DI Sally Parker Thrillers Box Set, page 27
part #1 of DI Sally Parker Series
“That’s all right. I can still tag along, can’t I? I’ll follow you in my car. After we’ve obtained the info, we can go our separate ways.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “What’s this really about? I’m guessing one of two things are riffling through that complex brain of yours.”
He opened his mouth, ready to object, but she raised a hand to silence him.
“Either you’re looking for an excuse not to go home, or—and this is the more likely reason springing to my mind right now—you’re trying to protect me, the way you always do when we deal with a female victim who has been attacked in mysterious circumstances.”
He held an imaginary gun to his head and pulled the trigger. “Guilty as charged on the second count, boss. Just humour me, eh?”
“All right, this will be the last time, okay? I’m aware this is a side effect from living with an abusive moron like Darryl. However, he’s out of my life and not liable to intrude on it again any time soon. Got that?”
“I know. This will be the last time, I swear.”
“It better be,” she grumbled, rising to her feet and following him out of the office.
When they arrived at the pub, at around six thirty, a few punters were at the bar and a couple of families were sitting outside in the children’s play area, making the most of the warm evening sun. A bearded man in his forties was leaning against the bar, engrossed in a chat with some of the customers. When Sally and Jack entered the lounge bar, he approached them with a welcoming smile that showed off a few crooked and missing teeth.
“What can I get you, folks, on this fine autumnal evening? The food won’t be available until seven, as the chef had to attend a family funeral today. Finest in the area, so well worth the wait, although I might be a little biased there.” He laughed and winked.
Sally immediately warmed to his friendly nature and made a mental note to call back another time to sample the menu with her mother and father, maybe at the weekend. She produced her warrant card, and in a hushed voice, she asked, “Are you the manager or owner of this establishment?”
The man crossed his arms and nodded. “The owner. Bill Warburton. Something wrong, miss?”
“Can we talk in private? In an office perhaps?”
The man nodded. “Terence, watch the bar while I deal with these nice people, will you?”
The young man he’d spoken to was sitting on the other side of the bar. He hopped off his stool, lifted the bar flap, and stood behind the beer pumps.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to cause you any inconvenience.”
The owner waved her suggestion away. “You haven’t. He was due to start work in half an hour anyway. I’ll see him right with an extra pint after his shift.” He showed them through to a whitewashed room, stacked full of pub supplies. “Excuse the mess. We had a delivery earlier, and I just shoved them in here, out of the way. What’s this about, Inspector?”
The room was bare as far as seating options were concerned. “Well, we’re investigating the murder of one of your customers.”
“What? Who?” The man seemed shocked by the news and stumbled backwards against the wall behind him.
“A Gemma Whiting. Do you know her?”
He shook his head and frowned. “Don’t recognise the name. A lot of folks pass through these doors, though, that I can’t really put a name to. Do you have a picture?”
“Sorry, no. She was in here last night with a group of friends. Does that ring a bell?”
He clicked his fingers. “Audrey was in here last night with some friends. I haven’t met them before, so I have no idea what their names are.”
“Okay, here’s the thing. Audrey told us that Gemma went outside during the course of the evening. It’s possible that she might have met up with a man. Do you have any form of CCTV either inside the pub or surveying the exterior?”
“I do. Wow, I’ll go and check the machine, see if it was working last night. Fingers crossed, eh?” He rushed out of the room, seeming eager to help, and returned a few minutes later. He gave them the thumbs-up. “Do you want to come through to the other office and take a look?”
“Incredible news. I really wasn’t expecting that.”
Sally and Jack followed the man into an even smaller office. They all squeezed into the confined space full of shelves, storing bulging boxes of what Sally presumed to be the pub’s accounts.
“Excuse the mess. One of these days, I’ll get around to clearing up this place. You know how it is.”
“There’s no need to apologise. Is it a CD you have or video?”
“It’s a CD. I can make you a copy, if you like?”
