Dave Slater Mystery Novels Box Set Three

by P. F. Ford

  She took in the combined expressions of both men. ‘I know, it’s bugger all, but really, that’s all we’ve got. Like I said he – or she – leaves no clues.’

  They all took another sip from their drinks as they considered what little they had to go on. It was Norman who spoke first.

  ‘Rosie Hewitt says the police think your middle-aged teenager was the guy who broke into her house, but she says whoever it was went through the house from top to bottom. That doesn’t seem to fit with what you’ve just told us about the other robberies.’

  She nodded her head vigorously. ‘I agree with you, but what do I know? According to my bosses, I’ve still got a lot to learn. The way they see it, it’s the same guy, he’s just getting bolder.’

  ‘But there was cash in a kitchen drawer and he didn’t take it!’ said Norman.

  ‘Apparently, he was disturbed and didn’t have time to take it,’ she said. ‘The fact that he’s never missed it before, and never searched a whole house before, doesn’t seem to bother those above me.’

  ‘What about the break-in at Joe Dalgetty’s house?’ asked Slater. ‘How do they explain that?’

  ‘They don’t even accept anyone was ever in his house. There was no sign of a break-in and nothing was missing.’

  ‘So, what? Rosie made it up?’ asked Slater.

  Darling shrugged. ‘It doesn’t help that there was no damage, and she insists she locked the door last time she was over there. Maybe Biddeford would have taken her more seriously if she hadn’t kept on about coincidences and suggesting there was some sort of conspiracy going on. You know how patient he is when people try to offer their own ideas.’

  ‘It sounds like Tinton Police has gone to pot,’ said Norman.

  ‘You’re not far off the mark there,’ said Darling, ‘and I’ll tell you why. First off, DS Dickhead Biddeford is sulking, big time, because she won’t let him have any responsibility. He thought promotion meant he was going to enjoy the freedom you had and that he would be top dog, but the reality is he’s just the tail of the dog, and she’s the one who decides when it wags. And then there’s Goodnews herself.’ Darling cast a glance at Slater. ‘She’s still pissed off because you had the audacity to dump her, and on top of that, she’s sulking because she’s losing her precious police station. The result is neither of them can see past the end of their own noses. They wouldn’t see anything even if it smacked them in the face.’

  Slater felt his face redden at the mention of his brief dalliance with Goodnews and decided he should make his position clear.

  ‘Look, people start relationships, realise it’s not for them, and then split up,’ he said. ‘It happens all the time. I made a mistake getting involved with her, and I regret it, but it’s not as if we had a wedding planned or anything! We just spent a couple of nights together, that’s all.’

  ‘Hey, look, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,’ said Darling. ‘What you do in your private life is none of my business, but I’d watch your back if I were you, because she’s definitely got something brewing in her cauldron, and sooner or later she’s going to be hurling thunderbolts in your direction.’

  Slater felt the beginnings of a shiver run down his spine. Darling might be making a joke of it, but he knew his ex had all the makings of a classic bunny boiler, and he didn’t doubt she would make his life hell if she found the opportunity. But he wasn’t going to dwell on that right now.

  ‘So you’re convinced the guy Rosie has reported isn’t the same guy who’s pinching pensioners’ cash, right?’ he asked Darling.

  ‘I’m sure of it,’ she said. ‘The MO is so different it can’t be the same guy.’

  ‘D’you think you’re going to catch your young, middle-aged guy?’ asked Norman.

  Darling took another draught of beer. ‘He’s become a one-man crime wave and he’s either very clever, or very lucky, and I’m beginning to think the only way we might stop him is if we suddenly get lucky, or he suddenly grows a conscience and stops of his own accord.’

  ‘If he had a conscience, he wouldn’t be doing it in the first place,’ said Slater, taking a swig of his own beer. ‘You’d better hope you get lucky soon.’

  ‘I’m not so sure he’s even still around,’ Darling said. ‘There hasn’t been a robbery reported for a few weeks now.’

  ‘Maybe he’s taken enough for what he wanted,’ Norman said thoughtfully. ‘Or perhaps he’s on holiday.’

