‘So?’

  ‘So, we reckon they parked up on the green overlooking the sea to eat their fish and chips. Which is where they were found the next morning.’

  ‘But no fish and chip papers were found in the car,’ Flynn said.

  ‘No, our killer must have taken them with him.’

  ‘It’s all very confusing,’ said Flynn. ‘Were any fish and chip papers found in nearby bins?’

  ‘The bins were full because of all the people attending the car show. We’ve no idea what was in them, just that they were overflowing. We had no reason to check them all. Do you know how many bins there are on the esplanade?’ grumbled Elgin.

  ‘Mmmm and what did Floyd say they’d eaten when he did the post mortem?’

  ‘Fish and chips,’ confirmed Fisher.

  ‘That fits then.’

  Flynn paced the office, deep in thought, which didn’t take long as the space wasn’t very big.

  ‘Who else is on the CCTV?’

  ‘Sorry, Flynn?’ asked Elgin.

  ‘Can we identify any other people out and about that night. Particularly on the esplanade around the time Mr and Mrs Gains were parked up in the Volvo.’

  ‘Ah, you mean we could spot our killer?’

  ‘Exactly. So back to it, lads. We might just be making progress. At last.’

  Chapter 24

  Flynn decided to take a break. Going round and round in his head was the information from the DVLA, the sightings of the Gains on the CCTV and the interview with Kevin Slaughter. Grabbing Baxter’s lead, they both left the office.

  Inevitably their walk led them to the green overlooking the esplanade. Letting Baxter off the lead and walking along, Flynn looked at the bins. They were all large, at least 4’ high and nearly as wide. Fish and chip papers could have been squashed into any one of them and no one would have seen them. Anyway, there was always the possibility of other people eating fish and chips and pushing the papers into the bins. It was a wild goose chase to think he may find anything from lost fish and chip papers.

  Of course, the Gains could have thrown them away themselves and continued sitting there watching the lights over the bay, for it would have been getting dark by then. They would have been blissfully unaware of the danger they were in.

  Jerome had told him that carbon monoxide poisoning would just be like falling asleep and not waking up again. The thought made Flynn shudder.

  There was a fog rolling in from the sea making everything grey. It soon covered the sun, the temperature plunging without warning. The boats out in the bay were disappearing, the fog swallowing them up like a multi-headed hydra beast. Flynn shivered in his tweed jacket, and he called to Baxter. Putting the dog back on the lead they walked back to the station, the mist following hard on their heels as the two of them tried to outrun it.

  Flynn was no clearer in his mind after the walk, his thoughts being swallowed by doubt, as the fog had swallowed up the view. So, he was relieved when Fisher called to him on his arrival.

  ‘You’ll never guess what?’ the man gushed.

  ‘I never guess,’ retorted Flynn. ‘So tell me.’

  ‘Shut up, Fisher,’ said Elgin. ‘Stop being awkward. Met, we’ve found three people out and about along the esplanade after the Gains bought the fish and chips and parked up.’

  ‘Three?’ At once Flynn was rejuvenated. ‘Who are they?’

  The car club Chairman, the Secretary and the mechanic Kevin Slaughter.’

  Chapter 25

  Josephine James, car club secretary, lived in a diminutive house with grand aspirations. From the moment Flynn and Mabel crossed the threshold, Flynn felt as though he’d entered Dr Who’s Tardis. The furniture was large and ornate, think French renaissance. The walls were painted rich colours and there were prints of old masters on the walls. If the owner had been a small woman, she would have been easily overwhelmed by the grandeur, but Josephine was nearly 6’ tall with hands and feet as large as Flynn’s.

  ‘Thank you for seeing us, Josephine,’ said Mabel.

  Flynn wasn’t keen on such pleasantries and dove straight in.

  ‘Miss James, what were you doing on the esplanade the night before the car show?’

  ‘Mrs.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘Mrs James. I’m a widow.’

  ‘Oh, right, well, Mrs James, what were you doing on the esplanade the night before the car show?’

  ‘When was that?’

