missing priest, and he’s been burned to a crisp. It also appears that the fire started directly on him so there’s not much doubt that whoever set the fire knew he was there. The forensics team is about to arrive, and they’ll be able to do their work as soon as the building is declared safe. I’ve called the Station, and everything is on track. The coroner has been contacted, and the body will be removed to the Royal as soon as forensics get through here.”
“Sounds like you have everything under control,” Wilson said casting a glance at Kate who continued to frown.
“Boss, I really think that you should come and take a look. A burnt church is something, however, a dead priest might be another kettle of fish.”
“So, I can at least finish my lunch,” Wilson raised his eyes to heaven for Kate’s benefit. “There’s no point in being around while forensics are at work.” He made a sign to a waiter that he needed the loan of a pen. “Give me the address,” he jotted the address on a paper napkin. “I’ll be there in about one hour. Don’t let them move the body until I arrive.” He pressed the red button the mobile and lifted up his fork again.
“A burnt church with a dead priest inside,” he said forking some linguini into his mouth.
“Is this our future?” Kate asked pointedly not picking up her knife and fork.
“I’m the head of the Belfast Murder Squad,” he said munching his linguini. “When people get murdered in Belfast, they normally expect that I might have some interest in the event.”
“I mean will our relationship be a hostage to your job?”
“Possibly. Alternatively, maybe we might end up being a hostage to your job. So far, it’s been the late-night strategy meetings, the evenings in the study preparing the briefs, etcetera, etcetera. “
Kate picked up her knife and fork and began to eat her lunch. ‘At least I get off on the weekend,” she said with a smile.
“I’m pissed off too,” Wilson said sipping some wine. “This was turning out to be one of my most pleasurable Sundays ever. Now I’ve got to go to this burnt-out church and see the body of some poor sod who’s been incinerated. Let’s enjoy what’s left of lunch. I’ll make the visit to the church snappy, and maybe we’ll have time to cuddle up with a film this evening. The burning of the church looks to have been arson so for the priest it’ll be either murder or manslaughter. Either way I’m going to be pulling a lot of extra hours until we have someone in custody.”
“No more shop talk,” Kate said. “Let’s look at the desert menu and I’ll make sure there’s a movie downloaded by the time you get home.”
CHAPTER 5
It was twelve o’clock when he awoke. He had never slept for so long or so deeply. Not for as long as he could remember anyway. His memories of his life before the ‘event’ were hazy. He scratched at the lice in his matted hair. He thought that he was better at school, but he didn’t have any of his yearly results, so he couldn’t confirm that. He had definitely been more sociable although now he had no friends, and he could remember no one from his schooldays who could confirm that before the ‘event’ he had been popular. There was a possibility that he took part more in sports, but since he wasn’t very athletic, he could be mistaken in that regard. A normal person would have been able to check the facts of his childhood with his parents and siblings, but he had long since broken off all contact with his parents and he had no siblings. And things had been jumbled up in his head for a long time now. He turned slightly on the sleeping bag stretching his limbs as he did so. One thing was sure. He was not normal. A normal person doesn’t murder a priest and set him and his church on fire. The events of the previous evening played across his mind, and he watched them again in his mind as he would a movie. His mouth was dry, and he swallowed. He had
The Marquess Takes a Fall