The Inspector Walter Darriteau Murder Mysteries - Books 1-4 by David Carter (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📗

know where she is, and I don’t really care either.’

‘When did you last see Belinda?’ asked Walter.

‘About a month ago, maybe more.’

‘Not in the last few days?’ asked Karen.

‘No, just said so, didn’t I? Why, what’s this all about?’

‘Belinda Cooper was found murdered this morning,’ said Walter.

Speight’s mouth fell open, though no words popped out.

‘Where were you between midnight and 2am the night before last.’

‘Here.’

‘Alone?’ said Walter.

Speight nodded and didn’t speak.

‘Had you been out at all that night?’ asked Karen.

‘Yeah, I’d been to the Red Lion.’

‘What time did you leave there?’ asked Walter.

‘About half past eleven.’

‘And it would take you, what, half an hour to get home?’

‘’Bout that, certainly no more.’

‘And you didn’t go out again that night?’ asked Karen.

‘No, I did not.’

‘Did you ever stay at Bel’s house?’ asked Walter.

‘Course I did, many times. We were an item for a while, leastways I liked to think so.’

‘Did you ever see a baseball bat in the house?’

‘That old varnished bat? Yeah, I did, it was her father’s. She kept it behind the bedroom door, to deter burglars, that was the theory. Why? Was it used to kill her?’

‘No,’ said Karen, anxious to bury the thought.

Walter said, ‘Did she ever tell you about her other menfriends?’

‘Not directly, no names, oh she mentioned one of them was a solicitor, and I think another one’s name was Ian, but she was always reticent to discuss other men. I think she thought it might have upset me, but it didn’t. Oh, she liked to say she’d only ever been with five, but I took that with a pinch of salt.’

‘You didn’t believe her?’

‘Course not! What do you think? In my experience you can always add a nought, and then you’re not far away.’

‘I believed her,’ said Karen.

‘You would.’

‘I believed her too,’ said Walter.

‘Well, it takes all sorts. I didn’t, not that it bugged me.’

‘Tell me about your relationship with Ellie Wright?’ said Walter.

‘Ellie? What’s she got to do with anything?’

‘Just answer the question,’ said Karen.

‘Look! Who’s been talking?’

‘Mister Speight,’ said Walter, ‘You are really going to have to start answering our questions, because if you don’t you will leave us no alternative but to take you in for questioning, and if we do that, you could be there for quite some time. Do I make myself clear?’

Speight thought about that for a second, and nodded.

‘Ellie Wright?’ repeated Walter.

‘I am still in shock thinking about Bel. How did she die?’

‘I am not at liberty to discuss that. Please answer the question about Ellie?’

‘And the question was again?’

Walter sighed loudly.

‘You heard!’ said Karen. ‘What was your relationship with Eleanor Wright?’

‘What do you think?’

‘We want your version,’ said Walter.

Speight grimaced and looked to one side and back and said, ‘She was a good time girl.’

‘A good time girl?’ said Walter, getting fed up with hearing that expression.

‘Yeah, you know, on the game.’

‘You paid her for sex?’ asked Karen.

Speight nodded.

‘Where?’ asked Walter.

‘Where what?’

‘Where did this take place? Here?’

‘No, course not. At her little caravan, it’s at the foot of Marigold Lane, as I think you probably know.’

‘What kind of sex?’ asked Walter.

‘Not sure as I follow.’

‘I think you do. Answer the question.’

‘Normal.... Man.... Woman.... Bonk away, what else is there?’

‘There was no torture involved?’ asked Karen, studying Speight’s face, looking for anything that might be there.

‘Course not, what do you take me for?’

‘When did you last see her?’ asked Walter.

‘Last Friday.’

‘What time?’ asked Karen.

‘About two o’clock in the afternoon, I had a free afternoon, thought why not, it’s as good a way to spend a blustery day as any. And then....’

‘Then what?’ said Karen and Walter, as one.

Speight scowled and shook his head, and said, ‘And then the dopey bint set fire to herself.’

Walter repeated the words, ‘Set fire to herself.’

‘Yeah, isn’t that what happened? Later that night. Talk of the pubs; it was, in the days that followed. Oh, I don’t think she did it on purpose, probably got pissed and knocked a heater over, summat like that.’

‘You don’t think it’s possible that someone set fire to her?’ said Karen. ‘Was that not the talk of the pubs as well?’

‘Course not! Why would anyone do that? She was a good time girl. She gave the fellas a good time, what’s not to like? Who’d want to kill her?’

‘You tell us?’ said Karen.

‘Hey, now look here, it’s nothing to do with me.’

‘It’s everything to do with you!’ said Walter. ‘You were there on the day she died, and hey ho, you were also regularly present in Belinda Cooper’s house, and guess what? Both of those women met violent deaths in the past week, and you are the only person on God’s earth we know of who knew both of them, and intimately at that. It doesn’t look good for you, does it?’

‘There must be others.’

Walter again: ‘Where were you last Friday night between 11pm and 2am?’

‘In the pub, on the way home, in bed, alone.’

‘Two deaths and he hasn’t an alibi for either, Guv,’ said Karen, smirking, piling on the pressure.

‘Not looking good for you, is it?’ repeated Walter.

‘Only one thing wrong with your argument, but it’s quite an important thing. I wasn’t there when either of them died, and I didn’t have anything to do with either death.’

‘So you say,’ said Karen.

‘Yes, I do, and you can’t prove a thing.’

‘And you can’t prove you weren’t there either,’ said Karen.

‘And the funny thing is, I don’t have to.’

‘Are you involved in drugs?’ asked Walter.

‘Yeah, sure, paracetamol, every time I get a feckin’ hangover.’

‘So you didn’t supply Ellie Wright with cocaine?’ asked Karen.

‘Course not!’

‘But you know who did?’ said Walter.

‘No! Well, not exactly, but....’

‘But what?’ said Karen.

‘There’s a bloke in the pub, everyone knows if you want anything like that he can supply. I saw him sitting with Ellie once or twice.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What does he look like?’ said Karen.

‘Ordinary looking, quite tall, modern short haircut, dark I think.’

‘A bit like you?’

Speight grinned. ‘Yeah. A bit like me, young woman, ’cept it wasn’t me. Anything else you