  ‘Really MRS James,’ Flynn emphasized the Mrs. ‘I’m sure you well know.’

  ‘There’s no need to take that attitude with me, young man, detective or not. You’ll be polite to me or leave my house. I don’t need to speak to you, you know.’

  ‘I know you don’t, dear,’ Mabel tried to smooth things down. ‘But it really would help us.’

  ‘Oh, very well. I was just checking the venue.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ said Flynn incredulously. ‘Checking it out how? Why?’

  ‘Travellers.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘Travellers. Gypsies. Call them what you will. They have a tendency to slip in under cover of night and you wake up the next morning to an encampment of them on the green. And, of course, I couldn’t have that!’

  ‘But what could you have done about it if you had found any?’

  ‘Well, called you lot, of course,’ Josephine James snorted. ‘Got you to get them off!’

  Flynn shook his head. He well knew that himself, Elgin and Fisher wouldn’t have had a chance in hell of getting rid of them. Not without a warrant and that would have taken several days to get.

  ‘I’m not sure I believe you,’ he said.

  Josephine James stood. ‘I beg your pardon,’ she boomed. ‘You don’t believe me? Get out of my house. Now!’

  Flynn and Mabel stood.

  ‘I will not be spoken to like that in my own house.’ She pointed a shaky finger at the door. ‘Out! Now!’

  Flynn and Mabel scurried out and the front door was slammed shut behind them, shaking the doorframe.

  ‘Oh, my,’ said Flynn. ‘I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of her!’

  ‘I think we just did, Flynn,’ Mabel smiled. ‘But the question is do you believe her?’

  ‘I wouldn’t dare contradict her again. I don’t think my heart could stand it.’

  ‘Well, let’s hope she’s not our killer, that’s all I can say.’

  Chapter 26

  Colonel Sugar, Wheels Chairman, was no friendlier, if Flynn was honest. Mabel had confided that she’d always found him a bad-tempered man who didn’t suffer fools gladly. In that case Flynn hoped he wouldn’t see himself and Mabel as fools.

  They knocked on the door of a detached residence in an exclusive area of Muddlebay, sitting about halfway up the cliff with serious views over the bay. The house didn’t look so exclusive, though, thought Flynn, eyeing the grey pebbledash. As they walked up to the front door, he noticed the window frames were badly in need of repainting and a couple of the windows had cracks in the glass.

  When the Colonel opened the door and saw who was calling on him, he harrumphed and let them in. To be honest Flynn would have rather stayed outside as it was considerably warmer there than in the house, which smelt of mould and damp.

  Rejecting Colonel Sugar’s offer to take a seat, Flynn asked why he had been on the esplanade the night that Mr and Mrs Gains had died.

  ‘Was I?’

  ‘Yes, sir, you were. You were caught on CCTV.’

  ‘Oh, right oh,’ he said, smoothing down his fulsome moustache. ‘Walking my dog.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really. I would suggest that as you have me on CCTV then you also have my dog.’

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The dog?’

  ‘Out with the dog walker.’

  ‘A dog walker?’

  ‘Yes, not getting any younger, you know.’

  ‘Who? You or the dog?’

  The Colonel raised himself up to his full height, which was still a few inches short of Flynn.

  ‘Are you trying to be impertinent,’ he bellowed.

  ‘I’m not trying to be anything,’ replied Flynn. ‘I’m simply asking a straightforward question.’

  ‘Both.’

  ‘Both?’ asked Flynn.

  ‘Yes, I am getting older and so is the dog.’

  ‘But you were still able to walk him along the esplanade?’

  ‘Um, yes, well, occasionally you know. Take him down to the flat part of town. He, um, doesn’t do hills anymore.’

  Mabel made a strange, strangled noise and Flynn could see her eyes bulging.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘That will be all.’ Then added, ‘For now.’

  Ushering Mabel outside, he said, ‘Mabel what on earth?’

  She burst out laughing. ‘I hope you’re not trying to be impertinent, ha ha!’

  Flynn was incredulous.

  ‘Really? That was funny?’

