A Room Full of KillersDCI Matilda Darke IIIMICHAEL WOOD
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.
Killer Reads
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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017
Copyright © Michael Wood 2017
The ABC Murders Copyright © 1936 Agatha Christie Limited.
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Michael Wood asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2017 ISBN: 9780008222390
Version 2017-01-24
To Woody
26/05/04 – 09/06/16
The best writing companion I could ever ask for. A true friend, and now, a genuine Golden Star.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Callum Nixon
Chapter Four
Lee Marriott
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Mark Parker
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Craig Hodge
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Lewis Chapman
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jacob Brown
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Ryan Asher
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Keep Reading …
About the Author
By the Same Author
About the Publisher
PROLOGUE
Manchester. Tuesday, 7 January 2014
I was in agony. The pain was immense. I couldn’t believe it. I looked across at the alarm clock and saw that it was just after 1:30 a.m., and I hadn’t been to sleep yet. How could I when all I wanted to do was vomit everything I’d ever eaten.
I managed to roll out of bed and practically crawled to the bathroom. I made it to the toilet just in time. The sick was never-ending. I honestly thought I was going to bring up an organ. There was so much of it. It was like that scene from The Exorcist.
I must have woken my sister, Ruby, because I looked up to wipe my mouth and she was standing in the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and a serious look on her face like she was going to tell me off. If I hadn’t felt like I was dying I would have laughed. How could she try and look mean and threatening when she was wearing Hello Kitty pyjamas?
‘Could you be any louder about it?’
‘Sorry, Ruby, did I wake you?’
‘No, I always go for a walk around this time.’ She looked at her wrist as if there was a watch there.
‘Sorry. I don’t think I should have reheated that curry I had for my tea.’
‘Have you made yourself sick so you don’t have to go to school in the morning?’
‘No. Why would I do that?’
‘Because I heard you telling Dad you hadn’t done your science homework.’
‘I’ve not made myself sick, Ruby. Go back to bed.’
I managed to pick myself up off the floor, although I felt dizzy and the sweat was pouring off me. I had to steady myself against the wall. I was shaking and hot but I felt cold at the same time. I had no idea a chicken korma could cause such agony.
‘Do you want me to wake up Mum and Dad?’
‘No. It’s OK. I think I’ll go downstairs and see if we’ve got anything to settle my stomach.’
‘OK.’
‘Are you going back to bed?’
‘Yes,’ she said, folding her arms.
‘Go on then.’
‘I’m waiting until you’ve gone downstairs. I don’t want you to fall.’
I went to go downstairs and kept looking back at Ruby, who wasn’t moving. I knew what she was going to do. I would have made some kind of sarcastic remark but I was frightened of opening my mouth and being sick again, because Dad had just polished the floorboards. He’d kill me if I splattered regurgitated korma all over them.
I was halfway down the stairs when I heard Ruby tap on Mum and Dad’s bedroom door. ‘Mum, I had that dream again. Can I come in with you and Dad?’
I smiled to myself. Ruby had promised that she’d sleep in her own bed all through the night. It was her New Year’s resolution yet she’d broken it within three days. She hated sleeping on her own, God knows why.
As soon as I opened the door to the kitchen, Max jumped out of his basket, tail wagging, and thought I wanted to play with him. He started jumping on his back legs. As much as I loved the little dude, playing with a Fox Terrier at two o’clock in the morning was not my idea of fun. He ran over to the back door so I let him out.
I left the door open while I looked for something to take. Dad suffered really badly with his stomach. He only had to look at a jar of beetroot and he got indigestion. He was bound to have something that could stop my stomach doing somersaults.
I found
