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

and flashed past them, the blonde’s mane flowing behind her in the summer breeze. She didn’t give them a second glance.

‘I don’t know who she was,’ said Karen, ‘but it certainly wasn’t Neil’s mother.’

‘Mmm,’ said Walter. ‘It wasn’t Neil either. Interesting. About the same age as Neil. He doesn’t have a sister, does he?’

‘Not that we know of.’

‘Come on, let’s go and pay our respects.’

They jumped from the car and crossed the road and in the next second Walter was buzzing the intercom.

A woman answered, a foreign lady, by the sound of things.

‘Hello, who there?’

‘Inspector Walter Darriteau, Chester Police, to see Mrs Swaythling.’

‘Hold on. I check.’

They seemed to wait an age. Then the lady was back, ‘You come in now.’

The gates swung back open and they walked through to the front door and pressed the bell.

‘Some house,’ said Karen.

‘I’ve seen better,’ said Walter, as the front door pulled open. A slight young woman in a white blouse and black skirt smiled politely and said, ‘Please come in. They will see you in a moment.’

Filipina, Walter guessed, housekeeper by the look of her, about thirty, quite attractive, wondered if she was legal.

‘I tell them you are here,’ she said, and smiled and disappeared down a white marble floored corridor. Then she was back. ‘They see you now. Please follow,’ and they followed her along the same corridor that opened out to the left into the largest living room either of them had ever seen.

Mrs Swaythling was sitting in a winged back chair. She didn’t look well. Grey hair, drawn face, very slight. Gerry was standing behind her, hands on her shoulders. Mrs Swaythling tried a smile.

‘This is my wife,’ he said, ‘Holly.’

‘Forgive me if I don’t get up.’

‘Of course,’ said Walter, striding toward her, taking her delicate hand and gently squeezing it. ‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Inspector Walter Darriteau and this is Sergeant Karen Greenwood.’

The two women exchanged glances and half smiles as Karen wandered toward the open window. It was floor to ceiling glass and had been swept fully back open, as if some giant had removed the whole wall.

‘Mind if I have a look?’ she asked.

‘Be my guest,’ said Gerry, leaving his wife’s side and crossing the room and beckoning her out onto the terrace.

‘Wow,’ she said, ‘some view.’

Far below on the river were a pair of rowing eights, chasing one another, and a couple of packed pleasure cruisers astern, working late and busy, and beyond that, the water meadows where beasts grazed contentedly, as the river wound away upstream, the setting sun lighting it up like liquid gold.

‘What a view,’ she repeated.

‘We like it,’ said Gerry, looking into her eyes.

‘Do take a seat, Inspector,’ said Mrs Swaythling, and Walter slouched into one of the vast cream sofas.

‘How are you?’ he asked.

She pulled a face, didn’t say anything, then she said, ‘Good days, bad days,’ as the other two came back inside, Gerry returning to his station behind his wife, Karen perching on the end of the sofa beside Walter.

‘We want to talk to you about Neil.’

‘Of course you do,’ said Holly. ‘Gerry said someone tried to kill him.’

‘Yes, they did. Why do you think they did that?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘I told you that,’ said Gerry, taking a moment to admire the seated sergeant.

‘He has a lady friend, I believe,’ suggested Walter.

‘That bitch!’ Holly Swaythling said.

‘Veronica?’ said Karen.

Holly sighed and nodded. ‘Veronica Camberwell. Should be ashamed of herself, corrupting a young man half her age.’

Neil’s words came back to Karen.

I’ve had dozens of girls, maybe hundreds.

Corrupted, he wasn’t.

‘Where does she live?’ asked Walter.

‘Up at Willaston, big ugly house it is, built in the 1800’s, must cost a fortune in upkeep,’ said Gerry.

‘Neil says that you have threatened to cut off his inheritance,’ said Karen, watching their faces closely for a response. She certainly got one.

‘Did he?’ shouted Gerry. ‘Damned cheek!’

‘The stupid boy!’ said Holly.

‘And did you?’ asked Walter.

‘We might have mentioned something,’ said Gerry.

‘Only in jest,’ added Holly, ‘more in an effort to bring him to his senses.’

‘Do you have children, Inspector?’ asked Gerry.

‘Not that I know of,’ said Walter.

‘Well if you did, you might understand,’ said Holly.

‘Could Veronica Camberwell have anything to do with this attempt on Neil’s life?’ asked Karen.

Gerry pursed his lips, pretended to think.

Holly said, ‘Who knows? Someone must have done it. Nothing would surprise me.’

‘You see,’ said Walter, ‘there has been another development.’

‘What kind of development?’ snapped Gerry.

‘A very big development,’ said Karen, looking straight into Gerry’s eyes.

Eight

‘Well?’ said Gerry, unaccustomed to being kept waiting. ‘What kind of development?’

‘There has been another attempt on Neil’s life.’

Holly’s mouth fell open. She balled her fist around the handkerchief and glanced around at her husband, then back at the police people.

‘Where, when?’ asked Gerry.

‘Is he all right?’ asked Holly.

‘He’s fine,’ smiled Karen, ‘we persuaded him to wear a bulletproof vest. It did the business.’

‘Oh my God!’ she said, close to tears.

‘Where is he now?’ asked Gerry.

‘He’s in a safe place. He’s going to stay there until we get to the bottom of this.’

‘I demand to know where my son is being held!’ yelled Gerry.

‘Neil wanted it this way,’ said Karen. ‘He said no one was to know, not even you.’

‘The fewer people that know the better,’ said Walter.

‘But that shouldn’t include us,’ said Holly.

‘For the moment it includes everyone,’ said Walter.

‘Ridiculous!’ snapped Gerry.

‘The thing is,’ said Walter, ‘we were wondering if you can think of anyone who might want to hurt Neil?’

‘We’ve already told you the answer to that,’ said Gerry.

Holly didn’t say a word; just turned and looked up at her husband.

‘Yes, you did tell us that,’ said Karen, ‘but we need more to go on. We can’t find the culprit until we know the motive.’

‘If we knew that we’d tell you,’ said Gerry, growing increasingly irritated.

‘Have you got any enemies?’ asked Walter.

‘NO!’ he answered, too quickly for the officers’ liking.

‘Tell me how it happened,’ said Holly.

‘The latest shooting?’ said Karen.

Holly nodded and sniffed into the embroidery.

Karen glanced at Walter, who said, ‘Earlier