Nameless Kill Read Online Free PDF Page A

still warm from the boiling first day of May. “It’s…‌it’s a murder.” The tone of his voice was still light. A little too light. “A girl down at‌—‌at Avenham Park. Found her with her wrists tied down by the stream, broken ties around her ankles. And…‌and she’s got this weird mask-hood thing on. Wool. Antlers. A pink‌—‌”
    “Will it affect our holiday in any way?”
    Hannah’s words were sharp. She wasn’t tapping on her iPad screen anymore. She was looking at Brian with those stern eyes that he could never, ever hold eye contact with. Not so bloody good for a police officer, that was for sure.
    Brian cleared his throat. Looked back down at the table. “No. It…‌I’m confident we can wrap it up within a week to be honest. Such a public place for it to happen. I’d be surprised if the police don’t already have some info waiting for me tomorrow. So many potential witnesses. So much potential evidence on the clothing she was dressed in. And failing that, a missing person report has to show up a girl of her age‌—‌”
    “As long as it doesn’t interfere with the holiday, then you do what you have to do.” She smiled. Fluttered her eyelashes together. Then, she turned back to her iPad and tapped at the screen.
    Brian smiled. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, his cheeks and head cooling down. Perhaps this would be alright after all. He’d do what he could on the case this week, then when it was time to go away, he’d just hand it over to Brad.
    “Just make sure it’s done with before we go,” Hannah said, as Brian started to raise to his feet, the taste of cheap, tacky lasagne growing slightly more appealing.
    Brian pierced the film lid of the lasagne packet with a sharp knife. It echoed loudly. “I’ll do my best,” he said.
    “Good,” Hannah said, as Brian opened the microwave and placed the lasagne inside. “Because I know what you’re like when you’re obsessed with something, and I am not spending a week in Malaga with Dead Eye Bri.”
    Brian smirked. Probably shouldn’t have seeing as it was a bit of an insult, but it made him laugh. Dead Eye Bri was what Hannah called him when he was obsessing about something. She said his eyes went glassy, like his mind was anywhere other than in the room with her. He looked at her. Looked at her soft skin, her shiny hair, her big, beautiful eyes, and he wanted her so bad. “Let’s see how dead-eyed I am when I’m…”
    He stopped speaking. Not by choice, but because of the tightness in his chest. He clasped a hand to his chest. Coughed. Felt tingling all the way down his arms. The kitchen around him blurred. He heard sharp, rustling noises in his ears, smelled something sweet, tasted metal.
    “Bri? You okay?”
    And then it was over. Just like that, it was over. He was back in the room. The tightness had gone. His heart was pounding strongly, but he was okay. Hannah was looking at him, frowning with concern. He felt a cold bead of sweat dribbling down his head.
    “Yeah,” he said, smiling. He took a deep breath and yawned, struggling to make a fist with his shaky hand. “I just…‌just a long day. Think I’ll take a lie down for an hour. If that’s okay.”
    Hannah looked at him for a few seconds with those big, concerned eyes. Then, she half-smiled and nodded. “I’ll be up there in an hour or two. Better be awake.”
    Brian forced a laugh. He turned to the kitchen door and walked out.
    He held his smile as he got to the bottom of the stairs, as he climbed up the stairs, and as he entered the bathroom and locked the door.
    Then, as he turned on the cold tap in the bathroom, he had to take a few shaky breaths to calm himself down, and rubbed at his chest.
    He’d be okay. It was just a bit of tightness. Just a long, long day.
    He splashed his face with the cold water that had built up in the white marble sink.
    As he did, he couldn’t get the image of that wool, sheep-like mask wrapped over the dead