The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (best finance books of all time .txt) 📕

said. Seven grand all in. Did he want it, or did he not?

‘Hold on a sec, I’ll give her a bell.’

Melanie answered on the third ring. She was taking a cigarette break from her job as an assessor in the Chester and Stafford Insurance Company. She was outside in the sunshine, sitting beneath the ornamental silver birches, watching the fishes swim round and round their modern rectangular pool.

‘Are you still on for tomorrow?’

‘Do you still want me to be on for tomorrow?’

‘Course, babe.’

‘Where?’

‘Venice, as I said, two whole weeks.’

‘That depends.’

‘On what?’

‘On what you are going to do to me.’

Luke smirked at the girl behind the monitor. She was all ears. Smirked back.

‘You know the answer to that.’

‘Will I like it?’

‘You’ll love it.’

‘All right,’ she said, ‘just this once.’

‘I’m at the travel agent right now, I’ll book it.’

‘If you must, Luke-ee, if you must.’

Luke rang off; grinned at the girl. Paid a deposit, said he’d bring the rest of the cash in the next day. He was well known in Deeside Travel, a regular punter, they trusted Luke Flowers; he’d flown with them many times before.

‘Bye,’ said the travel agent girl when they’d finished their business, wondering why she couldn’t find a handsome and respectable boyfriend like him, someone who’d splash seven gees on her without a second thought. Some girls were just born lucky. She probably didn’t even appreciate what a fine man she had.

Six

Karen and Gibbons strolled back into the office. They’d been to see Neil.

‘You’ve been ages,’ moaned Walter.

‘Hungry,’ said Gibbons, ‘picked up a burger.’

‘How did you get on?’

‘Much as I said,’ said Karen.

‘Go on.’

‘He’s got a woman friend up on the Wirral, an older woman,’ said Gibbons.

‘He’s very protective of her,’ said Karen. ‘Seems she’s worth a bundle of money.’

‘Where did the money come from?’

‘He wasn’t keen to say,’ said Karen.

‘Doesn’t this guy realise he’s the target for a paid assassin? Doesn’t it bother him?’

‘He’s writing a song about it,’ said Gibbons.

‘Oh, bully beef! That’s going to keep the killer at bay!’

‘He’s confused,’ said Karen.

‘We are all freakin’ confused! We are trying to help this guy... but he needs to help himself.’

‘He doesn’t think the gunman will try again,’ said Karen.

‘Oh yeah, and how does he work that out?’

‘Says he’ll move onto something else, says it was probably mistaken identity.’

‘Do you believe that crap?’

‘Nope,’ said Karen.

‘Me neither,’ said Gibbons.

‘Ah well, you can’t help those that don’t want to be helped. Did he have any fresh ideas as to why he should be a target?’

‘Not that he told us.’

‘The guy’s an idiot!’ muttered Walter.

‘Or brave,’ said Karen.

‘Brave, my size ten brown boots! Well bugger it, bugger him, leave him to stew! We should be concentrating on finding the killer of Jeffrey Player, not worrying about someone who’s acting like a prima donna.’

The phone before Walter burbled into action. Karen grabbed it. Results of the post mortem on Jeffrey Player. Told them nothing they didn’t already know. Four shots, four holes, two slugs lodged in the wall. Death by gunshot, one through the heart, stopped it dead, death instantaneous.

ACROSS THE CITY NEIL Swaythling opened his eyes. He felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest by the leading stallion in Michael Cowley’s Cheshire yard. Neil felt dazed and dizzy. He felt sick. He tried to sit up.

Four kids came round the corner. They wore different coloured soccer shirts and were booting a football up against the garage doors. Kerrang, Kerrang!! as the heavy ball rebounded off the metalwork.

One of them saw the man half lying, half sitting on the ground, said, ‘There’s a fella there, look!’

They all turned to see, then ran towards him.

He looked shaken up. His cool leather jacket had neat holes in it. His face was pale and his hands were trembling like a drunk’s.

‘Are you all right, mate?’ said the Evertonian.

‘Yeah,’ managed Neil.

‘Did a car run you down?’ said the Liverpool.

‘Yeah, a car ran me down.’

He glanced at the kids’ shirts.

‘Why don’t you support City?’

‘Moneybags City, you must be jokin’!’ said the Manu.

‘Not Manchester City. Chester City.’

They all looked at him as if he was touched. Deranged.

‘Fuck that! They’re not even in the league!’ said the Chelsea.

‘You should support your hometown club.’

‘Don’t think so,’ said Manu. ‘Do you want us to fetch the bizzies?’ he said, as Chelsea looked on, quite unconcerned, the heavy ball under his arm.

‘Nah,’ muttered Neil, ‘I’ll do it,’ and he tugged his mobile from his pocket, relieved to see it still without a scratch. Searched in his slacks for the card the black copper had given him, and carefully poked in the number.

The phone in front of Walter began burbling again.

He looked round for Karen. She’d gone to the Ladies. Gibbons was over the other side of the office haggling over some boxing tickets for the Friday night card at the Liverpool Arena.

Walter sniffed and picked up the phone.

A distant voice said, ‘Can I speak to Inspector Darriteau.’

Walter thought he knew who it was, but didn’t say. Said, ‘Speaking.’

‘It’s Neil, Neil Swaythling, he’s back, the killer, I’ve been hit.’

‘Are you all right?’

‘Dunno.’

‘Where are you?’

‘Between the lockups at the back of the flats in Wellington Road.’

‘Has the guy gone?’

‘Yeah, long since.’

‘Did you know him?’

‘Never seen him before.’

‘And he thinks you’re dead?’

‘Guess so.’

‘OK, stay where you are, I’ll send someone down for you right now, a few minutes, that’s all, it’ll be Karen and Gibbons, the people you saw before.’

‘OK, don’t be long.’

‘We won’t.’

Karen was back, standing beside Walter. She’d picked up the end of the conversation. Walter filled her in. A moment later Karen and Gibbons shot from the office and took the lift downstairs on the lookout for a good unmarked car.

Less than five minutes later the BMW pulled into the jigger and turned between the garages. The kids had vanished. Neil had staggered to his feet and was leaning against one of the dividing walls between two of the garages. Gibbons turned the car round. Karen jumped out and went to Neil.

‘Are you