Strangers: The unforgettable crime thriller from the #1 bestseller. Paul Finch

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ reflection, Lucy wasn’t sure which theory was more unlikely, the Amazon Queen or the tag-team from Hell. Whatever, in this particular case it was certain the two victims had fallen foul of the same person, or persons, known as Jill the Ripper. According to the TV, the causes of death had now been determined by medical examiners. Both men had been brutally beaten with a blunt instrument, probably a hammer, and then mutilated with a knife, subsequently dying from blood loss.

      She pondered this as she sipped her tea and nibbled her toast.

      It was noticeable and understandable that the taskforce was still withholding the detail of the severed genitals, but adding that there were unspecified mutilations was more information than had been given out previously. The probability was that they were seeking to ram it home to the public just how sickening these crimes were and thus make it more likely that someone, if they knew anything, would talk.

      The choice of victims was a bit of a right-turn, though. Two lads dumping waste.

      Lucy knew from her own experience, which admittedly wasn’t extensive in this field – though she had worked on the periphery of murder investigations before – that repeat sex-killers didn’t always stick religiously to their MO. Inevitably, some targets had to be targets of convenience. This ‘double-event’, as reporters were now referring to it, was also responsible for a new tone of sobriety in terms of the coverage. Beforehand, while the press hadn’t exactly demonstrated an air of frivolousness with regard to these crimes, there’d been the usual morbid fascination but minus any attached horror and dismay – as if kerb-crawlers were asking for trouble anyway and maybe, just maybe, were getting what they deserved. Now the attitude was markedly different

      For her own part, Lucy always tried to avoid making any such rushed judgement.

      From what she’d seen, men who used prostitutes didn’t always have sinister motives. Often, they were lonely or had problematic sex lives at home, or they simply didn’t wish to offend their wives or girlfriends by asking for fetishistic things. Certainly there were oddballs and weirdos out there – they existed too, but it didn’t sound as if Crumper and Hall were especially wholesome characters either. They’d been in the act of committing an offence when they were attacked, but of course had no record for being sexual predators, so the press at least was prepared to cut them some slack.

      ‘What’s the latest?’ Cora asked, sitting in the armchair, also sipping tea.

      ‘I think it’s all about to move up a gear,’ Lucy replied.

      ‘You anywhere near catching her?’

      ‘Not as far as I’m aware, though this could change everything. New crime scene, new evidence. We’ll have to wait and see what the forensic teams make of it.’

      ‘At least she’s only killing men,’ Cora said.

      Lucy glanced round at her. ‘Personally, I’d rather she wasn’t killing anyone.’

      ‘So do I, but, well …’ Cora shrugged and sipped again. ‘I know lots of women who’ve had a rough time over the years thanks to the fellas in their lives.’

      If Lucy had been surprised by the previous comment from her normally mild-mannered mum, she was even more surprised by this. Cora’s friends, whom she sometimes went out for a couple of drinks with at the Labour Club, all seemed pretty normal: mostly married and with grown-up kids, the majority of them hard-workers and gentle souls.

      ‘But all this dirty business, you know …’ Cora shook her head, a pink dot on either cheek. ‘Girls going out at weekends, making a show of themselves. You’ve seen them in the town centre. Practically nothing on. And they’re not even prostitutes. Blokes sniffing round them like dogs at the butcher’s dustbin …’

      ‘Mum, for God’s sake!’ Lucy exclaimed.

      ‘Well, what do you expect to happen, Lucy? You’re not telling me that won’t lead to trouble. But maybe now that it’s trouble for the men things will change.’

      ‘It’s not all men, Mum.’

      ‘No, of course it’s not all men. But look at the problems only a handful have created.’

      Not for the first time, Lucy found herself wondering about the father she’d never met.

