Murder Boxed Set Books 7 to 12 Murder in Room 346 Murder of a Silent Man Murder has no Guilt Murder in Hyde Park Six Years Too Late Grave Passion Phillip Strang BOOKS BY PHILLIP STRANG DCI Isaac Cook Series MURDER IS A TRICKY BUSINESS MURDER HOUSE MURDER IS ONLY A NUMBER MURDER IN LITTLE VENICE MURDER IS THE ONLY OPTION MURDER IN NOTTING HILL MURDER IN ROOM 346 MURDER OF A SILENT MAN SIX YEARS TOO LATE GRAVE PASSION MURDER WITHOUT REASON DI Keith Tremayne Series DEATH UNHOLY DEATH AND THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE DEATH AND THE LUCKY MAN DEATH AT COOMBE FARM DEATH BY A DEAD MAN’S HAND DEATH IN THE VILLAGE BURIAL MOUND THE BODY IN THE DITCH Steve Case Series HOSTAGE OF ISLAM THE HABERMAN VIRUS PRELUDE TO WAR Standalone Books MALIKA’S REVENGE Copyright Page Copyright © 2020 Phillip Strang Cover Design by Phillip Strang All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed by a newspaper, magazine, or journal. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All Rights Reserved. This work is registered with the UK Copyright Service. Author’s Website: http://www.phillipstrang.com Dedication For Elli and Tais, who both had the perseverance to make me sit down and write. Murder in Room 346 Phillip Strang BOOKS BY PHILLIP STRANG DCI Isaac Cook Series MURDER IS A TRICKY BUSINESS MURDER HOUSE MURDER IS ONLY A NUMBER MURDER IN LITTLE VENICE MURDER IS THE ONLY OPTION MURDER IN NOTTING HILL MURDER IN ROOM 346 MURDER OF A SILENT MAN MURDER WITHOUT REASON DI Keith Tremayne Series DEATH UNHOLY DEATH AND THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE DEATH AND THE LUCKY MAN DEATH AT COOMBE FARM DEATH BY A DEAD MAN’S HAND Steve Case Series HOSTAGE OF ISLAM THE HABERMAN VIRUS PRELUDE TO WAR Standalone Books MALIKA’S REVENGE Contents Title Page Copyright Page Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 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 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 1 ‘Coitus interruptus, that’s what it is,’ Detective Chief Inspector Isaac Cook said. It was to be the only attempt at humour that day, and even then, it was in bad taste. On the bed, in a downmarket hotel in Bayswater, lay the naked bodies of a man and a woman. ‘Bullet in the head’s not the way to go,’ Larry Hill, Isaac Cook’s detective inspector, said. He had not expected such a flippant comment from his senior, not when they were standing near to two people who had, apparently in the final throes of passion, succumbed to what appeared to be a professional assassination. ‘Do you recognise him?’ ‘James Holden, from what I can see.’ ‘And the woman?’ ‘According to the driving licence in her purse, her name was Helen Langdon. There’s an address in Kensington, good street.’ ‘Judging by her clothes, she had plenty of money.’ ‘An attractive woman, or at least, she was.’ Isaac Cook could understand what his DI meant. The woman was not so attractive sprawled across the bed, the blood congealing on her and the sheets. ‘No idea what she saw in him,’ Larry said. ‘Rent by the hour?’ ‘Not according to her handbag. There’s a business card. She worked for the man.’ Gordon Windsor, the crime scene examiner, came over. ‘Apart from you two talking while I’m trying to focus, I’ll give you what I’ve found so far.’ ‘You know this will be all over the media within the hour,’ Isaac said. ‘James Holden, moral crusader, a proponent of the sanctity of the marital bed, man and wife. It’s bound to be.’ ‘The man preaches one thing, practises another.’ ‘They’ve all got hidden secrets. Anyway, this is what we have,’ Windsor said. ‘Helen Langdon, age thirty-two, James Holden, age seventy-two. Both have been shot in the head.’ ‘Whoever did this knew what they were doing,’ Larry said. ‘Somehow the person managed to get into the room unseen, and then get close enough to the pair to hold the gun to each of their heads.’ ‘They were occupied, maybe they didn’t look,’ Isaac said. ‘We’ll check, but it’s clear that they were indulging in sexual intercourse.’ ‘The man was seventy-two,’ Isaac said. ‘It’s alright for you young studs,’ Windsor said, ‘but let me tell you, life is not over at fifty.’ ‘But James Holden was not fit, and he was always preaching against this sort of thing,’ Larry said. ‘I can only give you the facts,’ Windsor said. ‘Why the man was here with a young woman is for you to find out. And why he was killed, that’s up to you. Their bodies will be with Pathology later today. I suggest you ask there in a day or so for any more information, but they’ll only confirm what I’ve just said.’ Isaac knew that Windsor was correct in his evaluation. They had known each other for many years, he, the first-generation English-born son of Jamaican parents, and Gordon Windsor, the smallish, rotund man in his late fifties. Back in the office at Challis Street Police Station, Sergeant Wendy Gladstone, the best person if you needed to find someone, and Bridget Halloran, who ran the office, would already be preparing the case for the prosecution. Wendy and Bridget were firm friends, sharing a house
