It was scarred, flattened, thickened, checkered, and welted. It was a face that had nothing to fear. Everything had been done to it that anybody could think of.’ Raymond Chandler, Farewell My Lovely ‘And this man’s name is Thomas Blake?’ said Detective Chambers, taking notes in Karl’s office while sitting down facing Karl. ‘You suspect Blake had something to do with Miss Fleming’s rape and murder in Ballymena?’ ‘Suspect? Something a bit stronger than that.’‘Any proof?’‘Unfortunately, no. He has a partner, looks a bit like Lee Marvin and–’‘Lee Marvin?’‘Do you have to be so bloody young? Lee Marvin was an actor – one of the best. Anyway, this bastard is the spitting image of him. He likes wielding and firing shotguns in public – preferably at people looking like me.’‘Firing guns in public? Have you any proof of that?’‘No proof, per se. I didn’t stay around long enough to have my face blasted into oblivion when he was pointing that mother of all guns at me.
