Innocent Blood Read Online Free PDF Page A

My wife’s . . . well, my wife’s very distressed about it. She . . .’
    Margot appeared from the bedroom. Her eyes were pink and swollen and she was clutching Danny’s old brown teddy bear, Mr Rumbles. ‘Frank?’
    â€˜It’s the police. They want to ask me some questions about this morning.’
    Margot nodded. ‘I see.’ She turned to Lieutenant Chessman and said, ‘Do you know who did it yet?’
    Lieutenant Chessman shook his head. ‘Not so far, ma’am.’
    â€˜At least I know who killed my son.’
    â€˜Oh, yes?’ Lieutenant Chessman raised one eyebrow.
    Frank said, ‘Margot, for Christ’s sake.’
    â€˜There he is,’ said Margot, pointing directly at Frank. ‘Danny was dying and his own father left him bleeding in the back seat of his car while he went to take care of a whole lot of people he didn’t even know. His own father. Behold the man.’
    Lieutenant Chessman glanced at Detective Booker and then he looked back at Margot. ‘I have to tell you, Mrs Bell, I’ve been in this game for twenty-seven years and it isn’t always easy in such stressful circumstances to make the most appropriate decision.’
    â€˜Oh, the most appropriate decision. I see. You don’t think that saving the life of your only child is not just an appropriate decision, but a critical one?’
    â€˜Mrs Bell, I really need to talk to your husband alone. I want to go through his recollections, one by one, and I don’t want those recollections distorted by any untoward pressure.’
    â€˜Untoward pressure? Oh, you mean guilt.’
    â€˜Mrs Bell, I have to find the group or individual who killed all of those children, and the longer it takes to gather all of the information I need, the further away that group or individual is going to be.’
    â€˜Yes, of course. Yes. I’m sounding aggrieved, aren’t I?’
    â€˜Mrs Bell, what you’re feeling – it’s perfectly understandable. But I haven’t come here to blame anybody for anything. I’ve come here to collect some more facts, that’s all.’
    â€˜Do you have a child?’ Margot challenged him.
    â€˜Yes, ma’am. Three daughters, as a matter of fact.’
    â€˜And if a bomb went off, would you leave them, even for a minute?’
    â€˜I’m sorry, ma’am, that’s a hypothetical question that I can’t honestly answer.’
    â€˜You wouldn’t leave them for a second, would you, those girls of yours? You certainly wouldn’t let them die.’
    Lieutenant Chessman said nothing, but shrugged and took out his notebook.
    â€˜You wouldn’t let them bleed to death, all alone, would you? Well, would you?’
    â€˜If you don’t mind, ma’am. We’re kind of pushed for time.’
    Frank sat hunched forward on the couch, his arms wrapped around himself as if he were feeling the cold.
    â€˜You saw the van stop outside the school gates?’ Lieutenant Chessman asked him.
    He nodded. ‘I didn’t really take any notice of it. It was just a van.’
    â€˜It had no distinguishing markings at all?’
    â€˜Not that I recall.’
    â€˜Did you notice the driver?’
    â€˜No. It was too far away. Besides, there was no reason to.’
    Lieutenant Chessman made a few quick notes, and then he said, ‘In your opinion, how tight was the security at The Cedars? The gates to the parking lot were always closed at nine A.M ., or so I’m told. What happened if you wanted to enter the parking lot after that time?’
    â€˜You’d have to stop at the security booth and show yourself. Or some ID, if Mr Lomax didn’t know you.’
    â€˜Do you have any first-hand experience of that?’
    â€˜Well, sure, I’ve been late taking Danny to school a couple of times, and Mr Lomax would always take a look into the car to see who it was. And