Mr Ridgeway's Last Case (Butterworth Mystery Book 5)

by Gillian Larkin

  “Hang on; I’m still watching Dale,” Connie said. “That woman’s handing him a key. She doesn’t look happy to see him. I can only see the side of Dale’s face, and he doesn’t look happy to see her either.”

  Holding the binoculars with one hand, Sable reached out and tapped Connie on the shoulder. “The listening device, Connie. Quick.”

  “Too late. The woman’s gone back indoors.” Connie watched a bit longer. “Where’s Dale going now?”

  “He’s going into that building at the side. It’s a double garage.” Sable lowered her binoculars. “I wonder what’s in there? This is very peculiar.”

  Connie put her binoculars on her lap. “We’re not very organised, are we? We should have had that listening device set up earlier. And we haven’t taken any photos. How will we know if Nerys recognises Gail if we don’t have any photos?”

  “There’s still time to do that.” Sable continued to look at the house. “What do we do now? Do we stay here and wait for something to happen? Shall we creep up on that garage and have a listen at the door? I’ve got some small bugging devices we could slip under the door. If they’ll fit.”

  “We have to do something. Why don’t we just go over there and confront him? We’ll ask him straight out if he’s having an affair. You can use your scary face on him.”

  “I don’t have a scary face! I’ve got a kind face.”

  “Not all the time. I’ve seen you in action. You made that old man cry the other day in the supermarket.

  Sable bristled. “It was his own fault. That sign said ‘Ten items or less’, and he had thirteen items. Someone needed to put him right. And, by the way, that sign is grammatically incorrect. It should be ‘Ten items or fewer’. I’ve written to the supermarket many times about that. Some people need their mistakes pointing out to them. How will they learn otherwise?”

  Connie pointed at her. “That’s it! That’s your scary face. Keep that expression right as it is.”

  Talking voices drew their attention towards the detached house. The woman who Dale had spoken to was now walking down the path with a man at her side. They chatted as they got in their car and drove away.

  “Well, this is becoming more peculiar by the minute,” Connie said. “If that woman is Gail, it’s going to be difficult for Dale to have physical contact with her if she’s gone out.”

  Sable said, “Perhaps that was her husband in the car. And perhaps he’s blissfully unaware that Gail has her lover boy stashed in the garage waiting for her when she comes back home.”

  Connie shifted in her seat. “I don’t like this, Sable. It’s not fair on Nerys. I’m going to find out what’s going on. Let’s go and have a nosy at that garage.”

  The duo walked along the street and up the driveway to the double garage.

  Connie put her ear against the metal door. She whispered, “I can’t hear anything.”

  Sable pulled out a small object and whispered back, “I’ll stick this bugging device the door.” She slowly got to her knees. “If I get stuck down here, help me back up.”

  “Will do.”

  Connie jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Dale Spencer standing there in dirty overalls.

  He put his hands on his hips and said, “Can I help you with something?”

  Chapter 4

  Dale’s hands dropped from his hips as he looked closer at Connie. “Mrs Butterworth? What are you doing here?”

  Connie took in Dale’s pale face and red-rimmed eyes. She said, “Hello, Dale. How are you?”

  “Not too good. Do you live around here? I didn’t know you’d moved.”

  “No, I don’t live around here.”

  “Excuse me!” Sable called out from her kneeling position. “Could someone give me a hand up, please? My knees have gone.”

  Connie moved to one side of Sable, and Dale moved to the other. Between them, they heaved Sable to her feet.

  “Crikey, Sable,” Connie said. “You’re heavier than you look. Have you got legs made of lead?”

  Sable brushed dirt from her trousers. “I have heavy bones.” She looked at Dale. “I’m Connie’s sister-in-law, Sable Butterworth. We have met before. I went to your wedding.”

  Dale’s shoulders sagged, and he looked downcast. “Yes, I remember you. Do you live around here? Are you one of Gail’s neighbours?”

  The mention of Gail’s name sent a hardness into Sable’s face. “No, I don’t live around here. I don’t know Gail. And I don’t want to know her. We’re here because we’re spying on you.”

