They reached the bottom of the stairs. The woman, Sarah, was on the phone behind the reception desk. Derek didn’t want to disturb her, and he didn’t want to make an appointment at the moment. He moved towards the main doors.
Ryan cried out, “Lawrence! It’s Lawrence Grey, my old boss!” He laughed. “He’s put on a bit of weight since I last saw him.”
Derek turned to look at Lawrence. A middle-aged man with a middle-aged spread looked back at him and smiled. He moved towards the door and opened it for Derek. “Let me get that for you.”
“Thank you,” Derek said. “Do you work here? I’ve been having a chat with that lovely woman, Ms Freeman, about a life policy.”
The smile on Lawrence’s face slipped slightly. “Yes, I’m Ms Freeman’s manager. Did you take out a policy? Were you happy with the service?”
“I haven’t taken the policy out yet.”
Lawrence shot a look towards Sarah, she was still on her phone. He said to Derek, “I’ll walk out with you. I could do with a breath of fresh air.” He opened the door wider and Derek stepped out. Lawrence followed him out and down the steps.
Derek stopped outside his car and put the key in the lock. He could feel Lawrence at his side. Derek said, “I’ll be in touch with Ms Freeman soon.”
Lawrence looked back at the office. He reached into his pocket and produced a card which he gave to Derek. “If you do proceed with taking out a policy would you talk to me first? Not that I’m checking up on Ms Freeman’s work! She’s more than capable of doing her job.” His attention was caught by a car turning into the street. Irritation flashed in his eyes. He looked back at Derek and smiled. “I hope we can do business soon.”
“Thank you.” Derek took the card. He took the opportunity to ask Lawrence a question. “I was talking to Ms Freeman about a mutual friend, Ryan Buckley. I was so sorry to hear about his death.”
Lawrence sighed heavily. “They said it was an accident. I’ve been in this business long enough to know a genuine accident when I see it.” The car caught his attention again. He mumbled, “I told Lara about having him near.” He shook his head and gave Derek his attention again. He pointed to the parking meter. “Oh, you needn’t have paid. Let me get that for you.” He looked at the amount on the meter, reached into his pocket and took out some change. He handed it over to Derek.
“Thank you,” Derek said, yet again. He wanted to ask Lawrence more but a car pulled up behind him, obviously wanting his car parking space. Derek got into his car and began to drive away. He looked in his rear-view mirror at Lawrence.
Pearl was sitting in the passenger seat. She turned her head and looked back at Lawrence too. “What’s he staring at?”
Ryan pointed forward. “I think he’s looking at that car.” His hand shook slightly. “That’s my car, and the person driving it is Owen Reeves.”
Chapter 7
Ryan muttered to himself as they drove along, “What is she doing with him? And how dare he drive my car!” He added a selection of colourful curse words which Derek chose to ignore.
Derek said, “Who did you leave your car too?”
“Lara. I thought she could sell it if she needed any extra money. She laughed at the time and said she’d get more in scrap value for it. She said that she’d stick to her car, it was more reliable.”
Derek stopped at a pedestrian crossing, he nodded and smiled at a lady who was walking across the road. He said to Ryan, “Lara said she’d had to borrow your car because hers had broken down. Was that true?” He saw Ryan frown through the rear-view mirror.
“I can’t remember. She must have said that to me. I wonder what was wrong with her car?”
Pearl voiced Derek’s thoughts, “She could have been lying about her car. She could have wanted you to be near the train station that night.”
“And she could have been the one that pushed me.” Ryan gave a dramatic sigh. “It seems that there’s a lot of people who could have wanted me dead.”
“Only two so far,” Pearl added cheerfully.
“Three, if we count Owen Reeves,” Derek pointed out.
“Three,” Pearl amended. “Owen and Lara could have been in it together.”
Ryan shook his head. “I don’t believe that. Lara couldn’t have faked the love that she had for me.”
“Aye,” Pearl continued. “But love is funny. That Owen chap could still have a strong hold on her. Love can make you love people that you’re not supposed to.” She looked over at Derek and gave him a smile.
