DARK CRIMES a gripping detective thriller full of suspense Read Online Free PDF Page A

Jones. She might know.’
    She pulled her jacket closer in. Her hands were trembling.
    ‘This is just awful. I can’t believe it’s happening.’ Tears welled up in her eyes.
    ‘Is there anyone else, Mrs Burrows? Who else might know?’ Sophie asked.
    ‘I’ve heard that she’s been seeing one of our junior chefs, Vilis Berzins. He’s from Latvia.’
    ‘I’d like to see them both please, once we’ve finished.’
    Jenny Burrows looked ashen. ‘Maria’s in, but Vilis didn’t turn up for the lunchtime session. Chef phoned through with the news just before you arrived.’
    ‘Can you get his address, please, and give it to DC Melsom here? Meanwhile I’ll see Maria. Is there another office I can use?’
    ‘He doesn’t have a separate address, Chief Inspector. He stays in our staff accommodation, and he doesn’t seem to be there. No one’s seen him since breakfast.’
    Sophie thought quickly.
    ‘I need that office, if you could find one quickly. Then, please, find Maria and send her along. Can you then get me a list of everyone on the kitchen staff? Find the person who was closest to this Vilis Berzins and send him along too. When did he finish work yesterday?’
    ‘He was on the evening shift, so he would have been here until about ten thirty.’
    ‘Sorry if my manner appears a bit sharp,’ Sophie replied. ‘You’ve been very helpful so far. Could you do one more thing, and secure the door of Berzins’ room, please?’
    She looked at Melsom. ‘Jimmy, could you go along with Mrs Burrows? Get a couple of uniformed guys up here. I want all the staff to remain on site until we’ve spoken to them, and I don’t want anyone to go into his room. If necessary, stay there until someone else arrives. Then get a description of Berzins from the chef and confirm his shift time yesterday, and when he left. Phone the description across to the station, and ask them to keep a lookout for him. Get them to put it out to the other stations and the port authorities in Poole. Okay?’
    She was shown into a small room just along the corridor. She phoned Marsh, asking him to come up to the hotel as soon as he’d finished interviewing Donna’s neighbours.
    * * *
    Maria was shaking with sobs when she arrived to see Sophie, who poured her a cup of tea to help calm her down. She was younger than Donna, about eighteen. She was short and a little stout, with straight black hair held back in a ponytail. She wasn’t heavily made-up, but her tears had made her mascara run.
    ‘Maria, we need your help. Mrs Burrows tells me that Donna’s mother lives locally, but doesn’t know where. Do you?’
    ‘I think she lives in Corfe. I don’t know exactly where, but I got the idea it was on the west side of the village. It’s an old cottage, I think.’
    ‘Have you ever met her mother?’
    Maria shook her head.
    Does she have the same name as Donna? Goodenough?’
    Maria nodded. ‘I think so.’
    ‘What about Vilis, Maria? How long has Donna been seeing him?’
    ‘About two months, I think. But it can’t be him. He’s so sweet. Honestly, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. She really liked him. She was only saying a couple of days ago that they could have a future together.’
    ‘I’ll bear that in mind, Maria. Tell me something else, if you can. When she started here, did she have some bruises on her face and arms?’
    ‘I don’t know about her arms, she always had them covered. But she said that she’d fallen off a bike and got bashed on her face. It wasn’t obvious. She used special make-up to cover the marks, otherwise she wouldn’t have got the job here. Mrs Burrows is very particular about the way we look. I only saw them because we were going out one evening and I called at her flat. I was early, and she hadn’t finished her make-up.’
    She blew her nose.
    ‘Did she ever mention it again?’
    ‘No. I kind of got the feeling that she was a bit annoyed at me for mentioning the marks. So I never asked again. She was nice and