by M A Comley
George answered his phone after the first ring.
“George, are you doing anything?”
“Nelda, is that you?”
“Sorry, yes. Someone has broken my back door. I have the police here with me now. Is there any chance you can board up the window for me?”
“Of course. Are you all right, love?”
“I’m a little shaken up. You’re an angel. Not sure what I’d do if I didn’t have you to count on.”
A few hours later, after the police had taken a statement and left and George had repaired the back door, Nelda found herself alone in the house again, shaking from head to toe. “This is crazy. You need to put this place on the market and get the hell out of here, my girl.” She kept her robe on and climbed into bed. The bedside light remained on throughout the night. Sleep came in fits and starts. Finally, after she’d watched the digital clock click over to six o’clock, Nelda went downstairs to make herself a drink. Cautiously, she entered the kitchen and breathed out a huge sigh when she saw the board still in place covering the door.
She showered, dressed, and left for work earlier than normal. At least she tried to—her darn car wouldn’t start, and she didn’t have the heart to call on George for assistance after her neighbour had put himself out to help her the previous evening. She waited at the bus stop for almost half an hour, and in the end, she decided to flag down a cab to take her the two-mile trip into work. Nelda had passed the postman on the way to the bus stop and asked if there was any post for her. He’d given her three letters, one of which was her monthly bank statement. To pass the time during the journey, she opened her statement. Her eyes almost ended up in the footwell of the car when she saw how much she was overdrawn. She’d never been overdrawn before in her life. “What the…?”
“Everything all right, Miss?”
Nelda stared at the back of the driver’s head and shook her head. “No. My life is falling apart, and I have no idea how to prevent it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Everyone seems to have problems nowadays. I hope things look brighter for you soon.”
“I hope so, because right now, nothing can bloody top this little surprise.” She waved the statement at him as he studied her through his rear-view mirror. He shrugged.
The minute she arrived at her desk, she placed the call to the bank to demand an explanation. When the bank assistant told her they’d put a hold on her account for exceeding her bank overdraft, Nelda was furious and screamed down the line, making the bank assistant hang up on her.
Katherine knocked on her door and entered the room. “Nelda, what on earth is the matter?” She ran around the desk and flung an arm around Nelda’s quivering shoulders.
“Oh, Katherine, what have I done to deserve such shit being flung at me?”
“Is this about the accident the other night, love?”
“No, yes. Kind of, plus so much more.”
Katherine pulled up a chair and gathered Nelda’s hands in her own. “Start from the beginning and tell me what’s happened.”
So she did. Her friend shook her head in disgust. “My God, do you think this is down to Paul?”
“Who else could it be? How the hell did he get into my bank account?”
“You’d be surprised what people can do with a certain amount of information nowadays. Have you ever given him your PIN number?”
“No.” Nelda slapped her hand on the table. “Yes, just the once. I had a cold, but needed money from the bank. He volunteered to fetch it for me. Crap, why did I allow that?”
“What’s done is done. Have you called the bank? And the police?”
“I was irate, and the bank assistant hung up on me. I don’t want to pester the police again. They’ll be sick of the sight of me.”
“Nonsense, that’s what they’re there for. Love, if he’s harassing you, it’s a criminal offence.”
“But every time he’s questioned, he gives them a perfectly reasonable alibi.”
“Hmm…have they questioned him about last night’s incident yet, or this?” Katherine asked, pointing at the bank letter.
“No.”
“You need to get on to them first thing, Nelda. Get this stopped before it escalates out of control.”
“I guess. I’ll get in touch with the DI dealing with me now. Thanks for your support and for assuring me that I’m not going crazy.”
Katherine patted her hand. “You’re not going crazy, love. Someone might be trying to make you feel like that, but don’t let them get away with it.”
“I won’t.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hero drove to work wearing a smile, pleased that he wasn’t still in Fay’s bad books. He walked into the station, where the desk sergeant dealing with a group of travellers immediately singled him out.
“DI Nelson, I just took this message for you, sir.”
Hero took the written message, thanked the sergeant, and swept through the reception’s security door. When he reached the incident room, he looked down at the piece of paper and read the note—Nelda Brook had called. Tutting, he grabbed a coffee from the machine and went into his office. He picked up his phone and rang the number on the note. “Yes, I’d like to speak to Nelda Brook, please?”
“This is Nelda speaking. Who’s calling?”
“Nelda, this is DI Hero Nelson. I’ve just received a note asking me to call you. Is everything all right?”
“Not really, Inspector.”
“Please, call me Hero. Has something else happened?”
“Yes, after Fay left last night, someone threw a brick through my back door. I called the police right away.”
“Damn, sorry to hear that. Did the police attend to the crime?”
“Yes, they were very kind. My neighbour mended the door and is on standby, waiting for the forensics team to turn up at the house. The thing is, I picked up my post this morning, and when I read my bank statement, it says that all my money has been withdrawn from my account. I just don’t know what to do, Insp…sorry, Hero.”
“Crap! And are you intimating that Paul Fox has had access to your account? You think he’s taken your money?”
