The Savage Gorge (2 page)

'Wait in the hall for me. Only be a moment.
'

He followed Harry into his office, closed the door
carefully, gave him his instructions. He described the
strange characters Lisa had alleged had stalked her,
told Harry to collect his car from the park at the back of the building.

'Sounds crazy,
'
Harry agreed, "but I’ll be not far
behind your Audi, You won't see me.
'

'The target never does when you are following him .'

When Paula opened a rear door of the Audi she
expected Lisa to sit on the pavement side. But no,
she dived across and chose the seat overlooking the
street. Paula sat beside her as Tweed took the wheel.
Bexford Street? It was curious that Lisa lived in a
rented house quite close to the stately terraced house
he had purchased just before the property boom.

'It's the next side street,
'
Lisa called out as they passed Tweed's home. They turned, drove down a
narrower deserted side street. "Then,
'
she continued,
'
you turn left and my place is the first on the left
round the corner.'
ghastly shock awaiting him.

Guilty?
The word kept reverberating through
Tweed's head. He was totally unprepared for the ghastly shock awaiting him.

ONE

Police tape was strung across the entrance to the
house on the corner, before Tweed turned into the
next quiet street, the house next to Lisa's round
the corner. He was driving slowly, pulled in next to
the tape. As he alighted, telling his passengers to wait
in the car
_,
Paula glanced at Lisa. She was staring
fixedly at the street on her side.

Tweed crouched down by the body spread out down
the steps. It had been covered with a bedsheet but no
policeman was on guard. Slipping on latex gloves, he
lifted the sheet at the top, sucked in his breath.

Not a pleasant sight. It was the body of a well-
dressed woman in her late thirties or early forties. He
lifted an arm. Rigor mortis had come and gone -
which meant she had been lying there for hours. Probably murdered during the night.

Her slender throat had been slashed open from ear
to ear. Tweed felt real horror seeing what had once
been a handsome face. Past tense. Her forehead
cheeks, nose and chin had been gutted with some
strange instrument; a series of deep squiggles had ren
dered her, he felt sure, unrecognizable. Such brutal butchery he had not experienced before.

I’ve never seen anything as hideous as this
_.
' Paula's
calm voice said over his shoulder,
'
Don’t worry – I’ve
left Lisa in the car
₃
locked all the doors.'

He replaced the sheet over the horrific face, walked
down the steps, continued round the corner to Lisa's
house. No police tape there. But the house beyond
did have more police tape - and another body
sprawled down the steps, also covered with a sheet. No police guard.

Climbing the steps, still wearing the latex gloves, he
lifted the sheet. Like the previous corpse it was a
woman, of a similar age, with fairish hair and was expensively dressed. Her face had been ruined with a
similar weird instrument - or the same one. Deep
squiggles of flesh had been torn open, were coated
with dried blood. Her throat was slashed from ear to ear. Tweed lifted an arm. No rigor mortis. This body
had also lain here for hours.

The door to the house was jerked open, slammed
back. A figure stood in the doorway in a police uni
form. It was a tall overweight officer, his peaked cap on his head above cunning eyes glaring viciously at
Tweed, Chief Inspector Reedbeck.

'Heavens!' whispered Paula. 'Old Roadblock.
'
Her
nickname for the most incompetent police officer
Tweed had ever met.

'What are you doing messing about here?' the offi
cer demanded snidely. 'Commander Buchanan has
placed me in sole charge of this murder investigation.
And already I have the killer locked up in our new Pine Street police station just down the road.
'

'Chief Inspector Roadblock.
'
Tweed started
again: Paula had thumped him in the ribs. 'Chief
Inspector Reedbeck,' he began grimly, 'how long have
the two bodies been lying on their doorsteps? And
surely you're not alone?'

'
Of course not,' Reedbeck snapped. 'I have
Sergeant Peabody and Constable Brown with me.'

'
Then why aren't they here guarding the bodies? And how long have you been here? Why hasn't the
pathologist arrived?
'

'Because -' Reedbeck had folded his arms, his
expression distinctly smug - 'Peabody and Brown are
inside the houses trying to establish the victims' iden
tities. Nothing in their handbags . . .'

'Both men should be outside guarding the bodies.
You could deal with searching the houses.'

'
I don't need any lessons from you, Tweed. And I've
been here two hours, I'm waiting for the pathologist I phoned almost that long ago. Professor Arpfels.
'

'Why not Professor Saafeld? He'd have been here
ages ago and the bodies would be in his mortuary.
'

'Your pet pathologist.
'
Reedbeck sneered.

'Who happens to be the top pathologist in the coun
try. Arpfels is useless. And what is this about your
having a serial killer at Pine Street? What is his name -
and what evidence have you to charge him with this
beastly crime?
'

'Well, even you know that. A murderer often returns
to the scene of his crime. I spotted this joker stopping,
looking at the body here, then going round the corner
and stopping again to stare at the other corpse,
I dashed out and nabbed him.'

'He went under the police tapes and examined the
faces?'

'Well, no he didn't.
'
Reedbeck was losing some of
his arrogant self-confidence. 'He refused to give his
name, refused to say one word to me or at the police
station. I had him searched
_s
but he'd nothing on him to say who he was. Don't you find that significant?'

'Maybe you didn't search him thoroughly.' Tweed
raised his voice. *I think you're disgraceful - leaving
two corpses out in the open without guards. The Yard
could well do without you.'

Tweed returned to his Audi, parked round the
corner. Paula had run ahead of him. Behind him he
heard Reedbeck's barking yell.

I’ll remind you I’m in sole charge of this murder
investigation.'

Paula had unlocked the Audi and Lisa dived out onto
the pavement, started running towards Tweed. She stopped briefly, tucked a card in his top pocket. Her
face was ashen but she managed something of a smile.

'I'm going to lock myself in my house, try and eat
some breakfast. Thank you so much for your help . . .'

As she disappeared round the corner he heard
Reedbeck bellowing. His manner was back to bully
ing.

'You're confined to your house. Miss Clancy. I'll be
round later for a thorough interrogation.'

Tweed sat in his car behind the wheel. He made no
attempt to start the engine. He was reading the
printed card Lisa had given him. Her address was 77
Lynton Avenue, He turned the card over. She had
written on the back:
Will wait here until you or Paula
call me. Lisa.

'And now,' Tweed said to Paula fiercely, 'if you'll
loan me your mobile, I'm going to set in motion a vol
canic eruption.'

Tweed pressed the buttons for Commander
Buchanan's private number at the Yard, was relieved
when Buchanan himself answered. Seated beside him,
Paula clearly heard every word Buchanan used in
reply. He was livid.

I’ll flay that Reedbeck alive. Leaving two bodies
unguarded in the street! It's a scandal. I sent him out
there well over two hours ago, when the woman called
to tell me about the bodies . . . No, she didn't leave a
name. Sounded well spoken, rang off when I asked
her for a name.
'

'Why send a man like Reedbeck?' Tweed broke in.

'Shortage of staff. Only man available. Tweed, I
know I've asked you for too much help over the past year . . .'

Tweed sighed. 'But you want me to involve myself
in the case?'

'I
want you to assume complete charge of the inves
tigation.' Buchanan paused.
'
I have to ask you to take
on Reedbeck as your assistant. Working completely
under your command. That I'll make bloody clear to
him.
'

'
Why?' snapped Tweed,

'He has influence, which is why I was forced to
agree to his working at the Yard. He was an inspector
at a local police station in Hobartshire.
'

'Hobartshire? I've just about heard of it. Where is
it?
'