A Skeleton In The Closet (Dave Slater Mystery Novels Book 7)

by P. F. Ford

  ‘If you’re trying to bury Goodnews, you must have realised by now that you’re not going to get any help from anyone here,’ said Slater, getting to his feet. ‘That should tell you everything you need to know about how highly regarded she is around here. We all know she’s not perfect, but then, who is? And compared with what they had to put up with before, she’s a saint. The fact you’re still hanging around here waiting for me suggests I’m your last hope, but I can assure you you’re hoping in vain because you certainly aren’t going to get any bloody help from me.’

  He set off for the door, but he hadn’t yet finished speaking.

  ‘You can shove your interview up your arse,’ he said, ‘and if you try to ask me just one more question I’m going to take that notepad and ram it up there myself.’

  ‘Come back here,’ shouted Grimm. ‘You can’t speak to me like that. I’m going to make a complaint. You’ll be up in front of a disciplinary hearing—’

  ‘Yeah, you go ahead and do that,’ said Slater, and then he stalked from the room.

  When Slater got up to Goodnews’s office the door was open, but he knocked anyway and poked his head around the corner. She looked up from her desk and smiled.

  ‘Come on in,’ she said.

  He walked in carrying a tray with two coffees. ‘I got you a skinny latte, is that right?’ he asked.

  ‘Perfect,’ she said. ‘Let’s go and sit in the comfy seats.’ She led him across to the two comfy chairs. ‘That was great work tracking down Malcolm Jennings,’ she said.

  ‘He made it easy for us,’ said Slater. ‘He did all the hard work and then got complacent. All he had to do was ditch the motorbikes and the red leathers and all we would have been left with was purely circumstantial evidence. I wasn’t expecting to find Becksy’s bike there, and I never actually asked him how it got there. What did he say when you interviewed him?’

  ‘He admitted the whole lot,’ she said. ‘I think he’s actually full of remorse now. He wanted to murder Ian Becks the school bully, just like he had killed the other two bullies, but he hadn’t got to know them. When he started dating Ian, he found he actually liked him, and now he’s regretting what he’s done.’

  ‘So, did we get it all right?’ asked Slater.

  ‘More or less,’ she said. ‘Just a few details were wrong, but then you didn’t know Becks had actually stayed at Jennings’ house the night before he died. The reason his bike was at Jennings’ house was because Jennings had taken him to work. He was supposed to meet Becks in reception so Becks could show him round the lab, then he was going to take Becks back to his house again.’

  ‘Or, at least, that’s what Becksy was supposed to think, right?’ said Slater.

  ‘Exactly,’ said Goodnews. ‘The poor guy was taken in completely. It was even Becks who told Jennings about the manuscript being ready. The reason it was late was because Jennings phoned them and insisted it had to be delivered that afternoon. Originally it wasn’t going until the next day. Becks was actually waiting for Jennings in reception and wasn’t expecting the manuscript.’

  ‘Did they really bully Jennings that badly?’ asked Slater.

  ‘It wasn’t just that. He’s been carrying a lot of guilt inside himself for the past twenty odd years.’

  ‘Yes, he said something about having seen it happen with his own eyes when he was ranting to me and Norm, but it was never his fault the other kid got killed,’ said Slater.

  ‘Aye, but he thinks it is, and after twenty years of feeling guilty he felt driven to do something about it.’

  ‘By murdering three other people?’ said Slater. ‘And has it cured his guilt?’

  ‘What do you think? Now he’s got that guilt on top of what he had before.’

  ‘Christ. What a bloody mess,’ said Slater.

  ‘Aye, but it’s a nice finish,’ she said. ‘At least now we can prove Becks didn’t commit suicide.’

  ‘I bet your boss is none too pleased about that.’

  ‘There’s nothing he can do about it,’ she said. ‘He can still give me hell over the security, and he’s got Sneaky Pete downstairs doing his best to find reasons to get rid of me.’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about him,’ said Slater. ‘He’s just realised he’s been wasting his time. You might not be perfect, but no one wants to see you go.’

  She smiled.

  ‘That’s a back-handed compliment if ever I heard one,’ she said, ‘but I’ll take it. Does this mean we can get back to normal and I can expect you back at work?’

  Slater pulled a face and took a deep breath.

  ‘No, I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘I reckon you owe me at least four weeks’ leave.’

  ‘And you want to take it now?’ asked Goodnews. ‘I suppose that would be alright. You certainly deserve a break.’

  ‘That’s not quite what I meant.’ Slater reached in his pocket and withdrew an envelope. He pushed it towards her.