  She nodded. ‘It was your reply. It was sublime.’

  Flynn shook his head and climbed into the police car. Sometimes he despaired of Mabel. But not only that, he was seriously beginning to wonder why Mabel lived in Muddlebay with such awful people as Colonel Sugar and Josephine James in it.

  Chapter 27

  The final visit was to Kevin Slaughter, the Gains’ tame mechanic. Or perhaps not so tame after all. With Mabel’s help Flynn steered the car around the back streets until they came to the garage. Once again Slaughter was under a car, and he came out after Flynn tooted his car horn.

  ‘Oh,’ Slaughter said, ‘it’s you two again.’

  ‘Now, now, Kevin,’ said Mabel, ‘that’s not very friendly.’

  ‘Well, I’m not feeling very friendly just at the moment. I’ve a tricky job on that I need to get back to. So, what do you want?’

  ‘It appears you were walking along the esplanade the night Mr and Mrs Gains were killed.’

  ‘Killed or died?’ Slaughter asked.

  Flynn had to admit that the jury was still out on that one.

  ‘Is that an offence now?’ Slaughter asked. ‘Walking along the esplanade?’

  ‘You know full well what Flynn is saying, Kevin,’ said Mabel. ‘Stop being so belligerent.’

  ‘I just needed some fresh air.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, DS Flynn, really. Sometimes even I need to switch off and commune with nature.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘Of course. Doesn’t everyone?’

  Flynn ignored that. ‘Were you meeting anyone?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Did you see anyone you knew?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘So, you went for a walk, all on your own, and didn’t see anyone who you knew, while doing said walk.’

  ‘Yep,’ agreed Slaughter. ‘That’s about it.’

  ‘Even though you must know at least half of the people in town as you service and mend their cars? Strikes me as a bit odd that, Kevin,’ said Mabel.

  ‘Odd, or not, that’s what happened. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get back to this car.’

  With that Kevin Slaughter turned his back on them and sauntered back to the vehicle he’d been working on.

  ‘Well?’ asked Flynn as they got back in the car. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I think every one of them is lying through their teeth,’ said Mabel.

  ‘So do I, Mabel. So do I.’

  Chapter 28

  It was half day closing at the library and Mabel was looking forward to her free afternoon. The sun was high in the sky and the temperature slowly rising. She was seriously thinking about renting a deck chair on the beach, when her friend Mrs Carter turned up.

  ‘Morning, Mabel,’ she said, rushing to the Information Desk. ‘Phew it’s going to be a hot one today. I’d invite you for lunch in the garden, but I’m off to see friends for a pub lunch.’

  ‘Oh, that’s nice, dear,’ Mabel said, relieved that she’d still be free to go to the beach.

  ‘So, what’s the latest?’ Mrs Carter asked as she dug library books out of her bag.

  ‘Latest, dear?’ Mabel feigned confusion.

  ‘With the case, of course. What have you and DS Flynn been up to?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t talk about an active investigation. You know that!’

  ‘I know, but it was worth a try. I can’t say I knew them well myself. Did you?’

  ‘No, not really, just from the library, you know.’

  ‘I expect they were better known by the classic car crew.’

  ‘Mmm,’ said Mabel.

  ‘Not one for me. All those cars don’t really do it. Prefer people to metal. I never took to them, myself.’

  ‘Who, dear?’

  ‘The Gains. Seemed a bit cold to me. Not very friendly at all.’

  ‘Some people like to keep themselves to themselves, dear.’

  ‘I suppose. But civility costs nothing.’

  ‘Here, let me help you with those books,’ and Mabel smoothly took the pile from Mrs Carter and returned them at the machine. ‘Are you going to choose some more?’

  ‘No, I’ll come back tomorrow,’ said Mrs Carter, looking at her watch. ‘Don’t’ want to be late,’ and with a wave off she went.

  Mabel heaved a sigh of relief as her friend walked off. She’d managed to avoid any awkward questions. But it was interesting that Mrs Carter found the Gains to be unfriendly. Maybe it was just a generation thing? After all the Gains were considerably younger than most of the residents of Muddlebay.