“Let’s see what we have first, Bill.”
He ran the tape. Sally leaned in closer to the grainy picture. “Can we make it clearer at all?”
The man messed around with the contrast a little and came up trumps. The film consisted of Gemma Whiting, walking out of the pub’s back door and into the children’s play area at the rear.
“Well, she’s alone so far,” Jack pointed out.
Within seconds, a man appeared at the door of the pub, and without faltering in his stride, he marched over to where Gemma was sitting.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that meeting was arranged. Look at her reaction—she’s smiling at him. I’m not sure I’d treat his interruption with as much grace. In fact, I would be treating him warily,” Sally said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, but then you’re a copper, boss. You have a built-in scumbag radar.”
She laughed at her partner’s turn of phrase. “Except where exes are concerned, eh? I’ll still take that as a compliment, Jack.” She returned her attention to the couple on the screen. “They seem to be getting along pretty well, would you say?”
Both men observing the film with her nodded their agreement.
“Do you recognise the man at all, Bill?”
“I think I’ve seen him in here once or twice. Let me get a printout and ask Terence. He’s lived in the area all his life. If anyone knows this guy, he will. I’ll be right back.” He ran the disc backwards and stopped the film at a spot where the man’s face was as clear as possible, considering the footage had been taken during the night-time.
After Bill had printed off the picture and left the room, Sally set the disc in motion again, and together she and Jack continued to voice their suspicions.
“His mannerisms aren’t really signifying any evil intent towards her, not to me anyway,” Sally said.
“Hmm… I’m thinking along the same lines. Apart from startling her initially, the more I see of the film, the more it looks like just a couple of old friends having a chat. Is he pointing out that Porsche?”
Sally peered closer at the man’s pointing finger. “It appears that way to me, Jack. We’ll ask Bill if he knows who it belongs to.”
The owner of the pub returned, beaming. “I’ve got a name for you, folks.”
Sally stood up and cocked her head. “Really? That’s fabulous news. Jack, get this down, will you?”
Her partner scrambled for his notebook and pen, poised for action.
“It’s Taylor Hew. Now that I’ve heard the name, I do recognise him as being local. He’s only stepped foot in the pub a few times, though. He lives within a ten-mile radius of here, according to Terence.”
“That’s excellent. I don’t suppose you know what car he drives?”
Bill frowned. “No, I could ask Terence.”
“In a moment.” Sally rewound the disc to where the man motioned towards the vehicle they suspected belonged to him. “Here. It looks like they are discussing this car. It’s a Porsche. Would he likely be driving one of those?”
“I’d have to ask Terence. Look, why don’t I make a copy of the disc for you, and then I’ll take over from Terence at the bar and let you have a chat with him?”
“Perfect. We really appreciate your assistance. It’s important we catch the culprit who attacked Gemma quickly. If this man is innocent, it’s just as important for us to discount him from our enquiries ASAP.”
He nodded and set about his task. Sally and Jack left the room to give him the space he needed to work. “Want to drop by this bloke’s house tonight?” Jack asked.
Sally winked at her partner. “If his place is near, we might as well.”
“Thought you might say that,” Jack grumbled good-naturedly.
“So glad I didn’t disappoint you, Jack.”
Bill walked out of the office, handed the CD case to Sally, and marched up the corridor back into the bar area. “Take a seat there, and I’ll ask Terence to join you in a sec.”
Sally and Jack waited another minute or two for the young man with spiky red hair to sit down opposite them.
“The boss tells me you want to have a quick chat about Taylor Hew.”
“That’s right. Do you know him well?” Sally asked.
Jack flipped open his notebook and began taking notes.
“I know of him. Couldn’t really say that I know him well. What’s he done?” he asked, grinning cheekily.
“We just want to have a chat with him. Do you know what car he drives?” Sally batted away the young man’s question with one of her own.
“One of those posh sporty cars. Sorry, cars aren’t really my thing.”
