The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (best finance books of all time .txt) π
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- Author: David Carter
Read book online Β«The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (best finance books of all time .txt) πΒ». Author - David Carter
Bill Brambles glanced up at the unshaded bulb and back at the cops.
βWe were just coming into the station...β
βWe?β asked Karen.
βMe and the loco,β grinned Brambles, βa hundred and thirty tonnes of raw power, ten carriages, perhaps thirty people a carriage, and the crew too, maybe three hundred people, I was hardly alone.β
βI see,β said Walter, βso what happened?β
βWe entered the station. It was very quiet. I noticed that because I thought there was only one guy on the platform. A tall bloke.β
βThe unfortunate one?β said Karen.
Brambles nodded.
Walter gave her a look as if to tell her to stop interrupting.
βHe stepped toward the edge, but not in a threatening way. It all happened so fast, more like a spotter, an enthusiast, as if he were about to take our picture, but he didnβt seem to have a camera.β
βHe was alone?β asked Walter.
βNo! No, he wasnβt, thatβs the funny thing. As he stepped forward I glimpsed another figure behind, he or she stepped forward too, always standing behind the main man. I couldnβt see the other person; I never did, not properly.β
βWhat happened then?β
βWe were travelling 65mph, maybe 70mph, thatβs pretty quick through a station. There are so many things to monitor. The last thing you want to see is an unattended pram, or buggy rolling toward the edge.β
βI can imagine,β said Karen.
βAs we approached, the main guy was close to the edge, too close, and in the next moment he fell, almost dived, in front of Dodo.β
βDodo?β said Walter.
Brambles childishly smiled. βWe call the engine Dodo.β
βI see,β said Walter, pondering for a second the absurdity of it.
βI slammed on the brakes, an automatic reaction, but a total waste of time.β
βDid you see the other person on the platform?β asked Karen.
βNo. We were well past by then. Not even a glimpse. It was just a blur. You canβt imagine how quick it happened.β
βDid the main man jump, or was he pushed?β asked Walter.
βHard to say, it could have been either, but the second figure was very close, right behind, out of vision.β
βAs if they were hiding from you?β suggested Karen.
Brambles pondered on that and pulled a face. βMaybe.β
βWhatβs your gut feeling?β asked Walter.
βMy gut feeling is... he was pushed.β
βWhy do you say that?β
βIf you are going to jump in front of a train you would have planned it, wouldnβt you? You would have gone to that station knowing what you were about to do.β
βYouβd still be terrified at the prospect,β said Karen.
Again Walter shot her a look.
βYeah maybe, but the look on this guyβs face was not so much one of terror, more one of surprise, not that I got that much of a look, it all happened in a split second. One instant heβs there, the next he isnβt, the next Iβm past him and out of there. All done, in the blink of an eye. Not pleasant, I can tell you. I wouldnβt mind, but this is my second one this year.β
βOh?β said Walter.
βYeah, just before the Woodhead tunnel in January. No doubt about that one. He jumped on the track and walked straight toward me, grinning.β
βOh, geez,β said Karen.
βYeah, exactly. Why canβt these cranks take a pot of pills or summat? What have we ever done to deserve this kind of trauma?β
βMaybe the guy at Mostyn wasnβt a crank,β suggested Walter.
βMaybe youβre right,β said Brambles, βbut weβll never know, will we?β
βIs there anything else you can tell us?β
βNot really. As I say, it all happened in an instant.β
Walter sighed and Karen stood up.
βThanks, Mr Brambles, youβve been most helpful,β said Walter, standing and offering his hand.
Brambles took it and shook it; and Karenβs too, and a moment later the officers were outside in the car.
βWell?β said Karen. βBack to the station?β
βNo. Not yet. Take me to Audlem, itβs near here, thereβs a pub I know. Weβll have a drink and a think, and a chat.β
Chapter Six
The Shroppie Fly was located on the canal bank. Walter had discovered it when one of his former girlfriends, Audrey from the mission, had persuaded him to take a boating holiday with her. The one evening they spent in the Fly was the highlight of the week, so far as he was concerned.
There were three or four painted metal tables and chairs outside overlooking the brown water. A group of mallard ducks were squabbling on the far side.
βGrab a table,β said Walter. βIβll get the drinks,β and he disappeared inside.
βWhite wine for me,β she said, smirking.
Walter harrumphed.
Karen sat down on one of the cold chairs and looked out across the canal. There were four narrowboats berthed there. They didnβt look as if they had moved since the previous summer, long multi coloured craft with large names painted on their sides. Genevieve, London. RickySue, Skipton. The Blue Goose, Ilkeston, and Sir Winkalot, Chester. Two more barges were coming down the canal in line astern, heading for the locks that would take them down toward Chester. The first one had four guys onboard. They saw the slim blonde sitting there on her own-some and waved and smiled and shouted, βNeed some company, love?β
But before she could answer, a big black bloke came out of the pub carrying drinks, and sat beside her.
Karen waved them away, and the guys waved back and shouted βAnother time maybe!β and then they were gone.
βFriends of yours?β
βNot yet,β she grinned.
He passed her an orange juice. His was a large pint of foaming real ale, two inches already missing, in a straight glass, most important, βand hereβs your lunch,β he said, βon me,β tossing a packet of salt and vinegar crisps across the table.
βDiet,β she said, pushing them back.
He didnβt mind. He could manage two.
βSo,β he said. βWhat have we got, exactly?β
βWe have two deaths that could be accident or suicide, in which case there is no case to investigate.β
βTrue, but we also have two cases that could be murders, in which case there is one, and possibly two
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