      Dan the Bus Driver.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEBLAEsAAD/4ggkSUNDX1BST0ZJTEUAAQEAAAgUQURCRQJAAABtbnRyUkdC IFhZWiAH1wADAAIACgAHAClhY3NwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAA9tYAAQAA AADTLWJJQ0OcbTSlraRF9hRtmLBRDBJtAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAlj cHJ0AAAGxAAAAMlkZXNjAAAHkAAAAIN3dHB0AAAA8AAAABRyVFJDAAABBAAABYRnVFJDAAABBAAA BYRiVFJDAAABBAAABYRyWFlaAAAGiAAAABRnWFlaAAAGnAAAABRiWFlaAAAGsAAAABRYWVogAAAA AAAA9tYAAQAAAADTLWN1cnYAAAAAAAACvAAAAAoAFQAfACoANAA+AEkAUwBdAGgAcgB9AIcAkQCc AKYAsAC7AMUA0ADaAOQA7wD5AQMBDgEYASMBLQE3AUIBTAFXAWEBawF2AYABigGVAZ8BqgG0Ab4B yQHTAd0B6AHyAf0CBwIRAhwCJgIwAjsCRQJQAloCZQJwAnsChgKRApwCqAKzAr8CywLXAuMC7wL8 AwgDFQMiAy8DPANJA1YDZANyA38DjQObA6oDuAPGA9UD5APzBAIEEQQhBDAEQARQBGAEcASABJEE oQSyBMME1ATlBPcFCAUaBSwFPgVQBWMFdQWIBZsFrgXBBdUF6AX8BhAGJAY4Bk0GYQZ2BosGoAa1 BssG4Ab2BwwHIwc5B08HZgd9B5QHrAfDB9sH8wgLCCMIOwhUCG0IhgifCLgI0gjsCQYJIAk6CVUJ bwmKCaUJwQncCfgKFAowCk0KaQqGCqMKwAreCvsLGQs3C1ULdAuSC7EL0AvwDA8MLwxPDG8Mjwyw DNEM8g0TDTUNVg14DZoNvQ3fDgIOJQ5JDmwOkA60DtgO/Q8hD0YPaw+RD7YP3BACECgQTxB2EJ0Q xBDsERMROxFkEYwRtRHeEgcSMRJaEoQSrhLZEwQTLxNaE4UTsRPdFAkUNhRjFJAUvRTqFRgVRhV0 FaMV0hYBFjAWYBaQFsAW8BchF1IXgxe1F+YYGRhLGH0YsBjjGRcZShl+GbMZ5xocGlEahhq8GvIb KBtfG5UbzBwEHDsccxyrHOQdHR1WHY8dyR4DHj0edx6yHu0fKR9kH6Af3SAZIFYgkyDRIQ8hTSGL IcoiCSJIIogiyCMII0kjiSPLJAwkTiSQJNIlFSVYJZsl3yYjJmcmrCbxJzYnfCfCKAgoTiiVKNwp JClsKbQp/CpFKo4q2CsiK2wrtiwBLEwsmCzjLTAtfC3JLhYuYy6xLv8vTi+dL+wwOzCLMNwxLDF9 Mc4yIDJyMsQzFzNqM700ETRlNLk1DjVjNbg2DjZkNrs3EjdpN8A4GDhxOMk5Ijl8OdY6MDqKOuU7 QDucO/g8VDyxPQ49az3JPic+hj7lP0Q/pEAEQGRAxUEmQYhB6kJMQq9DEkN1Q9lEPUSiRQdFbUXS RjhGn0cGR21H1Ug9SKZJD0l4SeJKTEq2SyFLjEv4TGRM0U09TatOGE6GTvVPZE/TUENQs1EjUZRS BlJ3UupTXFPPVEJUtlUqVZ9WFFaKVv9XdlfsWGRY21lTWctaRFq+WzdbsVwsXKddIl2eXhpel18U X5FgD2COYQxhjGILYotjDGONZA5kkGUSZZVmGGacZyBnpGgpaK9pNGm7akFqyGtQa9hsYWzpbXNt /W6HbxJvnXApcLVxQXHOclxy6nN4dAd0lnUmdbZ2R3bYd2l3/HiOeSF5tXpIet17cnwHfJ19M33K fmF++X+RgCqAw4FcgfaCkYMsg8eEY4UAhZ2GOobYh3eIFYi1iVWJ9YqWizeL2Yx7jR6NwY5ljwmP rpBTkPmRn5JGku2TlZQ9lOaVj5Y5luOXjZg5mOSZkZo9muqbmJxGnPWdpJ5UnwSftaBnoRihy6J9 ozGj5aSZpU6mA6a5p3CoJ6jeqZaqT6sIq8Gse602rfGura9psCaw47Ghsl+zHrPdtJ21XrYetuC3 orhluSi567qwu3S8Obz/vca+jL9UwBzA5MGtwnfDQcQMxNfFo8ZvxzzICcjXyabKdctFzBXM5s23 zonPW9Au0QLR1tKq04DUVdUs1gPW2tey2IvZZNo+2xjb89zO3areh99k4ELhIOH/4t7jvuSf5YDm YudE6CfpCunu6tPruOye7YTua+9T8DvxJPIN8vfz4fTM9bj2pPeR+H75bPpb+0r8Ov0q/hv/Df// WFlaIAAAAAAAAKZ4AABR/gAAAABYWVogAAAAAAAALZQAAJogAAARXVhZWiAAAAAAAAAiyQAAE+IA AMHQdGV4dAAAAABDb3B5cmlnaHQgKEMpIDIwMDcgYnkgQ29sb3IgU29sdXRpb25zLCBBbGwgUmln aHRzIFJlc2VydmVkLiBMaWNlbnNlIGRldGFpbHMgY2FuIGJlIGZvdW5 СКАЧАТЬ