Free CXVI The Beginning of the End (Book 1): A Gripping Murder Mystery and Suspense Thriller (CXVI BOOK 1) by Angie Smith Page A

to protect her face.
    Woods stopped at the point Barnes recognised from
the marks on the balustrade to be where Hussain had hanged. She watched him
turn with his back to the wind and rain, and look over towards Huddersfield.
There was a small piece of police tape still tied to the bridge railing; it was
fluttering and reverberating like a small electric motor humming away. Below on
the carriageway vehicles droned continuously, heading west through the
Pennines, and as he rested his elbows on the cold, wet, metal rail he stood
motionless, clearly deep in thought.
    He spun round. “Come on, let’s get off the bridge,”
he said, and then looking at Higgson, asked, “have you got digital copies of
the pathologist’s photographs?”
    “Yes, they were e-mailed.”
    “Good, when we get back to the station I’d like to
take a close look at those burn marks.”
    Higgson looked perturbed, but said nothing.
     
     
    It was early afternoon by the
time they arrived back at Huddersfield Police Station. Woods and Barnes were
taken up through the building to where Higgson’s desk was and they waited
patiently as he found the photographs Woods was interested in.
    “Can you enlarge this one for me?” Woods asked,
standing behind Higgson so he could see the screen.
    Higgson obliged, but Woods bent over him and took
hold of the mouse. “I’m interested in this particular area,” he said, zooming
more into the photograph and concentrating on the 18mm ligature mark above the
two burns.
    “I thought it was the two burn marks you wanted to
see,” Higgson queried.
    “Look, Maria,” Woods said, pointing at the screen.
“There aren’t two burn marks; there’re four. Two were masked by the ligature.”
    Higgson peered at two tiny, faint red marks where
the ligature had been; both equidistance from the two lower, more visible, burn
marks; he looked up at Woods towering above him.
    “Just as I thought,” Woods said. “Those marks are
from a hand held stun gun. Hussain didn’t commit suicide; he was murdered.”

Chapter 5
    Thursday 17 th May –
Friday 18 th May.
     
    Pauline paced up and down the
corridor outside Dr Damien Rosco’s consulting room. She was waiting anxiously
for an unscheduled counselling session, after the doctor’s insistence they meet
urgently to discuss her sudden mood change.
    The door opened and Rosco appeared. He smiled, “Come
in, Pauline.”
    She entered the dark oak-panelled room and headed to
the large black Italian leather sofa; she settled, folded her arms and looked
nervously at the consultant seated on the couch to her left.
    “What’s happened, Pauline?”
    “I’d prefer not discuss it, if you don’t mind.” She
could feel her heart beating faster than normal.
    “Why?”
    “I’m afraid of the consequences, particularly in my
current state of mind.”
    “Tell me what you think the consequences might be.”
    “Unpleasant feelings, anxiety, despair, sleepless
nights.” Her eyes flicked down at the dark hardwood floor and straight back up
to Rosco; she had an idea what was coming.
    “Alternatively, the consequences could be an
understanding of why you feel that way, a means of challenging the thoughts
that cause those feelings, and a solution to the problem.”
    “I guessed you’d say something like that.”
    He smiled. “That’s what you are paying me for.”
    “We had an agreement, didn’t we? That we’d only
discuss things I felt comfortable with.”
    Rosco nodded.
    “And you said I could stop at any time, if I was
feeling on edge.”
    He nodded again.
    “Well this is that time.”
    “Pauline, if that’s what you want, you have every
right to walk out of that door, but it’s my view that if we don’t discuss the
things that cause you the most pain, we’ll never resolve the problems. Over the
past few days you’ve made good progress, but something’s happened that’s turned
it all on its head. Now, we can pretend it hasn’t, or we can confront it and
work towards