Blood On the Wall Read Free

an influence on Ian Parks’s growing up. Georgiou found it hard to understand why on earth Councillor Maitland was such a strong supporter of the Parks family.
    All the muggings had taken place at around half past six, when it was still broad daylight. So Georgiou had set up a watch on the Parkses’ house from an unmarked car from 6.15 p.m., and assigned two of his DCs, Richard Little and Kirsty Taggart, to keep the house under observation from a discreet distance.
    For the first three days nothing out of the ordinary happened. Ian Parks and his sisters had come out of the house and gone to the local shop, and then come back again. Little and Taggart had taken turns to follow him.
    On the fourth day, Little phoned, claiming he had flu. Georgiou suspected it was just a bad cold: Little was a prissy soul and a bit of a hypochondriac. He had been going to put another of his detectives on the case, but in the end decided he’d do the shift with Taggart himself. He had little else to do with his life except work, ever since Susannah had died.
    At 6.40 that evening Ian Parks came out of his house and headed in the direction of the local shopping precinct. Georgiou followed on foot, with Taggart following in the car. As Parks neared the precinct, he suddenly made for an old lady who was coming back from the shops. He grabbed the handbag she was carrying and pulled at it, throwing the old lady off her balance. The woman hung on to the strap of her bag, but Parks tugged harder at it and pulled her over. Georgiou was already breaking into a run.
    Parks heard the sound of running footsteps, turned and saw Georgiou heading for him, and immediately let go of the woman’s bag and ran for it. Taggart appeared in the car, the driver’s window rolled down, and Georgiou pointed at the fallen woman and shouted ‘Look after her!’ as he ran off in pursuit of Parks.
    Parks may have been younger than Georgiou, but his lifestyle meant he wasn’t as fit, and Georgiou was soon catching up with him. Parks suddenly stopped and whirled round, pulling a screwdriver out of his pocket as he did so, and holding it menacingly towards Georgiou.
    ‘Back off!’ yelled Parks. He looked panicky.
    Georgiou took a step forward, and Parks thrust at him with the screwdriver. Georgiou swayed aside from it and caught Parks’s wrist, twisted it, and then punched Parks hard in the face with his other fist.
    Parks staggered, and then Georgiou twisted his arm, forcing him down onto his knees, his face close to the pavement. Blood dripped from Parks’s nose and he dropped the screwdriver.
    ‘I am arresting you for assault with intent to commit a theft,’ said Georgiou. ‘You have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say will be taken down and may be used in evidence.’
    With that Georgiou jerked Parks back to his feet, and then handcuffed him.
    ‘I didn’t do nuffin’!’ protested Parks.
    ‘In that case you’ve got nothing to worry about,’ grunted Georgiou. He used his handkerchief to pick the screwdriver up from the ground, put it in his pocket, and then hauled Parks in the direction of the car.
    Within minutes word of the arrest had spread around the estate, and within an hour Parks’s father had put in an appearance at the police station, demanding to see his son. Georgiou had dealt with Mr Parks himself, and had found him to be a loud-mouthed, blustering bully who had tried to shout Georgiou into releasing Ian Parks. Georgiou refused, advising Mr Parks that Ian Parks was under arrest.
    Two hours later Mr Parks returned, this time accompanied by Councillor John Maitland, who demanded to know what was going on. Georgiou told Maitland that acase was under investigation and a report would be issued in due time.
    An hour later, as Georgiou was signing off and about to go home, a solicitor appeared who said he had been ordered to act for Ian Parks and demanded that he see his client. Georgiou assumed that the solicitor had been brought in by