Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

Author:Anthony Horowitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2024-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

CELEBRITY DENTIST FOUND DEAD

Police have today revealed the identity of the man they believe was responsible for the death of Giles Kenworthy, the hedge fund manager found dead in his Richmond home on Tuesday morning. Roderick Browne, 49, who took his own life following the event, was once called a ‘dentist to the stars’ due to the number of well-known personalities who visited his clinic in Cadogan Square, London.

Mr Browne had written a detailed note confessing to the murder of his neighbour, which followed a lengthy dispute. His wife is being looked after by relatives.

Speaking at a press conference held at the scene of the original crime, Detective Superintendent Tariq Khan said: ‘This is a case of a neighbourhood feud spiralling out of control. Mr Browne objected to Mr Kenworthy’s plans for a new Jacuzzi and swimming pool in his garden and this led to a double tragedy. I can confirm that there are no other suspects in this investigation and to all intents and purposes, the case is closed.’

Giles Kenworthy will be cremated at Kingston Crematorium. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.

‘He killed himself!’ It was all I managed to say. In a way, the second death – the suicide of the dentist – was as big a shock as the revelation that he was the one who had killed Giles Kenworthy.

‘That’s right.’ Morton smiled at me. ‘There was a lot of news that week, but still, you’d have thought they’d squeeze out a few more paragraphs. Celebrity dentists. They don’t gas themselves every day.’

‘Is that how he did it? Gas?’

‘Nitrous oxide. Laughing gas. I don’t think he can have found it too amusing, though.’

I sat there, reeling. Part of me was wondering if Morton was tricking me, if he’d produced a fake newspaper report to throw me off the track. But that made no sense. The article felt real and he knew perfectly well that I could cross-check it with other stories on the net. No. This was the solution. I could see it in his eyes, his cold assurance.

‘Can I get you a glass of water?’ Morton asked. ‘You look a bit shocked.’

‘I am shocked,’ I said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to blurt it out like that.’

‘It’s too bad. But I’m sure you understand. I needed to prove to you that it’s time to move on. There’s no point writing the book.’

Of course that was why he had done it. He simply wanted me to stop.

‘I don’t agree,’ I said. From shock to dismay to anger and now to recovery, I was running rapidly through the emotions. ‘Just because I know the ending, it doesn’t mean I have to tell the reader. Once the book is finished, I may be able to twist it all round.’ I was already thinking of ways to rewrite the pages I’d done.

‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’

‘I know exactly what I’m doing. Why don’t you want me to write it, Mr Morton? Who exactly are you trying to protect?’

‘I already told you .

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.