Derek’s heart missed a beat at the affection he saw in them. He cleared his throat. “Lara was saying something about your house before she read that text, something about not selling the house for some reason. I think we should go over to your house and see if she was telling us the truth. And we need to track down your elusive brother.”
Ryan made a grunting noise and then gave Derek his address.
As they pulled up outside his house a short while later, a face appeared at the window. Ryan said, “You’re going to kill two birds with one stone here, Derek. It seems that my brother is now living in my house.”
Derek turned the engine off and looked towards the house. A younger, alive version of Ryan stared out at them. “Oh heck, I wasn’t expecting that. What am I going to say to him? Pearl, any suggestions?”
Pearl’s face creased up in thought. “I liked the lie you used earlier when you said you knew a past client. Could you use something similar with Ryan?”
“I see where you’re going. Hmm, how about …? Ryan, what’s your dad’s name and what did he do for a living?”
Ryan told them. Pearl clapped her hands together. “Derek Quill, you get more amazing every second.”
Derek gave her a little grin. He heard a ‘get a room’ comment from the back seat but ignored it.
Derek left his car and walked up the short pathway to the door. The door opened a crack before he’d even knocked. Alex Buckley peered out and said, “I’m not buying anything.”
“Good, I’m not selling anything.” Derek then went into an elaborate lie about having worked with Ryan’s dad in the past. He added that he’d been away for a while and had only just heard about Ryan’s death. He wanted to pay his respects. He finished with, “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
Alex opened the door a bit wider. He looked down at the step and said, “I killed him. It was my fault that he died.”
Derek was beginning to take these confessions with a pinch of salt. “Do you mean that literally? Or do you feel guilty about something? I haven’t got anywhere to go. I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it.”
Alex looked back up, his eyes glistened. The door was opened even wider. “I would like to talk about it. There are things that I’ve never told anyone about the night that Ryan died. I suppose with you knowing my dad, then you’re sort of a family friend.”
Pearl eyed Alex up and down. She turned to Derek and said, “Watch yourself with this one. I think lies come to him easily. I hope you’re not walking into a death trap!”
Derek managed to keep the smile on his face as he walked into Alex Buckley’s house. He was too old to be putting himself in danger like this. But he said he’d help Ryan, and that’s what he was going to do.
Chapter 8
Alex insisted on making Derek a hot drink. He disappeared into the small kitchen and Derek took a seat in the living room. Pearl sat at his side.
Ryan floated around the room. “He hasn’t changed anything, not even the pictures on the wall.”
Alex returned a few minutes later and placed a cup of tea on a small table at the side of Derek. Ryan moved closer to Alex and looked him over. “He looks better,” Alex noted. “He looks healthier.”
Alex took a seat and took a slurp of his tea. He asked Derek how long he’d known his dad.
Derek gave a small shrug, he felt uncomfortable with the lie and didn’t want to get any deeper into it. “Your dad talked about you and Ry
an, he was very proud of you,” Derek said, hoping it was true.
Alex gave him a half-smile. “I doubt that. Ryan was always the golden boy, I was definitely the black sheep of the family. I grew up in Ryan’s shadow, it wasn’t a good place to be. I tried to be like him but I didn’t have the brains.” He looked away from Derek. “I’m so ashamed of what I’ve put Mum and Dad through. And what I put Ryan through. They didn’t deserve it. I’ve got a lot of making up to do.” He sighed. “With Mum and Dad anyway. It’s too late for Ryan.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about Ryan. Can you tell me what happened? I heard that it was an accident.”
Ryan settled himself on the floor next to Alex’s chair. Alex looked back at Derek. “I came round here a few days before Ryan died. I was doing drugs, a lot of drugs. I needed money urgently. Ryan had always given me money before but he refused this time. He gave me business cards instead, cards with addresses of people who could help me. We had a blazing row. Ryan wasn’t one to argue but he really let rip with his thoughts. He told me exactly what he thought about me and what a disappointment I was. He wouldn’t even let me into his house.” Alex gripped his cup tighter and turned his head to the side, unknowingly staring right into the face of his dead brother. “I remember the last words that I said to him. I told him that I wished he was dead.”
