A Joyride to Murder, The Steal and short stories
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The Steal
Foreword
Detective Inspector Wragg of New Scotland Yard – just transferred up from the county of Kent had been thrown into the thick of things that seemed to be happening in London. His po-face and wry sense of humour were his greatest assets. No-one knew what he was thinking. His task was to try and solve a series of bizarre murders by someone pretending to be unhinged. He knew why the murders were being done, but by who, that was the question he needed to answer. To add to the Inspector’s problems there were other forces plotting underhand machinations.
Chapter One - A Real Steal
It was a dark dreary day. The rain came down in stair rods, it was a typically summer’s day in June by all accounts. Inspector Wragg had been summoned with his posse of policemen to the Penthouse of one of the capital’s tallest buildings. The rooms were untouched by whoever the intruder was, excepting the red paint daubing the words “THIEF” on all four walls and the body of a man stretched out on his desk with hands and feet nailed to the surface. There was an agonised look of disbelief on his face as the blood had trickled slowly from his body. Inspector Wragg stood with both hands on hips looking at the scene, and said, ‘Can someone stop that blood dripping, it will ruin the carpet!’
The two constables grinned at one another. Blood had spread over much of the carpet. If anything it was ready to be thrown away.
A constable placed a sheet round the ankle to stop it dripping. The sheet soon became sodden.
‘Looks like we have a killer with a wry sense of humour.’ said the Inspector.
‘Must be a bible basher. What do think sir?’
‘No. I don’t think so. I think it’s a lot more serious than somebody with a whim for fanciful killings. When the pathologist has been and the body taken away, we can search the premises and see if we can find some sort of motive.’ Inspector Wragg looked at his watch, his nose twitching like a water diviner as his impatience grew. ‘Where is he for heavens sake? He was in the car behind mine.’ Constable Dotrice informed the Inspector that the pathologist was on his way, but was walking up the stairs as at one time he had had a nasty experience in a lift. ‘Damn the man!’ said the Inspector looking at his watch again, ‘it will soon be tea time.’
Simon Crook the pathologist came into the room and bent over in pain, breathing very heavily.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ said the Inspector
‘It’s a bloody long way up!’
‘Of course it is, it’s the Penthouse, you should have used the lift.’
Simon grunted, ‘Where’s the body then?’
‘On the desk!’
‘Oh bloody hell, all that blood.’
Simon got out his handkerchief and placed it round his mouth.
‘Where’s the bathroom?’
The Inspector pointed – ‘I think it’s that way.’
Simon Crook burst through the bathroom door and in the background they could hear him retching for a couple of minutes. Inspector Wragg looked at his watch again. Simon came out of the toilet looking quite pale.
‘I think you’re in the wrong job Mr Crook if blood upsets you that much, you’re bound to come across someone all messed up like this poor sod!’
Simon grunted again and bent over the body – after making an inspection, he said that the body could be moved.
Inspector Wragg asked the policeman who was also a carpenter to come in and extract the nails.
Simon Crook packed his bag and holding his handkerchief up to his mouth, walked out of the penthouse and started for the stairs.
The Inspector yelled out ‘Use the lift! The body will show signs of rigor mortis by the time you get to the ground floor.’
Reluctantly Simon entered lift number two as there was not much room in the other lift with the body and two medics and the stretcher which had to be practicably set at an angle, almost standing up straight. The victim’s feet kept falling out of the blood sodden sheet. Someone had forgotten to bring the black bag to place the body in. Inspector Wragg was a bit annoyed by the whole charade. Fred Karno’s army shouldn’t be too worried after the shambles that had ensued this last hour and a half.
A Joy Ride to Murder - An atmospheric thriller:
Eric Todd is a victim under the threat of an unseen killer, although he is not the one that the killer wants to murder.
