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

‘You’d better!’

LUKE RANG OFF AND GRINNED. He liked the foreign birds; there was something exotic about them. True, Melanie Kirton had been an exciting girl to spend a whole fortnight with, but he wouldn’t want to marry her, no way. He wouldn’t want to marry anyone. He wouldn’t want to wake up every morning and find her there. He’d lose interest within a month. The foreign birds offered something different.

There was that Chinese bint from last year, Lee Pung was her name, she was the same, a real thrill, they seemed more submissive somehow, more grateful for the attention, whereas the English birds took it for granted that they were wonderful, and deserved to be courted and bedded, if and when they wanted.

The foreign birds never took anything for granted, and always tried that much harder. Looked after their figures better too. Lee Pung certainly tried hard, and Luke would still have been seeing her now, but for the annoying fact that her boyfriend had jetted in from Hong Kong, had given her a sound thrashing, before taking her back east on the first available flight. No sweat, no worries, for there were plenty more exotic creatures in the sea, so far as Luke Flowers was concerned, and Sahira Khan had slotted into the unexpected vacancy quite perfectly.

She’d served him his late night curry in The State of Kerala takeaway restaurant not far from the railway station, and the way that she had looked at him, unsmiling, but wanting, through those deep and dark eyes, as her father fussed about behind her, chasing up a bad tempered backlog of aromatic dinners. That look told Luke everything he needed to know.

He realised immediately that she would fit the bill; that she would soon take the place of the departed Pung; and be overjoyed to be doing so. He’d rung the restaurant three times over the following twenty-four hours under the auspices of placing an order, until she was the one who’d picked up the phone.

‘I saw you last night,’ he said, breathlessly.

‘I know,’ she whispered, knowing full well it would be pointless in denying that she remembered him.

He gave her the time, he gave her the place, and he looked forward to spending some time alone with her, and after that they had enjoyed frequent afternoon liaisons at the Red Rose Motel whenever the feeling took him, when he wasn’t busy elsewhere, and the following day he intended giving her a sharp reminder of what he was all about.

LUKE ARRIVED AT THE clock at dead on two. Jimmy turned up a few seconds later. They leant on the rails and gazed down, then waited for a party of German school kids to pass by behind them, and then Luke said, ‘Some business in the air, I believe? Economy picking up, is it?’ and he laughed aloud.

Jimmy took out a cigarette and stuck it in his thin-lipped mouth. Silver lighter, cupped his hands, lit and sucked.

‘Shouldn’t smoke, it’s bad for you.’

‘That’s rich, coming from you.’

‘So? Do you have some business for me, Jimmy, or don’t you?’

‘Could be, Luke-ee boy, could be.’

‘Worth my while getting out of bed for?’

‘Oh yes.’

‘So? Don’t keep me waiting and sweating, Jimmy boy, spill the beans.’

‘It’ll pay a lot more than usual, because it’s much more risky than usual.’

‘I’m still listening.’

‘There’s a guy, hasn’t been paying his bills, upset important people.’

‘It’s a common thing in twenty-first century Britain. Not coughing up. Long may it continue; I say, keeps us all in business.’

Jimmy didn’t comment on that. The sad economy might keep an irritating little slug like Luke Flowers in business, but Jimmy had fingers in countless commercial pies, legit and otherwise, and he could take it or leave it. When anything became too risky he’d junk it; and he was well aware that the current proposition could do just that.

‘The guy in question is famous.’

Luke smiled. He liked the sound of that. He adored glamour in all its forms. A bit of celebrity never did anyone any harm.

‘How famous?’

‘Very famous.’

‘In what field?’

‘Can’t tell you that yet.’

‘So what’s the deal?’

‘100K. All payable on completion. Not a bean up front.’

‘Reliable paymaster?’

‘Very.’

‘What’s your cut of the 100K?’

‘Nil, nothing, nada, I’ve negotiated my own slice on the side.’

‘Sweet Jimmy, sweet. That’s why I like dealing with you.’

‘The thing is, after the deed is done the heat will be tremendous. The Met will be sure to be involved. It wouldn’t just be the local plod on your tail, or mine. You’d have to go abroad, maybe for six months, lie low; keep schtum. Disappear. Understand? Could you do that, Luke?’

Luke pursed his lips. He could use another long holiday, he’d been home three days, and already the travel bug had bitten again. Jimmy seemed uncharacteristically nervous. Maybe he really was on to something big.

Jimmy was already talking again in that mumbling, quiet way of his, as if he perpetually thought he was being overheard.

‘You’d need to have everything in place beforehand, all booked and paid for, get out of the country before the curtains came down. If you didn’t leave within a matter of hours, you wouldn’t make it. It would involve detailed planning.’

‘You’re the planning maestro, Jimmy.’

‘I’d help you all I could.’

‘I’ve always fancied doing the cross America drive thing. It might be a good time to arrange that.’

‘That should be OK, though I suggest it would be a good idea to cross the border into deepest Meckico, lie low for a while, hunker down with a couple of senoritas, and stay away for as long as possible.’

Luke liked the sound of that. He’d grown to adore the sunshine; and he instinctively knew that he’d love the senoritas.

‘By the sound of it, this guy must half be famous.’

‘He is.’

‘And you’re not going to tell me who it is?’

‘No! All I need from you is confirmation that you are up for this, now that you fully understand the risks.’

‘You want an answer now?’

‘Not necessarily.’

‘But