“I really don’t know. After all that’s happened in the past few days, yes, I think he would be my main suspect.”
“Has he had access to your PIN number in the past, Nelda?”
“Yes, just the once, but surely, he would need my card to empty my account, wouldn’t he?”
“Not necessarily, no. Just the right information to gain access to your account. There are people out there willing to copy debit cards, for a price of course. Was the money withdrawn in one lump sum?”
“No, several withdrawals via ATM machines. Can you do anything about this, Inspector?”
“I can certainly pay Mr. Fox another visit. However, without concrete proof, I won’t be able to take it further. Had he transferred the money to his own account, then we would have a paper trail as evidence. I’ll get someone to check the camera at the ATM machines. As it is, ATM withdrawals can be made by anyone, even you.”
Nelda gasped. “Well, I can assure you I did not drain my own bank account. Good day, Inspector.”
“Wait…Miss Brook? Damn, she hung up on me.” Hero redialled the number. “Please don’t hang up on me again, Miss Brook. I’m trying to help you out here.”
“You more or less told me all this is a figment of my imagination—”
“I don’t think I said that. It’s my job to look at things objectively. I’ll go and see Mr. Fox again if time allows today, even if it’s only to put your mind at ease.”
“Thank you. Will you let me know the outcome of your visit?”
“Of course. I’ll call you later on today.”
• • •
Hero visited Paul Fox’s house around midday, after he’d taken care of his mundane morning chores. With Jason standing next to him, he knocked on Fox’s front door. After receiving no answer, the two men tried the back of the house, only
to obtain the same result.
“Is it worth chasing him up at work?” Jason queried.
“Yep, I think so.”
“Do we even know where he works?”
Hero thumped his thigh. “Damn, I forgot to ask. Wait a second. I’ll ring my wife.” Fay answered straight away. “Darling, where does Paul Fox work?”
“Crikey, as far as I know, he works in an office. Where, I couldn’t tell you. Why, Hero? Has something happened?”
“Sort of. I’ll give Nelda a call back see if she can fill me in. She rang earlier to report a large sum of money has been taken from her account.”
“Shit! Really? Did he do it?”
“That’s what I suspect. I’m at his property now, but he’s not here. I’ve got to go. Give you a call later if I find anything out.”
“Please do.”
Hero ended the call then rang Nelda back. “Nelda, it’s Hero. Sorry to trouble you. We’re at Fox’s house now, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Can you tell me where he works? I’ll nip over there and have a chat with him, if his company allows me to.”
“He works as an estate agent, a commercial agent in the heart of the city at Taylors.”
“Okay, we can look up the address on the sat nav. Thanks, Nelda.”
• • •
They parked in the car park at the rear of the agency and entered the building at the front. Three women glanced up from what they were doing to smile at the two detectives.
Hero showed his warrant card to the nearest woman. “DI Nelson, I’m looking for Paul Fox. Is he around?”
The woman frowned as her smile slipped. “No, thank goodness. He resigned a few weeks back, started up a business of his own.”
“Why ‘thank goodness’? Did you have problems with him when he worked here?”
“All the time. Didn’t really take to being told what to do by women, if you know what I mean?”
“So, was he violent towards any of you?” Hero asked, his interest level escalating.
“He tried, but the boss wouldn’t let him get away with it. He resigned not long after a very unsavoury incident with one of the other girls in the office.”
“I see. Is this person around today?”
“No. She left. Couldn’t stand being in the same office as him. The intimidation drove her out.”
“And what about Fox? Any idea what business he started up or where?”
The young brunette shook her head then called over her shoulder to her colleagues, “Anyone know what type of business Fox is in now?”
The blonde girl at the back of the room shouted, “I might be mistaken, but I thought I saw him in a driving school car.”
“Teaching people to drive?”
“That’s what it looked like to me. He was in the passenger seat. Looked like he was instructing the girl driving the car,” the woman agreed.
Hero asked, “I don’t suppose you noticed the name of the school from the advertising logo on the car, did you?”
“Sorry, no. It was the briefest of glances, really. Just enough to recognise it was him.”
“Okay, we can look into that. Thank you for your assistance. You’ve been a great help.”
The second they stepped out into the street again, Hero clicked his fingers.
Jason turned to him with a puzzled look.
“I bet he used the driving school car to barge the taxi off the road. Come on, let’s get back to the station and start ringing around the driving instructors in the immediate area.”
“Looks like he’s been taking us for fools all along.”
“Not anymore, Jason.” Hero jumped behind the wheel and drove out of the car park, livid that he’d been made a fool of and even more livid that he had begun to think Nelda was crazy.
Once they were back in the incident room, Jason hit the phone immediately. Before long, he’d found Fox’s new employer.
“So, he hasn’t exactly set up on his own. He’s still listed with them but rents one of their cars. Is that right?” Hero asked the constable.
“That’s it, boss. He probably used Nelda’s money to set himself up,” Jason said.
“Did you ask the firm if they’ve seen him today?”