  Dale’s face lost the last bit of colour it had. “What? Spying? What do you mean?”

  In a soft tone, Connie said, “We spoke to your Nerys earlier today. She explained about the divorce. She wanted us to find out for certain if you were having an affair.”

  Dale’s eyes welled up. “I am not having an affair. I told Nerys that. Why would I want to be with another woman? Nerys is my everything. No one compares to her. I don’t know where she got this mad idea from. I don’t understand any of what’s going on. I really don’t.”

  Sable jabbed her thumb in the direction of the house at their side. “Then who’s this Gail you mentioned? And why are you calling round to her house? And what’s this business about having a shower before you went home to Nerys? Trying to wash away your guilt, eh? Some things can’t be washed away, young man.”

  Dale stared at Sable. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t come here to see Gail. Follow me, and I’ll show you what I’m doing here.”

  He walked around the side of the garage and went inside. Connie and Sable followed him.

  He pointed to the item which was taking up a large space in the garage. “That’s why I come here. I’m working on that.”

  Sable said, “A heap of junk? What work could you possibly be doing on that?”

  Dale said, “It’s not a heap of junk. It’s a car. I admit it looks like a mess at the moment, but that’s because I’ve had to take the engine out. And the seats. And most of the electrics.”

  “It’s a car?” Connie asked. “Are you sure about that?”

  “It is.” Dale scratched his head. “Or, it will be when I’ve finished with it. Mrs Butterworth, you know I’ve been with Nerys a long time. We’ve got a special anniversary coming up. I wanted to do something amazing for her. Ever since I can remember, we’ve made plans about going on motoring adventures together. We said we’d throw our things in the car and just take off. We’d go wherever we wanted to. And whenever Nerys talked about our road trips, she mentioned the kind of car she’d like. And here it is.”

  Sable looked at the car. “You won’t be going anywhere in that thing.”

  “Not yet. But soon,” Dale said. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but this is a rare car. I’ve been searching online for over two years for this car. I couldn’t believe my luck when this came up for auction three months ago. And I thought all my dreams had come true when I won it. The only problem was that it needed a bit of work to make it roadworthy.”

  Sable arched an eyebrow. “A bit?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t realise how much work it actually needed. It was Gail who auctioned the car. Her husband had bought it three years ago with the intention of doing it up. He never got round to it, and she was sick of seeing it in here. So she put it up for auction, and I won it.”

  Connie said, “Did her husband know about that?”

  “Not until I came round to pick it up. To say he was surprised is an understatement. But Gail told him it was her or the car. He hesitated, but he picked her. I was hoping I’d be able to drive this to my mum’s house and work on it there. But the car had other ideas. As you can see, I’ve had to take it apart. I’m confident I’ll get it up and running.” He cast a hopeful glance at the car. “One day. It’ll look magnificent. I just know it will.”

  Sable said, “Your optimism is admirable, but perhaps misplaced. Tell me, why did you have a shower before you returned
home?”

  Dale opened his arms. “Look at me. I’m covered in filth. I didn’t want to go home like this. Nerys would have suspected something. There’s a shower in Gail’s spare room. She lets me use it. She’s got some lovely shampoo in there. And some matching shower cream too. Why are you so bothered about my showering habits?”

  Sable gave him a look of disbelief. She said to Connie, “You tell him.”

  Connie said, “Nerys told us you’d been acting strange for months. Going out late to goodness knows where. And then returning home fresh from a sweetly-smelling shower. Dale, can’t you see how easy it was for Nerys to think you were having an affair?”

  A range of emotions passed over Dale’s face. Connie waited for comprehension to dawn. When it finally did, Dale said, “An affair? Who with? Gail? She hates me. She’s sick to death of me coming round here to work on the car. She’s told me that if it’s not out of here in the next two weeks, she’s going to phone a scrap dealer.”

  Sable said, “Why didn’t you just tell Nerys about the car?”