  ‘Whatever.’ Darling put her glass down emphatically. ‘As long as he stops, I don’t really care. I’ll be happy if we never hear of him again. The only good thing is he never hurt anyone.’

  Slater drained his glass and set it carefully down on the table, then he bought the other two another drink, made his excuses, and headed for home. He could feel Darling’s curious stare on his retreating back, but he didn’t have the energy to explain why he had to get back. Norman would probably explain it anyway.

  Chapter Three

  It was 6.45 a.m. In the half-light of the early morning, two figures, a man and a woman, could be seen jogging side by side along the canal path.

  ‘You don’t have to get up and come with me every morning,’ said the woman. ‘I could do this on my own. It’s something I need to do for myself, after all.’

  ‘Yeah, I know you could, Jenny,’ said Slater, puffing slightly, ‘but until I’m convinced you’re not in any danger, I prefer to keep an eye on you. Besides, I would never have started running again on my own, and it’s doing me good, so you’re doing me a favour.’

  ‘I think it’s you who’s done me the favour,’ she said, flicking a glance out the corner of her eye at him. ‘Taking poor old homeless Jenny in when you’d only met me once ages ago.’

  Slater had first met Jenny Radstock when she had been involved in a case he had been asked to investigate a couple of years ago. By coincidence it was actually the first case he had worked with his friend, former DS Norman Norman. Slater and Jenny had got on reasonably well at the time, but then lost contact until a few weeks ago when she had turned up in Tinton, penniless and homeless. It soon became clear she had managed to make some powerful enemies, and she had actually taken to living on the streets as a means of hiding.

  Slater wasn't the sort of guy who could stand by and let a friend carry on living like that, so he had offered her his spare room and fully intended to help her sort her life out once she was ready to start fighting back. In the meantime he felt it was his duty to protect her while she recuperated and built her strength up.

  Slater shrugged and tried to catch his breath. ‘You made an impression on me, Ms Radstock,’ he said, holding up his hands. ‘What can I say? I’m just hoping one day you’ll trust me enough to tell me who you’re hiding from.’

  She looked at him for a long moment and then smiled sadly. ‘So, when are you going to make your mind up about working with Norm?’ she asked as they crossed the footbridge and began to run back down the other side of the canal.

  ‘Ha! Yes,’ said Slater. ‘That’s a good question.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do?’

  ‘I dunno, to be honest. I can’t even explain why I’m reluctant to work with him.’

  ‘Oh, that’s easy,’ Jenny said. ‘You like the order and structure working for the police gave you, whereas he’s happy to fly by the seat of his pants. It may work fine for him, but you’re not sure it works for you.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Slater said, nodding slowly, ‘that’s probably not far from the truth.’

  ‘Have you actually told him about your doubts?’

  ‘Err, no, not yet.’

  ‘Oh come on, Dave. That’s not fair, is it? He’s going to be really upset when he finds out you’ve been keeping him in the dark.’

  ‘Yeah, but if I decide to work with him, he won’t need to know I had any doubts, will he?’

  ‘And you think that’s okay, do you? What happens if you decide not to work with him?’

  ‘Jesus, Jenny, don’t keep o
n. It’ll be fine.’ He tried to increase his pace as if he could outrun the uncomfortable conversation.

  ‘I hear you telling me that,’ she said, ‘but you don’t exactly sound convinced, and you’re certainly not convincing me.’

  ‘Yeah, well, my head’s still in a bit of a whirl from everything that’s happened recently.’

  ‘I’ve never thought of you as being indecisive,’ Jenny said, peering at him.

  ‘It’s a big decision,’ Slater said, defensively, ‘and I want to get it right, so I think being extra cautious is the way to go.’

  ‘Is this extra caution why you won’t let me have a front door key?’

  ‘We’ve been through this before,’ said Slater. ‘There should be a spare key in the kitchen drawer—’

  ‘Yes, but it’s not there, is it? You told me you must have lost it and you were going to get a new one cut.’

  Slater sighed, and his face flushed guiltily. ‘You’re right. I did promise I’d get one cut, it’s just that what with trying to get my head together, I haven’t got around to it. Why d’you need one so desperately anyway?’

