by Val McDermid
“He dashed back to the Woolpack and bought a pint. He must have downed it in a oner, because by about twelve minutes past seven he was back at the school. He went to Longnor—I guess because he knew the cloakroom was near the door and it would be quieter than the main building—and helped himself to a toggle, presumably having realized by then that the string was sharp enough to cause bad cuts even through gloves if he used it on its own. That’s almost certainly when Sarah saw him. I think she was probably coming downstairs to go for a walk at the time, or to go down to the gym to do some exercises, perhaps.
“I’m guessing a bit now. But I think she followed him, catching up with him as he was preparing the garrote or climbing up the fire escape to the scaffolding. He sent her back, telling her to forget she’d seen him.
“Then, of course, he killed Lorna. He had to leave the scaffolding on the kitchen roof because he was running out of time to keep up the alibi he’d set himself. Of course, once the murder was common knowledge, Sarah must have realized her father was implicated. The girl must have been under colossal strain all last week. I suppose your arrest made things even worse for her, Paddy. Then when she heard about our experiments with the scaffolding, she must have felt sure the net was closing around her father.
“She must have realized that the lie she’d told the police about you in the music room would be found out. Incidentally, I don’t think she lied out of particular malice—at that stage, after all, it wasn’t clear that the police were going to arrest you. I think she was just trying to cloud the issue in every conceivable way possible. I think what drove her to commit suicide was a combination of factors. She knew her father was a killer and she couldn’t bear it, but she still wanted to protect him, and the only way she could do that was to kill herself. Just confessing wouldn’t have been enough. She’d never have been able to make up a story that would have satisfied the police. And she probably felt that if she gave herself up to the police, the very thing that she was trying to avoid would happen—her father would give himself up to protect her.
“As it was, I’m not altogether sure he would have done. He was happy enough for her to carry the blame after her death. That’s what I find most inhuman about him.” She paused to pour out more coffee. “God, my throat is sore. I’m amazed there are hardly any bruises on it. I thought he was going to kill me.”
Paddy looked puzzled. “But everyone seemed to be satisfied after Sarah’s death that the whole thing had been cleared up. What made you think you knew better?”
“Apart from a general sense of superiority, she means,” said Cordelia with a rather grim smile.
“I finally got on the right track when I asked Jessica Bennett a question we should have asked her when we first interviewed her. When I saw her yesterday, I wanted to ask her if she’d seen Sarah at all on that Saturday evening—just for my own satisfaction, I suppose, though I did have one or two doubts about Sarah’s confession. It seemed so superficial, so lacking in feeling and detail. But Jessica’s answer put Sarah out of the running. She said she’d seen Sarah going out of Longnor at about quarter past seven.
“And at the crucial time when the murder must have been committed to avoid any comings and goings, Jessica saw Sarah in the cloakroom. She tried to talk to her. But Sarah went straight upstairs. Jessica didn’t see her again that night.
“That removed Sarah from the list of suspects. But it put her father right back into the frame. However, Anthony Barrington still seemed a possibility, and I thought on balance I’d prefer to talk to him. Barrington gave me such a hard time, I was convinced he was innocent. He was too outraged to be guilty. And then, of course, he called Dart and I was hauled off to the nick.
“And the rest you know,” she said, closing her eyes as a wave of tiredness hit her.
She forced her eyes open again. “I’ve got to go and give the police a statement at noon. And then, if you don’t mind, Paddy, I want to go home. I’ve got work to go to on Wednesday, and I could do with a day’s sleep.”
“I understand,” said Paddy. “I’ll never be able to pay you and Cordelia back for what you’ve done for me. But come back soon and see us again, promise?”
Lindsay grinned but said, “Ouch! I must stop doing that. I’ll come soon if you guarantee no hassles.”
“I guarantee it.” They smiled at each other, relaxed again after the upheavals of the last ten days.
“I’ll drive you back to Glasgow,” said Cordelia, “you’re far too tired to hammer up the motorway on your own. Besides, I think we’ve got one or two things to talk about.”
Paddy’s eyebrows had shot up. “Well, well, well,” she marveled. “I see some good has come out of all this.”
“Surprised?” demanded Cordelia.
“Before we get into all of that, I need to phone my news-desk,” said Lindsay apologetically. “Sorry. Since I’ve got to go down the cop shop this morning, if I don’t put over a story nice and early my life won’t be worth living on Wednesday. Can I use the phone?”
Paddy grinned at Cordelia. “How does it feel to play second fiddle to a news story?”
Cordelia pulled a face. “I don’t think I want to get used to the idea. Maybe Lindsay could change her priorities . . . just a bit?”
Lindsay dialed the number. “Yeah, yeah, okay, Cordelia. I’ll work on it. But tomorrow, eh, please . . . Hello? Duncan? Lindsay here. I’ve got a real belter for you this morning . . .”
Val McDermid is the author of twenty-four bestselling novels, which have been translated into thirty languages and have sold over ten million copies. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year award. She has a son and a dog, and lives in the north of England.
For the latest news and reviews, visit:
www.valmcdermid.com.
There you can also watch videos, listen to podcasts, and sign up for Val’s newsletter.
