Killing Ways. Alex Barclay

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       4

      Hope Coulson’s autopsy revealed that she had been strangled, and it likely happened not long after she had gone missing. She had been raped with something green and ceramic that had broken, and left shards behind, one of which had a partial fingerprint that matched Jonathan Briar’s. Her father identified her body. Jonathan Briar identified the shards as parts of a tall green ceramic sculpture – an engagement gift they had been given – that he had failed to notice was missing from their living room.

      ‘Well, being raped with one of your engagement gifts would be a serious fuck-you if you cheated on your fiancé,’ said Ren. She was sitting at the edge of her desk in the bullpen, where most of the squad was gathered. ‘Yet no one in all the interviews has suggested that Briar was anything other than kind and loving toward her. But, of course, behind closed doors … who knows. However, if he raped her with that in the apartment and it broke, which it clearly did, there should be more blood there. And it’s highly unlikely there would be no evidence of the sculpture. Unless he raped her on something that he took away and destroyed. His car was clean. Nothing was found with her in the landfill. The black plastic used has no connection to any product found in their home, which doesn’t mean much. Then there’s the issue – if we are to believe he was the rapist and it didn’t happen in their home – he would’ve had to have taken her somewhere to carry it out, and he would also have had to carefully package up the sculpture and bring it with them. Would someone do that? I don’t think so.’

      ‘Who gave them the gift?’ said Everett. ‘That could be significant.’

      ‘If that guy’s innocent, I would be amazed,’ said Gary.

      ‘Prepare to be amazed,’ said Ren.

      Gary stared at her. As Gary often did.

      ‘We also have to consider the fact that she was raped with a foreign object,’ said Ren. ‘That’s typically carried out by a man with sexual problems, which, again, there is no evidence of in Briar’s case.’

      ‘That doesn’t mean anything,’ said Gary. ‘He could have had a problem for months not being able to get it up. He’s a young guy, too embarrassed to go to the doctor, she’s too embarrassed to mention it to anyone, thinks it’s her fault … and, maybe, she goes elsewhere to get what she’s not getting at home …’

       He has made up his mind.

      ‘Can you really see a kindergarten teacher having that attitude?’ Ren paused. ‘You should go talk to Briar …’ Open your mind.

      They stared each other down.

      ‘How about we go through the night of her disappearance again?’ said Ren. ‘And how Briar was at work for the entire evening—’

      ‘And out making deliveries,’ said Gary.

      ‘All of which he appeared to have made in a reasonable time frame,’ said Ren. ‘Unless he has a cape somewhere …’

      ‘That entire shift was made up of his dope-smoking, mouth-breather friends,’ said Gary.

      ‘And we have video to back up most of his comings and goings,’ said Ren.

      ‘Most,’ said Gary. ‘And they’re in over-sized jackets and baseball caps, faces not very clear …’

       Grrrrr.

      The meeting broke up, and everyone returned to their desks through the haze of tension. Ren fired up her computer. A rubber band flew through the air and whipped her hair off her face. She looked up. Robbie was standing in the center of the room with a wooden gun. Ren laughed.

      ‘Beautiful shot.’

      ‘Thank you,’ said Robbie, blowing imaginary smoke from the top of the barrel.

      ‘But you do know you are now dead,’ said Ren. ‘There’s a price on your head. Fifty per cent off.’ She slid open her СКАЧАТЬ