The Daisy Dunlop Mystery Box Set: Lost Cause, Lost & Found, Lost Property

by JL Simpson

  Daisy glanced up at Paul. “One week. If I don't have anything promising by next Monday, I'll go and see Cherry about a new job.”

  Paul pinched his nostrils as he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “It's a deal. Now how about you run a bath and I'll come up and wash your back.”

  Daisy closed her laptop, got to her feet, and then pulled Paul's face down and kissed him long and slow. “Why not join me and I'll give you a soapy experience you'll never forget.”

  A groan from the doorway caught her attention. She smiled as their fifteen year old son, Sherman, sauntered across the room to the fridge.

  “You do know it's unhygienic to behave like that around food, don't you?” He pulled the fridge door open and emerged with a can of soft drink. “What are you cooking, man? It smells like a farmyard.”

  Paul chuckled. “Not a fan of your mam's new perfume?”

  “Nope.”

  Sherman ducked out the door and Daisy shifted her focus to Paul. “I'd better get cleaned up.”

  Paul let her go and she crossed the room.

  “Oh, hey, I forgot. A solicitor called Liam Sparks phoned and left a message.”

  Daisy glanced over her shoulder. “What did he want?”

  “He wants you to meet him at his office at ten-thirty tomorrow morning. Are you in trouble?”

  “Not that I know of. I wonder how he got my home number.”

  Paul shrugged. “He didn't say. I figured you knew him.”

  “I do.” Daisy frowned. “So does Solomon. We met him when we were investigating Solomon’s life insurance case.”

  “What does Solomon have to do with it?”

  Daisy wrinkled her nose. “Nothing. I hope.”

  Chapter Two

  Daisy stepped into the office of Sparks and Associates and crossed the room toward the reception desk. The same vibrant colors covered the walls. Nothing had changed since the last time she'd been there, other than this time she wasn't tagging along with Solomon. Daisy smiled as Liam Spark’s wife struggled to her feet. Now she had gotten closer Daisy could see that Melanie was in the family way. No doubt they would have another adorable child like the little boy whose photo sat in pride of place next to his mother's computer.

  Melanie returned Daisy's smile before lifting the phone and buzzing through. “Ms. Dunlop is here to see you.” She placed the phone back on the cradle. “Liam says you can go through. Shall I show you the way?”

  Daisy held up her hand. “Is he in the same office?”

  Melanie nodded. “He is, first on the left.”

  “I'll find it.” Daisy frowned. “Any clue why he wants to see me?”

  “It's nothing bad.”

  “Okay.” Daisy tugged her jacket straight and blew out a breath before crossing the room and opening the door. Liam was waiting in the hallway. His warm handshake was matched with a friendly smile. He showed her into the office and waited for Daisy to settle herself in a visitor's chair before moving to sit behind his desk.

  “Thanks for coming.” He pulled a large white envelope out of a stack of documents on the corner of his desk and slid it toward Daisy. “I've got a job for you, if you're interested.”

  Daisy wasn’t sure whether to jump for joy at finally having some work or hold back until she was sure Liam could really use her. Maybe he didn’t realize her skills were limited to finding the relatives of dead people and tracking down missing pets. If he thought she was a private investigator like Solomon then this would be a short and not very satisfying meeting.

  Daisy lifted the envelope and upturned the contents into her lap. A bunch of keys was joined by a wad of papers. She placed the keys on the desk and unfolded the papers. “A death certificate.”

  She glanced up at Liam. Her heart rate lifted. Whatever he was after involved a dead body and that meant she could be in with a chance.

  He steepled his fingers and leaned his elbows on the desk. “A death certificate for a client, Tomas Jenks. Tom died a month ago. In his will, he left all his worldly possessions to his sister and her children.”

  Daisy flicked through the documents. The death certificate, a short will, deeds to a house and a grainy black and white photograph. The portly middle-aged man in the picture looked deadly serious. In fact he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. She turned it over. Someone had scribbled 'Tomas 2000' on the back. “If you know who his beneficiaries are, why do you need me?”

  “Let me start at the beginning.” Liam leaned back in his chair. “Tom came to me three months ago and asked me to prepare his will. He told me he had been given less than six months to live and he wanted his affairs in order. When we prepared the documents, he refused to tell me the name or address of his sister. He said it was best if we kept it out of the will, but he would tell me when I needed to know.”

  “And he didn't?”

  “He went downhill fast. When he died, he was drugged up to the eyeballs and couldn't even remember his own name.”

  “You've looked for her?”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “I had a look through his personal possessions but nothing came to light. I tried an advert in the paper but got no response. His accent wasn't local but I'm stumped as to where he came from.”

  Daisy took another look at the death certificate. “Not much detail on this either.”

  “Only what I could tell them, which was his name and where he lived. Where and when he was born, what he did for a living, or whether he was ever married is a mystery.”

  “So you want me to find the sister?”

  Liam nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “How much does the job pay?”

  “What's your usual rate?”

  Daisy took her time refolding the pages and putting them in the envelope. She didn't have a usual rate. She didn't usually have a real job. If she asked for too much, Liam might go elsewhere. Whatever it paid, she wanted it. With one success under her belt, other work would be bound to come her way. “Five percent of the estate plus expenses.”

