The Sad Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

screwed them into the floor and then coated them in sealan—’
    ‘What, hang on. He must have set this up a long time before he killed her. How long would that sealant take to dry?’
    ‘Not sure, at least a couple of hours. Maybe a lot longer.’
    ‘So the killer knew her, prepared for her specifically – knew how tall she was and her body shape. He had the fibreglass made to her dimensions – this was planned at least days in advance and possibly longer.’
    ‘Probably.’
    ‘Thanks. Good work.’
    Tom strides away from the SOCO leader and finds Patterson.
    ‘It’s likely the killer knew her. We need a name so we can check to see if she’d reported anything – a stalker, being followed, anything like that. Also to see if she had disgruntled boyfriends, or had separated from someone recently.’
    ‘Sorry, no name yet.’
    ‘Push harder. Get photos out there, every force here and in Europe. If nothing comes in the next two hours I want her picture released to the press.’
    ‘Guv, you can’t.’
    ‘I can and will.’
    Tom walks away. He is almost back at the body before he realises Patterson called him Guv. It makes him want to cry – he is so happy.
    ‘Get a grip, Sad Boy,’ Danni whispers.
    A SOCO photographer is capturing images of the lark’s knot from every angle. With the body gone to the morgue, Tom can see the intricacy of the work, the beauty of the interlacing strands. He forgets for a moment it is blood – it is so artistic.
    ‘Excuse me.’ The photographer breaks the moment and Tom is back in the land of the living. He steps away and lets the team do their jobs. He watches them and lets his mind float – time seems to slow around him. Did the killer break into the gallery and prepare the scene – or was she held while he carved the floor? If so, where did he put her while he did this? What triggered this? Was it a need to kill, or was it a desire to kill her specifically? If so, how did he select her, or was she chosen because of this place, this gallery? A showplace for his craft?
    Just then he hears a raised voice at the doorway. Someone demanding to know what is going on – the owner of the gallery has arrived. Tom walks over to the door to the street and dips under the curtain the SOCO team have put up. Outside the air is chill. Tom picks out the gallery owner immediately: Valerie Brindley-Black. She is tall, in her mid-fifties, elegant and beautiful. Tom doesn’t need to show her the picture – he knows the dead girl is her daughter. A tear slips from his eye as he walks to her.
    ‘I am in charge here. Detective Inspector Tom Bevans.’
    She stretches out her hand to him – efficient and businesslike. He takes it and covers it with his other hand. He holds on tight for a bumpy ride.
    He still holds her hand. It is an hour since he first took it and he has not let go. He held it while he asked if she had a daughter. He held it while he explained a murder had been committed in her gallery andhe held it while she began to panic about Charlie, who had been meeting a client there yesterday morning. He held her hand while she described Charlie and he held it while they walked to the police car. He let go just for a moment, and she almost fell. They both climbed into the car and she grabbed it once more – needing the contact, needing the calm this man generated as her heart rate spiked and …
    …they walk into the morgue. Holding hands like young lovers. He feels the vibration in her body – she fizzes with nervous energy. Fear. As they are led into the room, the room with a body covered by a sheet, he feels the nails of her hand bite. Hard and deep. The sheet is gripped and … he feels something in his chest shift. A vibration – a song. Dani sings to him. The sheet pulls away and …
    … time folds as she folds, he slips his arm around her, she twists and he takes the weight – a tango of love and loss as he catches her and pulls her to him. She moans, low and guttural. It