Deadly July – Denise Yoko Berndt

Henry regularly made his rounds through Soho in the evening, because after the pubs and restaurants had closed, it was often possible to find something edible. Danny only briefly skimmed the next paragraph, in which Pigott talked about how this was becoming increasingly difficult, since nowadays, everyone donated their unused food. The body was at the very top, not covered by rubbish bags. He screamed and dropped the lid then ran back to Ganton Street and asked a passerby to call the police.

So she couldn’t have been in the bin for too long. There were no rubbish bags on top of her. The perp also didn’t bother to pull some of the rubbish bags that were already in the bin over the body. He didn’t want to leave her lying in the street, but the fact that the next person who looked in the bin discovered her was apparently okay with the perp.

Danny was taking notes. He agreed with Amber—the perpetrator just wanted to put a reasonably safe distance between himself and the crime scene. Even if the body had been discovered after only ten minutes, he would’ve already been up and gone. Amber had told him of her thoughts that either Michelle or the perpetrator might have a connection to the pub or Timple Mews. But Danny wasn’t so sure. Rather, he believed that the location had not been specifically chosen. It was an opportunity the perp seized. He followed Michelle, and when she walked past Timple Mews, he struck.

Danny frowned. No, that doesn’t sound right. Amber is correct. You have to know your way around Soho, or you’ll get lost. The perp must have known Timple Mews beforehand. How else could he have subdued Michelle so quickly? Follow her, spot the alley, realise in seconds that this would be an ideal crime scene, then act at once? No, that doesn’t add up. So it was either a murderer with excellent local knowledge, or Amber’s hunch that it was a pre-arranged meeting was correct. Okay, if they had arranged to meet, how did that happen?

In this case, the perp obviously didn’t present himself as a punter. Otherwise, he would have told Michelle to come to a hotel. What excuse could he have used to lure her into this secluded alley? Danny realised he wasn’t getting any further, so he jotted down his questions and closed the document. He would have to wait to see if the analysis of the crime scene evidence or the post-mortem brought any new insights.

“My silence should be worth a little more.” She raised her hand and rubbed her fingers together. They held five twenty-pound bills, and she probably wanted to provoke him. He eyed her. “How much do you have in mind?” She lowered her hand and fanned out the twenties, then she slipped the money into the pocket of her short robe. Its thin, shiny fabric was bright red. How cheap she looks. The garish make-up, the slutty outfit. He almost laughed. She’s a hooker. Don’t forget that.

A hooker who thinks she can blackmail you. She raised her eyes, looking at him with her chin thrust forward. What’s next? How much dough will she ask for? “Five hundred. Every month.” He raised an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth, hoping she would recognise his expression as mockery. She jutted her chin even higher. “You’ll be getting off cheaply.” “You think so?”

She nodded. But was that uncertainty glimmering in her gaze? “So four hundred more for July. Then five hundred every month from the first of August? Cash, or would you rather have it wired?” He stared at her cleavage. “Will I at least get something in return? Something to sweeten the deal?” Violently, she shook her head, causing her long, silky black hair to fly. “No. That costs extra.” Rolling his eyes, he heaved a sigh. “I thought so.” He took a step toward her.

“Let’s do it like this, then. That”—he pointed at the pocket where his hundred pounds had disappeared—“is for tonight, and then you’ll get five hundred more from me this month.” She seemed to consider the deal as she bit the inside of her cheek. Doesn’t look too flattering. Someone should tell her. “Well, what is it?” She shook her head.

“Four hundred more. No sex.” “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. You weren’t so coy on the phone. We have a deal.” Another shake of the head. “Find someone else.” “But I’m here now, aren’t I?” He pointed at her outfit. “You’re all dressed up, looking really hot by the way, so let’s get going.” She took a step back. Her gaze flickered. “I want you to leave. Now.” Her voice trembled, ever so slightly yet unmistakable.

He stood there, relaxed, his hands in his pockets, his head slightly lowered. He watched her very closely.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: c92d14cb01d51fe0
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,089,027 bytes (2.946 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 270
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 410.62 minutes
• Total Words: 82,124
• Total Characters: 463,739
• Average Words per Page: 304.16
• Average Characters per Page: 1717.55

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