“Do you think it might be a Porsche?” Jack prompted him. “Everyone knows what a Porsche looks like.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Er… not me, sorry. Not unless you tell me what colour it is. I’m good with colours. That’s about all, though.”
“The thing is, it’s hard to make out the colour of the car on the CCV footage we’ve viewed. Never mind, we’ll do a check on the database tomorrow and see what we come up with. Bill told us you thought the man was local.”
“Sort of. He’s not a regular here but pops in now and again. I can’t give you his exact address, but I know it’s around the Ketteringham area. I think I overheard him mention that he was looking at buying a property close to where he lives now, and Ketteringham came up in the conversation.”
“That’s great. I don’t suppose you happen to know where he works.”
“I think he’s one of these up-and-coming property-developer types.”
“Okay, that’s a start at least. Is he married?”
The young man shrugged and shook his head. “That, I can’t tell you.”
“Never mind. You’ve been really helpful. We’ll let you get back to work now.” All three of them rose from their seats. Sally waved at the owner of the pub and mouthed goodbye to him.
Outside Jack asked, “Do you want me to get on to control for his address?”
Sally looked at her watch. “Why not? Mum’s going to be pissed off with me being late anyway. What does another few minutes matter? Are you all right to continue?”
“Shit happens. This is important, boss. We need to chase it up ASAP.”
“I’m glad you agree. You call the station, and I’ll ring my mother.” They stood at opposite ends of Sally’s car and placed their calls. “Mum, it’s me. Sorry, I’m going to be held up.”
“That’s all right, dear. I’ll dish up ours and put yours aside for when you get here. Nothing major wrong, I hope?”
“It could be, Mum. I’ll tell you all about it later. Thanks for understanding. Sorry for messing you around. See you later.” Sally ended the call as Jack joined her.
“Okay, I have his address. Want to take the two cars again?”
“Makes sense, and then we can go our separate ways afterwards.”
“I’ll lead the way then,” Jack suggested.
Sally waited for Jack to drive past her. She tailed him through the windy country lanes until they finally arrived at Taylor Hew’s address. The gated house was spectacular; white with rounded windows sitting under an impressive reed-thatched roof. Jack joined her as she got out of her car. “Bloody hell. I think I’m in the wrong career.”
“We both are, Jack. I can’t see his car anywhere. Can you?”
“It could be in a garage. Hard to see what’s on the other side of the wall from here. Let me try the intercom.”
Sally got up close to the gate and strained her neck when she tried to look around the front wall, alongside the gates, of the impressive house. It proved to be a waste of time.
“No answer. Looks like your first assumption was accurate. Maybe he’s out on the prowl for his next victim.”
“You can cut that out, matey. We don’t know he’s guilty of anything other than talking to Gemma yet. Let’s hold fire on casting such aspersions for now, okay?”
Jack shrugged. “Okay. What do you want to do now?”
“We should call it a day. Maybe get on to the station again, ask uniform to keep an eye out for the car. There can’t be that many Porsches in the area. We can come back tomorrow to question Taylor Hew.”
Sally got out of the car at her parents’ home and paused when she heard the commotion coming from the kitchen. She slipped her key in the door and stood in the hallway, listening to her parents arguing. Dex ran up the hallway to greet her. She placed a finger to her mouth and told her faithful companion to be quiet. He rolled over and demanded a tummy tickle while she continued to listen to the confrontation her parents were having.
“Don’t give me that same old excuse, Christopher. That bloody job has been half-completed for months now. I’m fed up with tripping over that damn pipework. You promised me you’d have it finished by the start of the summer, and now we’re swiftly moving into the autumn.”
“But, Janine, you know my circumstances. The paid work has to come first. Either that or the bank is liable to repossess the house.”
