Free With a Narrow Blade by Faith Martin Page A

market?’
    ‘Oh, there’d be a market for them, all right. Mix them with some downers, you’d be zonked for up to forty-eight hours.’
    ‘I’ll have to get on to her GP then,’ Hillary mused, squinting at the list. ‘It looks as if the bottle she had was fairly full, but if she’d been prescribed more than one bottle, we could be looking at a junkie hit.’
    ‘I doubt the GP would have prescribed too many in one batch,’ Steven cautioned her.
    ‘Oh,’ Hillary said, with instant understanding. ‘And the other stuff? Much market for them would you say?’
    ‘Not so much.’
    ‘OK, thanks, doc. Have I tempted you to move her up your schedule any?’
    Partridge laughed. ‘You don’t get me that way. I’ve still got a death by drowning, a probable suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, and two RTAs to get through yet.’
    Muttering to herself, Hillary hung up, then glanced at Janine. ‘Yes?’
    ‘Old lady across the street, confirms Flo Jenkins had a paperknife that fits the description, boss,’ Janine said. ‘Thinks it was dangerous. Apparently our vic cut herself badly on it once.’
    Hillary nodded. It bore out what Walter Keane had said. ‘So, either the killer didn’t go there with murder in mind, or the killer knew about the paperknife and intended all along to use it. It was no secret how sharp it was, apparently. And it would be a smart move. How many times have we nailed someone by pinning the murder weapon to them?’
    Janine nodded. ‘From what the old gal had to say, Flo Jenkins didn’t have two ha’pennies to rub together, boss. Telly was rented, and the only sound system she had was a radio and ancient tape recorder. Found that in the cupboard under the window in the living room. All the appliances were old and well used. Cooker was probably twenty years old if it was a day. According to the neighbour, Flo’s grandson used up any money left over from her old-age pension. Although she did say Flo was determined to hold on to her money this month in order to do herself proud on her birthday, and have a nice Christmas.’
    ‘Right. And perhaps that didn’t sit well with … what’s his name…?’ she reached for her notes, but Barrington was there first.
    ‘Dylan Hodge, guv,’ he said, from memory.
    Hillary nodded, not missing it, but not about to start lavishing praise just yet. ‘Right, Hodge. If he’s used to relying on granny as a banker, he might have gone round for his usual handout, and not been pleased to be sent away with nothing. Her pension money was not in her handbag, so it must have gone somewhere. If she was determined to spend it on herself for a change, she might have felt the need to hide it somewhere. Keith, when SOCO give the all-clear I want you to turn that house upside down. Little old ladies can find clever hiding places sometimes. Think of it as a test for you ingenuity.’
    ‘Guv,’ Keith said.
    Just then, Paul Danvers came out of his office, saw Hillary was at her desk, and headed over. She gave him a quick, precise and full report of her case so far. She left nothing of importance out, and managed to convey, without being obvious, that everyone was pulling their weight.
    Maybe, for once, even Ross.
    ‘You’ll be pulling this boy Hodge in then?’ Danvers asked, and Hillary nodded.
    ‘First we’ve got to find him. I don’t think we’ve got an address. It’ll probably be tomorrow before uniform roust him out of whatever squat he’s found. But it won’t do him any harm to have a day free and clear. Maybe find a score. That way, he might be in a mood for a nice chat about his granny,’ she said, grinning savagely. He wouldn’t be the first junkie, high from his place in nirvana, to blissfully admit to murder.
    ‘OK. Reason I called over was to invite everyone out for an early Christmas drink. Maybe tomorrow, or day after, depending on how free you are. What with Janine leaving us, and our new recruit just coming in, it seemed like a good time for