by Bud Craig
He sat back, shaking his head.
“The question is, what, if anything, are you going to do about it?”
“Well, I’ve got it all typed out and saved on my laptop. It’s all ready to go to the police.”
He swallowed hard and flexed his fingers.
“If I had killed anyone, I’d have to kill you, wouldn’t I? Why didn’t you just send it to the cops without talking to me about it?”
“I wanted to hear you admit it or deny it.”
He shook his head sadly, a thin smile creeping onto his face, and stood up.
“Just for the record, I deny your accusations. I’ll be off now. I need to think things over, decide whether to sue you for libel. It’ll be less trouble than killing you, more lucrative too.”
He turned his back to me and faced the sink. From behind, I could see his muscles tensing.
“On second thoughts,” he said, pulling a knife from the wooden block on the draining board and turning round swiftly.
He ran towards me and, before I could react, plunged the knife in my chest.
“Help!” I shouted as loud as I could. “Help!”
I pulled at a tag round my neck and set off a siren that would wake the dead, then let fly with my elbow and landed right on Jerry’s jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. At that moment two burly, uniformed policemen rushed in, pinioning Duckworth by the arms. They hauled him up on his feet.
Sarita was not far behind, dressed in her professional garb, which as usual gave her a distinguished air. She stood implacably and watched the scene play out. Taking a deep breath, she began to recite the formal caution as if it were a poem she’d had to memorise for homework. She followed the two policemen and Jerry out of the room, promising to be back. At least the stab vest worked, I said to myself.
* * *
Three hours later Sarita came back as promised. We went into my kitchen, where I made her some tea before she had to ask. She sat at the table. A couple of minutes later she drank deep from my best Salford Red Devils mug.
“That’s good, just what I needed.”
“How did it go?”
She drank more tea before replying.
“Not bad on the whole. We’re holding Jerry Duckworth on a charge of the attempted murder of Gus Risman Keane.”
It wasn’t often anybody used my full name. I usually had to explain that I was named after Gus Risman, a legendary rugby league player for Salford, but Sarita already knew that.
“What about the two murders?”
She pursed her lips and shook her head gently.
“That’s a bit more problematic. He’s not admitting anything and there’s not a lot of evidence. The good news is most of the money Ronnie had hidden around the house had Jerry’s fingerprints on it. That supports the theory that Bracken was blackmailing him.”
“What happens in the meantime?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“In the meantime, Jerry’s locked up. I’ll have to prepare myself for a dressing down from my governor.”
“What have you done wrong?”
“Using a member of the public to help in questioning a suspect, for a start. Putting him at risk.”
“I agreed to that,” I said. “When I first got knocked out, I never wanted anything to do with private investigation as long as I lived. Then I started to get angry and wanted to make sure whoever did it wouldn’t get away with it.”
And find an excuse for hitting him, I could have added. Sarita smiled.
“So, it wasn’t my natural charm that persuaded you to go through with the entrapment of Jerry Duckworth.”
I smiled back.
“I’m sure it must have had something to do with it. Have you been in touch with Tess Weekes?”
This brought forth another smile.
“I called her just before I left the station and told her we were holding a suspect. Of course she’d never heard of Jerry Duckworth, as he was Adam Jennings’ friend…”
“Or ex-friend.”
“Quite. I stressed your part in the arrest and your bravery.”
“Thanks.”
“I said you worked out that it was Jennings who was murdered and it had nothing to do with Peter Goodall.”
I nodded.
“Once I’d established that in my mind, I realised there was only one suspect. It all goes back to Steve’s party, Boxing Day 2015. Jerry assaulted Adam and threatened to get him. We all assumed he didn’t mean it.”
“You should never assume anything,” said Sarita.
I thought of what had happened since Steve’s party nearly three years ago and wondered if I’d learned anything from it. There was only one lesson, I concluded, and it wasn’t a new one.
“It goes to show you never can tell,” I said.
THE END
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Gus Keane – private investigator and social worker
Rachel Bertrand – Gus’s daughter; a teacher and musician
Steve Yarnitzky – Gus’s lifelong friend, ex police officer
Jerry Layman – ex police officer, friend of Steve
Adam Jennings – financial advisor
Colette Wycherley – yoga teacher, Adam’s partner
Terri Keane – Gus’s sister
Felicity Quinton – Terri’s partner
Louise Keane – Gus’s ex-wife, works in HR
Sarita Ellerton – Detective Chief Inspector, Manchester police
‘Archie’ Archibald – Detective Sergeant, Manchester police
Helen Witton – friend of Louise, HR manager at Addison Crabtree
Keith Witton – Helen’s husband, sales manager at Addison Crabtree
Isabella Norton – Keith Witton’s PA
Lance Thorpe – former salesman for Addison Crabtree
Paul Winston – Gus’s assistant
Hannah Winston – Paul’s wife, receptionist at Salford Children's Services
Karen Davidson – manager at Children’s Services
Wes Laxley – Karen Davidson’s dad
Danny Keane – Gus’s son
Natalie – Danny’s partner
Peter Goodall – CEO of Ancarner, a construction company
Nelson Setters – a manager at Ancarner
Tess Weekes – Goodall’s partner
Janice Lolbern – friend of Rachel, musician
Sandy – Manager of the Isle of Man golf club
Ronnie Bracken – Adam Jennings’ neighbour
Arthur – landlord of The Park Hotel
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OTHER TITLES IN THIS SERIES
Introducing Gus Keane
Gus Keane is about to retire when his boss gets murdered and he falls under suspicion for the crime. Being an ex-professional footballer, Gus is no stranger to tackling difficult situations. But it will take all his skills and more to turn private detective and track down the killer himself.
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A private investigator who is mostly at the wrong place at the wrong time
If something happens in Salford, Manchester, it is generally bad news and when two dead bodies turn up within a few hours of one another, it is no exception. With the local force stretched to the limits and firing blanks ex-rugby player Gus Keane is asked to step in to help find the culprits. What follows is an ever-thickening plot as Keane gradually begins to unravel a mystery from Salford’s shady past.
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Private investigator Gus Keane is back with a difficult new case to solve
With his ex-wife appearing back on the scene and relations with his girlfriend Marti troubled, the murder of one of Gus Keane's colleagues comes at a really bad time. Yet when his friend J
immy is accused of the murder, he really must step up to the plate. With his knowledge of the local area, and a healthy suspicion that nothing anyone says is true, he must find the killer before Jimmy is convicted.
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OTHER BOOKS BY BUD CRAIG
An escape to the country turns into a holiday nightmare in this cozy murder mystery
Having left the police force, Kate George is looking forward to a long, relaxing retreat in a village in the north east of England.
Unfortunately, her dream of a quiet countryside break is dashed when local teacher, Dawn Fraser, is found dead in the garden shed of Kate’s cottage.
Not only that, Kate suffers a fall in the local shop and is knocked unconscious. Having received a mixed welcome, it is only her new neighbour, Sam, who shows her any real human kindness.
Despite having wanted to put a life fighting crime behind her, Kate finds it hard not to get involved in the case. And as she does so, she discovers that the small town is full of secrets, each more worrying than the next. She’ll have to work out whom, if anyone, she can trust.
Will she be accepted? Will she want to stay on? And will the killer be found before they strike again?
If you like traditional murder mysteries with a cozy feel, then A DANGEROUS TIME is for you. Packed with northern wit and brimming with intrigue, it will keep you guessing to the end.
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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPPJB77/
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