The Celibate Mouse Read Online Free PDF

politician, “Slimeball” Murphy is Constance Robinson’s son. He used to be a real estate developer.’
    The doctor placed his coffee mug on a trolley nearby, then stepped into a small, empty side-ward and emerged with two chairs which he plonked against the wall. Gratefully, they dropped onto them.
    ‘The women in the family are ‘too posh to push,’ if you get my drift? Especially Lady Ferna. Town’s already in an uproar over the other day. You know, Jack Harlow.’ The lighting in the corridor was just bright enough to reveal goosebumps rising under the pale hairs on her arms.
    Hardgreaves feet and legs ached, but sitting comfortably in a chair felt disrespectful to Edna. More formality seemed to be called for. They’d forgotten their colleague working at the other end of the building.
    Finally, the night buzzer squawked outside A & E. Jason rushed to open the door, unable to stop babbling as he led the police to Edna’s body. The men whom he knew so well metamorphosed into grim-faced strangers. A faint, desperate hope that what he suspected was not so, made him lapse into terrified silence.
    Then Mrs Eams arrived, and it went downhill from there...
    He jerked upright, sweating, and brushed his hand over his stubbled chin. He’d nodded off without realising it. Slowly, he crawled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom.
    It was going to be a long, long, day.
    ***
    The Policeman
    Monday: 5.10am
    Senior Constable John Glenwood leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the blue-overalled, masked figures of the SOCO – Scenes of Crime Officers – moving in and out of the ward where Edna Robinson’s body lay. His mind scudded back to when City Despatch called him and his partner, Constable Loy Ng, off night patrol and directed them to attend an ‘incident’ at the local hospital. He grimaced, remembering how they’d joked about what could have occurred. ‘Fighting cats had knocked over the pot plants at the front door, or maybe an ant crossed the path and set off the security alarm.’
    Their first glimpse of the white-faced, agitated young doctor instantly wiped jokes out of their minds. As he and Loy gazed down at the bluish-grey face of Edna Robinson, he had been loath to consider foul play, but the reality was unthinkable. Perhaps if he went out the door and came in again, she would be alive?
    The next step was to call the Criminal Investigation Branch.
    The other night nurse, alerted by their voices, scurried along the corridor to join them. Cecily Braum put her in the picture, but before she could cause a scene, John bundled both women into the office, told Hardgreaves to keep everyone away from COW and called city station on his mobile.
    Minutes later he had reported to the Duty Detective at CIB, then sent Loy to get a roll of checked tape out of the boot of the car. Having effectively secured the area by taping off the whole section of corridor around the crime scene, he reported to his station OIC, Senior Sergeant Harris. After he’d finished speaking, he posted the young constable back to complete the Saturday night street patrol. His final action was to commandeer a chair and a small side-table, place them beside the door and begin a crime scene log.
    His mind swirled around the events of the last two days. They’d hardly begun the hunt for Jack Harlow’s killer and now this? He didn’t expect CIB would be best pleased. The two victims being related appeared significant, if indeed it proved that Edna had also been murdered, but that was for CIB to determine.
    The youngest nurse approached, tip-toeing as though not to wake a reality she’d rather not confront. ‘A cup of tea, John?’
    ‘Yeah, that’d be good. Thanks Lynette. It’s going to be a long night. CIB and Forensics’ll be here in the morning.’
    But before he could finish his drink, Beatrice Eams arrived, refused to accept the taped-off area as a crime scene and demanded to see Edna. A heated, though muted argument ensued