Restless Dead (Harry Grimm Book 5) by David Gatward (english reading book TXT) 📗

Harry wished, not for the first time in his life, that doing everything he could came with results, because he was beginning to feel with the sheep rustling, and with what had happened out at Black Moss House, that they were getting nowhere at all.

The following morning welcomed Harry with all the warmth and love of a ravenous wolf on the scent of an easy kill, and he sorely wished he could just stay in bed and find some of the sleep which had evaded him for most of the night. Ben was already off to work by the time he rose, and a breakfast of cereal and toast tasted like dust as he washed it down with strong coffee. The walk down through the marketplace was a thing of grey cold, as the wind seemed to howl at him out of every alleyway to snap at his heels and scratch at his bones. If this was a sign of the day to come, Harry thought, then it really didn’t bode well at all.

Walking into the office, Harry was greeted with his huge mug, the one Matt had presented him with a few months ago, filled almost to the brim with steaming tea.

‘Looks like you need it,’ Matt said, as Harry took the mug from him.

‘I need sleep more,’ Harry said, sipping the liquid and burning his lip.

‘Bad night?’

‘The worst.’

‘There’s a lot going on,’ Matt said. ‘Oh, and just to add to your joy, Swift’s been in touch and is on his way over.’

It really wasn’t the news Harry wanted to hear. ‘And when’s he going to be here, exactly?’

‘No idea,’ Matt shrugged. ‘He was delightfully vague about that bit. But he said it was important to speak to you, in person, I mean, rather than on the phone.’

Harry knew what it was about and was pretty sure it had nothing at all to do with the investigations the team were currently involved in. With the interview done, this had to be Swift driving over to tell him the news. And if he was looking to do it person, then Harry couldn’t help thinking that the news was bad.

‘So, what have we got?’ Harry asked, deciding it was best to just not think about Swift’s impending visit. Instead, he looked around the office at the rest of the team, who were all more than a little busy, but who, at the sound of his voice, all stopped what they were doing and swivelled round to face him.

‘This a morning briefing?’ Jadyn asked. ‘Because, if it is, I need to be over by the board.’

‘No, it’s okay,’ Harry began, but he was already too late, Jadyn moving from his chair to the board in a single bound.

‘Let’s start with the thing over at Jim’s farm,’ Harry said.

‘We’re still waiting on the results from the cigarette butts I sent through,’ Jadyn said. ‘I’m pretty hopeful that’ll turn something up.’

‘Well, I’m glad one of us is,’ Harry said.

‘And that’s about it,’ Jim said. ‘We’re no further on with it. Dad’s okay now, though, so that’s something, and we’ve got the insurance company sorting through things. But it’s not really about the money, not for dad.’

‘Well, you never know,’ Harry said. ‘Hopefully, something will come from what Jadyn sent through.’

With nothing else to say on the matter, Harry moved things on to the death of James Fletcher.

‘We now know that the intruder seen by James was actually Anthony, his grandson,’ he explained. ‘So, that clears that up. And we’ve interviewed under caution Beverly Sanford, the woman who led the séance. Not that we gathered much from that, other than to confirm what everyone else has said happened that evening.’

‘So, is she still a suspect, then?’ Liz asked.

‘They all are,’ Harry said. ‘But not only have we no real idea of what happened, we’re also lacking in motive.’

‘I can’t see why any of them would want to kill James,’ Jen said. ‘He’s Ruth and Pat’s dad, and Dan’s father-in-law.’

‘Agreed,’ Harry said. ‘And as far as we can ascertain, the first time Beverly and he made contact was when he called her to come over about doing the séance. So, let’s just chat through everything from yesterday, and see if anything stands out.’

‘Well, I don’t see how it can be Anthony,’ Jadyn said. ‘He’s only a kid, right?’

‘Kids can kill,’ said Matt.

‘I know,’ Jadyn replied, ‘but I’m just not feeling it.’

‘Feelings don’t make good evidence,’ Harry said. ‘And remember, we’ve now identified that it was him that James saw. What if he was doing it on purpose?’

‘And why would he do that?’ Liz asked.

‘Maybe he blamed his grandad for what happened to Helen,’ Gordy said.

‘Maybe they all did,’ Jen said then looked at Liz. ‘What was that thing with her eyes?’

‘What, that she couldn’t see well in the dark?’

‘Yes, that,’ Jen said.

‘A whole family getting together to kill the father seems more like the stuff of Hollywood than Wensleydale, though, don’t you think?’ Harry said.

‘It was Ruth that mentioned it though,’ Liz said. ‘The eyes thing. I’m not saying she said she blamed her dad for what happened, like, but . . .’

Harry picked up on Liz’s pause. ‘But what, Liz?’

Liz pulled out her notebook and flicked back through the pages. ‘It was when I was talking to her, after we’d chatted to her dad,’ she said. ‘We were in the kitchen and she said about how her mum would generally only drive at night if it was a special occasion.’

‘Which it was,’ Harry said. ‘It was James’ birthday.’

‘And she said,’ Liz continued, ‘that her mum would be alive if her dad had been driving.’

The room fell quiet for a moment as Liz’s words floated in front of them all, demanding attention.

‘She actually said that?’ Jim asked.

‘She did,’ Liz said, ‘but it’s hardly an admission of guilt, is it? She felt awful for saying it, said that, too, actually.’

‘Best jot it down,’ Harry said to Jadyn, only to see that he already had. ‘So, that leaves