Read Online The Patient Killer (A DCI Morton Crime Novel Book 4) by Sean Campbell, Daniel Campbell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sean Campbell, Daniel Campbell
Ads: Link
We need to clear all the rooms.’
They hunched low and shuffled forward towards the door to the rest of the house. Morton opened it slowly and then paused to listen for any signs of life. When he was satisfied that he could hear no signs of an intruder, he shuffled forwards and beckoned for Rafferty to follow.
The hallway led them through to a stairwell and another door.
‘You take the ground floor. I’m going up.’ Morton pointed to himself and then the stairwell. Rafferty nodded her acknowledgement and shuffled past him.
Morton crept up the stairs slowly. As he approached the landing, he could see two doors. The left-hand door, which was open, led through to a small bathroom. Morton peeked inside briefly to check that no one had hidden behind the shower curtain, then proceeded to the door to the master bedroom.
He gently pushed the door open, waiting for someone to leap out at him at any moment.
But nothing happened. The upstairs was empty.
Figuring that Rafferty ought to have finished clearing the rooms downstairs, Morton yelled out, ‘Clear!’
Rafferty’s voice echoed his almost immediately. Nobody was in the house.
Morton breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the bedroom. It was small but cosy, with lace bedding draped across the bed that had to have been chosen by a woman.
There were more pictures of Niall on the wall. In most of them he was pictured with the girl from the sitting room. She was a pretty woman in her mid-thirties with long, thick eyelashes and a smile that showed every tooth. It was plain to see that she and Niall had been very much in love.
The odd thing about the room was the lack of mess. Where the living room looked like a bomb site, the rest of the house was immaculate.
A stair creaked. Morton spun on the spot, his muscles tensing. The house was clear, wasn’t it?
‘Don’t worry. It’s just me,’ Rafferty called out.
‘Jesus, woman! Don’t do that to me.’
‘Sorry. My bad, boss.’ Rafferty bit her lip. ‘Find anything?’
‘Nope. It’s immaculate up here. What’s the rest of downstairs like?’ Morton said.
‘The same. Except the bathroom. Someone’s pissed all over the floor and left the seat up.’ Rafferty coughed loudly, ‘ Men .’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Nothing, sir. So, what do we do–’
Rafferty was interrupted by a loud buzzing. She put her hands in her pockets, clearly looking for a mobile.
Morton held up his phone. The screen was flashing. ‘It’s me.’ He put the phone on speaker and held it out, palm up. ‘Go ahead. You’re on speaker.’
‘It’s M-M-Mayberry. I’ve f-found the... umm–’
‘You got a pen and paper? Write it down for me.’ Morton could just about hear the sounds of pen scribbling against paper.
‘Blueprint!’ Mayberry said triumphantly.
‘You’ve found where the blueprint is for? How?’
‘P-p-planning permission r-records. It’s at H-Hatton G-Garden Deposit Co.’
Morton exhaled. ‘I sent Ayala to check in there. He said they were a no-go. Is he with you?’
‘N-no.’
‘Right. If you see him, tell him I want to talk to him immediately.’
Chapter 13: The Students Next Door
T hursday April 9th 16:30
The front door of the neighbouring house shook as Morton approached. He could practically feel the vibrations underfoot as an overenthusiastic sound system pounded out enough bass to fill a concert hall.
Nobody answered Morton’s first knock. It was no surprise. He could barely hear it himself over the din. After waiting politely for a moment, Morton rapped smartly on the front window, and the music cut out suddenly.
‘Who’s there?’
‘Police. Open up,’ Morton said.
He could see a flurry of movement behind the net curtains, and could have sworn he heard a hushed voice whisper, ‘Oh, shit. Quick, flush it.’
Eventually, the door swung open and a man almost as wide as the door stepped outside. ‘Can I help you?’
‘DCI Morton. I’d like to talk to you about your neighbour,
They hunched low and shuffled forward towards the door to the rest of the house. Morton opened it slowly and then paused to listen for any signs of life. When he was satisfied that he could hear no signs of an intruder, he shuffled forwards and beckoned for Rafferty to follow.
The hallway led them through to a stairwell and another door.
‘You take the ground floor. I’m going up.’ Morton pointed to himself and then the stairwell. Rafferty nodded her acknowledgement and shuffled past him.
Morton crept up the stairs slowly. As he approached the landing, he could see two doors. The left-hand door, which was open, led through to a small bathroom. Morton peeked inside briefly to check that no one had hidden behind the shower curtain, then proceeded to the door to the master bedroom.
He gently pushed the door open, waiting for someone to leap out at him at any moment.
But nothing happened. The upstairs was empty.
Figuring that Rafferty ought to have finished clearing the rooms downstairs, Morton yelled out, ‘Clear!’
Rafferty’s voice echoed his almost immediately. Nobody was in the house.
Morton breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the bedroom. It was small but cosy, with lace bedding draped across the bed that had to have been chosen by a woman.
There were more pictures of Niall on the wall. In most of them he was pictured with the girl from the sitting room. She was a pretty woman in her mid-thirties with long, thick eyelashes and a smile that showed every tooth. It was plain to see that she and Niall had been very much in love.
The odd thing about the room was the lack of mess. Where the living room looked like a bomb site, the rest of the house was immaculate.
A stair creaked. Morton spun on the spot, his muscles tensing. The house was clear, wasn’t it?
‘Don’t worry. It’s just me,’ Rafferty called out.
‘Jesus, woman! Don’t do that to me.’
‘Sorry. My bad, boss.’ Rafferty bit her lip. ‘Find anything?’
‘Nope. It’s immaculate up here. What’s the rest of downstairs like?’ Morton said.
‘The same. Except the bathroom. Someone’s pissed all over the floor and left the seat up.’ Rafferty coughed loudly, ‘ Men .’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Nothing, sir. So, what do we do–’
Rafferty was interrupted by a loud buzzing. She put her hands in her pockets, clearly looking for a mobile.
Morton held up his phone. The screen was flashing. ‘It’s me.’ He put the phone on speaker and held it out, palm up. ‘Go ahead. You’re on speaker.’
‘It’s M-M-Mayberry. I’ve f-found the... umm–’
‘You got a pen and paper? Write it down for me.’ Morton could just about hear the sounds of pen scribbling against paper.
‘Blueprint!’ Mayberry said triumphantly.
‘You’ve found where the blueprint is for? How?’
‘P-p-planning permission r-records. It’s at H-Hatton G-Garden Deposit Co.’
Morton exhaled. ‘I sent Ayala to check in there. He said they were a no-go. Is he with you?’
‘N-no.’
‘Right. If you see him, tell him I want to talk to him immediately.’
Chapter 13: The Students Next Door
T hursday April 9th 16:30
The front door of the neighbouring house shook as Morton approached. He could practically feel the vibrations underfoot as an overenthusiastic sound system pounded out enough bass to fill a concert hall.
Nobody answered Morton’s first knock. It was no surprise. He could barely hear it himself over the din. After waiting politely for a moment, Morton rapped smartly on the front window, and the music cut out suddenly.
‘Who’s there?’
‘Police. Open up,’ Morton said.
He could see a flurry of movement behind the net curtains, and could have sworn he heard a hushed voice whisper, ‘Oh, shit. Quick, flush it.’
Eventually, the door swung open and a man almost as wide as the door stepped outside. ‘Can I help you?’
‘DCI Morton. I’d like to talk to you about your neighbour,
Similar Books
