Stop Dead (DI Geraldine Steel)

so eager to leave now that he was free to go. ‘I mean, who the guy was and what happened to him?’
    ‘We already know the victim’s identity, and you can rest assured we’ll find out soon enough who was responsible for his death.’
    Gideon nodded, clearly impressed.
    ‘So who is he then – I suppose I should say who was he?’
    Geraldine politely refused to tell him anything else.
    ‘I suppose I’ll see it on the news, or in the papers.’
    ‘Yes, Mr Grey,’ she agreed, hiding her disquiet, ‘I suppose you will.’

     
    Having delivered his statement, the witness was already recovering from his initial shock and was bound to relate his experience to everyone with whom he came into contact. Word would soon spread. Apart from Gideon Grey who had stumbled on the body, the station guards all knew about it, which meant that the network of staff across the whole underground were probably aware of it by now. It didn’t take huge powers of deduction to link the murders of two men who had been business partners, and once the press sniffed out a connection between Henshaw and Corless there would be a frenzy of media interest and a torrent of reports, many of them embellished. She could imagine the headlines: Serial Killer Targets Restaurant Owners . Geraldine hoped they would come up with a result before the press went to town on it.

CHAPTER 29
     
    G eraldine treated herself to a leisurely breakfast on Sunday mornings whenever she could. This Sunday she struggled to eat anything, her thoughts dominated by the prospect of telling George Corless’s family what had happened to him. She had to ring the bell several times at his flat before Desiree came to the door. It was past midday but she looked as though she had just woken up. Her skin was surprisingly perfect, and without thick make up and false lashes her eyes were softly beautiful.
    ‘Where the hell have you – oh,’ she broke off and raised her eyebrows, pulling her silk dressing gown more tightly around her substantial frame. ‘What do you want? George isn’t here. And before you ask, I don’t know where he is. He had nothing to do with that murder you’re investigating so why don’t you leave him alone? He was with me, all the time –’
    ‘Desiree, I’m afraid I have to tell you there’s been another murder.’
    ‘Another murder? Well, it’s got nothing to do with George so you can just –’
    Desiree stopped abruptly, her eyes anxiously searching Geraldine’s face.
    ‘Why are you here? Where’s George?’

     
    Desiree’s emotional outburst degenerated so rapidly into hysteria that Geraldine feared for the girl’s mental stability as she howled without restraint, bending over forwards to clutch her stomach. She allowed Geraldine to close the front door and steer her back into the apartment.
    ‘Let’s sit down,’ Geraldine urged, manoeuvring the weeping girl into the living room.
    When Desiree finally calmed down enough to listen, Geraldine explained something of the circumstances of George’s death but she was circumspect, wary of setting the girl off again. Desiree was clearly shaken to hear that he had been murdered.
    ‘What? Like Patrick, you mean?’ she asked, her voice punctuated by hiccups.
    ‘Did you know Patrick Henshaw?’
    ‘No. That is, I’d met him a few times, when I was with – with George, but I never really spoke to Patrick much myself. I just sat there while they talked, you know.’
    ‘What did they talk about?’
    Desiree shook her head.
    ‘I don’t know. They were always talking about the restaurant. I wasn’t even listening most of the time. Menus, complaining about the chef, and the staff, problems with the plumbing, that sort of thing. And they talked a lot about money, but I didn’t understand any of it.’

     
    Geraldine thought about the balding paunchy man she had met and wondered what had inspired such devotion from the attractive young woman in front of her.
    ‘Tell me about George,’ she said gently.
    Desiree sniffed.
    ‘We never meant it to happen, him and me, but sometimes you can’t help these things, can you? He said it was love at first sight for him.’
    ‘And for you?’

     
    Desiree shrugged.
    ‘I was in a bad place, I’d just come out of a bad relationship.’
    She sighed.
    ‘You know how it is. I’d been a complete idiot. Oh, he was drop-dead gorgeous and I fell for him, didn’t I, only turns out he was a rat, stringing me along, me and I don’t know how many