  “Three percent on successful completion and any out of pocket expenses, provided you send the receipts in to Melanie.”

  “And if I don't find anything?”

  “Four thousand pounds.”

  Daisy got to her feet, clutched the envelope to her chest, and offered her hand to Liam Sparks. If his very pregnant wife wasn't hovering in the doorway, she would have planted a big kiss on his lips. The man was her savior.

  “I won't let you down.”

  Liam smiled. “I've every faith in you. Solomon assured me you were the right girl for the job. He couldn't say enough positive things about you.”

  Daisy frowned. “Solomon? Solomon Liffey?”

  “The very same. He said you weren't working together anymore but that you might be able to fit me in with your other cases. I can't thank you enough for taking this on. I realize it's not going to be easy, but if you're half as good as Solomon says you are, then you should have it all wrapped up before the weekend.”

  Her face ached from smiling, although she suspected her expression had slipped from genuine happiness to maniacal at the mention of Solomon. Bloody hell. She was under pressure, and she owed Solomon a favor. Who knew what he would want, when he'd call it in, or why he had even sent Liam Sparks her way? Something stank, and today it definitely wasn’t her hair.

  “I'll be in touch when I have something for you.”

  Liam shoved his hands in his pockets. “I'll be waiting.”

  * * * * *

  Solomon slid his Aston Martin DB9 into an empty space close to the door and switched off the engine. He rubbed a hand over his face. A shave might have been a good idea. What would work best? Flattery? Seduction? Not if he wanted to keep his bollocks. Begging? No, not begging. Never begging. He checked his watch. Any minute now his quarry would exit the building and he would turn on the charm. He was still in two minds about how exactly to approach the problem. Honesty was an option, but not his first choice. Subtlety was going t
o be the key to success in a situation like this.

  The glass door to the office building swung open and his target stepped into the car park. She glanced around, her green-eyed focus shifting from vehicle to vehicle before flicking to his car. A smile slipped from her face to be replaced by a frown. She strode toward him, a black Gucci handbag swung from her shoulder. Her hips swayed in a figure hugging slate-gray skirt as she walked with a sense of purpose; her shiny black sky-high stiletto heels tapping out an echoing salsa beat as she approached.

  Solomon opened the car door and stepped out, being sure to plaster a cocky grin on his face.

  Daisy got to within six inches, folded her arms and glared at him. “What do you want?”

  Solomon lifted an eyebrow. “Can a man not meet a friend without there being some ulterior motive?”

  “Not if the friend is you. I thought you were done with me?”

  Hostility was to be expected. She had claimed she wanted to work by herself from the first day Paul had sent her to learn the ropes but saying and doing were two different things. When he'd kicked her to the curb and refused to continue being her partner, she’d become angry and hostile. In her position, he'd be doing all he could to prove he was the better man—woman—the better detective but, according to Paul, she'd achieved diddly-squat since they'd gone their separate ways.

  “That was about business. Besides, you said yourself you never wanted to work with me.”

  “So this isn't business?”

  Solomon reached out and tugged one of her long strawberry blond curls. “This is all about pleasure, Princess.”

  *

  Daisy took a step back so that she was out of Solomon's reach. His blue eyes could turn CIA interrogator-cold, but right now they were full of amusement. When he was in a playful mood, he was dangerous. He could charm the monkeys out of the trees with that soft Irish brogue, but she didn't need the distraction. Solomon never did anything without a reason. Regardless of his motivation for showing up today, she wasn't playing along. At last she had a case to work on with the prospect of earning some decent money and, if things went well, Liam might be able to put more business her way. Which brought her original concerns about why Liam was using her back to the surface.

  “Why didn't you take the case?”

  He frowned. “How's that, Princess?”

  “Don't come the innocent. Why did you send Liam Sparks to me and not take the case yourself?”

  Solomon's mouth kicked up in a lopsided smile. “Did you not consider that I might be too busy with other things?”

  He could be, but she doubted it. She might not see much of Solomon anymore, but he was still Paul's best mate, and best mates drank too much and talked too much. The last time Paul had come rolling in after a boys’ night out with Solomon, he'd told her the Irish git was back to photographing deadbeat spouses for divorce cases. “You're not answering the question.”

  He stepped away from the car, walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. “Why don't I take you for a spot of lunch and we can discuss it.”

  Daisy made a big show of looking at her watch. “It's not even eleven o'clock.”

  “I thought we might take a long drive to a favorite place of mine by the river.”

  “The Seine in Paris?”

  Solomon chuckled. “The car's fast, but when you add the train journey through the channel tunnel, I doubt we'd make it much before dinner.”

  Daisy looked at the Aston Martin. She'd been a passenger in his car once before, and she was seriously tempted, or she would be if he didn't have an ulterior motive. Solomon didn't do nice unless he wanted something. “I really don't have time for this.”

  “Everyone's got time, darlin'.”

  Tom Jenks' key was burning a hole in her pocket. She needed to get started, make some progress, and prove to Paul and herself that she was back in the game. But a drive in an Aston Martin and lunch at a country pub was tempting. Maybe she could do the latter as a reward for making a start on her case.

