Read Online Two Wrongs (Detective Inspector Ross Reed Book 1) by Nathan Sayer - Free Book Online

smile, “Please come in.”
    “Thank you.” Mcleary replied before stepping in.
    Mrs Susan Chapman stopped in the hallway and offered Reed a shy smile as a way of a hello before turning her attention back to Mcleary, “Please come through. Make yourselves comfortable and I’ll fetch some tea.”
    As Reed was about to turn left into the lounge, he noticed a figure at the end of the hall moving from one side of a doorway to the other. The man, presumably Alan Westwood, glanced briefly in his direction but didn’t acknowledge that anybody was there, an empty expression set on his face. Reed guessed having your daughter murdered could do that.
    Reed joined Mcleary in the lounge and Susan hurried down towards the kitchen. Faint whispering began instantly but the male’s raspy voice made no effort to hide itself, “I know that!” He said. Reed guessed the police presence in his house had finally been acknowledged.
    With Mcleary settling into the comfort of an armchair, Reed took in his surroundings, the room felt small despite it running from the front to the back of the house. The light was on and the curtains were open but the room still felt dingy. It wasn’t dirt; in fact the room seemed well kept, somewhere near spotless. He wondered if it had more to do with the age of the decor. The wallpaper reminded him of an Indian restaurant he had dined at once. The TV was black and big, needing a separate cabinet of its own to sit on, not like the flat screen ones available now that could be hung on the wall to free up valuable space that was then left empty anyway.
    Susan came in holding a tray, which Reed suspected had been prepared way in advance of their scheduled appointment. She sat it down on the coffee table and issued them with their cups.
    “Sugar?” Susan asked looking at Reed.
    “Two, please.”
    “Still just the one for you, Allison?”
    “Yes, although I’m not trying to keep my figure anymore, I’m trying to get it back!”
    Susan laughed and waved the joke away to let her know she was being silly. Reed agreed with her. Mcleary was slim, attractive, and at 40 years old had an excellent figure. Reed, on the other hand, felt he was a little too tubby for a 38 year old. Mcleary had never been married or had children and never intended to either. She had informed Reed of this a few years ago whilst they had both been on the same training course. At lunchtimes they would take the short walk to the Whiffler pub and share a meal and a couple of drinks together. Socially their paths had never crossed again but they enjoyed working together.
    Just as Susan finished pouring and stirring the drinks, Alan Westwood came in and sat down on a chair with the same demeanor as a young child who had been dragged to a particularly ugly aunt’s house where they would be showered with kisses. After another cup of tea had been poured and handed to him, Alan’s eyes settled on something towards the centre of the room on the floor. After trying to follow his line of his vision a full three times, Reed was still unsure what exactly he was looking at. The presence of the man brought an uneasy feeling to the room.
    Susan looked to Allison to break the silence which she wasn’t about to do, so she looked to Reed, passing the responsibility to him.
    “As I mentioned on the phone Mrs Westwood, we’re here to liaise with you regarding the murder of Carmella Chapman, just so you...”
    “Did she kill Tina?” Alan cut in with enough volume to interrupt Reed but not enough so anyone could really hear the words.
    “Sorry?” Reed looked to Alan, who stayed focused on the centre of the floor.
    “DID. . . SHE. . . KILL. . . TINA?” Alan asked in a manner as though he were speaking to a foreign infant.
    “We have absolutely no reason to suspect so sir.” Reed replied trying to keep his composure.
    “Then I really don’t see what it’s got to do with us?”
    “Alan!” Susan shrieked, letting him know in one word the