by M A Comley
“I know how much you like to string these things out, but is there any chance you can get on with it? You know, I’m back on shift at six in the morning,” he added with a smirk.
“Well, here’s the thing. He was a bully. He used to bully the kids on the local football team.”
“Wow, really? But he was a teacher, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Therefore, after I’d spoken to John Calshaw, his best friend, I immediately went to the school to seek the opinion of the headmistress—who I have to say was absolutely appalled by the revelation.”
James tapped the table with his fingers. “Interesting. So she doesn’t think he was showing any signs of being a bully in the classroom then? Or do you think she wasn’t aware and that possibly bullying was going on there?”
“I don’t know. If I was a betting girl, maybe I’d be inclined to think the latter, that he disguised it well and that the headmistress was oblivious to what was going on.”
“Holy cow!”
Ruth held a finger up, preventing him from saying anything further. “That’s not all. I called an emergency meeting of the Am-Dram club and asked them if they’d ever heard or suspected Bradley of being a bully, when Hilary raised her hand to say yes, she’d heard something.”
“Really? Oh wait, Hilary works as a receptionist at the doctor’s surgery, right? Sorry to be so vague, I can never keep up with your group.”
She nodded. “That’s right, you’re spot on.”
“Isn’t her role supposed to be confidential?”
“Yes, but there has to be an exception to the rule when it’s a murder investigation, surely?”
He rolled his eyes and grinned. “Even if Bradley wasn’t dead, you’d still wrangle the information out of people, wouldn’t you?”
She chuckled. “You know me so well. Anyway, are you going to let me tell you what she said?” She stood and closed the kitchen door so the boys couldn’t hear them. Then she returned to her seat. “One of the boys on the football team turned up at the surgery sporting a lot of bruises. His mother was very concerned and suspected her son was being abused, despite the fact that he denied it. She wanted the bruises noted down on his medical records for future reference.”
“Seems like a logical idea. Great thinking by the mum, I’d say.”
“Anyway, Hilary overheard two of the doctors talking, one of them seeking advice from the other one on what to do for the best.”
“Social Services would need to be informed right away, wouldn’t they?”
“That was the suggestion from the doctor offering the advice. My concern is that if he was playing football, how likely was it that Social Services were going to take action in an incident such as that?”
“I get your drift. Highly unlikely, which is such a shame. Maybe that was the thought behind the boy’s reluctance to say anything.”
“I think you’re right. Here’s my train of thought on this: what if he wasn’t the only one? What if dozens of kids complained, or rather didn’t complain, to their parents and it caused problems at home and—?”
“One of the parents took umbrage at the wedding and decided to take matters into their own hands?”
“Exactly. Think about it… Hypothetically, if you had a son and he was acting weird after every football session he attended but refused to speak to you about what was going on in his head, it wouldn’t take you long to put two and two together. I’m thinking that if one of the parents was at the wedding—let’s face it, most of the townsfolk were there, right? What if one of the fathers was churning up inside, knowing how broken his child was, seeing Bradley parading around with a huge smile on his face? Yes, it was his wedding day, but come on, wouldn’t that tick you off? I know it would me.”
“That seems a little far-fetched to me.”
“Really? I think I’ve nailed it. Now all I have to do is start questioning people who attended the wedding and whose sons play on the football team.”
“Good luck with that one. What about the best friend? Did he attend the wedding?”
Ruth shook her head. “Sadly not. He was away with the team on the day. He seemed pretty cut up about Bradley’s death.”
“I don’t envy you trying to figure out the killer on this one, sweetie. There could be numerous suspects, especially if his bullying was rife.”
“I know. That’s the frustrating part. There were over one hundred attendees at that damn wedding. I know for a fact who it wasn’t, you or me, but I can’t vouch for any of the others.”
“What? Surely you’re not going to count Geraldine as a suspect, are you?”
“Sorry, I should have added her name along with ours. Gosh, what a tough investigation this is turning out to be, and it’s only just begun. I could do with a helping hand from Littlejohn, but she seems to be taking her time, as usual. Remind me how she got to be an inspector again?”
“Rumour has it that she slept with a senior officer, but that’s totally off the record.”
“Why am I not surprised to hear that?”
“It is what it is. Have you told Geraldine about the bullying?”
“Not yet. I was going to drop by this evening but was waylaid by what happened to Keith. My priorities need to be with the boys tonight; they must be confused about what’s going on with their father. Come on, enough chat, let’s see if we can boost their spirits by having a game of Mario Kart, what do you say?”
James pushed back his chair and opened his arms. She stepped into them. “You’re a good woman, Ruth Morgan, even if you do fly off the handle for no reason sometimes. I still love you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I love you, too, James. Just remember that when I’m turning down another wedding proposal. It’s me, nothing to do with you.”
“I dispute that. It has everything to do with me, as I’m doing the proposing and getting shafted every time, but I forgive you.”
“Good. Keep asking. One day I might surprise you and say yes, although not too soon after what happened over the weekend. Having a murder at a wedding is the pits and not something I’d like to repeat at ours…should that ever come about,” she added quickly.
