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

Walter went to the window and stared down and across the road, and directly into the travel agency. He could see Lena Freeman jabbering on the phone, and he wondered who she was talking to, and what she was talking about.

‘Take a seat,’ said Gareth, pointing at two small red chairs set before his desk, but they couldn’t sit down because both chairs were covered in piles of files and papers.

‘Chloe!’ he yelled, ‘come and shift these files,’ and the pretty girl returned and murmured, ‘sorry about that,’ and grabbed the manila files and took them away.

Gareth pointed at the chairs, and they all sat down.

Walter and Karen stared across the desk. By crikey, the bouffant hairdo had put on even more weight, and more height too. It was mesmerising. Neither of them could tear their eyes away. It was like a bushy creature living on the top of his head, with a life and mind all of its own. Mind you, thought Karen, the Guv had odd bad hair days when he let it grow too long, when it stood up on end as if it had seen a ghost, but Gareth’s dark swept-up-and-back mop was something else.

‘What can I do for you?’

Walter kicked off. ‘It’s about Belinda Cooper.’

‘Thought it might be.’

‘You know....’ said Karen. ‘That’s she dead?’

‘Yes, I bumped into Lena. She told me about it.’

‘You had a relationship with Belinda Cooper?’ asked Walter.

‘I did.... For my sins.’

‘Sins?’ said Karen.

‘Just an expression.’

‘You’re married?’ asked Karen.

Gareth nodded and muttered, ‘Look, I’m not proud of it.’

‘Does your wife know?’ asked Walter.

‘Yeah, she’s forgiven me, at least I hope she has.’

‘Where were you on...’ and Walter relayed the time of death.

‘Home in bed.’

‘Can your wife confirm that?’

‘Sadly, she can’t, she had a bridge night with her friend, and the crazy woman took a few wines too many, and rather than drive home she decided to stay there.’

‘You could have gone and fetched her,’ suggested Karen.

Gareth shook his head. ‘I’d been drinking too.’

‘There’s such a thing as cabs,’ said Walter.

‘True,’ said Gareth. ‘It was just more convenient for her to stay.’

‘Do you know a young woman by the name of Ellie Wright?’ asked Karen.

Gareth’s bottom lip came out, as if he was thinking, and he shook his head and said, ‘Not that I know of. Why?  Who’s she?’

‘Just routine enquiries,’ said Walter. ‘How tall are you?’

‘Six one,’ he said, without hesitation, though Karen imagined he was lying, because men often lie about their height and weight, exaggerating their height, being economic with the truth over weight, but no matter.

‘Belinda Cooper mentioned on more than one occasion that she had only been involved with five men....’ said Walter, and though he hadn’t finished the sentence Gareth answered anyway.

‘Yeah, she told me that too.’

‘Did you believe her?’ asked Karen.

‘Had no reason not to.’

‘You’re one, we have identified one other, can you help us out with the other three?’ asked Walter.

Gareth grinned. ‘Well there’s so sorry sad Iain, for one.’

‘Iain who?’ asked Karen.

‘Iain Donaldson.’

‘And why is he so sorry sad?’ asked Walter.

‘Well, he was pissed off with me for a start. She left him for me, you see, and I’m not surprised. She said he could bore for Cheshire, a geography teacher, he is, the poor lamb, works at the high school.’

‘And this was before she discovered that you were married, and messing her around?’ said Karen.

Gareth bobbed his head and sighed and said, ‘I guess. Look, I am not proud of it. It just kind of happened, mid life crisis if you will, I’d like to turn the clock back and do things differently, but that ain’t going to happen, is it?’

‘Do you know where this Iain bloke lives?’ asked Karen.

‘No, she never told me that, but you’ll find him at the school.’

‘And the other two?’ asked Walter.

‘There was the gay fella.’

‘She had a relationship with a gay man?’ asked Karen.

‘She did, though he liked to say he was bi-sexual. You can imagine how upset and betrayed she felt about that when he told her one night in the pub: “Excuse me darling, but I fancy men at least as much as I fancy you!” Did he really expect to get away with that? He must have been a bit simple.’

‘Name?’ said Walter, his pencil poised over his notebook.

‘Marcus something, she might have mentioned his surname, but I can’t remember it right now, if it comes back to me, I’ll give you a bell.’

‘Appreciate that, if you would,’ said Walter, glancing at Karen as if to say, anything I’ve forgotten?

Put on the spot she was momentarily lost for words, which wasn’t like her, or for the pair of them, and then Karen blurted out, ‘What size shoes do you take?’

‘Nine and a half, or ten at a push, why?’

‘Just routine,’ said Walter. ‘Do you know a man by the name of Miroslav Rekatic?’

Gareth shook his head and said, ‘Nope.’

‘Thanks, you have been very helpful, we’ll be in touch.’

A MINUTE LATER, AND they were walking down the narrow and twisting staircase, and Karen said, ‘Amazing, isn’t it? Even a solicitor thinks it’s okay to deceive his wife and have an affair, and write it off as a midlife crisis, as if it means nothing.’

‘The way of the world, Karen, and I don’t suppose that will ever change.’

‘Doesn’t make it right.’

‘It doesn’t.’

They crossed the road and went into the travel agency. Lena looked up and tried a smile.

‘Have you got a minute? A few more quick questions.’

Lena glanced nervously down the office and caught eye contact with the boss. He pulled a face and turned away as if he had far more important business to deal with.

‘Crack on,’ she said.

‘It may seem a strange question,’ said Walter.

‘Now you’ve intrigued me.’

‘Did Belinda ever mention anything about....’ Walter paused and scratched his chin, thinking of his words.

‘About what?’

Walter tried again.

‘To your knowledge did she ever go with men for money?’

‘What, Bel? You must be joking! You’re way off beam if you think that. She was