Killing for Keeps Read Online Free PDF

young DC had her head down as usual, so deep in concentration she was oblivious to the reaction her efforts were having on the rest of a team coming to terms with what was being
shown.
    ‘Let me be clear here,’ the DCI said. ‘No matter what criminal activities Allen instigated in his lifetime, he didn’t deserve to end his days the way he did. My immediate
concern is that his associates may take the law into their own hands, exact some form of retribution on those responsible for his death. Our first priority therefore is to find his brother Terry
before all hell breaks loose.’
    ‘We just did,’ a voice behind her said.
    All eyes were on the door.
    Two uniformed police officers were standing on the threshold, the older a male sergeant most of them had known for years. ‘Excuse the interruption, ma’am.’ He held up an
incident report. ‘But this concerns you.’
    ‘Did you bring Terry in?’ Kate asked.
    She had good reason to jump to this conclusion. As soon as victim ID was confirmed, she’d turned her attention to his relatives, in particular the delivery of a death message, a job easier
said than done for two reasons: the Allens were antagonistic towards the police and their criminal lifestyle meant they moved around a lot. When they couldn’t be found, she’d issued an
action to trace next of kin.
    ‘No,’ the sergeant said. ‘Terry Allen is also in the morgue.’
    ‘What? Are you serious?’
    ‘Deadly, no pun intended.’
    For a moment, no one spoke. Then the silence was broken by rumblings of
Jesus Christ, good riddance
and other harsh words directed at the younger Allen brother. Kate asked for
attention, giving the officer the opportunity to explain his attendance at the RVI, the fact that he’d personally identified Terry, an offender he’d arrested on several occasions, as
the deceased patient who’d been found in a hospital corridor.
    ‘You’re absolutely sure it was him?’ Kate asked.
    The sergeant was nodding. ‘His wallet and driving licence were in his pocket. We made some tentative enquiries, called out the duty pathologist. Apart from injuries we could see for
ourselves – all bar one of his fingers were missing – the doc confirmed he’d been stabbed several times in the back. It’s definitely a murder case, linked to the one
you’re already dealing with, unless you believe in coincidence. I suspect you don’t.’
    Two brothers . . .
    Tortured to death on the same night . . .
    Not for a moment did Kate believe this was a coincidence. Whoever killed the Allen brothers was switched wrong – a malicious sadist. She dreaded what would happen when word got out to
family and associates. Like it or not, as SIO she had no right to withhold cause of death even in cases like this one, where the family had a history of dispensing their own brand of justice. She
felt sure they would close ranks, put the shutters up and use any means at their disposal to track down those responsible. It wasn’t hard to imagine what would happen next. She knew it
wouldn’t be pretty.

7
    A number of competing actions scrolled through Kate’s head. At least two people were involved in John Allen’s death: the drivers of the Mercedes van and the Range
Rover. She needed to catch them both before his family did. Appointing DS Robson as statement reader, she asked DC Maxwell to take care of the CCTV they had appropriated from JMR Refrigeration. As
usual, he had his head up his arse; he was so busy eyeing up MIT’s newest female recruit, Kate suspected he hadn’t heard a word she’d said.
    ‘Neil, did you get that? Or do I have to repeat myself?’
    Maxwell apologized, his face flushing.
    ‘I said there’s a DVD on my desk, footage from the main gate. Get it to Technical Support right away. Tell them I’m specifically interested in the section between four
fifty-five and five past five. See what they can do with it and report back to me as soon as you can. I’m hoping they’ll