Footprints of the Dead (Tom Gabriel #1)
Page 27
“Consequences?”
“Yeah, some of them. Whatever they are. I didn’t tell ‘em that I’d be breaking their rules anytime I please, but I guess they already know that.”
“I’m sure they do.”
She leaned forward – and cupped a hand to the side of her mouth. “I can help you find the other children, Mister,” she whispered.
“Carrie,” he called. “Sally Stackhouse is trying to get me into trouble.”
Carrie shrugged. “I’ve told her. She won’t listen to me. You two sort it out between the two of you.”
His eyes closed to slits, and he stared at Sally Stackhouse. “How do you even know I’m looking for them?”
“I know you, Mister. You’re never gonna give up on those children.”
“You’re my kind of girl, Sally Stackhouse.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Carrie said.
“More to the point, Carrie Gabriel, what lies has Mabel been telling you about me?”
“Wouldn’t you just like to know, Thomas? Come on, Sally, we have to go now.”
And the two of them were gone, but he knew he’d be seeing both of them again.
***
After knocking on the door he waited.
He was a grown man, of sixty-two for goodness sake, he shouldn’t have to wait outside a door like an errant schoolboy. Who did she think she was, making him wait? He’d been a Detective Commander, had a budget of his own, had people under him. He was a pillar of the community. His heart began racing as he reached out his hand to open the door, but stopped himself just in time.
He shuffled his feet some more, and waited.
Everything was ready. He’d identified an office on Marine Street in the Old Town. It was already empty, just waiting for him to get his PI and gun licenses. He still needed a name, but he was sure something would come to him before too long.
Five minutes had passed by. He was going to go in. Why didn’t he go in? He could just reach out, turn the handle, and walk right on in. What was stopping him?
“Come.”
He opened the door and walked in.
“Yes?”
There was a long, grey hair growing on her chin. He hadn’t noticed it before. It must have been the light ricocheting through the window and bouncing off a myriad of surfaces until it reached that hair – he wondered how long that hair actually was.
“You rang, asked me to come by.”
“Licenses?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the ex-policeman? No manners?”
“That’s me.”
“And you expect me to rubber stamp your licenses?”
“I’d be very grateful.”
“How grateful?”
“Very.”
“Didn’t you already try to bribe me?”
“A donation, it was called.”
“I see.”
She stared at him. He tried not to look directly into her eyes. How could anyone not blink for so long. There was something definitely Satanic about Luisa Beer. He noticed her hand sliding ever so slowly across the desk towards him. Was that his licenses in the brown envelope?
He was scared to reach out in case she pulled the envelope away. His mouth was as dry as a dustbowl. What should he do? If Rae had been here, she would have known what to do.
“You’re licenses. They need renewing annually. Instructions are in the envelope.”
He started to move his hand forward.
She slapped her hand back on top of the envelope.
He just knew it was too good to be true.
“This would all have gone a lot smoother if you’d have knocked and waited in the first place like normal people.”
“I understand, Mrs. Beer. It won’t ever happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t, Mr. Gabriel.”
She removed her hand.
He took the envelope and fled through the door as if he’d escaped from the bowels of hell.
***
Tuesday, October 9
“Hello?” he said into his cell.
“It’s me. Haven’t you got my number in your cell yet?”
“How do I do that?”
“When someone gets a gizmo, they’re meant to play with it, find out how things work, and so on. You’re still a dinosaur at heart, aren’t you?”
“Did you phone me up to tell me what a wonderful person I am?”
“I’ve found something weird.”
“You want to go to the Science Museum, or Barnum’s American Museum, or try Scientific American. I hear –.”
“I can offer you lunch.”
“Lunch!”
“I thought that might stir up some interest.”
“Who’s paying?”
“Mr. Franchetti has promoted me to Investigative Journalist. I have an expense account now.”
“I might be available around lunchtime. I suppose I could shuffle my scheduled appointments and make a window to let you buy me lunch. When you say you’ve found something weird, what does that mean exactly?”
“Twelve-thirty at the Black Molly Grill, 504 West Geoffrey Street, Cobblestone Village. I’ve got to go, ciao.”
“Ciao! What the hell language is that – ?” but she had already gone.
He checked his watch. It was five past ten. Now he had to wait two and half hours to find out what, something weird meant. He was starving as well. It was only the second day that Tom Gabriel Investigations had been open, and no one had called on his services yet. After much discussion with Rae, he’d finally convinced her that people knew who Tom Gabriel was. They’d seen the article that had been in the Record, and if his name was a marketable commodity, then he’d be a fool not to use it.
The bell jangled as a dark-haired woman opened the door and came into his office.
“Mr. Gabriel?”
“Yes.”
“I think I have a job for you.”
The story continues in:
Whispers of the Dead
Due out in 2013
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Thank you for choosing and reading my book. If you enjoyed it, I would be grateful if you could write a review and post it on Amazon.co.uk and/or Amazon.com.
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About the Author
Tim Ellis was born in the bowels of Hammersmith Hospital, London, on a dark and stormy night, grew up in Cheadle, Cheshire, and now lives in Essex with his wife and five Shitzus. In-between, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps at eighteen and completed twenty-two years service, leaving in 1993 having achieved the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (Regimental Sergeant Major). Since then he has worked in secondary education as a senior financial manager, in higher education as an associate lecturer/tutor at Lincoln and Anglia Ruskin Universities, and as a consultant for the National College of School Leadership. His final job, before retiring to write full time in 2009, was as Head and teacher of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology/Sociology) in a secondary school. He has a PhD and an MBA in Educational Management, and an MA in Education.
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Warrior: Path of Destiny
Warrior: Scourge of the Steppe
The Knowledge of Time: Second Civilisation
Orc Quest: Prophecy
Solomon’s Key
Jacob’s Ladder
Raga Man
As You Sow, So Shall You Reap
A Life for a Life
The Wages of Sin
The Flesh is Weak
The Shadow of Death
His Wrath is Come
The Breath of Life
The Dead Know Not
Be Not Afraid
The Twelve Murders of Christmas
Body 13
The Graves at Angel Brook
The Skulls Beneath Eternity Wharf
Footprints of the Dead
Collected Short Stories/Poetry/Anthologies
Untended Treasures
Where do you want to go today?
Winter of my Heart (Poetry)
With Love Project – The Occupier
The Killing Sands (Anthology)
Also due out in 2012/2013:
The Terror at Grisly Park (Quigg 5)
The Gordian Knot (Stone & Randall 2)
The Song of Solomon (Harte & KP 2)
The Timekeeper's Apprentice
Orc Quest Book II: The Last Human
The House of Mourning (Parish & Richards 9)
Whispers of the Dead (Tom Gabriel 2)