Read Want You Dead for Free Online Page B
Authors: Peter James
findings.’
‘I appreciate you coming over, Roy. And good to see you again. We should have a beer sometime and catch up.’
‘That sounds like a plan,’ Grace replied. He was feeling relieved. If this had turned out to be a murder investigation, he would have had to cancel his boys’ poker game at home tonight, which would have meant he would have been eating the coq au vin that Cleo had prepared for several days to come.
Thank God, he thought a tad irreverently, she had not decided to give his poker boys roast pork.
But at the same time, something was bothering him.
Before he’d left the scene, Roy Grace had got Dave Green to conduct a cursory search of the body, which had resulted in the recovery of a charred mobile phone, which he’d had sent to the High Tech Crime Unit for analysis.
Deep in thought, Roy headed back to Sussex House, leaving his colleagues at the scene. Something troubled him about the suicide note, but he could not put his finger on what it was exactly.
13
Thursday midday, 24 October
‘Take a card,’ Matt Wainwright said, knowing he needed to keep practising. ‘Any card, any one you like! Don’t let me see it!’ Then with a flick of his hand he fanned the entire deck out, presenting them to Bobby Bhogal, one of his fellow fire officers on the Blue Watch at Worthing Fire Station.
‘Remember it, okay?’
Bhogal nodded.
‘Now put it back!’
Bhogal slipped it back.
Instantly, Wainwright flicked the fanned-out cards back into a neat stack. ‘All right, all right, now tap the top of the deck for me, will you?’
Bhogal tapped the top of the deck.
Moments later a card jumped out of the pack, flipped over a couple of times, and landed on the floor, face down.
‘Wait! Don’t touch it! Tell us all which card you took out, Bobby.’
‘The queen of hearts.’
‘Turn it over!’
He leaned forward and turned the card over. It was the three of clubs.
All ten of the fire officers in the room laughed. ‘Guess you screwed up, Matt!’ Darren Wickens, the Blue Watch Commander, said.
‘Oh yes?’
‘Unless you’re brain dead, Bobby here chose the queen of hearts. That’s the three of clubs. In case you’re blind!’
Another roar of laughter.
‘Tap the deck again, Bobby!’ Matt said.
Bobby Bhogal obliged. Another card jumped out of the pack and flipped over, again landing face down.
‘Turn it over.’
Bobby Bhogal reached down, then held the card up for them all to see. It was the jack of spades.
‘You’re so full of shit, Matt!’ another colleague said.
‘Got any more tricks?’ said another. ‘Do that one you did last week where we all had to remember three of them?’
Wainwright said nothing for some moments, then he turned to Bobby Bhogal. ‘What do you have in your pocket?’
‘Cigarettes.’
‘Anything else?’
Bhogal patted his breast pocket. ‘Yeah, my wallet.’
‘Open it.’
‘Careful!’ someone shouted. ‘Watch the moths fly out!’
There was another roar of laughter.
Bobby Bhogal pulled out his wallet and held it up.
‘Tell us the time, Bobby,’ the magician said.
Bhogal looked at his wrist. ‘Shit! Where’s my fucking watch?’
‘Can you describe it?’
‘It’s a Casio, with a brown leather strap.’
Matt Wainwright held up his wrist. He was wearing a Casio with a brown strap. ‘Might this be it?’
Bobby Bhogal glared at it, hating to be made a fool of.
‘Now, Bobby, look inside your wallet. Tell me what you see?’
Bhogal pulled out a playing card and looked astonished. It was the queen of hearts. ‘Shit!’ he said. ‘Bloody hell! How did you do that, Matt?’
‘If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you!’
Moments later the siren went off. Three lights flashed up on the wall above them. One light signalled one appliance was required – for something small such as a vehicle on fire. Two required both duty crews. Three meant the reserve appliance was also required. That only happened for major incidents. The reserve
‘I appreciate you coming over, Roy. And good to see you again. We should have a beer sometime and catch up.’
‘That sounds like a plan,’ Grace replied. He was feeling relieved. If this had turned out to be a murder investigation, he would have had to cancel his boys’ poker game at home tonight, which would have meant he would have been eating the coq au vin that Cleo had prepared for several days to come.
Thank God, he thought a tad irreverently, she had not decided to give his poker boys roast pork.
But at the same time, something was bothering him.
Before he’d left the scene, Roy Grace had got Dave Green to conduct a cursory search of the body, which had resulted in the recovery of a charred mobile phone, which he’d had sent to the High Tech Crime Unit for analysis.
Deep in thought, Roy headed back to Sussex House, leaving his colleagues at the scene. Something troubled him about the suicide note, but he could not put his finger on what it was exactly.
13
Thursday midday, 24 October
‘Take a card,’ Matt Wainwright said, knowing he needed to keep practising. ‘Any card, any one you like! Don’t let me see it!’ Then with a flick of his hand he fanned the entire deck out, presenting them to Bobby Bhogal, one of his fellow fire officers on the Blue Watch at Worthing Fire Station.
‘Remember it, okay?’
Bhogal nodded.
‘Now put it back!’
Bhogal slipped it back.
Instantly, Wainwright flicked the fanned-out cards back into a neat stack. ‘All right, all right, now tap the top of the deck for me, will you?’
Bhogal tapped the top of the deck.
Moments later a card jumped out of the pack, flipped over a couple of times, and landed on the floor, face down.
‘Wait! Don’t touch it! Tell us all which card you took out, Bobby.’
‘The queen of hearts.’
‘Turn it over!’
He leaned forward and turned the card over. It was the three of clubs.
All ten of the fire officers in the room laughed. ‘Guess you screwed up, Matt!’ Darren Wickens, the Blue Watch Commander, said.
‘Oh yes?’
‘Unless you’re brain dead, Bobby here chose the queen of hearts. That’s the three of clubs. In case you’re blind!’
Another roar of laughter.
‘Tap the deck again, Bobby!’ Matt said.
Bobby Bhogal obliged. Another card jumped out of the pack and flipped over, again landing face down.
‘Turn it over.’
Bobby Bhogal reached down, then held the card up for them all to see. It was the jack of spades.
‘You’re so full of shit, Matt!’ another colleague said.
‘Got any more tricks?’ said another. ‘Do that one you did last week where we all had to remember three of them?’
Wainwright said nothing for some moments, then he turned to Bobby Bhogal. ‘What do you have in your pocket?’
‘Cigarettes.’
‘Anything else?’
Bhogal patted his breast pocket. ‘Yeah, my wallet.’
‘Open it.’
‘Careful!’ someone shouted. ‘Watch the moths fly out!’
There was another roar of laughter.
Bobby Bhogal pulled out his wallet and held it up.
‘Tell us the time, Bobby,’ the magician said.
Bhogal looked at his wrist. ‘Shit! Where’s my fucking watch?’
‘Can you describe it?’
‘It’s a Casio, with a brown leather strap.’
Matt Wainwright held up his wrist. He was wearing a Casio with a brown strap. ‘Might this be it?’
Bobby Bhogal glared at it, hating to be made a fool of.
‘Now, Bobby, look inside your wallet. Tell me what you see?’
Bhogal pulled out a playing card and looked astonished. It was the queen of hearts. ‘Shit!’ he said. ‘Bloody hell! How did you do that, Matt?’
‘If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you!’
Moments later the siren went off. Three lights flashed up on the wall above them. One light signalled one appliance was required – for something small such as a vehicle on fire. Two required both duty crews. Three meant the reserve appliance was also required. That only happened for major incidents. The reserve