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

‘There were hundreds of pictures on the phone.’

‘Of women and girls?’ asked Wazir.

‘Older women and younger women,’ said Mohammed.

‘And children?’ asked Wazir.

‘No! None of them were children, just women.’

‘And they were unclothed?’ asked Ahmed, having difficulty getting out his words, as if those same words were too shocking to speak. ‘Naked pictures?’

‘Porno!’ yelled Maaz.

‘Does he have to be here?’ asked Wazir.

Ahmed glanced at his grandson and shook his head contemptuously and said, ‘Now that he’s here, he’d better stay.’

‘Naked pictures of Sahira?’ clarified Wazir.

Mohammed nodded.

‘Not just naked pictures either,’ gaped Maaz. ‘Not your average page three calendar girl, girl-next-door type stuff, oh no, but hardcore, man. Hardcore!’

‘What does he mean?’ asked Wazir.

‘Some of the pictures were...’ Mohammed paused, and looked from side to side, weighing up his words, wishing he was anywhere in the world but there in the sitting room of the State, refocused his eyes, refocused his mind. ‘What shall we say... excessively lewd, use your imagination.’

‘Of Sahira?’ asked Ahmed, seeking confirmation, still not believing what he was hearing, keen to nail down precisely what they were dealing with.

Mohammed nodded.

‘Hardcore porno, man!’ yelled Maaz again, ‘Unbelievable stuff, innit!’

‘Stop using that stupid inner city lout language!’ yelled Mohammed.

‘Will you all keep your voices down,’ said Wazir. ‘Do you want the women to hear?’ and they all looked at the door, imagining that the women were on the other side, ears to the timber.

‘It’s all right,’ said Ahmed. ‘I told them to keep the women downstairs.’ Then he pointed at Maaz and said, ‘Are you taking your medication?’

‘I don’t think he is,’ mumbled Mohammed.

‘There’s nothing wrong with me, I don’t need white medicine,’ said Maaz, and he jumped up and ran across the room and banged his head against the plastic window frame. ‘See! No sense, no feeling, there’s nowt wrong with me!’

‘Sit down, boy, before you hurt yourself,’ pleaded Wazir.

Maaz glanced at the old man. Nodded slowly and whispered, ‘That’s cool, old man, I’ll sit down with you,’ and he squatted on the floor beside Wazir’s feet and grinned and nodded at the others.

‘Where are the photographs now?’ asked Ahmed.

‘Father’s still got them,’ said Maaz.

‘No problem, then,’ said Ahmed. ‘Press the Delete All button and they disappear. Problem solved. Job done.’

‘Too late for that,’ said Maaz.

‘What does he mean?’ said Wazir, glancing down at his great-grandson’s gelled head.

Maaz answered the question.

‘They’re all over the fucking Internet, innit! Hardcore my friends, hardcore and available, featuring our very own Sahira Khan, up to her neck in sin and debauchery! Recording a large number of hits too, and who could be surprised at that?’

‘Oh God, not that,’ said Ahmed.

Mohammed nodded. He’d seen them too, on the Internet. Free and live for anyone to look at and download. Hundreds of colour pictures of women in various stages of undress, mostly un, with the latest and hottest ones featuring his only daughter.

‘She must have been drugged,’ suggested Wazir. ‘To do anything as vile as that. The local boy must have drugged her and taken advantage of her.’

‘Doesn’t look like she’s drugged to me,’ smirked Maaz. ‘Judging by the filthy look on her face, and the sparkle in her eyes. She enjoyed every damned minute of it, but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself, go on father, show them the pictures, if you dare, show them, let them all have a good look, then they’ll see and know how wicked a bitch she really was, how sinful and debauched, then they’ll understand what we had to do. They’ll understand everything.’

‘You knew about these pictures before you took her to the airport?’ asked Wazir.

Mohammed nodded.

‘Course we did!’ confirmed Maaz.

‘So you had no intention of taking her to the airport?’ asked Ahmed.

‘Correct!’ grinned Maaz. ‘And quite right too.’

‘Why didn’t you tell us about the pictures?’ asked Ahmed.

‘Because we knew you old blokes wouldn’t understand,’ said Maaz. ‘This is young man’s business, and the young men should take care of it, and the young men bloody well have!’

‘Don’t swear!’ said Ahmed.

‘You killed her?’ asked Wazir.

A moment’s silence and then Mohammed said, ‘Maaz did.’

Maaz grinned and said, ‘I did too, because pops here didn’t have the bottle. Told you, it’s young man’s twenty-first century business, and the young man duly obliged. It had to be done; surely you can see that now? That woman was sinful, beyond the pale, an evil sinner, walking round in a temptress’s body, no doubt sent here by the devil. God alone knows how many other men there were. You don’t think that little creep was the first one, or the only one, do you?’

‘I believe he was the only one,’ said Wazir.

‘And you, old man,’ said Maaz, still grinning and turning round to look up at the senile old goat, ‘have long since gone cuckoo – bats, mad as a fucking hatter, I mean for fuck’s sake, who else would leave ten thousand pounds to Liverpool City Council in their will, but that’s what he’s done. How mad is that? It’s not me who should be on medication. It’s him! The guy should be put in a loony bin. He’s gone co-co. Locked away! Should be sectioned. Spending our inheritance, he is, left, right and centre, he’s gone goo goo. God alone knows who else he is giving our money away to, you need to watch him, giving it to the Liverpool fucking council, really, I tell ya, it’s true. He needs seeing to, and you two,’ and Maaz pointed in turn at Ahmed and Mohammed, ‘should fucking well wake up and do something about it before it’s too late... or I bloody well will.’

Wazir turned red with fury. He struggled to get out his words.

‘You have stooped so low as to read my will?’

‘Just as well I did, innit. You shouldn’t have left it in your bedside table, you mental case, and I’m not alone either. Bet Nadirah’s read it too, Sahira as well, I shouldn’t wonder. You’re freakin’ loopy,’ and Maaz pointed to the