“Yep, that was my second question, and they confirmed he hasn’t turned up for work this morning.”
“That’s strange. Maybe he’s going to keep a low profile for a few days, probably realises that Nelda’s bank statement is due out soon. They usually arrive around the same date every month, I seem to remember. Okay, I’m still inclined to believe he’s our main suspect. Let’s put out a bulletin for the patrols to keep an eye out for him.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Thankfully, Nelda’s next few days were incident-free. She had appreciated the call from Hero verifying that Paul had a new job and that he was high up on their list of suspects in the accident and the other events that had blighted her life recently. Since things had gone quiet, she’d begun to believe that after the police pounded on his door, Paul had taken the hint and moved out of the area. The only way to find out if that was true was to call Paul’s mother, Yvonne. The woman had always been very kind in the past, but there was no telling what her reaction would be if Nelda rang up, asking where Paul had gone. She might even think the intrusion was Nelda’s way of snooping on behalf of the police.
She hastily discarded that idea in favour of getting on with her life and not dwelling on the past. Without the immediate funds to pay a garage to diagnose her car problems, she continued to take the bus into work for the next few days.
On Friday evening, she returned home to find George resting against the bonnet of her car with his arms folded.
“Everything okay, George?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Why? Why didn’t you come to me for assistance?”
“Assistance with what, George? I’m not with you.” She settled on the bonnet beside him and folded her arms, mimicking his stance.
“Your car. I’ve not been well for a few days. Damn cold has meant I’ve been tucked up in bed. One of the other neighbours mentioned they’d seen you taking the bus every day. I would have got out of my sickbed to help, if you’d asked.”
“That’s so sweet of you. A bus trip now and again isn’t going to kill me, George. Sorry to hear you’ve been ill. Are you better now? Your nose looks a little red.” She smiled and nudged his elbow.
“I’m getting there,” he managed to say before an impromptu bout of sneezing struck.
Nelda pulled his arm then pushed him towards his house. “Inside. It’s too cold out here. If you’re feeling better in the morning, then I’ll allow you to take a look at my car, if you insist on helping me out, not before. Is that understood?”
“All right. I don’t like it, but as you’re off work tomorrow, I’ll be happy to take a look at the darn thing then. You can keep me supplied with hot lemon and honey as payment, okay?”
“Deal, unless something major rears its head. I’m afraid I can’t afford to have her fixed properly right now.”
“I can lend you some money to get it fixed if things are tight, love.”
“Don’t be daft. That’s kind of you to offer, though.” She leaned forward and attempted to kiss his cheek, but he pulled back.
“Not advisable unless you want the lurgies!”
“Er…point taken. Get some rest and stay warm. Have you got any whiskey?”
“I might have a bottle tucked away somewhere in the cupboard. Good idea. Why didn’t I think of that? See you in the morning—not too early, eh?”
“Only if you’re better.” Nelda waved goodbye and let herself into her house, attaching the chain as she shut the front door.
After fixing a simple dinner of jacket potato and cheese with a side salad, she spent the evening chilling out in front of the TV, watching a romcom she’d had her eye on for a while. Laughter had always made her life seem far easier, and she f
ound herself so wrapped up in the wonderful story that all her woes packed up and deserted her for the evening.
The following day, Nelda glanced out the front window to see George already tinkering with his shrubs in the garden. She had a feeling he was hinting at her to get a move on. She threw on her jogging suit and trainers, then, armed with two cups of strong coffee, joined him outside. The morning was crisp, and a thin frost covered the lawns. “Here you go, George. I thought you could do with a cup.”
“Lovely. Have you got the keys to your car?”
Nelda nodded and handed the teddy bear key ring to George. “Let’s see what we can find.”
George opened the driver’s door and pulled the catch on the bonnet. He shut the door and waved a hand in front of his red nose. “Wow, even with my nose being bunged up, I can smell your car needs a good clean out.”
Embarrassed, Nelda felt her cheeks warm. “Really? I’ve been meaning to clean her out lately. Maybe letting her stand around for a few days has caused her to smell musty. What do you think?”
“Maybe, although to me it smells like a rat has died in it. I had a friend who had mice running around inside his car. The silly bugger left a bag of dog food in the boot. Got the fright of his life when he put the heater on one day. He said the noise was horrendous.”
“Why? What was it?”
“The bloody things had travelled through the car and made a nest in the heater slot. The noise he heard was the sound of the dog food being thrown around.”
“Oh, Lordy! That’s not good, is it?”
“That’s not the best bit, or should I say worst part. The little buggers ended up chewing their way through a few cables under the bonnet, too. Bearing in mind the trouble you had with the wire the other day, I’m willing to bet you have a similar problem. Especially at this time of year, the little sods are after a source of warmth. Let’s take a look, shall we?”
He tentatively opened the bonnet while Nelda shuffled to stand behind him. She peeped over his shoulder but saw nothing to do with any nesting rodents.
“Well, I can’t see any loose cables…oh, wait a minute. Here’s one. I’ll just attach this here and then start her up.”