  Wandering into the stacks to put the returned books away, she heard whispering. She couldn’t see who was talking, but edged as close as she dared, to hear what was being said.

  ‘You must have hated them.’

  ‘Well, yes, I suppose so.’

  ‘No, really, people shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that.’

  Get away with what, wondered Mabel.

  ‘Things happen.’

  ‘Yes, but some things deserve to be punished.’

  ‘Well, it was rather awful. He was very upset, you know. Felt like a right old fool for falling for it.’

  ‘Well, I for one wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d done something about it.’

  The only reply was a sniff and that’s where the conversation ended.

  Who was talking? Were they really talking about the Gains? What on earth had they done and to whom?

  As the library was closing, everyone got ready to file out and Mabel spied the woman who’d been speaking, identifying her as the only woman who’d been crying. Grabbing her handbag she turned to her colleague. ‘Can you lock up if I leave now?’

  ‘Of course, Mabel, that’s fine. Off you go.’

  With a nod, Mabel joined the end of the queue, determined to keep in sight the woman with the red eyes, who had clearly been crying. Mabel didn’t know who the woman was but was determined to find out.

  Chapter 29

  As they walked down the road, Mabel could hear a muffled conversation between two women, and she was convinced it was the two who had been speaking, hidden behind the stacks in the library. One of them was still dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and that was the woman Mabel needed to follow.

  The woman stopped at the bus stop halfway down the road to the coast. Lurking nearby, ostensibly looking in the shop windows, Mabel waited until the bus pulled up before she joined the end of the queue. Luckily, she’d grabbed her handbag, so she had her bus pass with her.

  The woman with the red eyes had gone to the back of the bus, so Mabel sat in the middle, so she’d have a clear view of those leaving through the side door.

  She should let Flynn know what she was up to, so delving in her handbag she found her mobile. When there was no reply from Flynn, she decided a text would just have to do. Not that she was best at texting, her arthritic fingers weren’t very quick at pressing tiny buttons. She was halfway through a message when the bus lurched to a halt and the red eyed woman left the bus. Quickly pressing ‘send’, Mabel left the bus herself and followed her prey down the road.

  Flynn was deep in thought when the message came through from Mabel. He was still grappling with the knotty problem of the Gains’ scams and who their killer might be. He was reviewing the visits to Colonel Sugar, Josephine James and Kevin Slaughter. Just who had been lying and why?

  The trouble was that there was no other evidence to guide him. None that made any sense anyway. Why put the Gains in the boot? Obviously to delay the investigation. No one would see them for many hours, giving the killer time to cover his or her tracks.

  Even though that meant moving dead bodies and heaving them into the boot, something that would normally be a male prerogative, he felt that Josephine James would be perfectly capable of doing that. Probably even easier than someone of Kevin Slaughter’s size maybe.

  Looking at his mobile he saw Mabel’s message. Opening it he read: Onbus follow ld wwwww MMM.

  He had absolutely no idea what on earth that meant. Onbus? Omnibus? Onb us? Follow what? Who? Did Flynn have to follow a lead? Was Mabel following up a lead? He had absolutely no idea.

  He rang Mabel’s phone, but it appeared to be turned off. Either that or she was out of range of a signal. He shrugged. Oh well, there wasn’t much he could do about it, and he turned back to the paperwork he’d been examining.

  Chapter 30

  Mabel realised that the bus had stopped outside Overdown Retirement Village and that her quarry had disappeared inside. Mabel edged her way into the car park and wondered what to do next. She couldn’t get in via the main door as she hadn’t a key. There was no one around who would let her in. And normally security was quite tight in retirement developments. She decided to poke her nose and walk around the building via the gardens.

  The springy green grass was perfectly manicured, so much so that Mabel felt she shouldn’t be walking on it. But there were no signs saying keep off the grass, so she carried on. The ground floor flats had patio doors which opened onto the gardens. The whole place was really very beautiful, and Mabel wondered if she should consider living in such a place.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8