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

‘And another thing, Hector, check out the immediate neighbours. Are they known to us, are we looking at a neighbour from hell scenario here?’

‘On it, Guv,’ said Hector, and the team went to work, looking for evidence they hoped would lead them to a killer.

THAT AFTERNOON THE main briefing got under way at half past four. Everyone knew they would be in for a late night, but that came with the job, went without saying; don’t sign up if you don’t want the hassle. Don’t sign up if you can’t cope. It would be the first time for Nicky Barr.

It was generally accepted that Karen was the most able presenter, and she kicked things off with a recent colour photo of Belinda Cooper, staring down at them from the Hytec display system, an almost 3D image that looked as though it could speak. If only it would. If only it could. Who was the murderer, Bel? thought Walter. Did you know him, or her?  Anything you can give us could be mighty helpful.

‘She was thirty-six, generally well liked, worked in a travel agency in the city centre, she wasn’t gay, and so far as we can tell, she did not have a partner at this time.’

‘Maybe on the lookout for one,’ suggested Nicky.

‘Maybe an Internet dater,’ suggested Gibbons.

Walter considered that thought. Seemed a fair possibility, and he tried to remember if he had ever accessed her dating info. He couldn’t remember doing so, for if he had he might have been interested, though she might not have been interested in him, seeing as he was more than twenty years older than her. A decent line of enquiry though, for everyone knows there is a fair share of weirdo’s skulking around amongst those characters online.

‘Jenny, check the main dating sites,’ said Walter. ‘See if you can find her details on there, and if she is, find out who’s been in touch.’

‘Sure, Guv.’

Nicky said, ‘Won’t all that info be on her phone and computer?’

‘It will,’ said Walter. ‘But we haven’t yet cracked her passwords.’

Karen took up the thread.

‘Lena Freeman is her best friend at work and a veritable mine of information. She says Bel enjoyed five relationships, talked about it quite a bit, even joked about her five just men. She said Belinda only ever went for tall men, wouldn’t entertain what she called “pipsqueaks” – a word she used quite often, apparently. One of the five is a guy called Gareth Williams, a solicitor, who works just across the road from the travel agents for a firm called Jones, Rees & Wilbert. Here’s his pic from their website,’ and they all looked up at the smart looking guy, at his extravagant dark bouffant swept back hairdo, and dark eyes.

‘How tall is he?’ asked Jenny.

‘Not yet known.’

‘The second guy she was seeing goes by the name of Iain, note the slightly unusual spelling, with two i’s, we want to know who he is and where he is, but the other three are as yet unidentified.’

‘Be nice if we could link Belinda with Flanagan,’ suggested Hector.

‘Or Miro,’ said Walter.

‘Or Crocker or Nesbitt, come to that,’ said Gibbons.

‘Yes, all right,’ said Walter.

‘Do you think this case and the Ellie Wright case are linked?’ asked Nicky.

‘Nothing as yet to say they are,’ said Walter. ‘But two suspicious deaths in less than a week sets alarm bells ringing in my head.’

‘Let’s not complicate matters by splurging all the available intel together at this point,’ said Mrs West. ‘Treat them as separate inquiries, until we know different.’

‘What info are we getting from her personal effects?’ asked Gibbons.

‘It’s early days yet,’ said Karen, ‘but there’s sure to be lots of that once we get into her devices.’

‘I hear what you are saying about not mixing the two enquiries, ma’am,’ said Walter, ‘but we could immediately rule out Crocker, Nesbitt, Flanagan and Miroslav, if they have cast iron alibis for the Bel Cooper murder.’

Mrs West scratched her dainty chin and said quietly, ‘True, but it’s a wide time frame. We are not sure yet when she met her end.’

‘Should have that back soon, ma’am.’

Walter’s mobile rang. Everyone paused and checked him out, as he glanced at the phone screen and took the call. ‘Thank you,’ he said twice, and then, ‘thank you for that.’ He looked at everyone, and said, ‘There are tiny traces of blood on the incapacitator.’

‘On the what?’ said Gibbons.

‘It’s a piece of bondage gear we seized from Miroslav,’ said Karen.

‘Now all we need is some DNA from Ellie to check if it’s hers. Get on to the mother. See if she has a hairbrush or something.’

‘Be strange if it was Bel’s blood,’ suggested Jenny.

‘Unlikely, but possible,’ said Walter. ‘We can check for a match on that PDQ.’

‘Again,’ said Mrs West, ‘don’t get sidetracked by merging inquiries prematurely. We all know of cases where doing that has brought us nothing but untold grief. There’s as yet nothing to say they are linked.’

That’s why we are crosschecking, thought Walter, to see if there is a link.

Mrs West again. ‘Walter, will you go and see the solicitor guy? See what he can tell us. He might know who his love rivals were, if nothing else.’

‘Will do, ma’am.’

‘Did Belinda Cooper have any known enemies?’ asked Jenny.

‘None as yet identified. She was a popular person, liked by all, so say the early opinions of everyone we have spoken to,’ said Karen.

‘What about the spouses and former partners of the five just men? There might be a bitter and twisted individual in there somewhere,’ suggested Hector.

‘Possible,’ said Walter. ‘Check it out, Heck, as and when we know who they are.’

‘Anything on the SOCO report yet?’ asked Gibbons.

‘Not yet,’ said Karen. ‘Due anytime.’

‘That should be useful,’ said Mrs West.

Walter’s phone burped again. He glanced at a new message. It was dumping in from Doc Grayling.

BASEBALL BAT DEFINITELY the murder weapon.

TOD now thought to be between midnight and 2am yesterday morning. Full report to follow.

WALTER