MURDER IN PEMBROKESHIRE an absolutely gripping crime mystery full of twists (Tyrone Swift Detective by GRETTA MULROONEY (free reads .txt) 📗

orange. He could see Guy Brinkworth inside, seated at a bench. He was wearing an LED headband and goggles, his head bent over his work. Swift had prepared his excuse for visiting and tapped gently on a window. Guy looked up, removed the headband, pushed the goggles to the top of his head and opened the door.

He said discouragingly, ‘Can I help you?’

‘I hope so. I’d like to buy Joyce, my stepmother, a piece of jewellery for Christmas, and it would be good to get her one from an individual jeweller, rather than something mass-produced. So, as I’m here and you make jewellery . . .’

‘Oh, I see, a paying customer. Well, you’d better step in.’

Inside, the studio was bright with natural light and furnished with two identical workbenches and height-adjustable upholstered chairs, one black and one red, at either side of the room. The walls were covered with fitted drawers in graduated sizes, racks of tools, organiser boxes and flexible lamps. Glass-fronted display cabinets contained a wide selection of bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants and brooches. They gleamed and winked in the light.

Guy stood staring down his nose, with his usual peevish expression. He wore a twisted silver torc around his neck.

Swift smiled. ‘I’m so sorry to interrupt your work. I must be a nuisance. It seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, given that I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.’

Guy was just a tad more gracious, even if he still sounded grudging. ‘Of course. I was working, and consultations are usually by appointment, but you’re here now. What did you have in mind?’

Swift hadn’t a clue. He pictured Joyce, his stepmother, who liked gaudy, floral outfits and brightly coloured accessories. ‘My stepmother likes wearing brooches. Do you make those?’

‘I can make anything you like. Your heart’s desire, as they say. Here, take a seat.’ He pulled a chair out. ‘My jewellery ethos is based on the Bauhaus style — beauty and practicality.’ He gestured at a plain gold circle on his workbench. ‘I’m working on a gold and diamond bangle at the moment. It’s a wedding anniversary gift. It’s simple and strong, like the lady who’s going to wear it.’

Swift nodded enthusiastically. Anything to keep Guy engaged. ‘That sounds good to me.’

‘I presume your stepmother doesn’t live around here?’

‘No, she’s in London.’

‘I can’t meet her, then, and get a sense of the person. In that situation, I usually find that it’s best to have a brainstorm and take it from there. I presume we’re talking about a mature lady?’

‘That’s right.’

Guy picked up a pen and notepad. ‘Let’s look at metals. Silver, gold, copper, pewter, stainless steel or platinum? There are others, but they’re the most popular.’

Swift hadn’t a clue. ‘Gold.’

‘Okay. Now some of the most popular stones — agate, jade, garnet, moonstone, sapphire, pearl, diamond, ruby?’

‘I’ve seen her wearing red stones,’ Swift said. He seemed to be wandering into uncertain territory.

‘Garnet or ruby, then. Garnet is more economical, depending on your budget and how fond you are of her.’ Guy gave a sly grin. ‘Is she a wicked stepmother?’

‘Not at all. Infuriating and overwhelming at times, but she means well.’

Guy sneered. ‘That’s damning with faint praise. It’s the kind of sentiment Elinor comes out with. Heaven save me from people who mean well.’

‘Really? Surely good intentions help to make the world go round. It would be a worse place without them.’ Although even as he said it, he knew that Guy had touched a sore spot and he was being a hypocrite where Joyce was concerned. He’d never quite forgiven her for replacing his dead mother and outliving his father, and he didn’t visit her as often as he should. Her questions about his love life were intrusive, and she made it clear that she found his odd career change puzzling. After half an hour of her company, he was always desperate to escape.

Guy laughed. ‘You’re more sophisticated than you pretend. There’s a quote from Margaret Thatcher: “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions. He had money as well.” Now, what shape brooch would your stepmother like? I can make geometric, circular, oval, square, bird-shaped, lozenge, trefoil — or perhaps an animal?’

It was the first time that Swift had seen Guy unwind. He, on the other hand, was bewildered. ‘Can I think about that?’ He clutched at a passing idea. ‘She likes otters. She has one in stone, sitting by her garden pond.’

Guy rolled his eyes. ‘Rather an otter than a gnome with a fishing rod, anyway.’ He tapped the pad. ‘That’s an idea to start with. Tell you what, I’ll show you a few design pages. If you don’t like anything you see, I can do some illustrations, based on what you’ve given me. I’m sure we can make something that she’ll love.’

‘Sounds good, thanks. How much does a piece like that cost?’

‘Depends on the carat and the stones. You can go all out Burton and Taylor with twenty-four carat gold, but I’d recommend nine carat yellow gold. It’s strong and durable, suited to a brooch. If we went with that and a garnet surround, it would be around £150.’

That was a lot more than Swift usually paid for a gift for Joyce, but it would assuage his guilt at avoiding her as much as possible and for not having seen her since Easter. ‘That’s fine.’

Guy opened a deep drawer and removed a ring binder. He leafed through, and extracted several clear cellophane pockets, handing them to Swift. ‘Have a look at these. They’ll give you a general idea and then we can go into it in more detail.’

Swift started flicking through the designs while Guy reached for a pencil and drew in a notebook. He waited a few moments and then said, ‘This is a lovely part