Ryan looked into Alex’s eyes. “I know you didn’t mean it, you were angry, that’s all.”
Derek felt his eyes smarting. Why did people have to treat each other like that? He said, “I’m sure Ryan didn’t take your last words to heart. He would have known you were just lashing out in anger.”
Alex turned pain-filled eyes to Derek. “We’ll never know now.”
Derek wished he could tell him otherwise. Instead he said, “Where were you on the day that Ryan was killed? You said you were responsible.”
Alex nodded. “I was sleeping rough in Leeds that night. You can’t go in the shop doorways until the streets are quiet so I was wandering around Leeds. I was near the train station and I saw Ryan crossing the road. I felt awful about what I’d said to him before. I wanted to say sorry. I ran towards the crossing and called out his name. He turned to look at me. He wasn’t paying attention to the traffic. He …” Alex gulped and took a moment to steady himself. “He fell forward. It was all in slow motion. He fell. The bus screeched. People screamed. And I ran away. My brother had been hurt and I ran away.” He gave a bitter laugh. “I didn’t know I could sink so low. I hid in a shop doorway. I heard the sirens of the ambulance. Can you imagine how that feels? To hear sirens and know they’re meant for your brother?”
“The accident wasn’t your fault,” Derek said, his own voice thick with emotion. He saw how tenderly Ryan was looking at his younger brother. Derek felt an urge again to tell Alex that Ryan was here, and that Ryan didn’t blame him. He opened his mouth. Pearl placed a hand on his arm and shook her head. Derek closed his mouth.
Alex took another sip of his tea and then tried to smile. “I was wrong when I didn’t think I could sink any lower. I found out after the funeral that Ryan had taken out a life policy. He’d left me a decent amount of money. I blew £1,000 straight away on drugs.”
“Are you on drugs now?” Derek asked.
“No. That’s the funny thing. I had money for once, but I didn’t want to spend it on drugs. It was like I had Ryan’s voice in my head. I’d kept hold of those cards he’d given me. I went to see one of the counsellors. It was the best thing I could have done. I’ve turned my life around.” He laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still tempted by drugs but so far I’ve managed to be strong. This sounds weird but I feel as if Ryan is near me all the time.”
Derek quickly wiped a tear away that had managed to escape. “Did Ryan leave his house to you?”
“No. He left it to his girlfriend, Lara. She lets me rent it. I haven’t changed anything in the house. I haven’t even thrown Ryan’s things away, they’re in the spare room.”
Derek nodded and told another lie, “I haven’t met Lara. Is she nice?”
“She is. But …” his mouth twisted. “I shouldn’t really say.”
“Say what you like to me, lad.”
Alex gave him a small nod. “I suppose it doesn’t matter if I tell you this, there’s only me and you here.”
“That’s what you think,” Pearl said with a smile.
Alex put his cup down and leaned forward. “Lara has hooked up with her old boyfriend, Owen. He’s got a criminal record. He’s bad news. He hated Ryan because he thought Ryan had taken Lara from him. Owen had threatened to kill Ryan many times. I thought back to the night that Ryan died. This is weird but when I saw Ryan fall it was almost as if he was pushed. He jerked forward and had a shocked look on his face. I shouldn’t say this, but I think there’s a chance that Ryan was murdered. And I think Owen had something to do with it.”
Chapter 9
“What do you mean? Have you got any evidence?” Derek asked.
Alex shook his head. “It’s just a feeling I have. Lara fell to pieces after Ryan died. It didn’t take long for Owen to work his way back into her life - if he ever left it in the first place. She approached me about living here. She didn’t want to sell the house but she couldn’t bear living here without Ryan. On the day that I moved in, I heard Owen in the kitchen arguing with Lara. He wanted the house to be sold, he wanted the money from it. But, for once, Lara stood up to him. She said that Ryan would have wanted me to live here.”
