Page 75 of The Killer’s Mark

Bradshaw looked at Esmerée. Rolled her eyes.

‘Not Nigel Flowers, though,’ Poe continued. ‘Not if he’s gonna cry every time he gets a whiff of the paranormal.’

‘This isn’t funny,’ Flowers said.

‘On that we agree, mate. I could have been home by now.’

‘I think you should go up and have a look.’

Poe glared at Bradshaw. ‘I can’t believe you made me come back for this.’

‘I heard it too, Poe,’ she said softly.

‘You? Miss Science-is-king thinks there’s a ghost in the loft?’

‘Of course not. The evidence about death is conclusive. There is no afterlife. We cease to exist. The time after we die is the same as the time before we were born. It doesn’t involve us. But I did hear something, Poe. I would have gone up to look myself, but I don’t have the upper-body strength to climb through the hatch.’

‘Obviously I was going to climb up, but I thought it prudent to wait for backup,’ Flowers added.

Poe looked at Flowers. He had biceps like a sparrow’s knee. ‘Obviously,’ he said. He glanced at the three of them. Esmerée, Bradshaw and Flowers looked back. He sighed and said, ‘Get me the stepladder.’

Esmerée and Bradshaw went off to fetch it from the cleaning cupboard. The ceilings in Cowie House were so high, Monica’s caretaker had to use a stepladder when he replaced popped light bulbs. Flowers said he would go and get his electromagnetic field detector, whatever the hell that was. Poe was thankful Bradshaw wasn’t around to hear that. It might have finished her off.

Esmerée and Bradshaw returned with the ladder.

Flowers came back holding something that resembled an electrician’s voltmeter. He turned it on, pointed a sensor into the air and said, ‘I’m ready.’

‘Jolly good,’ Poe said. He opened the ladder and positioned it underneath the loft hatch. ‘Foot this for me, Nigel.’

Nigel looked at him blankly.

‘Tilly, can you please show Nigel how to foot a ladder.’

Bradshaw looked at him blankly.

‘Esmerée, can you please show Tilly how to show Nigel how to foot a ladder.’

‘I’ll do it, Poe,’ Esmerée said. Poe climbed the first three steps. Esmerée put her feet against the side rails to secure the base. ‘And you’d better not blast chop suey farts in my face.’

Poe smiled. He reached the ceiling and pushed up the loft hatch. Swiped it to the side. He climbed a few more steps until his torso was in the loft. He fumbled for his phone and found the torch function. In the dark loft, it was like a World War II searchlight. He scanned the area above Flowers’s office. Nothing. He turned and did the same for the area of loft above their own office.

‘Ah,’ he said.

Chapter 62

Poe hauled himself up into the loft. He got to his feet and found the light switch. He clicked it on, but it didn’t seem to be connected to anything. Or the bulb was broken. It didn’t matter; his phone’s torch was more than adequate.

The loft was the same dimensions as the building. The vaulted ceiling was high in the middle, lower at the sides in line with the pitch of the roof. Lots of beams, lots of dust. Lots of nooks and crannies. Poe thought it was by far the most interesting room in Cowie House. It was big enough for a fourth floor, but Monica hadn’t bothered doing anything with it other than store desks and chairs when her tenants asked for unfurnished office space.

He trod carefully. He didn’t want to disturb anything. Someone had been up there recently. Completed some work, left some stuff behind.

Stuff they’d want back.

‘Did you find anything, Mr Poe?’ Nigel said from the hatch. He was scanning the loft with his ghost-detecting machine. It wasn’t emitting any exciting noises.

‘Nothing.’

Poe picked up something from the wooden floor. Put it back down in disgust.