Pearl And Derek Mysteries - Box Set 1

by Gillian Larkin

  “I notice that you’re in a business suit,” Derek pointed out. “Were you coming home from a day at work when you …? Oh dear, this is quite difficult to say.”

  Pearl interrupted, “Met his end? Was bumped off? Deceased? Departed this life for a better place?” She sighed. “Only you haven’t gone to a better place, have you Ryan? You’re still here and you will be until we find out who killed you. I know it’s difficult but try to remember as much as you can. How did you die?”

  Ryan placed his hands on the side of his head and closed his eyes. “I can hear traffic, a lot of traffic.” His nose wrinkled. “I can feel the cold, I think it’s started to snow again.” He twisted his shoulder forward. “It’s so busy! People are shoving me.” His hands dropped and his eyes shot open. “The bus! It’s coming right for me! It can’t stop!” He screamed and held his hands out in front of him.

  Pearl rushed to his side and put her arms around him. She murmured, “It’s only a memory now, let it go, love.” She held him for another minute until he stopped shaking.

  Derek said quietly, “Pearl, he mentioned the snow and being surrounded by people. Do you think he slipped on some ice and fell into the path of a bus? He might not have been murdered.”

  Pearl gently pulled Ryan to his feet. He turned him around so that his back was facing Derek.

  Derek gasped. “Hell’s bells! Sorry for the bad language.” He stood up and moved closer to Ryan. “Pearl, those look like hand imprints on his back. Is that what they are?”

  Pearl nodded. “Some ghosts hold onto the imprint of the last things that touched them. Ryan was definitely pushed.” She patted his shoulder gently. “Ryan Buckley was definitely murdered.”

  Chapter 3

  Ryan sat back down. “I’m sorry about that, getting so hysterical. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “A bus, by the looks of it,” Pearl said. She returned to her place on the sofa.

  Derek took out a small notebook from his pocket and sat back down next to Pearl. He picked up a pencil from a side table and licked the end of it. “Right, I’ll make a note of where you used to work. I’ll pay them a visit later. Did you have any enemies there?”

  Ryan shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

  “What about in your line of work? Did you upset anyone? Did you have any threats at work?”

  Ryan shook his head again and gave a sigh. “I’m not being very helpful, am I? Maybe it was just an accident.”

  Pearl said, “No, you were definitely murdered. Ghosts only ask for my help when they’ve been murdered. And remember the state you were in when you first came into Derek’s house, you were convinced that the murderer was going to strike again.”

  Ryan frowned. “Was I?”

  Pearl shared a look with Derek. Derek wrote something down on his notebook and looked back at Ryan. “How about your home life? Your family and friends? Tell us about them.”

  “My parents live on the other side of Leeds in a small terraced house. They had to sell the family home because … because …” He let out an exasperated cry and tapped the side of his head. “Why can’t I remember things? What’s wrong with me?”

  “Take your time, lad, tell us what you can,” Derek told him with a kind smile.

  “I know I’ve got a brother, he’s called Alex. He’s younger than me by a few years.” Ryan pressed his lips together tightly as he considered something. “I do know that Alex was involved in drugs. I know that he got my parents involved in his debts.”

  “Maybe that’s why they had to sell their house,” Derek suggested. “How did you get on with your brother?”

  Ryan rubbed the side of his head and winced. “Why do I feel pain? I thought I wouldn’t feel anything now that I’m dead.”

  “It’s just the memories, they can hurt,” Pearl told him. “You’re doing a great job. If you tell us as much as you can then Derek and I can get on with our investigation.”

  Ryan rubbed his head again. “Okay. I didn’t get on well with Alex. I tried many times to get him off drugs. I even gave him money to help him get clean.” His hand dropped to his lap. “We had an argument, a big one. I think it happened shortly before I died. What were we arguing about?”

  “It’ll come to you. Where does Alex live?” Pearl asked.

  “He goes from house to house. He stays with his druggie friends. He stayed with me a few times but it didn’t work out.”

  “Does he live in Leeds?” Pearl persisted.

