Read Online Two Evils: A DI Charlotte Savage Novel by Mark Sennen - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark Sennen
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walking.
Enders laughed. ‘Does it look like a good spot for walking? No. Too bleak. There’s no tors, nothing of interest. I doubt anyone but the most hardened would bother coming here. Besides, you’ve got ranges all around. Live firing. Weekdays most of the moor round this way would be off-limits.’
‘Army?’
‘Yes.’ Enders gazed around at the dreek weather. A thin mist of rain curtained sideways in the wind. ‘And much as I love the outdoors, I don’t think I’ll be signing up to yomp over this part of the moor any time soon.’
Was that it? Had Sleet somehow got mixed up in something he shouldn’t have? Had some Royal Marine training exercise gone horribly wrong? Riley put the thought from his mind and moved across to the Audi. Collier hadn’t said anything about the keys, but then, even if Riley had had them, he wouldn’t have risked opening the car for fear of contaminating the inside. He peered in through the driver’s window. As noted on the sheet of information, there was a cup of coffee in the drinks holder, the flask the cup had come from sitting on the passenger seat. It seemed unlikely Sleet had been indulging in a bout of passionate sex. More likely he’d poured the cup while waiting for somebody, or perhaps he’d simply come up here after his lunch at the pub in order to pass the time until his next appointment.
There didn’t seem to be anything untoward inside the car. Sleet’s jacket was lying on the rear seat. A briefcase poked up from the rear footwell. The report mentioned that the boot contained several boxes of samples and Riley recalled a wallet had been found in the jacket. There had been no blood or any sign of a struggle.
He straightened. If something had happened, it had happened away from the car. Riley looked to the sides of the lane. There was plenty of room to pull off the road, but none of the indentations in the grass appeared fresh. If somebody had arrived after Sleet then they had made sure their vehicle remained on the hard tarmac.
He peered back towards their own car. Imagined Sleet sitting drinking coffee and spying a vehicle in his rear mirror. He’d have placed the cup in the holder and got out of the car. He’d left his jacket behind, so he’d either expected the rendezvous to be over quickly or his emotions had overcome any thoughts about getting cold. If it had been a woman, perhaps Sleet had leapt from his seat and run to meet her.
Riley paced back up the road a few metres. He examined the verges again. Nothing except some pieces of litter. No, not litter. Confetti. Confetti?
He moved to the side of the road where several pieces of yellow and pink paper lay on the verge. Sodden with rain, they’d stuck to the sparse vegetation. He tried to get his head around what might have occurred here. Confetti suggested a birthday or some kind of a celebration. Then Riley thought of a present on a nest of the little pieces of paper. An item of jewellery? He imagined a woman opening a velvet case and seeing a sparkling ring, Sleet scattering a handful of confetti in the air as some kind of symbolic gesture.
‘Patrick?’ Riley knelt and beckoned the DC over. ‘What do you make of this?’
Enders strolled up the lane and hunkered down next to Riley. He picked up a couple of the pieces of paper.
‘From a hole punch, sir?’ Enders placed the pieces on his hand and examined them. ‘That’s my guess.’
‘Hey?’
‘They’ve been cut from a sheet of paper. Look, there’s letters on the surface.’
Riley stared down at Enders’ hand. Not letters, letters and numbers. And not from a hole punch either. Shit, he had it now. He glanced down at the ground and picked another piece from the grass.
‘Know what these are, Patrick?’ Enders shook his head as Riley showed him the pink dot on the end of his finger. ‘They’re AFIDs. Anti-felon identification tags. They’re ejected whenever a Taser weapon is fired. Each carries a code to identify the
Enders laughed. ‘Does it look like a good spot for walking? No. Too bleak. There’s no tors, nothing of interest. I doubt anyone but the most hardened would bother coming here. Besides, you’ve got ranges all around. Live firing. Weekdays most of the moor round this way would be off-limits.’
‘Army?’
‘Yes.’ Enders gazed around at the dreek weather. A thin mist of rain curtained sideways in the wind. ‘And much as I love the outdoors, I don’t think I’ll be signing up to yomp over this part of the moor any time soon.’
Was that it? Had Sleet somehow got mixed up in something he shouldn’t have? Had some Royal Marine training exercise gone horribly wrong? Riley put the thought from his mind and moved across to the Audi. Collier hadn’t said anything about the keys, but then, even if Riley had had them, he wouldn’t have risked opening the car for fear of contaminating the inside. He peered in through the driver’s window. As noted on the sheet of information, there was a cup of coffee in the drinks holder, the flask the cup had come from sitting on the passenger seat. It seemed unlikely Sleet had been indulging in a bout of passionate sex. More likely he’d poured the cup while waiting for somebody, or perhaps he’d simply come up here after his lunch at the pub in order to pass the time until his next appointment.
There didn’t seem to be anything untoward inside the car. Sleet’s jacket was lying on the rear seat. A briefcase poked up from the rear footwell. The report mentioned that the boot contained several boxes of samples and Riley recalled a wallet had been found in the jacket. There had been no blood or any sign of a struggle.
He straightened. If something had happened, it had happened away from the car. Riley looked to the sides of the lane. There was plenty of room to pull off the road, but none of the indentations in the grass appeared fresh. If somebody had arrived after Sleet then they had made sure their vehicle remained on the hard tarmac.
He peered back towards their own car. Imagined Sleet sitting drinking coffee and spying a vehicle in his rear mirror. He’d have placed the cup in the holder and got out of the car. He’d left his jacket behind, so he’d either expected the rendezvous to be over quickly or his emotions had overcome any thoughts about getting cold. If it had been a woman, perhaps Sleet had leapt from his seat and run to meet her.
Riley paced back up the road a few metres. He examined the verges again. Nothing except some pieces of litter. No, not litter. Confetti. Confetti?
He moved to the side of the road where several pieces of yellow and pink paper lay on the verge. Sodden with rain, they’d stuck to the sparse vegetation. He tried to get his head around what might have occurred here. Confetti suggested a birthday or some kind of a celebration. Then Riley thought of a present on a nest of the little pieces of paper. An item of jewellery? He imagined a woman opening a velvet case and seeing a sparkling ring, Sleet scattering a handful of confetti in the air as some kind of symbolic gesture.
‘Patrick?’ Riley knelt and beckoned the DC over. ‘What do you make of this?’
Enders strolled up the lane and hunkered down next to Riley. He picked up a couple of the pieces of paper.
‘From a hole punch, sir?’ Enders placed the pieces on his hand and examined them. ‘That’s my guess.’
‘Hey?’
‘They’ve been cut from a sheet of paper. Look, there’s letters on the surface.’
Riley stared down at Enders’ hand. Not letters, letters and numbers. And not from a hole punch either. Shit, he had it now. He glanced down at the ground and picked another piece from the grass.
‘Know what these are, Patrick?’ Enders shook his head as Riley showed him the pink dot on the end of his finger. ‘They’re AFIDs. Anti-felon identification tags. They’re ejected whenever a Taser weapon is fired. Each carries a code to identify the
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