“And whose bloody fault is that? I told you—no, I begged you—not to take out that blasted loan last year. I’m nearing sixty, for Christ’s sake! The last thing I wanted was any kind of mortgage or loan around my neck at my age. I should never have listened to you in the first place.”
Sally’s eyes teared up. She had no idea her parents were riddled with debt. She knew her father had been ripped off by someone he’d carried out some building work for the previous year, but her parents had kept from her the fact that they were short of money. She wished she could help them out financially, but Darryl had left her high and dry in that respect. Hence the tiny flat in Norwich.
Dex’s moaning increased. He was such a sensitive soul; hated the sound of raised voices. Sally decided that she’d heard enough and walked into the kitchen, where she found her parents on opposite sides of the room, glaring at each other.
Her mother’s mouth dropped open the second she saw Sally. Recovering well, she said, “Hello, darling, not as late as you anticipated then, after all.”
“Cut the crap, Mum. I heard you arguing. Why didn’t you tell me things were so bad?”
Her father cleared his throat then threw himself into a chair at the table. “To be frank with you, love, it’s none of your concern. You’ve had more than enough shit of your own to deal with this year. Why should we heap our burdens on your young shoulders, too?”
Sally walked over, placed a gentle arm around her mother’s shoulder, and guided her to the table. After pushing her into the chair next to her father, Sally sat down opposite them and reached for each of their hands. Her father’s was hot and sticky, which immediately caused her to worry about his heart. He’d had serious health issues over recent years and was still under the specialist. “Okay, you guys need to listen very carefully to what I have to say, without interruptions.”
Both her parents nodded and took turns sighing heavily.
“We’ll listen, although I have a feeling we’re going to feel like chastised children at the end of our little chat,” her mother said, her own eyes moist with tears.
“If you think that, Mum, then you really don’t know me well.”
Her mother opened her mouth to speak again, but Sally issued her a warning glance, and her mother reconsidered her actions.
“I’m disappointed that you have let things slip to this stage. You should have told me, even asked my advice. Whether you care to admit it or not, I’m a grown woman, not a child anymore. Yes, I’ve had my problems this year. However, that doesn’t mean that I have to wallow in self-pity and ignore what is piling high on your plates at the moment. If you need financial help, then I’m going to give it to you. No arguments, you hear me? Don’t answer that—it was a rhetorical question. Thanks to your kindness, I moved in a few months back when I was in trouble. If you’ll have me back, I propose giving up my teeny-weeny flat and move in here. How about that? Will you have me?”
Tears flowed freely from her mother’s eyes, and she grabbed her husband’s hand. “Only if you’re one hundred percent sure, darling.”
“I agree, with one stipulation,” her father stated.
Sally tilted her head. “What’s that, Dad?”
“That your name goes on the deeds of the house.”
Her mother glanced sharply his way then back at Sally. “What a great idea. That would work well for all of us.”
“I was going to suggest that I should take over the mortgage payments. I’m doubtful about my name appearing on the deeds, though.”
Her mother’s beautiful smile returned, pushing aside the tension that had crumpled her forehead moments earlier. “It makes sense. Although, I do think we should contemplate going halves on the mortgage repayments. I’d hate to feel as though we were using you, love.”
“No, Mum. It’s all or nothing. I take it the house would be left to me in your wills anyway, so all we’ll be doing is bringing the date forward, yes?”
Her father left his chair and circled the table. He pulled Sally to her feet and squeezed her in a suffocating hug. “I can’t thank you enough for this, love. If it hadn’t been for that bastard ripping me off last year, we wouldn’t be in this mess. That’ll teach me not to trust folk again.”
“No good blaming yourself, Dad. Doing this will benefit all of us in the long run. I miss you guys and the little man over there.” Sally looked over at Dex curled up on his bed, eyeing them all, wondering what was going on. “I’ll make an appointment to see the bank manager as soon as I can, although I have another big case to contend with as of today. I’ll tell you about it after dinner. Come on, Mum, shake a leg. I’m ravenous.”