  “Yes. Why?” Ryan stared at Pearl. Realisation broke out on his face. “No! You think Alex killed me? No! He wouldn’t.”

  Derek said, “You have to consider it as a possibility. What would he have to gain if you died?”

  Ryan’s shoulders dropped. “Money. I left him money. I’d taken out a life policy and I wanted to make sure he’d be okay.”

  “Did you leave money to anyone else?” Pearl asked.

  “Yes. Lara. She’s my girlfriend. We live together.” Ryan smiled. “And we work together too. We were going to get married.” He looked off into the distance.

  Pearl gave Derek a pointed look. Derek nodded and wrote down Lara’s name as a suspect. Derek tapped his pencil on his notebook for a moment, then he closed it up. He stood up and said, “I think we’ll go and see your Lara.”

  Ryan snapped back to attention. “Now? I’m not sure I’m ready to see her.”

  “No time like the present!” Derek declared. “I’ll get my coat, there’s a bit of a nip in the air today.”

  Pearl got to her feet and gave Derek a fond look. “You’re such a man of action, Derek, I love that in you.”

  Derek gave an embarrassed chuckle and headed out of the room. He heard Pearl say to Ryan, “Derek’s amazing. He’ll find your murderer in no time.” Derek sighed. He hoped he wouldn’t let them down.

  Chapter 4

  Derek found a parking space right outside the offices of Evans, Smith and Freeman. There was a parking meter and he entered enough change for forty minutes. He hoped that would be enough time.

  Pearl was looking around the square. “By heck! I can’t believe we’re in Leeds. I’ve never been to this part before. Aren’t these buildings lovely? What are they, Edwardian? Look how tall they are! And I love how the buildings are built around that little park.”

  Ryan smiled at her as he joined her on the pavement. “It looks like somewhere in London, doesn’t it? I love working here. These buildings are where solicitors and other professionals work.”

  Pearl gave a sniff and folded her arms. “Is that why solicitors charge so much? So that they can afford buildings like these?”

  “Probably,” Ryan said with a smile. He turned and looked at the building in front of them. “Derek, how are you going to get to talk to Lara?”

  Derek checked his surroundings to make sure no one was listening. “You told me in the car that she works on the life policy side. I’ll tell them I want to take a life policy out.” He caught Ryan’s sceptical look. “I know I’m on the old side but they wouldn’t refuse me, would they? Anyway, I’ll say that a friend dealt with Lara previously and they recommended her.”

  “Hang on.” Ryan reached into his jacket and produced a small tablet. He clicked on it. “I’ve got the names here of previous clients who Lara dealt with.”

  Derek came to Ryan’s side. The screen of the tablet was blank. He gave Pearl a quizzical look.

  Pearl said, “Ryan’s probably remembering the list from when he’s seen it before, his memory is filling in the blanks for him.”

  Ryan looked up from the screen. “What are you talking about?”

  Derek pointed. “I can’t see any words on your tablet thingy.”

  “Can’t you?” Ryan held it up. “The writing’s clear to me. That’s weird.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’ve found a client for you. He’s dead now so Lara won’t be able to check if he recommended you or not.”

  A few minutes later, Derek was armed with all the information that he needed
. He put his shoulders back and lifted his head. He walked up the stone steps to the offices of Evans, Smith and Freeman. He opened the door and stepped into a lavishly decorated hall. He turned to a smiling receptionist, a lie ready on his lips.

  Ryan hissed, “Lara! It’s Lara! She’s right behind you!”

  Derek looked over his shoulder to see a young woman coming down the stairs carrying some files. She had an elfin kind of face. She was a pretty girl but she looked tired. Derek decided to go for a direct attack. He turned around and gave Lara a huge smile. “You must be Lara! My friend, Dennis Blackshaw, told me all about you! Bless his soul.”

  Lara hesitated in her steps. “Oh. Mr Blackshaw? Yes, I remember him. I was sorry to hear of his passing.” She made her way to the bottom of the steps.