His response was to give her a long kiss that melted her heart. They walked into the living room. The boys were sitting on the couch, looking very subdued.
“Fancy a game of Mario Kart, boys?”
Their eyes lit up, and they sat forward in their seats. “Yes, please.”
“Okay. Uncle James will set it up while I organise some nibbles for later because once I get started, I’m going to wipe the floor with you lot.”
James motioned with his head towards Ruth. “Girls, eh?”
Ian and Robin laughed raucously. Ruth wandered back into the kitchen, grinning. They were good kids. She would do everything in her power to ensure their minds were taken off their recent troubles. Family was everything to her. She sourced the bowls and the savoury snacks she kept at the back of the larder cupboard out of James’ reach—he was a devil for munching his way through the shopping every week. By the time she had placed all the contents on a tray and walked back into the living room, the game had been set up and the three of them were waiting impatiently for her to join them.
“Come on, slow coach, we’ve been ready for ten minutes,” Ian, the younger of the two boys shouted, an exceptionally wide grin on his face.
“I’ll just take this lot back into the kitchen then, shall I?”
“No!” they all shouted in unison.
Ruth laughed and placed the tray on the coffee table and picked up one of the four controllers. “Let the race begin. Stand aside, you guys, let the winner strut her stuff.”
“Umm…how can you call yourself a winner when the races haven’t even begun yet?” James asked.
“I’m simply going by our previous experiences, dear. Here we go!” she screeched, ramping up the excitement in the room.
The next few hours consisted of lots of noise and bouts of groaning when she finally lifted the winne
r’s trophy—again. James presented the cutout trophy made of rigid card, and Ruth ran around the room singing, “I am the champion!” much to the boys’ amusement in spite of their disappointment at losing.
“You’re nuts, Auntie Ruth,” Robin grumbled.
She placed the trophy on the mantelpiece and swooped in for a hug with her nephews. “I might be nuts, but you guys love me all the same, right?” The two boys tried to wriggle out of her grasp. She kissed them both on the cheeks and said, “Time for bed. Do you need anything before you go up?”
“Apart from a rematch because you cheated?” Robin muttered grumpily before he broke into a smile.
“Cheeky. It was a fun night, guys, even if I did wipe the floor with you.”
The boys groaned and headed up the stairs to the spare room. Ruth had already placed a number of essential items on their beds, such as spare toothbrushes and toothpaste and a set of PJs she kept for emergencies, although, knowing her luck, they’d probably grown out of them by now.
Once he’d put the equipment away, James slipped an arm around her shoulder. “You’re a fabulous aunt.”
She cringed, knowing what was probably about to come next. “I love them to pieces. Right, I’d better see if I can get hold of Carolyn. I promised her I’d ring this evening before we went to bed. She’ll want to know how the boys are.”
“I’ll put the kettle on and make us a coffee. All the shouting has made me hoarse.”
Ruth grinned and picked up her phone. Her sister answered the call within a few seconds. “Hi, how’s he doing?”
“He’s fine. He woke up for a little while, complained that he was in pain, and they knocked him out with medication again. How are the boys?”
“Smarting because I won the trophy in Mario Kart. Apart from that they’re fine, don’t worry about them. Are you coming home soon?”
“No. I thought I’d stay here with him, do you mind?”
“Of course not. The boys have gone to bed. I’ll give them their breakfast and take them to school in the morning.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ruth. I’ll come home in the morning if Keith’s all right. Thanks for being a wonderful sister.”
“Right backatcha. You’d do the same for me if ever I was in dire straits.”
“Probably. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Sleep well. Don’t worry about the boys, they’re fine.”
“Thank you.”
Ruth ended the call then nipped around to her sister’s caravan to get the boys a change of clothes for the morning, just so they weren’t all running around like headless chickens. Then she and James sat down to enjoy their coffee.
“Fancy watching a film?”
Ruth shook her head. “I’m beat. It takes a lot of stamina for a girl to beat you boys. Think I’ll go up for a read, or to plan out a to-do list of what I’ll need to do tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll be up soon. There’s a comedy I’ve had my eye on, not something that will appeal to you.”
“Enjoy.” She leaned over, kissed him and went to bed.
Her mind whirling regarding the case, she fell asleep about an hour later. Her final thought was whether she should visit Geraldine to make her aware of what Bradley had been up to. Was it too soon to tell her that information, though? How would she react?
Chapter 9
The following morning was hectic from the word go, making her wonder how her sister coped with getting the boys ready for school, looking after the house—or caravan as it was—and getting involved in the renovations at the cottage. It wasn’t until she was sitting behind her desk at gone nine that she realised she had neglected to plan out the Go Fund Me campaign. She made that a priority. Within half an hour, she’d set up the campaign and had texted the link to James for his approval. He replied to say it looked fantastic and that he’d make sure he put a poster up about it in the police canteen at lunchtime.
