“I’d like to talk to Nerys about this and tell her what Dale said,” Connie said. “If that’s okay with you?”
“It is. You can leave everything else to us now. I’ll keep in touch with you.” Saffy gave them a nod before walking away.
Once Saffy had gone, Sable said to Connie, “Are we going to leave everything to the police?”
“Of course.” Connie waited a few seconds. “But it wouldn’t hurt to make a few investigations of our own.”
Chapter 9
Connie phoned Nerys as they walked back to Sable’s car. Nerys said she was at home if Connie and Sable wanted to call round.
As they drove towards Nerys’ home, Connie said, “Shall we tell Nerys about Dale’s car? I think we shouldn’t. It’s a surprise for her, and when Dale is released, I imagine he’d still like to surprise her with it.”
Sable kept her eyes on the road. “Why are you so convinced Dale is innocent?”
“I don’t know. I just am. I have a feeling that he is, and I have to trust my feelings. Why are you so convinced he’s guilty?”
“I’m not saying he’s guilty. But the evidence against him is strong. And what about those bruises on his hands? How did he get them?”
“I don’t know, and neither does he. Perhaps he fell over in his drunken state.” Connie looked out of the side window. “I hope we can do something to help Nerys.”
“We’ll do what we can.”
They drove without speaking for the next twenty minutes; both lost in their own thoughts.
Nerys looked much brighter when they saw her. She welcomed them into her home and insisted on making them a hot drink. She settled them in the front room and took a seat.
Nerys said, “I’ve been thinking about my first visit to Mr Ridgeway’s office. Something’s been bugging me about that day, and it’s only just come to me. Would you like a biscuit to go with your tea?”
“No, thank you,” Connie said.
“One or two would be welcome,” Sable said. “Thank you.”
Nerys nipped out to the kitchen and returned with a plate of biscuits. She put the plate in front of Sable. Connie decided to have a small biscuit, just to be polite.
Nerys said, “I was in a bit of a state when I went to Mr Ridgeway’s office that first time. I spoke to the security guard when I went into the building, and he told me to go to the fifth floor. I did so, and when I got there, I spoke to a lovely young man on reception. I can’t remember his name. I explained my problem, and he said he could get Mr Ridgeway to speak to me straight away. But then this other man walked over. He had this aggressive look about him. He asked if I was a new client. The young man informed him I was, and that Mr Ridgeway was going to see me. This man said he would talk to me instead, but he was busy, and I’d have to wait two hours for him.”
“What was his name?” Connie asked.
“Now, I do remember his name because it suited him. He was called Mr Falcon. Evan Falcon, I think. He had this hook-shaped nose like a bird’s beak, and he was bald. I’d put him in his late forties, maybe early fifties. I didn’t like how he spoke to that young man on reception, and I didn’t like how he assumed I had two hours to wait for him. I told the young man I’d prefer to see Mr Ridgeway immediately. Mr Falcon wasn’t happy with that, and he said he’d be having words with the young man later.”
Sable put the last of the biscuit she was eating in her mouth, and then reached into her handbag. She pulled out a notepad and said, “I’ll make some notes about this. Did you have any other run-ins with Mr Falcon?”
“No. But whenever I went to see Mr Ridgeway, which wasn’t often, he always seemed to be hanging around. And he always gave me an angry look as if he was blaming me for something. He made me feel very uncomfortable.”
Connie said, “That is interesting. Nerys, would you like us to tell you about Dale now?”
Nerys reached for a chocolate digestive. “Yes, please. I’m ready.”
Connie told her about their visit to the police station, and Dale’s interview.
When she’d finished, Nerys said, “Someone else must have been in Mr Ridgeway’s office before Dale got there. Who was driving that black car? They must have been the one to kill Mr Ridgeway. They must have! I knew my Dale didn’t do it.” She smiled at them. “All we have to do now is find the person who was in that car. Then the police can arrest them, and my Dale can go free.”