  Derek kept his smile in place. “He told me that you’re the one I should see about a life policy! I kept putting it off.” He waved a hand over his body. “But I’m not getting any younger! I need that life policy, and I need it today! Can we talk about it now?”

  Lara swallowed and took a step back. “I’m not sure. I’m very busy. Perhaps you could make an appointment, Mr …?”

  “Mr Quill, Derek Quill.” Derek let his smile drop. “I really would like to get it over with today. Are you sure you can’t fit me in?”

  Pearl came to Derek’s side. “Excellent acting! She’ll never be able to resist your puppy-dog eyes.”

  Lara hesitated as she looked at Derek, uncertainty written on her face.

  Derek let out a sad sigh. He rubbed at his throat. “Would you mind if I had a glass of water. I don’t feel very well. The journey here has taken it out of me.”

  Lara gave him a firm nod. She placed the files that she was carrying on the reception desk and turned to Derek. She put her hand on his arm and said, “You must come with me, Mr Quill. I’ll get you a drink. You can sit in my office and we’ll have a quick chat about life policies. We might not be able to sort anything out today but we can make a start.”

  Derek gave her a small smile. He felt terrible for deceiving her. Then he reasoned that if she’d loved Ryan Buckley then she’d want his killer to be found. So, a little deception wouldn’t hurt. Lara helped him towards the stairs, she had quite a grip on her and Derek winced. He stumbled on the first step as a thought came to him. What if Lara was the one who had killed Ryan?

  “Watch your step,” Lara told him. Her grip was even firmer. Derek was worried that she was going to leave a bruise.

  Lara heaved him up the stairs and guided him towards an office. She pushed the door open but not before Derek saw Lara’s full name - Lara Freeman. As in Evans, Smith and Freeman?

  Derek shot a glance over his shoulder towards Ryan and Pearl. Ryan had forgotten to mention Lara’s surname. What else had he forgotten to mention?

  Lara still had her hand on Derek’s arm as she steered him towards a leather chair. She sat him down and then closed the office door. She came back to Derek and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’re all alone now.”

  Chapter 5

  Lara seated herself at the other side of the wooden desk. She opened a drawer and took out some papers. She laid them on the desk and took up a pen. “Okay, let me get some basic details from you, Mr Quill.”

  Derek swallowed. He didn’t care if Lara was a suspect or not, what he had to say now was going to wipe that friendly smile off her face. Pearl must have picked up on his nervous state because she knelt next to him and laid a hand on his arm. A lovely warmth settled over him. Pearl said, “You can do this, Derek.”

  Derek cleared his throat. Ryan had given him some other information whilst they were standing outside the building. Derek said, “It’s a shame about Dennis, going so quickly like that. And right after that accident of his. We all thought he was on the road to recovery.”

  Lara’s smile wavered slightly. “I didn’t know about any accident.”

  Ryan swooped to Lara’s side and exclaimed, “She’s lying! She helped me with that case!”

  Derek continued, “He had an accident in a restaurant, he slipped on some spilt wine. He made a claim against the restaurant. Your firm dealt with it.” He let out a low whistle which sounded more like a wheeze. “He got a good amount of money for that fall! A young lad dealt with it. Now, what was his name?”

  Lara blinked rapidly and looked down at the paper on her desk. “I’m sure I don’t know. Could I have your date of birth please?”

  Derek clicked his fingers, hating himself for what he was about to say. “Ryan Buckley! That was his name.”

  Lara dropped the pen and burst into tears, her hands came up and covered her face.

  Ryan put his arms around Lara. They went right through her. Ryan shot Derek an angry look. “Look at what you’ve done! You should be ashamed!”

  Derek already felt bad, he didn’t need Ryan to state the obvious. He stood up and rushed to Lara’s side. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. “Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Lara took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes. She gave Derek a wobbly smile and sniffed. “It’s me who should be sorry. This isn’t very professional of me. If you give me a moment I’ll compose myself.”

  “Did you know Ryan well?” Derek asked. He immediately cursed himself for talking about Ryan in the past tense. He quickly added. “I heard that he died. A waste of a young life.”

