The Cold Light of Mourning - By Elizabeth J. Duncan Page 0,79
a long cord like a stout fishing line that disappeared into a heavy blue plastic case with a built-in handle. Davies watched as Penny grasped the case in her right hand and taking the clip end in her left hand, slowly wrapped the band two or three times around her hand as she carefully pulled the lead from the case until she had exposed about two feet of heavy nylon cording.
Now what she held was a formidable weapon.
Allowing the cord to rewind inside the case, she made a heavy chopping motion with it.
Davies licked a trace of foam from his top lip and set his glass down on the table. Mirroring his action, Penny set the lead down on the table, nodded her thanks to the mystified men, and returned to Davies.
“Remind you of anything?” she asked softly. “What do you think? Imagine the case is red plastic instead of blue. And Gwennie told Victoria that the dog’s lead went missing the morning Meg Wynne disappeared.”
“We’ll have to ask Gwennie about the dog’s lead and interview the wedding boys again,” he said. “Find out if the groom had time for a little dog walking.” As the frosty, formal atmosphere between them began to thaw, Penny felt a slight glimmer of hope that she might have redeemed herself.
“Too bad we can’t just ask Trixxi,” said Penny. “She’d know.”
“Trixxi?”
“Emyr’s dog.”
Davis nodded and took another sip. A few minutes later Penny set down her drink and looked at him.
“I don’t know why,” she said, “but I’ve got a bad feeling and I’ve suddenly started to feel anxious. I need to go home.”
“Right,” agreed Davies. “Let’s be off.”
They made their way back to the flat more quickly than they had come, scarcely speaking.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Davies said. “I have to get in touch right now with Sgt. Morgan and prepare to track down Emyr and the rest of them. She’s been in London for a couple of days checking out Meg Wynne Thompson’s life there but so far she hasn’t turned up anything that we think concerns us.”
As they approached the salon, they slowed down and Davies looked at Penny.
“Look,” he said, “things are going to speed up now, and I don’t think this case is going to go on for too much longer. But once it’s wrapped up and all this is behind us, I hope that we can, that you’ll …”
They had stopped in front off the salon and Davies reached out to Penny and putting his arm around her waist, pulled her gently toward him. She reached out to steady herself and as she touched the door to the salon, it opened a couple of inches.
Reacting to the startled look on her face, Davies turned to look at the door and immediately understood.
Gesturing to Penny to stand to one side, he pushed open the door and cautiously looked in.
“Oh God, no!” he said as he sprang through the door.
“What is it?” said Penny as she charged in after him. “What’s happened?”
Reaching for his mobile phone, Davies gestured at the floor and a few moments later was speaking rapidly into his mobile.
“It’s Davies. I need an ambulance to the manicure salon on Station Road in Llanelen. We have a woman here who seems to be unconscious.” He bent down and touched Victoria’s forehead. “Her skin is very hot and flushed. Sweaty. Oh, and we’ll need officers, too. Quick as you can.”
Penny was crouching beside the limp Victoria, stroking her hair, gently lifting her up. A small moan escaped from her lips and Penny bent closer as Victoria struggled to speak.
She looked up at Davies, with tears in her eyes.
“She said ‘die’. She told me she’s going to die,” Penny whispered. “And look.”
Mixed in with the broken blossoms strewn across the hardwood floor was a syringe.
Twenty-seven
After what seemed an eternity but in reality was a very few minutes, the ambulance with its distinctive green-and-yellow markings arrived and paramedics rushed in, followed by two uniformed police officers.
As Victoria, who had lapsed into unconsciousness, was placed on the stretcher, Penny glanced quickly around the salon. Apart from the torn cellophane and scattered flowers, nothing seemed to have been disturbed.
“You go with her,” Davies directed. “I’ll leave an officer here and follow in the car. Got your keys?”
Penny pointed to her handbag on the floor.
Grasping Victoria’s hand tightly, Penny accompanied the stretcher and once it had been secured, clambered in after her friend. As a paramedic closed the vehicle’s rear doors,