  She snorted derisively. ‘How about because I’m beginning to feel like a prisoner?’

  ‘That’s unfair,’ said Slater, feeling a touch aggrieved. ‘I’m just trying to keep you safe.’

  ‘Yes, I know that, but I can’t even go out and do a bit of food shopping! You must be getting fed up with me giving you a shopping list every couple of days. It would be much easier if I could just go and do it myself.’

  ‘Well, yeah, but—’

  ‘Look I really do appreciate what you’re doing, but you can’t protect me forever. Anyway, I can look after myself, you know.’

  Slater fixed her with a stare. ‘No offence, Jenny, but weren’t you looking after yourself when you got into this mess?’

  This prompted the stony silence he had expected but, even so, he felt it had needed to be said. They ran on in silence for a hundred yards or so before she spoke again.

  ‘You don’t have to keep rubbing it in.’

  ‘I’m not trying to rub it in, and I do understand why you think it’s your fight, but you also need to realise there’s no shame in accepting help when the odds are stacked against you.’

  She didn’t say anything – and her face told him nothing – so he made a peace offering.

  ‘I’ll get you a key cut, but you have to promise me you won’t do anything rash, and you’ll let me know when you’re going out and where you’re going, otherwise I’m going to be worried sick if I come home and you’re not there.’

  They ran another hundred yards while she considered his suggestion. For a moment, Slater wondered if he was being over-protective, but she was in danger, there was no getting around that.

  ‘All right,’ Jenny conceded at last. ‘It’s a deal.’

  Slater couldn’t stop a small smile from flashing across his face. He understood her desire to come and go as she pleased, but until he was convinced she was no longer in danger, he was reluctant to allow it. This was a compromise he could live with and getting her to agree to it was a small victory.

  They turned away from the canal so they were now running alongside the road; Slater moved over so Jenny was on the inside, furthest from the road. At this point, they were only a steady twenty-minute jog from Slater’s house.

  ‘Anyway, I don’t think you should be in any rush,’ he said. ‘I don’t think you’re ready to take on the world just yet.’

  She opened her mouth to argue, but he beat her to it.

  ‘Yes, I know you seem to have got your head together, but you’re going to need to be physically fit as well, and right now you’ve got plenty of room for improvement.’

  He grinned at the sharp glance she gave him in response. She was definitely getting to be much more like the feisty Jenny Radstock he’d known before. He didn’t have long to wait before she rose to his challenge.

  ‘Okay, Mr Superfit, why don’t we race home from here and see who’s breathing hardest when we get back?’ she suggested. ‘Then we’ll see who’s fit.’

  ‘I’m not really the yardstick you want to be measuring yourself against.’

  She snorted. ‘Ha! You’re just saying that because you know I’ll beat you!’

  ‘Is that right? Okay, let’s get across this road, and then we’ll race from there.’

  The route they followed every morning took them diagonally across the road, just ahead.

  ‘As soon as we get to the other side?’ she asked.

  ‘Once we’re safely across the road,’ Slater said.

  There was no traffic to worry about, so they jogged safely across to the other side. Now they were on the opposite side of the road, Slater was on the inside, where a bushy hedge bordered the path.

  ‘Okay,’ said Jenny, ‘I’ll call out ready, set, and then we can start on go.’

  ‘Whatever.’ Slater shrugged nonchalantly. ‘I’ll beat you anyway.’

  She grinned wickedly. ‘Ha! In your dreams, Buster. Ready, set, oops, sorry!’

  ‘What the—’

  Before Slater knew what was happening, she had given him a good hard shove into the hedge, where he frantically flapped around trying to find something to grab hold of to keep him upright. But all his flapping was in vain because the hedge was so deep and overgrown, there was nothing substantial to hold on to. He was gradually swallowed up as he sank slowly into it and then to the ground. As he fell, he could hear her fading footsteps as she raced away.

  It was only a few seconds before he extricated himself from the hedge, covered in bits of twig and assorted detritus, but by then her slim figure was a good forty or fifty yards ahead – and she wasn’t hanging around. A broad grin filled his face as he quickly brushed himself down.

