Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks [102]
Ruby felt a pang of sadness. Her eyes became blurred. A tear fell. She hid it from her dolls and wiped her face, annoyed. For the first time she realized she was afraid of dying. Her world spun at that thought and she let out a small cry from deep in her chest. Maybe it wasn’t too late for her to run away, start again? She looked around at her dolls and shook her head. They needed her. They relied on her. She was their mummy. They belonged together in this room. Every day she heard the news that the police were searching the Mansions, coming nearer to her. They were closing in. One day they would find her. But…Ruby took a deep breath and stood tall, she was the mistress of her own destiny. She would let them find her but, by then, it would be too late and she would not die alone.
Chapter 78
Shrimp set his bag down at the reception desk in Vacation Villas. ‘My name is Ian Townsend. I have a reservation for three nights.’
The receptionist scanned down her computer screen. ‘Yes, Mr Townsend, we have you here. You’re in room sixty-one on the sixteenth floor.’
Shrimp knew he would be–they had requested it. It was the same floor they had found Max Kosmos’s body on. This was the floor for businessmen on large company expense accounts.
‘It’s our executive suite. Morning paper, wake-up call?’ She passed over a form for Shrimp to fill in. He gave it back along with a credit card, false documentation that had been rushed through.
‘Neither, thanks.’
‘Do you need help with your luggage?’
‘No. I’m good, thanks.’
Shrimp took the lift up to his floor. The piped music was playing a mix of classical and what sounded like Bavarian folk music. He came out of the lift and followed the room number signs, took a right at the end and found his room. He put his card key in the slot, opened the door and stepped into the suite. It was the opposite layout to Max Kosmos’s room, this room had the bathroom to his left and the wardrobe to his right, the lounge area was straight ahead, and the bed to his right. Shrimp laid his case on the space provided. He walked around, inspecting every part of the room, behind the curtains and under the bed. He checked the minibar. What was it about minibars and the fascination for stale Mars Bars and expensive packets of nuts? When he was satisfied he knew every inch of the suite he knocked on the adjoining door. After a delay of three seconds there came a knock back. It was faint, but it was there. The two undercover operatives were in place.
He phoned Mia. ‘I’m in, Boss.’
‘Okay. You know the brief. We don’t think she will operate in the day so your work starts from five. The rest of the time you can carry on as usual but we’ll keep you off the streets in the day. You can help Ng in the incident room; he’s inundated with dealing with the crossover between the crimes. Did you get anywhere with Mahmud?’
‘No, but he’s very fragile. He’s been beaten badly. I don’t think he is guilty of Tammy’s murder. Someone handed him the knife. I don’t know why he went there to the market that night. Now with Hafiz dead I was hoping he might not feel the need to cover for him any more, but he still refuses to say any more about what happened. I am hoping Daniel Lu might come up with something that might help us. Unless he talks no one else will.’
‘Yeah, the facts are pretty plain. Tammy was stabbed with the bundi knife Mahmud was carrying. Chase it up tomorrow with Ng. Don’t forget the wedding ring. Keep safe, Shrimp.’
‘Okay, Boss. If nothing happens I’ll see you back at the office in the morning. Has Mann checked in today?’
‘No, not yet.’
Shrimp unpacked. He’d brought with him the usual striped