He thought he’d seen it somewhere before; a pig’s head somehow pulled over the victim’s. The body had been left untouched until he arrived, partly concealed between trash cans.
“Gloves, please. Thanks.”
Kneeling down, he brought out the wallet, examining the debit card before showing it to detective constable Erica Wilkes. She squinted at it in the dim light. “But that’s you, boss, even the same initials.”
The sense of deja vu began to overwhelm him.
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
It was at the Turner Exhibition.
Hutchings was a quiet lad, for a copper;
he had a passion which no one suspected — and it got him killed.
I took the call and we all piled ’round.
There he was, wrapped up in bubble wrap,
sequestered in the store room
next to ‘Snow Storm’; not one of my favourites.
Someone had taken a scalpel to him,
a right mess he was, poor lad.
When we got to his flat there were art books all over,
though not a morsel in the fridge. Evidently Hutchings —
I shall call him George — used to feed on art.
https://what3words.com/Feed.quiet.copper
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio* was born, September 29, 1571 in Milan, Italy. ✻ Caravaggio is actually the name of his home town in Lombardy in northern Italy ❦ An artist who lived a short and tempestuous life matching the drama of his works. He is considered the first great representative of the Baroque […]
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio [1571-1610] — Marina Kanavaki
*Caravaggio was clearly a genius.
Two men are found in a beached boat, one dead, one seriously injured, stretching the resources of an already under-funded police force.
Suspended Detective Inspector Jack Sallt is reluctantly rushed back on duty to face his most perplexing and dangerous case yet, where old foes move in the shadows, threatening violence and controlling him with sensual taunts.
In the tense climax, Jack has to face his relentless enemies head on, risking not only his own life but also those of his colleagues and loved ones.
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
DI Mike Malone and his trusted partner DS Alan Shepherd are faced with a tricky problem.
They are used to crimes which involve the theft of belongings, of animals so what do they do when the local farmers suddenly find that they are the victims of giving?
As they also have a local drugs operation to keep under surveillance and a friend to help, life is very busy – and interesting.
Copyright Francis Barker 2020
The Elloe Recorder 