Prologue
He knew he was going to die. As he sat on the park bench eating his lunch, he watched the birds as they flew past him, searching for shelter from the storm. He didn't know how long he had, but he knew it wasn't much longer. It was a grim Saturday afternoon, the wind was tugging at his freshly ironed clothes and the rain gave them a thorough soaking.
Perhaps it was the harsh English weather or just nerves, but suddenly he started to feel dizzy and disorientated. The storm only to got worse as he made his way home, stumbling and tripping over every crack in the old London pavement.
Finally, he reached his flat and opened the door. He was short of breath as well as battered and soaked by the wind and rain. His shoulder pain had got worse, his knees buckled.
He lay on the floor scared and alone, not knowing what to do and fearing every breath could be his last. He was a doctor and although it seemed painfully ironic, he couldn't push the nightmare out of his mind-he was having a heart attack.
He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he had and now he would pay the price.
Chapter 1
Levi G Mandevillle stared at his client over the rim of his cup. He was only half listening, as he had decided that this man was rather too eccentric for his liking. He had also been repeating every single idea he had already said over and over again for the past ten minutes.Levi put down the tea and sighed. At least this stopped the man, by the name of Thomas Appleby, speaking. He looked flustered and fidgeted nervously.
The detective had no problems deciphering Appleby, he was too easy to read. He had been in a hurry this morning, stopping to get a sandwich in one of those small cafes judging by the crumbs and mayonnaise (home made) smears on his sleeve that he had hastily tried to eliminate. He obviously didn't live in London if his lack of waterproof clothing and slight tan were anything to go by. Hair (untidy) and just visible bags under his eyes suggested that he also lived with someone else (probably a girlfriend or other person to whom he had an attachment). He also had a cat (Maine coon) going by the amount of silvery hair on his suit and trousers (obviously things someone with a boring yet well payed job would wear). Probably an attorney and this was why he was here. He probably possessed a small dog judging by the state of his shoes and lower region of his trousers. Levi noticed a great many other irrelevant things that weren't worth mentioning as this man was clearly had a stereotypical and extremely boring life.
Blood Chocolate
An extract from the thrilling detective novel by Sacha Tiotto-Smith..