No Human Enemy (Suzie Mountford Mysteries) Read Online Free Page A

Magnus then sent Ron off to take a hard look at the three cells where the deaths had taken place.
    ‘No need to get your magnifying glass out, Ron. Those hairy great ARP Rescue people’ve been clumping all over the place. Even Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t find anything now. Have a good look round just the same. Bring your talents to bear and remember we’re still looking for a knife, something sharp that did the damage to the wolf in nun’s clothing, if that’s what he was. I’ll be down later for you to give me the sixpenny guided tour.’
    Off he went, happy as Larry, maybe happier. Emma Penticost just stayed in the background, silent, and Tommy turned to Magnus, ‘What about the injured one? Sister…?’
    ‘Monica.’
    Tommy nodded and sent Shirley off to find the missing nun. ‘Just get a general picture at this stage.’ Then, turning to Magnus, ‘You say they’ve been identified, the bodies?’
    ‘Two of them. Reverend Mother – Mother Ursula – took a gander at them on the grass. She got first look, didn’t recognise the bloke, only we didn’t know it was a bloke then. Made a good nun, he did, that bloke.’
    ‘You didn’t think it was a bit odd?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Reverend Mother not being able to finger her … him?’
    ‘She said something about getting the Hovis Mistress – no, that’s not right…’
    ‘Novice Mistress,’ Suzie supplied.
    Magnus gave a leery smirk. ‘That’s the one. She’s pretty old. Old and decrepit, that Mother Ursula.’
    ‘No need to be disrespectful, lad. With any luck we’ll all be old and decrepit one of these days.’ Tommy drawled, turning his head in Suzie’s direction. ‘Won’t we, heart?’
    ‘Yea, we should live so long,’ chuckled Magnus, and Tommy treated him to a withering look. ‘She was a bit confused as well, sir. Admitted to it. Said, “I’m a bit confused these days,” and there was a younger nun with her who nodded, agreed with her. I don’t think her eyesight’s up to much either, guv.’
    ‘Yes. Well.’ Tommy frowned. ‘So really, the three bodies haven’t been officially identified?’
    ‘No, guv.’
    ‘You think we ought to go and talk to her, Chief? The Reverend Mother?’ Suzie asked.
    ‘Yes. Definitely. We need to talk to her and we need to get the corpses identified. Someone official will have to do it in case the man was a regular visitor to the convent.’
    ‘I don’t think nuns have regular male visitors.’ It came out before Suzie could close her mouth: thinking aloud.
    ‘I’m aware of all that, heart. I meant, butcher, baker, candlestick … Oh, well.’
    ‘You want me in on that, sir, or…?’ Magnus left it hanging in the air.
    ‘No.’ Tommy firm, giving the impression that his dearest wish was to be a long way from Magnus. ‘Just remind me, the two women, the novices, which cells were they found in?’
    ‘One of them right at the far end, where the wall turns at the bottom of Easter Park. Then the one that’s a bloke, in the next cell. Then the younger nun.’
    ‘The man was kind of sandwiched between the two novices then?’
    ‘In a manner of speaking, guv’nor, yes.’
    Wickedly, Suzie thought they really would make a gleesome threesome – then immediately regretted it. Suzie’s conscience was easily pricked when it came to religion, the product of being at St Helen’s, taught and kept to a rigid discipline by nuns. Even nuns of the Anglican persuasion could hold a special dread and an awesome respect.
    They stood outside the main mortuary viewing room in a quiet and nice area for relatives or witnesses to wait until a body was ready for them to have a look-see. There was a table with flowers in a vase, and several chairs, a crucifix on the wall: too bad if you weren’t a Christian, but this was a Christian country, right?
    ‘No,’ Tommy repeated. ‘No, you make sure the crime scene is secure, Magnus.’
    ‘Very good, sir,’ obviously relieved. Then a long pause as though he was