Sable said, “It’s not that straight forward. We can’t get in the way of the police investigation. DI McCue is already looking into who was driving the car.”
Nerys’ smiled dropped. “Well, what can we do? There must be something we can do to speed things along.”
“Nerys,” Connie said. “I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but are you planning to proceed with your divorce?”
“No. Absolutely not,” Nerys said firmly. “It was all a mistake. I wasn’t in my right mind when I agreed to the divorce. I can see that now. Mr Ridgeway must have got the wrong impression from me. He was doing what he thought was right. But it wasn’t right for me.”
Connie wasn’t convinced about Mr Ridgeway’s intentions. She had another delicate question for Nerys but wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
As if picking up on Connie’s thoughts, Sable said, “And what if Dale was having an affair? You asked us to look into that. Don’t you want to know what we discovered?”
“I already know the answer. Dale would never do that to me.” Nerys looked Sable in the eye. “I know that for sure.”
Sable gave her a slow nod. “Yes, you are right about that. Do you want to know where he was going on those evenings? And who Gail is?”
“No. Dale can explain everything to me when he’s released.” Nerys’ smile returned. “Dale belongs with me. And I belong with him. It’s time he came home. And it’s time we had a good talk with each other. I miss him terribly, and so do the children. Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to speed things along?”
Connie said, “There is something we could do. We could attempt to speak to Mr Falcon. And we could speak to that young man on reception.”
“We can’t go marching in there and demand they talk to us,” Sable said.
“No, but they might talk to concerned relatives of Nerys’. Concerned elderly aunts who are worried about Dale being arrested.” Connie beamed at Sable.
Sable said, “Are you saying we should lie our way into Bruno Ridgeway’s office?”
Connie nodded happily.
Sable’s grin matched Connie’s, and she said, “I like the sound of that. Let me finish my tea.”
Nerys said, “You don’t have to lie. You could speak to that young man about my case. You could tell him I want to cancel the divorce. I’ll give you written authority to do that on my behalf.”
“That sounds like a better idea,” Connie said. She caught the disappointed look on Sable’s face. “I’m sure there’ll be many other opportunities for us to lie to people in the future.”
Sable picked up another biscuit. “I hope so. I was rather looking forward to deceiving a solicitor.”
Chapter 10
There was a subdued feeling in the air when Sable and Connie walked out of the lift and on to the fifth floor of the building where Bruno worked. People were talking in hushed tones as they went about their business.
Connie said to Sable, “You’d have thought they would have closed down for the day.”
Sable nodded. “Yes. Perhaps making money is more important for these people.”
“You really do have a low opinion of solicitors, don’t you?”
“You will too by the time we leave here.” Sable pointed to the reception area. “I wonder if that’s the same young man Nerys spoke to? Let’s find out.”
They walked over to the slim, young man who was sitting behind a large reception desk. He gave them a small smile as they approached and said, “Welcome to Ridgeway Associates. How may I help you?”
Connie could see the sadness in his ey
es and proceeded gently. “Good afternoon. I’m Connie Butterworth, and this is my sister-in-law, Sable Butterworth. We’re here on behalf of Nerys Spencer.” She handed him the paper which Nerys had signed authorising them to act on her behalf.
The young man took the paper and muttered, “Mrs Spencer.”
Sable gave a polite cough and said, “We’re so sorry to hear about the death of Mr Ridgeway.”
The young man continued to look at the paper.
Sable coughed again. She looked at the name plaque on the desk. “Mr Osborn? Mr Lyndon Osborn?”
The man blinked and brought his attention back to them. “Sorry? Yes. That’s me. What were you saying?”
Connie said, “We’re acting on behalf of Nerys Spencer. She was a client of Mr Ridgeway’s. She wants to cancel her divorce proceedings. She wants to know how to go about it.”
Lyndon said, “Cancel the divorce? I don’t understand. Hasn’t her husband been charged with –” He abruptly stopped. “I’m not supposed to talk about that.”
