The Devil's Feather - Minette Walters [0]
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
EPIGRAPH
MADELEINE WRIGHT AND MARIANNE CURRAN MADE…
BARTON HOUSE
PADDY'S BAR
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
BARTON HOUSE
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
THE CELLAR
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
THE ABYSS
EPILOGUE
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY MINETTE WALTERS
COPYRIGHT PAGE
To Mick, Peggy and Liz
for all the good times we’ve had together
My particular thanks to Liz
for giving me The Devil’s Feather as a title
“The secret of happiness is freedom;
the secret of freedom, courage.”
—Thucydides
Devil’s feather (derivation Turkish)—a woman who stirs a man’s interest without realizing it; the unwitting cause of sexual arousal
Madeleine Wright and Marianne Curran made donations to Leukaemia Research and the Free Tibet Campaign to have their names included in this book. I thank them for their generosity and hope their characters amuse them.
Barton House
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>>>Reuters
>>>Wednesday, 15 May 2002, 16:17 GMT 17:17 UK
>>>Filed by Connie Burns, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Spate of brutal killings
Four months after President Kabbah announced an end to Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war, a spate of brutal killings in Freetown threatens to undermine the fragile peace. Police blame former rebel soldiers for the savage murders. Attacked at intervals since peace was declared in January, the five victims were found raped and hacked to death in their own homes.
A government source said yesterday, “The killing of these women bears the trademark ferocity of the rebels. Sierra Leone has just emerged from a decade of savage conflict, and police believe a group of dissidents is responsible. We call on everyone to put an end to the bloodshed.”
Detective Inspector Alan Collins of Manchester CID, who is in Freetown as part of a British training force, points to the serial nature of the murders. “It’s difficult to say how many people are involved at this stage, but the evidence suggests the crimes are linked. We are looking for a disturbed individual, or group, who acquired a taste for killing during the war. Rape and murder were commonplace then, and violence against women doesn’t stop just because peace is declared.”
* * *
* * *
>>>Reuters
>>>Tuesday, 4 June 2002, 13:06 GMT 14:06 UK
>>>Filed by Connie Burns, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
Three suspects charged
Three teenagers, formerly members of Foday Sankoh’s RUF child army, were charged yesterday with the murders of five women. They were arrested after the attempted abduction of Amie Jonah, 14. Ahmad Gberebana, 19, Johnny Bunumbu, 19, and Katema Momana, 18, were caught and detained by Miss Jonah’s family when the girl’s screams alerted a neighbour.
A police spokesman said the teenagers were badly beaten before being handed over to the authorities. “They caused great distress to Miss Jonah,” he said, “and her father and brothers were understandably angry.” Fear has been rampant in Freetown since the gruesome discoveries of five murdered women. All were raped and disfigured by machete wounds.
In two cases identification was impossible. “They may never be named,” said Detective Inspector Alan Collins of Manchester Police, who is advising the enquiry team. “The civil war saw nearly half of this country’s 4.5 million population displaced and we’ve no idea which region these women came from.”
He confirmed that a request for a British pathologist to provide expert assistance has been withdrawn. “I understand that Gberebana, Bunumbu and Momana have provided the police with full confessions. Investigators are satisfied they have the right men in custody.”
The three teenagers were given medical treatment before being transferred to Pademba Road prison to await trial.
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1
I DON’T KNOW if that story was picked up in the West. I believe some interest was shown in