  “How about I meet you at your office at twelve-thirty and we can go from there?”

  “Are you not hungry now? The pub sells double chocolate mousse with chocolate curls and clotted cream.”

  “The dessert will still be there in a couple of hours. I'll see you at the office.” Daisy turned to step away from his car.

  “I thought you'd enjoy a ride in the car first. Take in the sights. I really don't think we need to go to the office.”

  “Why don't you want to go to the office?”

  He shrugged. “I've nothing against my office, but it's a beautiful day. Why waste it working, when I could be taking a pretty girl for lunch? Don't you want to feel the purr of the engine and the power of the car beneath you as you cruise down the country lanes?”

  His description was enticing. Solomon seemed determined. Never one to pass up an opportunity, she should see how much he was prepared to offer to have the benefit of her company. “So I can drive?”

  Solomon frowned and shook his head. “I never said that.”

  Daisy smiled. “And I never said I wanted to take a ride in your penis extension. I've got work to do. It's been fun. Now why don't you jog on?”

  Solomon's shoulders slumped. “Fine, you can drive, once we're out of Salisbury.”

  Daisy held back a fist pump of excitement. Instead she strode around the car and brushed against him as she whispered, “A recommendation for a job and letting me drive your favorite toy. Whatever you want, you must be desperate.”

  Solomon waited until she was settled in the passenger seat and then leaned into the car. “I'm never desperate, darlin'. I'm just being nice.”

  Daisy rolled her eyes and snorted. They both knew that was a lie. Solomon slammed the passenger door and Daisy leaned back and let out a soft sigh. The car was a dream, and she'd be sure to enjoy every minute she spent behind the wheel.

  Chapter Three

  Solomon used every ounce of self-control not to flinch as Daisy skimmed the side of his car within inches of a garbage truck. She turned right into a narrow country lane, shifted up a gear, and floored the accelerator. Hedgerows whizzed by as the car exceeded the speed limit. If they met a vehicle coming the other way, they'd be wrapped around each other before Daisy had time to brake.

  Music pounded his eardrums as she fiddled with the controls for the radio. He should have refused to let her drive. There wasn't enough Valium in the world to deal with this level of anxiety. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck and his bowels shivered. He daren't show any emotion. One hint that he was uncomfortable and Daisy was likely to drive even more erratically. If he lost his no-claims bonus, his insurance premiums would be bigger than the national debt. She braked sharply, flicked on the indicator, and wrenched the steering wheel left, letting the car's back-end slew dangerously close to a fence post as they pulled back onto a main road. A car horn sounded as a truck sped past. Jeysus. She was going to kill them both.

  Solomon glanced out the window. She'd looked up the map on her phone and assured him she knew the route, but this wasn't the way he would have driven to Wareham. “Where are you going?”

  Daisy glanced at him and smiled. “Surprise.”

  “I don't like surprises.”

  “I just need to run an errand, and we've got loads of time. You look like you've got a stick up your arse.” She reached over and patted him on the thigh. “Relax. It's all under control.”

  He shoved her hand away. “Both hands on the bleedin' steering wheel.” He gritted his teeth and held back the tirade desperate to spill from his lips. No one could relax with Daisy driving, and she appeared anything but in control. He'd been mad to agree to this.

  Daisy turned into a housing estate. Despite the addition of plastic double-glazed windows, shiny new front doors, and a proliferation of cheap conservatories, nothing could hide the style of seventies homes constructed by local councils the length and breadth of the country. Half-a-dozen kids kicked a ball in the ca
r park of an abandoned shopping strip. A teenage couple were getting hot and heavy in the doorway of a boarded-up pub. Garish graffiti covered walls and fences, and Solomon noted that, no matter how bad their education, no one seemed to have trouble spelling the word fuck. Daisy swung the car into a side street and bumped over a speed hump so fast, Solomon was sure his kidneys were firmly lodged behind his lungs.

  She pulled to a screeching halt in front of a row of terrace houses, put the car in neutral, activated the park brake, switched the engine off, and let out a sound that would best be described as a purr of satisfaction. She ran her fingers through her hair and stretched. “That's the best ride I've ever had.”

  Solomon held his hand out for the car keys. “Do I need to be giving Doughnut some advice in the bedroom?”

  Daisy dropped the keys in her handbag and shoved the driver's side door open. “Paul’s skills are none of your concern. You know exactly what I meant and, as you well know, I don't talk to you about my sex life.”

  Solomon climbed from the car and watched Daisy stride up the path of the end house. He shouldn't be pissing her off when he needed her help, but it was too easy and so much fun.

  He chased after her. “Daisy?”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you really mean to leave the car all alone?”

  He hesitated and turned around. The Aston Martin was getting some interest. Two young lads were approaching from the direction of the abandoned shopping center. One had his phone in hand, no doubt texting all and sundry to come and gawk at the car, assuming looking was all they had in mind. He heard the sound of a door creaking open.

  Daisy stood just inside the house. She waved her hand at him. “Go. Go. I won't be long.”