Restless Dead (Harry Grimm Book 5) by David Gatward (best love novels of all time .txt) 📕

at her own place, you know. She said she had a few things to check on.’

‘Address?’ Harry asked.

Grace told them the address and Matt punched it into his phone, Harry then taking down Grace’s car details.

‘It’s back in Sedbergh,’ he said.

‘Then that’s where we’re heading,’ Harry said. ‘Come on!’

With a swift goodbye, they were back in the car and Matt was racing them out of the drive and back down the road, towards Sedbergh. Pulling out of the lane onto the main road, a car zipped past just fast enough to catch Harry’s attention long enough for him to see it and do a double-take.

‘Bloody hell, that was her!’ he said.

‘You sure?’ Matt said.

‘Of course, I’m sure! Floor it!’

Instead of heading left to Sedbergh, Matt swung right, chasing after the speeding car. ‘Doesn’t hang about, does she?’

‘Don’t chase too hard though,’ Harry said. ‘If she’s making a run for it, then she’s flighty enough as it is.’

Matt eased off.

‘Where’s this lead to?’ Harry asked.

‘Straight on and you’ll be to Kendal and on to the Lake District,’ Matt said. ‘But before that, you can jump on the M6.’

A couple of minutes later, Harry saw the car ahead indicate left. Matt followed and rolled them onto the motorway.

‘Right, time for some blues and twos,’ Harry said.

Matt did the honours and the car erupted into a parade of sound and light.

‘She’s slowing down,’ Matt said.

‘Sensible,’ Harry said, watching as the car in front of them eased back, indicating left, onto the hard shoulder.

With Matt parked up, Harry was out and at the driver’s door of the other car in a heartbeat. He leant down at the window to see a woman matching the description they’d been given of Beverly Sanford, sitting in the driving seat, her head in her hands.

Harry knocked a knuckle against the window.

The woman looked up, her face riven with panic as she dropped the window.

‘Beverly Sanford?’ Harry asked.

The woman nodded.

‘Just wondering if you had time for a little chat?’

Chapter Twenty-Six

‘I’m sorry,’ Beverly said, and Harry could tell she meant it. ‘I just panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t thinking straight. Am I under arrest? Am I going to prison?’

Harry was sitting opposite Beverly in the room given over to interviews, back at the offices in the Community Centre in Hawes. Matt was with him and on the table was a ubiquitous tray of tea and biscuits. There was also the new recording device which Harry had been able to persuade Detective Superintendent Swift to have provided. Though the offices they used in Hawes weren’t exactly your normal, everyday police station, Harry believed it was important for them to be treated as such. And having to drive any suspect all the way to Harrogate for questioning had struck him as not just a huge waste of time and resources, but also really annoying. The words ‘saving money’ had been enough to convince Swift though. They didn’t have any cells, that was true, and so questioning someone who was actually under arrest would therefore still have to take place away from their base of operations, but it did mean they could do things not just a little more efficiently and effectively, but also professionally.

‘We just need to ask you a few questions,’ Harry said.

‘But why do we have to do that here?’ Beverly asked. ‘Why am I here? And how am I going to get home? I had nothing to do with what happened, with the fire! I didn’t, I promise!’

‘Your car is outside,’ Harry explained. ‘We had a couple of our team head out to fetch it for you. And you’re here because, although not under arrest, running away from the police doesn’t exactly demonstrate a willingness to cooperate. And after what happened, you can understand why we need to talk to you.’

‘I said I’m sorry,’ Beverly said, her hands twisting her mug around on the table, the sound of it a faint grinding squeak. ‘I didn’t mean to drive off.’

‘Still,’ Harry said, ‘I’m sure you can understand our need to be cautious. For now.’

Beverly gave a shallow nod then sipped her tea.

‘Firstly,’ Harry said, ‘and in light of your attempt to avoid talking to us—’

‘I’ve said I’m sorry!’ Beverly said.

‘We do need to caution you,’ Harry continued, ignoring Beverly’s interruption. ‘You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

‘So, I am under arrest then!’ Beverly said. ‘But I didn’t do anything!’

Harry sat back in his chair and did his best to look relaxed and approachable. Judging from the look on Beverly’s face, it had the opposite effect.

‘Can you take us back to when James Fletcher contacted you, please?’

‘It was just through my website,’ Beverly said. ‘It’s not a very good one, I know, but I don’t want it to look too slick, if you know what I mean, like it cost a lot? Because otherwise people will think I’m into this for the money, and I’m not. I’m really not!’

‘Into what?’ Matt asked.

‘Being a medium,’ Beverly said.

‘And can you explain what that means?’

‘It means that I mediate—thus the name medium—communication between the dead and the living.’

‘And how do you do that?’

Beverly shrugged. ‘I’m not really sure. I just do.’

Harry said, ‘And that’s why James contacted you, yes?’

‘He wanted me to help him contact his wife. And I agreed to help. I mean, why wouldn’t I? Like I said, I don’t do this for the money. If you saw my car, you’d see just how true that was!’

‘So, you visited the family house,’ Harry said.

‘I always do an initial visit, a consultation I suppose, to see what I’m dealing with, if it’s legit or not. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to visit someone only to find that it was just a few idiots wanting to take the piss.’

‘And what did you find