Page 110
Story: The Curator (Washington Poe)
‘There’s the hotel, Poe!’ she yelled into his ear.
He strained but could see nothing.
‘You lead, I’ll follow,’ he told her.
With renewed purpose they headed off again.
Chapter 73
With a fixed bearing to walk towards, they finished the last half mile in good time and were soon in Poe’s X1, heater on full, edging out of Shap Wells Hotel. The wind was blowing the snow off the tarmac and into the gorse and bracken and his winter tyres and four-wheel drive were more than a match for the steep road leading up to the A6.
They were soon on the relatively quiet M6 and, as they had moved off the high ground of Shap, the weather began to ease. It was still snowing but at least visibility was above zero. Poe tried Nightingale again but there was still no service. He pressed his foot down hard on the accelerator and the BMW responded.
Sixty.
Seventy.
Eighty.
He kept it there, as fast as he was willing to go in these conditions. Anything above would be reckless and he had Bradshaw to think of as well as Flynn.
‘What’s happened, Poe?’ Bradshaw said. ‘Why is DI Stephanie Flynn in trouble?’
He told her what he knew.
When he finished he glanced across. Bradshaw was trying out the words. Silently, as if she wouldn’t believe them until she’d tested them on herself.
‘But why, Poe?’
He told her what he thought. Couldn’t believe what he was being forced to say. It was horrific but it was the only thing that worked all the way to the end.
When he was done, she looked at him and then at the dashboard.
‘So why are we going so slow?’
He pushed his foot to the floor and they watched the speedometer hit one hundred and keep moving clockwise.
He tried Nightingale again. This time he got a dial tone.
‘Poe?’ she said. ‘Everything all right?’
He told her what he knew. She didn’t interrupt.
When he’d got to the end, she said, ‘Let me get back to you.’
Five minutes later she rang back. Her voice was hoarse, as if she’d been yelling instructions. She was outside now and on the move. She had to shout to be heard.
‘What the hell’s going on, Poe? We can’t raise DC Coughlan or DI Flynn!’
Poe nodded grimly.
‘And let me guess: DC Coughlan volunteered to do an extra shift?’ he said.
Nightingale paused. ‘How the hell could you know that? I’ve only just found out myself. He radioed to say he would do a double. My inspector saw no reason not to let him.’
Poe said nothing.
It was happening now.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110 (Reading here)
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138