  Lara nodded and dabbed at her eyes again. “It was an accident. He was knocked down by a bus near the train station. It was on a cold December night and I think the path was slippery.” A fresh tear rolled down her face. “We were a couple. We’d been living together for a year and we were so happy. I think Ryan was going to propose to me soon.”

  Ryan knelt at her side and looked up at her. “I was. I already had the ring. I was going to ask you to marry me on New Year’s Eve.”

  Derek felt his heart twist at the love in Ryan’s eyes. He patted Lara on the shoulder gently. “I’m so sorry. It’s hard to lose a loved one.” His thoughts briefly flitted to Dorothy, his lovely wife. And to Abbie, his daughter. He missed them both so much. His eyes prickled. He blinked rapidly. This was no time to think about Dorothy and Abbie.

  Lara twisted the handkerchief in her hands. “Mr Quill, there’s something that I’ve been hiding. I’ve never told anyone. I feel so guilty about Ryan’s death.”

  Derek’s heart missed a beat. Was this lovely young woman about to confess? “What do you feel guilty about?”

  Lara sighed and looked up at Derek. “It’s my fault that Ryan died.”

  Chapter 6

  Lara gave a small laugh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shock you.”

  Derek took a small step back. The door was a short run away. “What do you mean?”

  She looked down. “I borrowed his car that day. Mine had broken down. That’s why he was heading for the train station. If I hadn’t have borrowed his car then he wouldn’t have …” Quiet sobs escaped from her.

  Derek moved forward and patted her shoulder again, not knowing what else to do. He waited for her crying to subside. “Perhaps we should talk about this life policy business another day.”

  Lara nodded. She looked up. “Oh! I haven’t even given you a drink of water. You must have a drink before you leave, you look very white. Have I upset you with my outburst?”

  Derek walked back to his seat. “No, it’s this talk of death. It’s so sad, isn’t it? I lost my wife and daughter. I moved out of our home because it felt wrong to live there without them.”

  Lara stood up and moved towards a side cabinet. She opened a bottle of water and poured some into a glass. She took it over to Derek who was now sitting down again. She handed it to him and perched on the side of the desk. “I know what you mean about houses. I moved out of the one I shared with Ryan. He left me some money. He’d taken out a joint life policy as soon as we moved in together.” She gave a small laugh. “That’s what happens when you work in a place like this, you become obsessed wit
h all the things that can go wrong with you! I couldn’t sell the house though because …” A beep interrupted her. She looked over at her phone on the desk. “Sorry, I need to get that.”

  Ryan followed Lara over to her phone. Lara read the message, her shoulders tensed. Ryan let out an enraged gasp as he read the message too. “It’s from Owen!” Ryan declared. “She told me she was never going to see him again! He wants to meet her for lunch, he says it’s important and she’d better not let him down.” He frowned and looked over at Derek. “Ask her what’s going on!”

  Derek raised his eyebrows. He could hardly ask Lara that.

  Lara put the phone down and looked at Derek. In clipped tones she said, “I really am sorry, Mr Quill, but you have to leave. I have work to do. You can make an appointment with Sarah on reception, on your way out.” She walked over to the door and opened it. There was no smile on her face.

  Derek stood up and said thank you on his way out. The door closed firmly behind him. Pearl muttered, “Well! How rude! She practically threw you out!” She said to Ryan, “Who’s this Owen person? And you never told us about Lara’s last name. Is she related to someone at this company?”

  Derek followed the ghosts and headed for the stairs. He’d forgotten about Lara’s last name being Freeman.

  Ryan said, “Her uncle is the one who set up the company. He got her a job. She’s always felt guilty about that and is always trying to prove herself by working too hard.” He walked at Pearl’s side down the stairs, Derek walked behind them. Derek noticed Ryan’s fists clenching as he carried on talking. “Owen Reeves is Lara’s ex-boyfriend. He’s a nasty piece of work. She was with him when she started working here. I found her crying many times in her office over what he’d said, or done, to her. She finally found the courage to leave him. And a few months later, we started dating. What’s she doing with him? I thought she’d got him out of her system. It doesn’t make sense.”