Connie gave him a sympathetic smile. “We were so sorry to hear about Mr Ridgeway. It must have been a terrible shock for you. I was saying to Sable that I’m surprised your office is open.”
“Me too,” Lyndon said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. “It’s indecent. There’s no respect for Mr Ridgeway. And after all he’s done for the people who work here. He’s the reason why this company is such a big success. He was always the first to arrive in a morning, and the last to leave at night. He worked harder than anyone else here.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at someone behind Sable and Connie. “His body isn’t even cold yet, and people are arguing over who should take his cases. It’s not right. It’s disrespectful.”
Connie nodded as he spoke. “It certainly does seem that way. Mr Osborn, how long have you worked here?”
“For about five years. I came straight from school. I never got the opportunity to go to university, but I’ve always wanted to work in the legal profession. Mr Ridgeway was helping me with that. He let me look at his cases, and listen in to his interviews sometimes. He organised for me to go to night classes. He was such a good man. He had such high morals. He was always on the side of the underdog and was in this business to make a difference. Not like some other people.” His eyes rested on someone behind them again.
Sable said, “What was Mr Ridgeway doing here last night? Was it normal for him to be working so late?”
Lyndon nodded. “Yes. He was working on some cases, and he wanted to get them finished before he went away on holiday. He didn’t like to leave loose ends for other people to sort out. He even missed an award ceremony last night.”
“What sort of award ceremony?” Connie asked.
“The legal community has one every year. It’s held in a big hotel on the outskirts of Leeds. Our company was up for an award, and Mr Ridgeway was supposed to collect it.” Lyndon paused for a moment and looked down at the desk. When he looked up, his eyes were glittering. “He gave me his ticket. He said I might as well get used to going to these ceremonies. He had every faith in me becoming qualified one day. He even told me I could collect the award on his behalf.”
Connie said, “That was nice of him.” She thought it didn’t sound like the Bruno Ridgeway she’d read about online.
Lyndon said, “That’s the kind of man he was. This company won’t be the same without him.”
“No, it’ll be better,” said a harsh voice behind them.
Sable and Connie turned around to find a bald man with a hooked nose glaring down at them.
He lifted his chin and said, “Can I help you ladies with something? I’m Mr Falcon, Evan Falcon.”
Sable lifted her chin and met his gaze. “We’re here on official business. We’re acting on behalf of Nerys Spencer. She’d like to cancel her divorce proceedings.”
“Cancel? Why would she want to do that? I thought she’d want to get rid of that murdering husband of hers as soon as possible.”
Connie said, “He hasn’t been charged with murder. The police are still making their enquiries.”
Mr Falcon sneered. “I know what that means. I’m familiar with police lingo. They’ve as good as charged him. If Mrs Spencer wants to talk about her divorce, she’ll have to make an appointment with me.” He looked at Lyndon and clicked his fingers at him. “You. Sort that out. Check my appointment book. Fit her in sometime next week. There’s no urgency.”
Connie could feel Sable bristling with rage at her side.
Mr Falcon looked back at Sable and Connie and said, “Was there anything else?” He looked at his watch. “I’ve got a lot of things to sort out today.”
Sable said coldly, “Yes, there was something else, Mr Falcon. We have written authority from Nerys Spencer to act on her behalf. She wishes to cancel her divorce proceedings. She doesn’t need to make an appointment with you to do that. You can set the wheels in motion immediately. Who will be dealing with Mrs Spencer’s case? I’d like to speak to them.”
Mr Falcon gave her a look of disgust. “I’ve already explained that to you. I’ll be dealing with her case. And I’ll deal with it when I’m good and ready.”
The ice in Sable’s voice made Connie shiver. Sable continued, “No, Mr Falcon, that’s not how it works. Mrs Spencer is the client, not you. You work on her behalf. It’s not the other way round. As from today, Mrs Spencer is cancelling her case. You will deal with the paperwork immediately. And you will make sure she is billed correctly. I will be checking that.” She reached over to Lyndon, shot him a smile, and took the paper from him. She turned back to Mr Falcon and pushed the paper into his chest. “This is Mrs Spencer’s written authorisation. Please deal with it today.”
