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

us with Pat, Dan, and the medium, Beverly.’

‘What motive is there for Beverly?’ Gordy asked. ‘Like you said, the first contact she had with the family was when James contacted her. And her background hasn’t thrown up anything weird, well, nothing other than the fact that she does what she does, but each to their own, right?’

‘Maybe he figured out that she’d faked the whole thing,’ Jim suggested. ‘What if he confronted her so she came back and—’

‘Drugged him and burned him to death,’ Matt said, finishing Jim’s sentence. ‘Bit of a stretch I think, but we can’t ignore it as a very, very remote possibility.’

‘That leaves us with Pat and Dan,’ Harry said. ‘So, what have we got on them?’

‘They’re backgrounds check out,’ Matt said. ‘Their businesses are on Companies House. I don’t think they’re worth as much as they would like everyone else to think they are, but most folk are like that, aren’t they?’

‘I’m not,’ Harry said, looking over to Matt as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

‘And there was me thinking you drove that old Rav4 of yours to show off.’ Matt smiled.

Harry pulled out his phone and said, ‘So, no motives there, either, then?’

‘What if James actually did do it himself?’ Jim asked.

Harry wasn’t listening.

‘Boss?’ Matt said.

Harry was staring at his phone screen.

‘Jim,’ Harry said, ‘didn’t you say Anthony saw James and Dan having a whisky together?’

‘Yes,’ Jim said. ‘That’s what he said. Why?’

‘Text from the pathologist,’ Harry said. ‘Those tablets of Dan’s? They contain the same drug that was found in James’ body.’

‘But I thought she said they found no evidence that he’d taken any tablets,’ Jadyn said.

‘They didn’t,’ Harry said. ‘But she also said that if the sleeping agent that knocked him out was from tablets—’

‘Then they would’ve been crushed up first and mixed with the alcohol he was drinking,’ Gordy said.

‘Like a whisky, for example,’ said Matt.

‘Exactly like a whisky,’ Harry said, and was up and out of the door before anyone could stop him, Matt chasing after him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

‘I know you don’t want to meet up with Swift,’ Matt said, as Harry swung the car over the bridge out of Appersett and on towards Black Moss House. ‘Who does? But do you really need to drive like Jen to make sure of it?’

‘There’s nowt wrong with my driving,’ Harry said.

‘There’s another for the tally,’ Matt said.

The road was slick with water from a shower that had shot through the valley and Harry knew that he was pushing it as the tyres slipped a little.

‘How many am I up to?’

‘Well,’ Matt said, ‘you’re about halfway between Oh, I say and Ee ba gum.’

‘Was that you attempting to do a southern accent?’ Harry asked.

‘There’s nowt wrong with my Queen’s English,’ Matt said.

‘No, there isn’t,’ Harry said, ‘but I’m from Bristol, remember? Somerset? I’m about as likely to say Oh, I say as I am to order caviar and champagne next time we go to the pub!’

‘I thought everyone was posh down south,’ Matt said.

‘Trust me,’ Harry said, ‘if you come from a place where you ask directions with the words where’s that to, then? I can assure you that the very last thing everyone is, is posh.’

Matt pointed ahead. ‘There it is, Black Moss House.’

Harry saw that clouds were gathering on the hills behind the house, a thick gloom of grey and black, and beneath it the wispy ropes of rain thrashing against the earth below. He indicated off the main road and onto the lane leading up behind the house.

‘You know, I’ve spent my whole life wondering what this house was like inside,’ Matt said, as Harry pulled the car to a stop, ‘and now, all I can think of is that I hope I’ll never have to see inside it ever again.’

‘It’s quite a place, though,’ Harry said, climbing out of the car and smelling the rain in the air.

‘It is,’ Matt agreed, ‘but a bit too grand for the likes of us, I think.’

‘And what do you mean by that?’ Harry asked.

‘No, you’re right,’ Matt said. ‘If there’s one thing about you I’ve noticed since you arrived here, it’s that what you really hanker for is a massive house with a dozen bedrooms. Probably because it’s all you talk about.’

‘Yeah, sorry about that,’ Harry said, then nodded at the huge sweep of fells behind Matt. ‘Best we get in before that hits.’

The rain was falling unbothered by wind, just thick planks of the stuff falling to the ground, and Harry could see it approaching, marching almost, across the fields.

‘Weird when it’s like that, isn’t it?’ Matt said. ‘I mean, what’s that, probably no more than a couple of hundred metres away, is it? And it’s pouring down. And yet here we are, over here, bone dry.’

‘We won’t be in about thirty seconds,’ Harry said. ‘Come on.’

At the back door, Matt stepped forward to knock. ‘What approach are we going for?’ he asked.

‘This is further questioning,’ Harry said. ‘But I want him back at the interview room in Hawes.’

‘Fair enough,’ Matt said. ‘And you’re sure you don’t want to arrest him?’

‘Not enough to go on,’ Harry said. ‘Not yet, anyway. Which is why we need him over in Hawes.’

Matt knocked at the door as Harry’s phone rang.

‘Should’ve left it in the car,’ Matt said.

‘And I should’ve left it on silent and vibrate,’ Harry said, and held up the screen for Matt to see.

‘You’d best answer that,’ he said.

Harry walked away from the door and lifted the phone to his ear. ‘Good morning, sir,’ he said.

‘Grimm,’ Swift said, ‘did you not get my message that I was on my way over?’

‘I did, yes,’ Grimm said, ‘but something rather urgent came up.’

‘More urgent than your future?’

Harry didn’t really know what to say to that, so went with, ‘Are you at the office now, sir?’

‘I am,’ Swift said. ‘And as you know, I’m not a fan of wasting my time. How long will you be?’

‘Hopefully not too long,’ Harry said. ‘Just bringing someone