Restless Dead (Harry Grimm Book 5) David Gatward (reading strategies book txt) 📖

He was still wary, and would be so for a long time yet, he was sure, but that wasn’t something Harry was worried about anymore.

The mug of tea arrived and Harry took a sip, the blisteringly hot liquid burning his mouth. The café door opened and Harry noticed that the air which gusted in was damp and he saw that the pavement outside was wet.

‘Thought I’d find you here.’

Harry looked up into Detective Sergeant Matt Dinsdale’s face, which he was attempting to wipe dry with his large hands.

‘Raining, then?’ Harry asked, as Matt sat down in front of him.

‘No,’ Matt replied, flicking water from his hands onto the floor. ‘I just throw water over myself now and then for fun, and sometimes, if I’m feeling really crazy, I throw myself in the beck. How’s Ben?’

‘Good,’ Harry replied. ‘How’s the rest of the team?’

‘Busy,’ Matt said. ‘Liz is manning the office, Jen’s down dale at something or other. I think a couple of kids have done a runner from school or something, so she’s best for that.’

‘You didn’t fancy having to chase after teenagers, then.’ Harry smiled.

‘Always good to let the younger ones have a go,’ Matt said. ‘Doing her a favour I think.’

‘Anything else on that RTA?’ Harry asked, remembering Matt’s update earlier that morning.

Matt shook his head. ‘Terrible thing, that,’ he said. ‘As you know, Gordy is out there this morning, chatting to the family. Don’t know what I’d do if I lost Joan.’

‘It was headlights caused it, you said?’

‘Looks that way.’ Matt nodded. ‘Halogen bulbs on some of these new cars now are proper bright, like. I’ve been near blinded by them myself. And if it was a 4x4 with a rack of lights on a roll cage or across the bumper, then it’s like someone’s switched on the sun.’

‘No chance of finding the driver of the other car, I suppose?’ Harry asked.

‘Can’t see how,’ Matt said. ‘No dashcam on the car, and no cameras or anything else along that road. And I dare say the driver just didn’t realise their lights were on full beam and drove on, no idea of what had happened at all.’

‘Tyre marks on the road?’

Matt shook his head. ‘Like I said, I doubt the other driver even noticed.’

For a moment, the two men sat in silence, until Matt broke it, saying, ‘Mike tells me Ben’s doing fine, by the way. And you know why he took him on, don’t you?’

Harry gave a nod. ‘Did time himself, apparently. No idea what for, mind.’

‘Doesn’t talk about it, that’s why,’ Matt said. ‘And if he ever wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself.’

‘It’s a good thing he’s done,’ Harry said, asking then if Matt wanted a mug of tea himself. ‘Ben seems to be getting on well enough.’

Matt refused the tea, which surprised Harry immensely. ‘And yet,’ Matt said, ‘using my not inconsiderable powers of deduction, I detect an air of concern.’

‘Me too, having just heard you mutter that sentence,’ Harry said.

‘Well, what is it?’ Matt asked.

‘It’s nothing,’ Harry said.

Matt leaned forward. ‘You sure about that, Boss?’

Harry wondered then about talking things through with Matt. He was a colleague, yes, but as was the way with the whole of the team, it seemed, he had also become a friend. Which had taken Harry rather by surprise, as he’d never really been one for having friends at all. He’d known plenty of people he could regard as acquaintances, yes, but that was about it. And he’d had good mates in the Paras, but friends? People he could share things with? Never. He was pretty sure that he was the problem himself. It didn’t help being the kind of person who generally regarded people as a collective pack of bastards, and who was, in the main, fairly happy and content with his own company.

Matt was still staring at him, expectation in his eyes.

Harry leaned forward, ready to say what was on his mind, when once again the door to the café opened and there, blocking the wind, was Police Constable Jadyn Okri.

‘Let me guess,’ Matt said, turning to the PC, ‘you’ve left your lunch money at home.’

‘You’re a funny man,’ Jadyn said.

‘I am that,’ Matt replied. ‘Among other things, but I doubt we’ve got the time to talk about my dashing good looks, swashbuckling approach to life, and thirst for justice.’

‘Well, anyway, it’s not that,’ Jadyn said, and Harry could see that Matt’s reply had only served to confuse Jadyn. ‘I mean, that’s not why I’m here, though it’s funny you should say it, because I did leave my wallet at home and—’

Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. ‘Get to the point, Constable. Please.’

‘It’s Jim,’ Jadyn said.

‘What is?’ Harry asked, he and Matt now alert to whatever it was Jadyn was here to tell them.

‘He seemed fine this morning,’ Matt said. ‘Obviously, I expected him to be a bit hungover, really, seeing as he’d been out with an old mate of his from back at school, so that was a little disappointing. I mean, what’s the point of a reunion if you don’t have to recover from it?’

‘Has Fly run off?’ Harry asked, shocked then by how bothered he was at the thought that Jim’s dog could be missing, because it was just a dog, and he’d never really been into dogs or pets of any kind. But Fly? Well, Fly was different.

‘Well, it’s not Jim, as such,’ Jadyn said. ‘It’s his dad. I mean, it’s not him either like, except that it is, but it’s the sheep mainly, and—’

‘Good grief, lad, what’s wrong with you?’ Matt said, then he slapped a hand down hard on the table. ‘Spit it out! Come on!’

‘They’ve had fifty go missing,’ Jadyn said. ‘Nicked.’

‘You what?’ Harry said.

‘Jim’s dad found one of their barns empty this morning,’ Jadyn explained. ‘He collapsed, probably from the shock of it. Jim’s on his way over there now to sort things out, see what’s been going on.’

Harry paid up and was out the door so quickly,