  ‘Right then, Miss Radstock,’ he muttered as he set off after her. ‘Let’s see just how fit you really are.’

  Chapter Four

  It was nearly 9.30am by the time Slater eventually made it to what Norman referred to as their ‘office’, which was actually a pair of converted stables at the back of what had formerly been the town’s brewery. Norman’s landlord owned the site and was redeveloping the old buildings into small business units. He had offered Norman the stables rent-free for two months in exchange for them decorating and adding the finishing touches. It was a good deal, and Norm had jumped at the chance, even though his handyman skills weren’t exactly top drawer.

  As Slater walked in, he was greeted by the sight of a rather generous overall-clad backside pointing his way. The owner of the backside was on his knees, trying to figure out which screws went where as he attempted to put together one of the workstations he had bought. He looked round as Slater pushed the door open.

  ‘I’d be stopping an hour’s pay if you were working for me!’

  ‘Err, yeah, sorry about that,’ said Slater, sheepishly. ‘I got a bit carried away. I didn’t realise how late it was.’

  Norman looked at Slater’s guilty face. ‘I think I can guess what you were carried away doing, but it’s none of my business, and I’m not going to ask you to confirm or deny it,’ he said. ‘Anyway, we’re working for nothing, I don’t think we have actually agreed a start time, and it’s not as if we’re rushed off our feet, is it?’

  ‘Well, yeah, I suppose when you put it like that . . .’

  Slater looked at Norman and his attempt at building a workstation. ‘D’you need a hand with that?’

  ‘That would be good.’ Norman pointed at the instruction sheet spread out on the floor in front of him. ‘The pictures look all right, but the instructions might as well be written in Chinese, and the screws all seem to be the wrong sizes.’

  Slater grinned wickedly. ‘Are you sure it’s not the holes that are the wrong sizes?’ he asked innocently.

  ‘Really? I hadn’t thought of that,’ said Norman, completely missing the point at first, but then slowly catching on. ‘Oh right, I get it. Joke, huh?’

  ‘Here,’
said Slater, sinking to his knees beside Norman. ‘Let me have a look.’

  ‘Oh, thanks.’ Norman heaved his bulk up from the floor. ‘I’ll leave you to it then!’

  Slater frowned at him. ‘That wasn’t exactly what I meant.’

  Norman gave him a winning smile. ‘Yeah, I know, but you’re good at this handyman stuff,’ he said. ‘There’s other stuff I’m better at.’

  ‘Yeah, like eating,’ muttered Slater as he reached for the instruction sheet. He stared at the instructions. ‘Have you actually tried following these?’

  ‘Err, not exactly, no.’ Norman looked sheepish. ‘I looked at the pictures, but me and instructions, well, we sort of don’t get on too well.’

  ‘I didn’t think so,’ said Slater. ‘Because if you had, you would have noticed that they actually are in Chinese.’

  ‘Jeez, how is anyone supposed to make sense of that? It’s no wonder people have problems building these things.’

  Slater sighed and turned over the sheet of paper in his hands. ‘If you had looked at the other side, with the instructions in English, I think you might have found it a tad more useful.’ He started to sort through the small heap of assorted screws Norman had poured onto the floor. ‘It also helps if you don’t mix up all the screws. And I’m sure you’ll find the screws are all the right size as long as you try to fit them in the right holes.’

  ‘Oh. Right,’ said Norman. ‘Well, that sort of proves my point about you being better at this stuff, and you’re definitely better at pointing out mistakes. Is there anything I can do that might actually help?’

  Slater knew the small kitchen hadn’t been plumbed in yet. ‘Yes, there is,’ he said. ‘How about you go and make me a cup of coffee?’

  ‘Ha!’ said Norman. ‘You mean you want me out of the way, right?’

  Slater looked up, shame-faced.

  ‘It’s okay,’ said Norman. ‘I understand what you mean. I’m a pain in the arse when you’re trying to do something fiddly like that. I know. I’d want me out of the way too. How long do you want?’