The Affinity Bridge Read Online Free PDF Page B

smaller antiquities from Egypt, Greece and Rome. A small stove had been fitted in the far corner, and a series of bookcases were overflowing with ageing, dusty tomes.
    Newbury had just finished arranging his hat on the hatstand when Veronica, who had already gone through to the side room where their desks were located, reappeared in the doorway brandishing an envelope.
    “It’s got the Royal seal on it. Someone must have delivered it whilst we were out.” She handed it to Newbury. He opened it immediately, dropping the envelope to the floor.
    “It’s from the Queen.” He unfolded the letter and began to read.
 
To our faithful servant,
It is requested you abandon all current activity and proceed immediately to Finsbury Park. An airship has crashed this morning in suspicious circumstances and one suspects foul play. Early reports suggest no survivors.
 
Full report expected in due course.
 
This is a matter of grave importance to the Crown.
 
Victoria R.
 
    Newbury folded the note in half and slipped it into his jacket pocket. Veronica eyed him quizzically. He reached for his hat.
    “We’re off the murder investigation. At least temporarily.” Veronica looked somewhat disappointed by the news. Newbury continued. “There’s been an airship crash in Finsbury Park. I’m afraid we’re going out again.” He pushed his arm into the sleeve of his long, black overcoat and headed for the door. “Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    From over two hundred yards away it was clear that the airship crash was a disaster of phenomenal proportions. Black smoke spiralled through the sky in a dark, liquid trail, a smudge across the landscape, clearly denoting the point of impact and consequent explosion. The heavy fog was starting to lift now, but the scene it uncovered had Newbury wishing it had stayed put.
    The wreckage was scattered across a wide area of parkland, isolated flames still licking in little, glowing puddles, where firemen had yet to extinguish the smaller pieces of debris that had come to rest in the area surrounding the main carcass of the downed ship. Hose carts circled the wreckage, whilst onlookers milled around a police cordon that had been established around the entire perimeter of the park. A tree was on fire on the far side of the site, and firemen were currently engaged in trying to bring it under control before the flames spread to the neighbouring evergreens.
    The airship itself was now nothing but a burnt husk, its shattered substructure an exposed skeleton, stark against the surrounding parkland. It reminded Veronica of a beached whale she had once seen as a child, half-rotted in the sea air, its enormous ribcage exposed to the elements.
    Newbury clambered down from the cab, choking on the thick smoke that lay heavy in the air all around them. The stench of the burnt vessel was almost unbearable. He turned to help Veronica down beside him, offering her a handkerchief to cover her face. She took it gratefully.
    “What in God’s name happened here?” Her voice was muffled from behind the small piece of linen that she held over her mouth and nose. Her eyes watered, stinging with the smoke.
    “Airships such as this one get their lift from gasbags filled with hydrogen. The gas is highly flammable, and in a major impact such as this….” He shook his head. “Well, you can see the results for yourself. I’ve read about a handful of similar incidents. The most recent was in Bulgaria, I believe, where a pilot missed his berthing tether and instead lowered the ship onto the ground spike, ripping the gasbags open and engulfing the entire vessel in flame.”
    Veronica looked grave. “But all those passengers…” She was staring out over the chaotic scene before them, unsure what to make of it all. She drew her coat around herself, an unconscious gesture that belied her horror at the sight of the wreckage and the carnage it represented.
    Newbury was lost for