Christmas Killing Read Online Free PDF

morning I saw a bit of her costume sticking out of her locker and I opened it and saw her there. It was awful. Proper upset me it did. She was such a nice kid.’ He sat shaking his head for a while.
    ‘Don’t worry. Nobody’s going to bump me off.’ She smiled confidently.
    ‘I hope you’re right.’
    *
    An incident room had been set up at the police station. Already there was a board with pictures of various people, their names written underneath them. Ray Jones was looking at it thoughtfully. His Sergeant crossed the room and stood beside him.
    ‘Who are you thinking might have done it?’ he asked.
    ‘Dunno. Kevin Riley looks a likely suspect. In fact the most likely we’ve seen, so far. We need to see him again. Let’s get him brought in here. I don’t fancy visiting Riley Towers again, not with his mother hanging around.’
    ‘I quite agree. Shall I ask someone to collect him?’
    ‘Leave it for now. I need to think a bit longer. No, get someone to collect him. I’ll see him later.’ He sat down in a chair and pondered. He felt puzzled about the whole business. It seemed so senseless, unless the girl who played the elf had a past that none of them knew about. He thought about her. She did seem more like a child than a twenty-two year old woman. She was very small, hence her job as the elf. She had a rough boyfriend who said he hadn’t seen her that evening but was he trustworthy?
    ‘Sir shall we make a move?’ Ted asked.
    ‘Yes. Let’s get Kevin in and see what he’s got to say for himself. Send the chaps to collect him.’
    ‘Right you are sir.’ He went to call the patrol officers.
    They went into the interview room when Kevin arrived. He was grumpy and very defensive.
    ‘Dunno why I’m in ‘ere. I di’n’t do nuffink. Honest I di’n’t.’
    ‘All right. Can you give me an account of where you were on Wednesday afternoon. From, say three o’clock.’
    ‘I dunno. I ‘spect I was at ’ome. ‘Ave to ‘elp me Ma wiv the little uns. Me little bruver’s got summat wrong wiv ‘im. Needs ‘elp for everyfink. She’s got the babby too. And she expectin’ again.’
    ‘That all sounds very difficult,’ said Ray, somewhat horror struck by the way these people lived. He knew it was a dodgy area but it seemed like everything had landed on them that possibly could. ‘So where was your brother yesterday? I didn’t see him when we called round.’
    ‘’E was in ‘is bed. He sleeps a lot of the time.’
    ‘I see. You only think you were at home helping your Mum. Is that right?’
    ‘’Ow am I s’posed to know where I am every minute of the day?’
    ‘It’s perfectly simple. You must know what you were doing during the afternoon. You sure you weren’t at Foredyce’s Store?’
    ‘Course not. Like I said yesterday, it’s too posh for me.’
    ‘But you could have slipped in and found the grotto and I’m sure Julie would have come with you into the changing room. You could have murdered her and stuffed her in her locker. It would only have taken minutes.’
    ‘I dunno why you’re tryin’ to pin it on me. I ain’t done nuffink. Like I said, nuffink. You’re not gonna put it on me.’
    ‘I’m trying to get to the truth, Kevin. I’m not interested in pinning anything anywhere, except on the guilty party.’
    ‘Thass all right then.’
    ‘Now, I’m going to ask you again. Where were you on Wednesday afternoon?’
    ‘I was out wiv friends.’
    ‘And which friends were they?’
    ‘Joe and Alfie.’
    ‘Bit more please.’
    ‘How d’ya mean?’
    ‘Their surnames. We need to speak to them for confirmation of what you’ve told us.’
    ‘Dunno. Jus’ some blokes wot I know from the pub.’
    ‘Give me strength,’ sighed Ray. ‘Okay. Which pub?’
    ‘Several. Don’ always go to the same boozer.’
    ‘So which one did you go to, to meet your friends?’
    ‘Don’ remember.’
    ‘If you can’t corroborate your story, then we’ll have to arrest you, I’m