  “Because it was going to be a surprise. I kept imagining her beautiful face when she saw this car outside our house.” He smiled at Sable. His smile abruptly died. “But that’s not going to happen now, is it? She’s divorcing me. It’s all over.” He sank into a car seat which was on the floor and put his head in his hands. “I’ve been such an idiot. I can’t believe it’s over between us.”

  Connie carefully lowered herself into the seat at Dale’s side. “It’s not too late. I know Nerys doesn’t want to get divorced. This has all been a terrible misunderstanding. You can work it out. But you need to talk to each other.”

  Dale moved his hands from his face. “I’ve already tried to do that. She said she’s not allowed to talk to me. That’s what her solicitor told her. Mrs Butterworth, you should have seen the letter her solicitor sent to me. It was so nasty. He said I had to vacate the family home immediately, and not have any contact with my wife and children until I got a solicitor of my own.” He put a hand on his chest. “It felt like someone was stabbing me in the heart. Nerys wasn’t there when I got the letter. She’d gone to her mum’s. I tried to talk to her, but her mum said I had to get my own solicitor. I sent Nerys letters, but they were returned unopened. I sent her texts, but she blocked my number. This isn’t how my Nerys would act. It’s that solicitor of hers. He’s poisoned her mind.”

  Sable said, “We’re going to be having a word with Nerys’ solicitor. Did you seek legal advice?”

  “No. I can’t afford anything like that. And if I do get a solicitor, it means I’ve accepted what’s happening. And I don’t accept it. Not at all. I can’t lose my Nerys. I can’t. She’s my life.” Tears rolled down his cheeks. “Once I’ve finished this car, I’ll give it to Nerys and everything will be alright. I know it will. It has to be.”

  Connie put a hand on his arm. “You can’t ignore what’s happening. You have to do something, Dale.”

  He roughly wiped his tears away with the back of his sleeve. “I don’t know what to do. That solicitor has got it in for me. How can I fight someone like that? I can’t even think straight at the moment. All I can think about is my Nerys. I feel like I’m in the middle of a nightmare and I can’t wake up. What can I do?”

  Sable crouched in front of Dale and said, “We’ll help you. We’ll speak to Nerys. And we’ll speak to that solicitor of hers. We’ll help you get this straightened out.”

  “Will you? Really?”

  Sable nodded and then grimaced. “My knees have gone again. As soon as you help me up, Connie and I will get to work on this mess.”

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Connie let herself into Sable’s house using the key Sable had given her. She took her shoes off in the hallway and slipped her feet into the comfy slippers that were waiting for her. She hung her coat up on the ornate coat stand and made her down the hall towards the room Sable had converted into an office.

  When she stepped into the room, Sable took one look at her and said, “By heck, Connie! Are you auditioning for the role of a zombie? Excuse me for being so blunt, but you look terrible.”

  Connie dragged her slippered feet over to one of the comfy sofas and collapsed into it. “I hardly slept a wink last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about poor Dale and Nerys. What a horrible mix-up! And how it led to divorce proceedings is beyond me.”

  Sable nodded. “I know. Let me get you a cup of coffee. You look like you need one.”

  “No, thanks. I’ve been up for the last few hours drinking tea and coffee. I’ve had more than enough caffeine. Have you got any chamomile tea? That might help to soothe my nerves.” Connie’s hands clenched into fists. “I can’t stop thinking about that evil solicitor, Bruno Ridgeway. He must have bamboozled Nerys with legal terms when she went to visit him. He must have used devious, evil ways to get her to agree to a divorce. It makes my blood boil! I can’t wait to meet him and give him a piece of my mind.” She shook a fist in the air.

  Sable said, “I’ll make you a chamomile tea. It won’t take a moment; the kettle’s just boiled. Calm yourself down. You won’t be doing your blood pressure any favours. Have you had the chance to listen to the news this morning?”

  “No, I’ve been too busy thinking of scathing words I can use when we meet Mr Ridgeway. He’s not going to trick me with his fancy words and legal jargon. Oh no, I’m going to be ready for him. I’ll be a match for him.” Connie nodded to herself. “He’ll rue the day he met Connie Butterworth. You’ll see.”

  Sable placed the tea in front of Connie. “There’s something you need to know.”