Every little would help. She smiled at her achievement then set her personal business aside to get back to the investigation. She continued the mundane task of working her way through the list of wedding guests, infuriated that no new leads came from any of the calls.
Around eleven, she decided it was time to make herself a coffee. She’d not long settled back in her chair when the phone rang. “Hello, Carmel Cove Detective Agency, Ruth speaking, how can I help you?”
There was a moment’s silence until a muffled, gravelly voice said, “There’s more to this crime than meets the eye.”
“Sorry? What crime?”
“The one you’re investigating.”
Ruth frowned and then sat forward in her chair when her interest was piqued. “Are you talking about the Bradley Sinclair murder?”
“Bravo! Finally, the penny has dropped.”
“What do you mean there’s more to this crime than meets the eye? What do you know?”
“Dig deep to uncover the truth you seek.”
She was about to ask what the person meant by that cryptic clue when they hung up. She searched the data in her phone—the call had come from an unregistered number. Oh great, whoop-de-do!
She was numb for several seconds. Her mind felt like a tornado had taken up residence in her head. Who could the caller be? Am I on the right lines thinking it could be a parent of one of the football team? Or am I missing the mark completely? She threw the pen across the other side of the room, missing Ben by inches. Wrapped in guilt, she shot out of her chair and hugged her four-legged companion. “I’m sorry, mate. Mummy shouldn’t have lost her temper like that.”
He moaned softly and licked her face, indicating all was forgiven. She gave him a treat and returned to her desk. An idea sparked in her mind, and she picked up the phone. “Hey, Louise, how are things going? Sorry, it’s Ruth here.”
Louise worked as a reporter on the local paper, The Carmel Cove Times. “Hi, Ruth, how are things with you?”
“Do you have five minutes to have a chat?”
“On the phone or in person?”
“It would be great to see you face to face. Do you have the time?”
“What about the Cove Coffee shop in, say, half an hour?”
“That would be ideal. See you then, Louise.” Ruth ended the call and gathered the pieces of evidence she’d so far uncovered about the case. She trusted Louise with her life. They’d been friends since their days at school, and she’d never let her down in the past.
Fetching Ben’s leash, she locked up the office and took him for a run at the park in town before she headed to the coffee shop for her meeting.
Ruth insisted the drinks were on her when Louise arrived. “Thanks so much for coming. I had a perplexing call come in this morning and I don’t mind telling you, it’s put me in a spin.”
“Whoa, hang on a second, let me have a sip of coffee and take down some notes.”
Ruth cringed. “Do you have to? I really don’t want this getting out in the open just yet.”
Louise frowned. “Are you saying you don’t trust me?”
“You know I’m not saying that. Okay, make your notes. Right, you know what happened at the wedding at the weekend. That news shouldn’t come as a shock to you.”
“Yep, it was appalling. What makes the police think it’s murder?” Louise took another sip of her latte.
Looking around her to ensure no one could overhear their conversation, Ruth leaned in and said, “I’m not really privy to that information. They wouldn’t let me near the scene, and the inspector and I don’t really get on. My take is that her way of thinking is: why would the groom kill himself when he walked down the aisle only an hour or so before?”
“There’s a certain amount of logic to that. So, what’s your problem?”
“My problem is, that I’ve since found out that Bradley—and this remains between you and me for now at least, okay?”
“Yes, I swear on my grandfather’s grave. Go on, what have you uncovered? Was he cheating on Geraldine?”
“N
o, it was nothing like that. I’ve since discovered that he was a bully. He coached the local football team. Or rather bullied them into playing for him.”
“Wow, that’s insane. Who told you this?”
“A reliable source, his best friend. Actually, he fell out with him over this issue.”
“Crikey. Where has that led you in the investigation?”
“I have another source who told me a concerned mother took her son to the doctor with mysterious bruises after he had attended a football match under Bradley’s supervision.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t that a given, that the boys would end up with bruises during training or a game?”
“Not according to some other parents I’ve spoken to whose kids play for another team.”
“Hmm…in that case, maybe you’re right to be concerned.”
Ruth raised a finger. “That’s not all. I was going through the list of wedding attendees at the office this morning, ringing a few of them to see if they’d witnessed anything untoward at the reception, when my phone rang. I answered it and was confronted with someone obviously doing their best to disguise their voice.”
“Interesting. Are you going to tell me what they said?”
“I will if you have some patience. The person told me that I needed to dig deep and that there was more to the murder than met the eye.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes. Bizarre, right?”
“Totally. Are you sure it’s not a nutjob, trying to lead you down a wrong path?”
Ruth shrugged. “That’s a possibility. What do you think I should do about it?”
Louise held her arms out to the sides. “How should I know?”
“Oh gosh, I thought you’d be able to help me.”
“Not with the phone call. How about I do some digging on Bradley, will that suffice?”
Ruth’s dejected spirit rose. “Would you? That would be cool. I need to get cracking with questioning the other guests. I’m only about a quarter of the way through the list. It’s been a nightmare so far, what with one thing or another. Two people who I love dearly have ended up in hospital in the past few days, and that has put the investigation behind.”