“Did you confront Owen about what he said?”
“Owen’s not the sort of person that you confront. He’s the sort of person that you cross the street to avoid. He gave me a warning as he left that day. He told me not to make myself too comfortable here. He’s probably working on Lara right now and convincing her to sell this house. I don’t see her often, but when I do she’s always with Owen. It’s like he’s got some sort of hold over her.”
Ryan muttered something at Alex’s side about Owen. Derek didn’t catch it and he could hardly ask Ryan to repeat it.
Alex looked at his watch. “Oh, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to kick you out. I’ve got another meeting with my counsellor. I’m determined to keep myself clean. I hope that if Ryan is looking down on me, he’ll be pleased with what I’m doing with my life now.”
Ryan grinned. “I’m looking at you right now, little brother. I’m proud of you.” He touched Alex on the arm.
Alex shivered and gave a short laugh. “I felt like someone walked over my grave then.” He stood up. “I’ll be phoning my dad later. I’ll let him know you called round. What was your name again?”
Derek thought quickly. “It’s …” He held up a finger and quickly pulled out his phone. He pretended to read a message and managed to put a look of concern on his face. He stood up. “I’m so sorry, Alex, I have to go right now. Thank you for talking to me. I’ll see myself out. Bye!” He hurried towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder and added, “I know that Ryan would be pleased as punch for you. Cheerio!”
Derek scuttled out of the house and over to his car. He was driving away before Alex had managed to get himself to the front door.
Ryan laughed from the back seat of the car. “Look at his face! I can just imagine the conversation that he’ll have with Dad later about you.” There was a moment’s silence. “I’m glad he’s talking to Dad again. It sounds like he’s got himself sorted out.”
Pearl turned round in her seat. “That’s your influence, young man. You left a good impression on your younger brother. You should be proud of yourself.” She made a clicking noise with her tongue. “It annoys me when people have to die before anyone listens to them. Why can’t people sort themselves out when they’re alive?”
Derek shot a sideways glance at Pearl. “I was going to tell Alex that I could see Ryan. Why did you stop me?”
Pearl turned back round and folded her hands on her lap. “He wouldn’t have understood. I have a sense about these things. Some peop
le will accept, at a push. And others will deny it. Alex is already thinking that Ryan is looking down on him from somewhere. That’s enough for him. Imagine how people would behave if they thought their relatives were floating round all over the place!”
“I’m sorry, Pearl. I didn’t think about the harm it would cause. I’m still new to this ghost business.”
Pearl’s look softened. “I know, Derek, love. You’re doing a great job. You’re coming up with some convincing lies! I’m very impressed with your repertoire of talents.”
Derek chuckled. “I’m quite impressed myself.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror and frowned. He looked forward. “Although, I do feel guilty about lying.” He looked in the mirror again.
Pearl said, “Guilt is a useless emotion, it doesn’t do anyone any good. Derek, why do you keep looking in the mirror?”
Ryan answered her question, “We’re being followed.”
“Who by?” Pearl twisted in her seat and looked out of the back window.
Derek said, “I think it’s that Owen fella.”
“And he’s still driving my car.” Ryan looked back at Derek. “I think he’s been following you from Lara’s office. You’d better watch yourself.”
“I can take care of myself,” Derek said with more conviction than he felt. “Why’s he following me?”
Pearl said, “He knows you’re on to him. Derek, I don’t like this at all. Don’t let him know where you live.”
Derek gave Pearl, what he hoped, was a cunning look. “I’ve got a plan. I’ll lose him.”
Derek headed towards a church hall that he went to sometimes. He checked the time on his dashboard. This was perfect timing. He hoped Charlie would be on the gate.
“Where are we going?” Pearl asked as he slowed down near a church.
“It’s Wednesday afternoon. This church has been taken over by pensioners. They’re having an afternoon of delights!” Derek said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Pearl And Derek Mysteries - Box Set 1 Page 7