You can also find her on Facebook:
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Copyright © 1987 by Val McDermid
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Bywater Books First Ebook Edition: April 2012
Bywater Books First Edition: February 2005
Report for Murder was originally published in
Great Britain by The Women’s Press Ltd, 1987.
Report for Murder was first published in the
United States of America by St Martin’s Press in 1990.
The second US edition of Report for Murder was
published by Spinsters Ink in 1998.
Cover designer: Bonnie Liss (Phoenix Graphics)
ISBN 978-1-61294-006-9
This novel is a work of fiction.
All characters are fictitious and
are products of the author’s imagination.
Bywater Books
REPORT FOR MURDER
1st Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“McDermid has created a complex and prickly detective whose working-class background sets her at odds with her companions, particularly her new lover, Cordelia, the shifting relationship intertwines a realistic romance with a solid detective story.” —Publishers Weekly
Freelance journalist Lindsay Gordon is strapped for cash. Why else would she agree to cover a fund-raising gala at a private girls’ school? But when the star attraction is found garrotted with her own cello string instants before s
he is due to go on stage, Lindsay finds herself investigating a vicious murder.
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-06-5
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-006-9
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Bywater Books
COMMON MURDER
2nd Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“McDermid’s snappy, often comic, prose keeps the story humming.” —Publishers Weekly
A protest group hits the headlines when unrest at a women’s peace camp explodes into murder. Already on the scene, journalist Lindsay Gordon desperately tries to strike a balance between personal and professional responsibilities. As she peels back the layers of deception surrounding the protest and its opponents, she finds that no one—ratepayer or reporter, policeman or peace woman—seems wholly above suspicion. Then Lindsay uncovers a truth that even she can scarcely believe.
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-07-2
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-007-6
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Bywater Books
DEADLINE FOR MURDER
3rd Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“This taut story exploring the limits of friendship is well worth reading” —Publishers Weekly
“A single-malt Scots pleasure, Lindsay Gordon will only get better as she ages.” Laurie R. King, Edgar Award winner
When Alison Maxwell, a well-known Glaswegian journalist with an irresistible sexual attraction to both sexes, is found murdered the police look no further than the owner of the scarf used to strangle her. Lindsay Gordon, however, has other ideas. Maxwell was a serial seductress who kept a secret record of her encounters—including one with Lindsay herself. Recalling the threats that followed the end of the relationship, Lindsay knows all too well the feelings of rage, fear, and passion that Alison Maxwell could invoke. Soon Lindsay is embroiled in an investigation involving blackmail, stolen government documents, and the vested interests of a group of people determined to keep her from finding the truth.
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-08-9
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-008-3
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Bywater Books
CONFERENCES ARE MURDER
4th Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“Neatly constructed and splendidly sarcastic about the circus of union politics.” —Daily Telegraph
Leaving her new home in California for a trade union conference in Sheffield, Lindsay Gordon finds herself in the company of old friends—and enemies, including union leader Tom Jack. When Tom falls to his death from her bedroom window after a spectacularly public row with Lindsay, it seems the only way to prove her innocence is to find the real culprit. Hoping to clear her name, Lindsay searches among hundreds of unruly union delegates for a murderer who may have struck once before. Along the way she uncovers a seething cauldron of blackmail, corruption, and abuse of power, all brought to the boil by her investigation.
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-09-6
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-009-0
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Bywater Books
BOOKED FOR MURDER
5th Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“McDermid’s latest in her successful Lindsay Gordon series is another winner, providing plenty of plot turn and puzzlement . . . making for one of the best women’s mysteries in a long time.” —Booklist
Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varnavides, bestselling author of the “Teen Dreams” series? Her demise can’t be the freak accident it first appeared—it’s an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Only three people knew the plot of Penny’s unpublished novel: her literary agent, her editor, and her ex-girlfriend Meredith. In an effort to clear Meredith, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering facade of the seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsay encounters an unsavoury mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud, and seething rivalries.
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-10-2
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-010-6
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Bywater Books
HOSTAGE TO MURDER
6th Lindsay Gordon Mystery
Val McDermid
“One of my favorite authors, Val McDermid is an important writer—witty, never sentimental, taking us through mean streets with the dexterity of a Chandler.” —Sara Paretsky
Lindsay Gordon—investigative journalist, tenacious sleuth, and unashamed lesbian—is facing a midlife crisis. Back in her native Scotland after a long absence, she has no job, no friends, and no desire to even think about her girlfriend’s worrying preoccupations. A chance encounter with freelance reporter Rory McLaren offers her an irresistible invitation to open a new chapter in her life. From there it is just a short step to political corruption and other juicy stories—all welcome distractions from Lindsay’s problems at home. But when a local car dealer’s stepson is kidnapped, Lindsay and Rory trade journalism for detection. The trail leads them to St. Petersburg and a dangerous snatch-back operation that will test Lindsay to her absolute limits . . .
Print ISBN 978-1-932859-02-7
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61294-011-3
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Bywater Books represents the coming of age of lesbian fiction. We’re committed to bringing the best of contemporary lesbian writing to a discerning readership. Our editorial team is dedicated to finding and developing outstanding voices who deliver stories you won’t want to put down. That’s why we sponsor the annual Bywater Prize for Fiction. We love good books, just like you do.
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