Unlikely Graves (Detective Inspector Paul Amos Mystery series) Read Free Page B

who had lived in the town longer than they had but had never heard a family member allude to any such incident.
    Swift summed up the unspoken feeling bluntly: ‘I think we are on completely the wrong track. Whoever he is, he did not live round here.’
    ‘I fear you are right,’ Amos concurred. ‘It was always a long shot but we had to try.
    ‘If this body was put out with the rubbish, there was bound to be a serious risk that it would be discovered. Even a small person of slight build would be much heavier than your average bin bag and the bin men might well have refused to take it or investigated what was in it.
    ‘There was a fair chance that, even if they did pick it up, the bag would break or the two bags would separate. The mechanism inside the back of the refuse lorry for dragging the rubbish forward was likely to puncture the bags and expose the body.
    ‘It would be extremely stupid to dump such a load on your own doorstep. The murderer probably lived at least several streets away and possibly outside the district altogether. He could have driven with the body in the boot with the intention of dropping it into the river, then seen the rubbish bags put out for the next day and taken the chance to hide his load in full view.’
    No-one present disagreed. Finally, Amos declared: ‘Let’s get back to base.’

 
     
    Chapter 6
     
    If the door to door inquiries down East Street had been an expected damp squib, the reception back at headquarters more than made up with unexpected fireworks.
    The Chief Constable’s excitable and ever nervous press secretary David, an apology of a man who did all Fletcher’s running around to the satisfaction of no-one, was hopping up and down in Amos’s office when he arrived back.
    Luckily Amos had shed the company of the two uniformed male officers on the way in and then sent the willing Detective Constable Holmes off to get coffee from the canteen for himself and his sergeant, so only Swift was present to witness the inspector’s discomfort.
    ‘The Chief Constable wants to see you immediately,’ David declared, emboldened by carrying the top officer’s delegated authority.
    ‘No, immediately,’ he persisted as Amos made to take off his coat. ‘And he’s called a press conference for 2 pm which you will take.’
    This was evidently serious, apparently taking precedence over the Chief Constable’s latest soapbox of tobacco sales to children.
    ‘Better get it over with,’ Amos told Swift wryly. ‘Stay well clear.’
    Amos followed the impatient David along the corridor and up the stairs to the lion’s den. Sir Robert Fletcher was indeed in a ferocious temper.
    ‘What’s all this about?’ he demanded before Amos was fully into the room. ‘Why was I not kept informed? Why did I have to learn about it on Radio Lincolnshire?’
    This was bad news indeed. Amos could hardly point out that the Chief Constable usually did not wish to be bothered with details of any investigation, and since Amos had neglected to put Radio Lincolnshire on his car radio on the way back he had no idea what had been broadcast.
    ‘We made an early start on a case, sir,’ Amos blustered. ‘We needed to catch people before they went to work.’
    If in doubt, prevaricate. Once Fletcher had the bit between his teeth Amos knew he would soon get chapter and verse.
    ‘Don’t be funny with me, inspector,’ the Chief Constable snorted leaning over his desk with both clenched hands pressing into the top.
    This was worse than Amos had expected. Being called inspector rather than Amos was a particularly bad sign. And there was still no clue as to what had prompted the outburst.
    Fletcher decided to take silence for subservience and was slightly appeased. However, he was not prepared to stint on the indignation that had been building up for the past hour, nor to shorten the impromptu diatribe that he had been practising in the meantime.
    ‘I do not like,’ he said slowly and deliberately, ‘to