puddles of water on the floor, a tall cabinet overturned. Her wrists were bruised from the ropes binding them, biting into the bloated skin.
“ How long would you say she’s been dead?”
“ I’m no pathologist but I’m guessing no longer than a couple of hours.”
“ I’ll call it in.”
While they waited he went downstairs to take their statements, but they all told him the same thing and he learnt nothing that could help him find who did this.
“Can we go now? I need to get out of here,” said Howard, still a little hysterical.
“ I’m sorry but you have to stay. A detective’s on their way, they’ll want to talk to you.”
“ Please, I have to get out,” he cried, racing for the door.
Craig put himself before it and Howard found himself staring up at six foot one of solid policeman.
“Sorry Howard, you’re staying.”
When Howard buried his face in his hands and started to cry Brenda wrapped an arm around him, led him to the couch and thrust a whisky into his hands. The little man took a sip of the liquid and coughed. Brenda sat down beside him and puffed on the blue inhaler clutched in her hand.
“Are you okay?” Craig asked her.
She nodded, releasing a wheezy breath. “The asthma gets worse when I’m under stress. I’ll be fine, much better than Catriona,” she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Craig was relieved when he saw the lights of the emergency vehicles cutting through the gathering darkness, watching the convoy approach from the door of Catriona ’s cottage. The storm was really starting to kick up, belching in cold air through the open doorway but that was preferable to waiting in the house with the body and five overwrought witnesses, all of whom wanted to leave. He saw Freya standing at the door of her cottage anxiously looking out so he jogged over to her.
“ What’s going on?” she
Similar Books