  “There’s something you need to know too. I went on the Internet early this morning, and I did some checks on our sneaky solicitor. I saw photos of him that made my stomach curl up in disgust.” Connie’s eyes narrowed. “Even from the photos, I could see the evil in his eyes. I could see the villainous thoughts running through his mind. He’s a man of low morals, I can tell. And the smug way he smiled sent shivers right down my back and all the way to my toes.” She shivered. “He’s a black-hearted snake in a suit.”

  Sable sat next to Connie. “Connie, I really do have to tell you something.”

  Connie raised a finger. “I made some checks into his past too. You won’t believe how many contentious divorce cases he’s dealt with. They didn’t start off that way, oh no! But he played the wife off against the husband until there was nothing but hate between the couple. I suspect it gives him great satisfaction to see people in pain. He’s a sadist. You can see it on his face. Just wait till we meet him.”

  “Connie, Bruno Ridgeway – ”

  “And do you know why he’s so nasty? I’ve worked it out. His first marriage went wrong. Bruno married his childhood sweetheart, but she cheated on him with his best friend. And his best friend was also his business partner. That betrayal made his heart turn black. You’d think that would be enough to put him off marriage, wouldn’t you? Oh no, just the opposite. He’s been married three more times since then. And to women much younger than himself. He’s making a mockery of marriage.”

  “Exactly how much coffee have you had this morning?” Sable asked. “Connie, stop talking for a minute and listen.”

  “There’s no time. We have to confront this evil monster before he hurts anyone else. It’s our duty, Sable. We have to confront this despicable excuse of a man and show him the error of his ways. And then we can sort out this mess with Dale and Nerys.” Connie stood up and planted her hands on her hips. “I’m ready for action. Come on; we don’t have a minute to lose.”

  “He’s dead,” Sable announced.

  Connie looked down at her. “Pardon?”

  “He’s dead.” Sable stood up. “Bruno Ridgeway is dead.”

  Connie’s threw her hands up. “Well, that’s just great! That’s just typical of him. That’s so thoughtless of him to die before we confront him. The yellow-bellied coward!”

  Sable said, “Connie, listen to me. Brun
o Ridgeway was murdered.”

  “Murdered?” Connie sank back on to the sofa. “Murdered? Oh no. The poor man. Oh no. I feel so guilty now. The poor, poor man. What happened?”

  Sable sat back down too. “He was murdered last night in his office. He was stabbed with a letter opener.”

  “A letter opener? You don’t hear of people using those much, do you?” Connie shook her head sadly. “Poor chap. Do the police have any suspects?”

  Sable said, “They do. They’ve got one suspect. And he’s in police custody. Connie, they’ve arrested Dale Spencer.”

  Chapter 6

  Connie was at a loss for words. Sable picked the tea up and placed it in Connie’s hands. She ordered Connie to take small drinks. Connie did so.

  Sable said, “It was on the news this morning about Bruno’s death. It said on the report that a local man had been arrested. I didn’t think for a moment it would be Dale. Then Nerys phoned me. She’d received a call from the police in the early hours to let her know Dale had been arrested. They’ll be calling on her later to take a statement. She wanted to go straight down to the station, but Dale made it clear he didn’t want to see her.”

  “The poor love. What else did she tell you?”

  “She was too upset to speak. She kept bursting into tears. I told her to take a bit of time to calm herself down, and then if she felt up to it, she could come round here to talk to us. She sent me a text just before you arrived to say she’s on her way.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this straight away?”

  “I couldn’t get a word in! You were too busy voicing your plans on what you were going to do to Bruno Ridgeway.”

  Connie rubbed her forehead. “I’ll be feeling guilty about that for the rest of the day. I can’t believe Dale would kill Bruno.”

  “He had a motive to do so,” Sable pointed out. She tilted her head. “There’s the doorbell. I’ll let Nerys in.”

  She stood up and left the room. Connie quickly finished the rest of her tea and tried to push her guilty feelings to one side. A tiny part of her was still annoyed that she hadn’t had the chance to berate Bruno to his face.