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

across at her. She smiled and mouthed a ‘Hi’, and in the next second made her apologies to Hector and began edging through the crowd and over toward where Walter was standing, holding an empty glass.

‘There you are,’ she said, ‘for a moment I thought you’d chickened out and not come.’

‘No such luck, Mizz Floem.’

‘Oh Walter, do call me Gardenia.’

Walter didn’t answer.

‘Big turn out,’ she said.

‘Yep, we can’t miss Mrs West’s big moment, can we, live on TV?’

‘How exciting,’ said Gardenia, glugging the drink, and then noticing his glass was empty. ‘Do you want another?’ she said, and then answered her own question. ‘You must have a drink, Walter. They might have a toast,’ and she actually grabbed his bear-like paw and tugged him across the room towards the refreshment table where they loaded up on wine and canapés, something very fishy for him that he didn’t really appreciate. Mrs West, who rarely missed anything, certainly didn’t miss the pair of them crossing the room... holding hands. Just as she thought.

Mrs West was standing in the centre of the room. At her request those around her had moved back leaving her alone in a clear circle, now the centre of a halo from the TV lights. From somewhere she produced a metal dessert spoon and began thwacking her empty glass, Ping, Ping, Ding!!!

‘Attention everyone,’ she called, while smiling that well practiced civil servant smile.

The crowd fell silent; her strident voice demanded it. She could stop a troop of police dogs dead with one single command, indeed Walter had witnessed her do precisely that, and though she didn’t actually say ‘Sit!’ to the gathered throng, Walter wouldn’t have been surprised if she had.

‘I’d just like to thank you all for coming here today, and there are a few people I would particularly like to thank. Firstly my super team, of course, wonderfully led by Walter.’

‘Go on, Guv!’ yelled Gibbons, the wine already doing its work.

Everyone stared at Walter. Gardenia beamed at him, and touched his forearm. They were getting awfully pally, thought Karen, and not many missed that.

‘And Karen too of course,’ continued Mrs West, and everyone looked at the striking blonde, including the TV crews, and she did a silly little curtsey in her beige cord jeans. ‘For the wonderful way they solved both the Sahira Khan murder and the Luke Flowers murder too, through sheer hard work and determination, finally bringing the perpetrators to trial. Of course it goes without saying that we were all so sorry to hear what happened to Maaz Khan, and you can be sure there will be a full and thorough inquiry into that, and I don’t want to say anymore on that today. I’d also like to thank our friends and colleagues from Manchester who have taken the time and trouble to come over to be with us today,’ and she bobbed her head and smirked across at Gitts, and through gritted teeth he forced a smile back across the room, and raised his glass. The woman officer didn’t smile, just looked plain surly, thought Walter, as if she’d endured a dreadful result.

‘I would also like to thank the Chief Constable, Alan Marshall, who is with us today, and who has given me such great support in all things,’ and everyone glanced at the grey-haired guy standing closest to Mrs W, a tall man who pulled a face and nodded once at the crowd, and then at the cameras, and then everyone looked back at their drinks, as if to gaze upon him for too long was bad karma, ‘and finally I would like to thank the local press and TV for all their help in these matters, even if, what shall we say, we don’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but frank cooperation is the key, and especially to my new friend, Gardenia Floem, who has followed this case so diligently right from the outset.’

Good God, thought Walter, whatever next?

He glanced at Gardenia’s face, her white cheeks, and for a moment he imagined she was blushing. Gardenia smiled round at the throng, lifted her head and changed her profile slightly for the TV cameras, determined to make the most of her moment in the spotlight, and then she glanced back at Mrs West and mouthed a big, ‘Thank you,’ and then she moved slightly closer to Walter and whispered ‘Well, that was a big surprise!’

‘You can say that again.’

Mrs West was winding up.

‘So thank you all again, and I believe that those that want to, are going to The Bell afterwards, where I understand there will be a two hundred pound float behind the bar, so enjoy that while you can, and thank you all again for all your diligent hard work.’

‘Yeah, ma’am!’ yelled Gibbons, and Mrs West shot him her serious school ma’am-ly look and Gibbons muttered back, ‘Sorry, ma’am.’

It looked as if the speeches were over, but not quite.

Walter stepped into Mrs West’s circle of light and muttered, ‘May I say a few words too, ma’am?’

Mrs West’s eyebrows departed for the top of her head.

‘Well, of course, Walter, if you feel the need, the floor’s all yours, if you want it.’

‘Go on, Guv!’ yelled Gibbons.

‘Shut up, Gibbons,’ snapped Karen.

Walter just looked at him, disgust writ large, and Gibbons snorted and looked away and fell silent.

‘I would just like to reiterate your words, ma’am, about our wonderful team who work very long hours for not too much money, who put their lives on the line every day of the week, who suffer abuse on a daily basis, and who have done such a fantastic job in bringing these matters towards their close. So please, give yourselves a good round of applause, you deserve it,’ and they all did precisely that, bringing the house down, in truth, Gibbons cheering uncontrollably, and then Walter was speaking again and the crowd hushed, ‘but of course this case is not yet fully wrapped up, not yet fully complete, not yet fully closed...’ and Mrs West