  Goodnews looked aghast.

  ‘Christ, you’re not,’ she said, alarmed. ‘I thought that was all said in the heat of the moment.’

  ‘It wasn’t just that,’ said Slater. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Everything seems to be designed to make it harder and harder to do our jobs. And now we have people pointing bloody guns at us, and we can’t even fight back. I’ve had enough. I just don’t want to do it anymore.’

  ‘This isn’t because of what happened the other night, is it?’ she asked. ‘Because it doesn’t have to be a problem.’

  ‘I think it might always be a problem for you,’ he said. ‘Like you said, it wouldn’t do much for your career if anyone found out, would it? And I wouldn’t want to be the one who stopped you. For what it’s worth, I think you’ve been like a breath of fresh air for this place, and I told that idiot Grimm exactly that.’

  ‘You didn’t have to do that.’

  ‘I didn’t do it because I had to. I did it because it’s right.’

  Her eyes were reddening now, and he could see she was very close to tears.

  ‘You don’t really mean this,’ she said, desperately. ‘I don’t want you to resign.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m flattered you want me to stay, but I’m afraid it’s not your call.’

  ‘What about your notice?’

  ‘I think I’ve enough leave to cover that, don’t you?’ he said.

  ‘So that’s it?’ she said. ‘You’re just going to walk out of that door, and that’s it?’

  He fished his warrant card from his pocket and laid it on the table. ‘I’m afraid so,’ he said.

  ‘You’ll have to come in and do some paperwork before you’re officially finished,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah, I know.’

  ‘Make sure you come in and see me when you do, right?’

  He stood, not quite sure how to handle this situation. ‘Well, I’d better get going,’ he said, awkwardly. ‘I’ve got a new life to plan.’

  She looked up at him sadly. ‘Would you close the door on the way out, please? I think I need some time to myself.’

  He closed the door quietly behind him and took a long, deep, breath. The whole thing had taken less than fifteen minutes, but he felt as though it had been hours. He walked slowly down the stairs and out through the back doors. He stopped to look back at the doors, and to say goodbye to the last twenty years of his life. To his surprise he didn’t feel sad, but surprisingly good, as though a massive weight had just been lifted from his shoulders.

  He walked across the car park and climbed into his car where Norman sat in the driver’s seat waiting for him.

  ‘Have you done it?’ asked Norman.

  ‘I have.’

  ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Slater as he buckled up his seat belt.

  Norman looked enquiringly at him. ‘Are you okay?’

  Slater looked back at Norman and smiled. ‘Never felt better, mate. Honestly, it’s like I just escaped
from prison.’

  Norman smiled, started the car, and drove slowly up to the barrier.

  ‘So, what are you going to do now?’ he asked, putting the car into gear as the barrier lifted.

  ‘I haven’t got a clue,’ said Slater as Norman drove under the barrier and turned right. ‘But I’m sure something will come up.’

  Norman turned to Slater, grinned, and winked. ‘I’m sure it will,’ he said, knowingly.

  *******

  Did You Enjoy This Book?

  I hope you have enjoyed reading this book. As an author, I realise it’s impossible to please everyone and appeal to all tastes, but it does help when readers are prepared to provide feedback. Your opinion matters to the author of this book, and to potential readers who like to be guided by the reviews of previous readers.

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  Other Books in This Series.

  Free Download! if you've read the first novel in the DS Dave Slater Mystery Novel series, you may be wondering how Slater came to be suspended in the first place. This free novella tells the story of the how and the why...

  Click this link to get your free copy!

  When DS Dave Slater is the victim of a botched investigation, he quickly gets bored of sitting at home twiddling his thumbs, but when his boss hands him a case to be investigated ‘discreetly’, Slater sees a chance to redeem himself. As he delves into the missing person case, Slater discovers there could be some link between a girl leading a double life and the police officers who made him a scapegoat for their own failings. When he is nearly pushed under a London bus, he realises the stakes are even higher than he had imagined.

  Joined by fellow scapegoat Norman Norman, Slater is plunged into a tangled web of corruption, blackmail, deception…and possibly the most cunning murder he has ever seen. But can he and Norman wade through the ever-widening pool of suspects to find the killer?

  Click this link to learn more or buy your copy!

  In the sleepy Hampshire town of Tinton, major crime is rare, and DS Slater and colleague Norman Norman find themselves with nothing to investigate except a flasher and an illiterate counterfeiter. Things are so quiet, Slater even arranges to go on his long-awaited date with bombshell waitress Jelena.