“Now just a minute,” Mr Falcon blustered. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Sable gave him a long, steady look. “No, Mr Falcon, you wait a minute. May I remind you that you are a servant of the law. You are not the law. You work on behalf of the public, and that includes Nerys Spencer. Come on, Connie. We’ve got things to do.”
Connie smiled at Lyndon. “It was lovely to meet you.” She followed Sable as she walked to the lift.
Sable kept the haughty look on her face until they were inside the lift. Then she punched the air and said, “That showed him! The great, big stuffed shirt! Ha!”
Connie said, “You should be more careful. There was real hate coming from his eyes as he looked at you. Sable, Evan Falcon could be the one who murdered Bruno Ridgeway. He could be a dangerous man.”
Sable deflated. “I hadn’t thought of that. I hope he doesn’t come after us.”
They rode the lift in silence and quickly exited the building. As they were walking away from the building, someone called their names.
Chapter 11
It was Lyndon Osborn who was shouting at them.
He ran towards them waving a closed umbrella in the air. “Mrs Butterworth! Excuse me! I think you left your umbrella behind.”
He came to a stop in front of them.
Connie said, “You must be mistaken. We didn’t leave that behind.”
Lyndon cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. “This is just a ruse to speak to you. I spoke to Mrs Spencer when she first came to the office. She’s a lovely woman, and I could see how upset she was about her husband cheating on her.”
“He wasn’t actually cheating on her,” Connie pointed out.
Lyndon wasn’t listening. He was looking over his shoulder again. When he looked back, he said, “The police took a statement from me this morning. They asked if I thought anyone had a grudge against Mr Ridgeway. I said no at the time. But as you were leaving just now, I was reminded of something. Mr Ridgeway had a lunchtime appointment yesterday. It was with his ex-wife.”
“Which one?” Connie asked. She saw how surprised Lyndon looked at that question and explained, “It’s common knowledge that Mr Ridgeway has been married more than once.”
“Is it?” Lyndon said. “Anyway, his appointment was
with his first ex-wife, Fenella Ridgeway. I know because I spoke to her when she phoned last week. Mr Ridgeway was eager to meet her, and so I made an appointment for them. Between you and me, I think he’s still in love with her.” He frowned, and then corrected himself. “He was in love with her. There are all sorts of rumours on why he divorced her years ago, but I don’t think anyone knows the truth.”
“What are the rumours?” Sable asked.
“Some say she ran off with his best friend. Some say she was pregnant when she ran off, but it was with Mr Ridgeway’s baby. And they say he refused to have anything to do with the child. All I know is that he kept a small photograph of her on his desk. That must mean something, mustn’t it?”
Connie nodded. “It sounds like he still had feelings for her. How did he look before he left for his meeting with her?”
Lyndon smiled. “He was happy. He had a spring in his step, and I heard him whistling as he waited for the lift.”
“And how was he when he came back?” Connie asked.
Lyndon shook his head slowly. “He was a different man. His head was low, and he didn’t even say hello when he walked past me. He told me he didn’t want to be disturbed for the rest of the afternoon. He looked sad, really sad.”
Sable said, “Where did he meet his ex-wife? Was it somewhere local?”
“It was. The King’s Hotel. Mrs Ridgeway told me she was staying there, and said it would be easier to have lunch there.”
Sable shared a smile with Connie. “We know that hotel. Is she still there now?”
Lyndon nodded. “She’s there for the next two days.” He sighed. “She might have to stay longer if she’s planning to go to the funeral.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Connie said. “Do you think Fenella has something to do with Mr Ridgeway’s death?”
“I don’t know. But she said something to upset him on the day he died. Perhaps she came back later to have another meeting with him, and things got out of hand. Do you think I should tell the police? I should have told them earlier but I didn’t think it was important.”
Mr Ridgeway's Last Case (Butterworth Mystery Book 5) Page 4
