The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 David Carter (autobiographies to read txt) 📖

‘Be that as it may, I will want to talk to her,’ insisted Walter.

‘She’s ill, Inspector, she’s not a well woman.’

‘What’s the problem?’ asked Karen, Walter thought coldly, but what the heck, he wanted to know too.

‘Motor Neurone, early stages, though she doesn’t get out of the wheelchair much.’

‘Still like to talk to her,’ said Walter.

‘She needs to know that someone was gunning for her son, and we need to know if she knows why,’ said Karen.

Gerry sighed and pursed his lips and said, ‘All right, if you must. You can come tonight, say eight o’clock,’ and he passed a card across the desk.

Karen stood and glanced at it, before pocketing it.

Walter said, ‘How’s business, Mister Swaythling?’

‘Could be better, could be worse, we are never working on more than five projects at any one time.’

‘How many at the moment?’ asked Karen.

‘Three, it might have been four if you hadn’t interrupted.’

‘I’m sure they will be back, they seemed to like you, Gerry,’ said Walter, standing and examining the model of Brambury Heights. ‘How much would this little pied-à-terre set me back?’

Gerry Swaythling pulled a face, said, ‘It’s hardly that,’ and he stood up and moved toward his latest baby. Thought he’d humour the guy and answer his question. ‘About eight, depending on finish and precise requirements.’

‘Eight what?’ asked Walter.

Gerry considered answering, thought better of it, and gave the black copper a look that said everything.

‘So what do we get for the eight mill?’ asked Karen, remembering that she still hadn’t checked her last four week’s lottery tickets.

Gerry turned his eyes to the girl. She was a decent piece of totty. He’d talk to her anytime. ‘State of the art kitchen and bathrooms goes without saying, Italian marble, granite whatever you want. Cinema, as big as you need, indoor pool, outdoor too if you’re brave enough to have such a foolish thing in hilly, windy North Wales, stables, Jacuzzi of course, hot tub, worldwide television, state of the art music in every room, individual climate control, it can even tan you while you are having your breakfast if that’s what you want, you can enjoy sex on the carpet and top up your tan while you are doing it,’ and he glanced at Karen to see if he’d shocked her. He hadn’t. Swaythling shrugged and continued. ‘Nuclear fallout shelter if you’re of a nervous disposition, state of the art touch electronic controls, no switches in the place, not a one, as many garages as you can handle, solar heating, your own independent water and sewerage supply, your own independent electricity grid, the latest security sensors and systems, no one would ever get in there without the CCTV telling you about it first, audibly, it would send real-time colour video to your mobile phone wherever you were in the world, you could quite conceivably live in a property like that while the rest of the world went extinct.’

‘I’m impressed,’ said Karen, holding his eye contact.

A smile played around the corner of his mouth.

The guy was old enough to be her father, but he still thought he had a chance with her.

Maybe he did.

‘Yeah, yeah, we’ll have two of the buggers,’ said Walter, quickly becoming bored, ‘where do we sign?’ suddenly feeling left out.

‘No one has ever bought two, Inspector.’

‘There’s a first time for everything,’ said Karen.

‘Oh indeed there is, my dear, there is. And don’t forget we can add anything else to the property you may desire?’

‘Like what?’ asked Walter.

‘We are dealing with the super rich here. Some of them have very discerning requirements, shall we say not the normal run of the mill extras.’

‘Like what?’ repeated Walter.

‘Could be something as simple as a detailed model railway running through all the rooms, delivering cups of tea, could be special state of the art quarters for weird pets like crocs, tigers, wolves and boas, or it could be something of a more personal nature.’

‘Like what?’ said Karen and Walter, as one.

‘Really, do I have to spell it out?’

‘You do to me,’ said Walter.

Gerry rolled his eyes and sighed.

‘Let’s just say dungeons and torture, get the pic, I am sure the young lady understands.’

Karen puffed out her cheeks and blew hard and said, ‘Why me? Don’t think so.’

‘That’s as may be, I don’t think you are as innocent as you look, my dear, but there we are, I really must be getting on, I have another client booked in, in ten minutes, so is there anything else I can do for you?’

‘Not right now. We’ll see you at eight,’ said Walter heading for the exit. ‘And go easy on the babe on the doors.’

Gerry held up his hand. ‘You have my word,’ he said, smiling at Karen as he closed his office door behind them.

On the way out Walter waved at the doll and shouted across, ‘Thank you, miss, no problem, Gerry’s fine about it, bye bye.’

The girl nodded and said a nervous ‘bye,’ and in the next minute they were outside on the pavement.

Walter said, ‘What did you make of that?’

‘He wasn’t exactly devastated someone had tried to murder his son.’

‘No, very casual, wasn’t he?’

‘You don’t think he could be behind it?’

‘Rule nothing out, Karen.’

‘But why would he do such a thing?’

‘No idea. Maybe his wife will shed some light.’

‘Neil’s mother?’

‘If she is his mother.’

‘You think she isn’t?’

Karen watched Walter’s lips forming and she knew what he was going to say, and beat him to it. ‘I know, rule nothing out.’

Walter nodded and said, ‘You’re going off to see Neil are you?’

‘Might as well.’

‘Come back and collect Gibbons before you go.’

‘I don’t need Gibbons.’

‘You may not need him, but I want him with you. Come on; take me back to the station.’

Five

Jim’ll fix it Mitchell had started building his network more than a quarter of a century before. He’d lost his job as a twenty something working in a Chester department store, where he’d developed a profitable sideline of opening up the storeroom doors when no one