  But things can change in a matter of seconds, and a dog walker’s discovery of a battered body near a local woodland sends Slater and Norman hurrying to the scene. Before they know it, they have three dead bodies on their hands – and the victims are all related. But with 15 years between the murders, is this just a bizarre coincidence, or could the murders be linked? And with tensions rising within their close-knit team, can Slater and Norman keep it together to solve their latest mystery?

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  When a little old man is found dead in his home, DS Dave Slater assumes he was simply the victim of a tragic accident. He lived alone, after all, and didn’t seem to have any living relatives. But after some strange occurrences at the old man’s home, Slater finds himself probing deeper. He soon discovers that someone seems to be looking for something – but what was the lonely old man hiding, and why is someone so desperate to find it?

  And then there’s Florence – a ghost-like figure who is occasionally spotted around town in the early hours of the morning. Slater can’t shake off the feeling she is linked, somehow. But how, and why?

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  When Diana Woods is found stabbed to death in her kitchen, DS Slater and DS Norman Norman are plunged into another major investigation. The finger of suspicion quickly points at Diana’s estranged husband, Ian – a bully who regularly abused his wife. But as Slater learns more, he begins to wonder if everything is as it seems. When a new suspect appears on the scene, it seems that Slater’s instincts were right. But the evidence seems just a bit too convenient, and Slater and Norman have to face the possibility that their suspect is being framed – and they could be back to square one.

  Click this link to learn more or buy your copy

  When DS Dave Slater is called from his bed in the middle of the night, he is horrified to find that the flat belonging to his colleague, DS Norman Norman, has been set alight. His relief at being told Norman wasn’t inside at the time quickly turns to concern, as no trace of the missing officer can be found. As the minutes stretch into hours, and DS Slater starts to dig into the circumstances surrounding Norman’s disappearance, he discovers that the involvement of a mysterious Russian man could mean Norman is in an even more dangerous situation than first feared. With a new DI in charge – who just so happens to be a woman – and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, DS Slater faces a race against time to find Norman before it’s too late..

  Click this link to learn more or buy your copy!

  Detective Sergeant Dave Slater is fed up. His girlfriend is off travelling the world, his trusty partner Norman could be retiring, and to top it all off, his boss has assigned him a rookie to babysit. He finds himself wondering if being a police officer is for him anymore. And then he picks up the phone to the case that no police officer ever wants to deal with– a missing eight-year-old girl. When little Chrissy’s body is found curled-up in nearby woodlands, DS Slater and the rest of the team are plunged into an investigation that sees them delve back into history in a bid to solve the mystery of Wild Boar Woods. Can they find Chrissy’s killer? And could they uncover an even larger crime in the process? Slater only knows one thing – it’s up to him to find the truth.

  Click this link to learn more or buy your copy!

  Detective Sergeant Dave Slater returns to work after an injury to find himself embroiled in yet another disciplinary shambles. His interrogation at the hands of the aptly named DI Grimm is interrupted, however, when Tinton Police Station is rocked by an explosion. After rushing to the scene, Slater is shocked to find a bomb blast has killed his friend and colleague – who shouldn’t even have been in the building in the first place.

  Vowing to find justice for his friend, DS Slater throws himself into the investigation to find the mystery bomber. But as ever in Tinton, secrets lie barely buried below the surface, and his friend’s life may not have been all it seemed. And with so many skeletons in the closet, which one will end up rattling the loudest?

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  About The Author

  Having spent most of his life trying to be the person everyone else wanted him to be, P.F. (Peter) Ford was a late starter when it came to writing. Having tried many years ago (before the advent of self-published ebooks) and been turned down by every publisher he approached, it was a case of being told ‘now will you accept you can’t write and get back to work’.

  But then a few years ago, having been unhappy for over 50 years of his life, Peter decided he had no intention of carrying on that way. Fast forward a few years and you find a man transformed. Having found a partner (now wife) who believes dreamers should be encouraged and not denied, he first wrote (under the name Peter Ford) and published some short reports and a couple of books about the life changing benefits of positive thinking.

  Now, happily settled in Wales, and no longer constrained by the idea of having to keep everyone else happy, Peter is blissfully happy being himself, sharing his life with wife Mary and their three dogs, and living his dream writing fiction.

  Peter has plans to write several more Dave Slater novels, as well as having many other story ideas he would like to develop further.

  As well as writing the DS Dave Slater novels, he also writes the ongoing, ‘digital fiction marmite’, that is the Alfie Bowman novella series.

  P.F. Ford links:

  P.F. Ford website

  P.F. Ford’s Author Central page

  P.F. Ford on Goodreads

  P.F. Ford on Facebook

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