A Cara Daniels Cozy Mystery
Book 4
Gavin’s Death
Chapter 1
“How do you feel about estate agents?” Robin asked.
Cara Daniels looked warily at the angel in front of her. “Why are you asking? Is this another one of your feeble jokes?”
Robin grinned. “No, but I wish it was. I’ll have to think of a suitable joke later. It’s a serious question.”
Cara shrugged. “I’ve never given them much thought, I haven’t had many dealings with them.”
Robin nodded and looked closer at her. “Ah, of course. You last used an estate agent when you bought a house with your ex-husband. And then you let him have the house when you found out about his affair.”
Cara turned to her computer and focused on the website that she was designing. She mumbled, “Is this leading somewhere?”
Robin came to her side. His smile faded. “I’m sorry, Cara, that was thoughtless of me to talk about your ex-husband. How long do you think it will be before I can talk about him?”
Cara felt her shoulders tensing. Through gritted teeth she said, “Why do we have to talk about him at all! Have you got a job for me or not?”
Robin took a step back and held his hands up. “No need to shout. Yes, I’ve got a soul saving job for you.” He paused and suddenly grinned. Then he shook his head. “No, I can’t tell you that estate agent joke, your ears are too delicate for it.”
Cara took a deep breath and turned away from her screen. “Robin, much as I love having an angel appearing in my apartment, I have got work to do. Will you please say what you have to say?”
Robin folded his arms and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be serious now. Gavin Bennett is thirty-two years old and he is going to be murdered in less than thirty-eight hours.” He raised an eyebrow when Cara didn’t say anything. “What? Oh! Yes, and he’s an estate agent. Which leads me back to my first question, what do you think about estate agents?”
Cara said, “He’s going to be murdered in less than thirty-eight hours? That’s more precise that your normal time frames.”
Robin held his wrist up. “I’ve got a new watch.” His eyes flicked upwards. “The ones in charge were impressed with the work I’ve done and they gave me this watch. It’s showing Gavin’s death time frame.”
Cara smiled. “I’m pleased for you. All I get when I save a life is a stinky white feather from your wings.”
Robin’s chin wobbled. “Pardon?”
Cara laughed. “I’m joking! I love getting those feathers. Where does Gavin work?”
Robin sniffed. “A joke isn’t a joke if people don’t laugh.”
Cara stood up and patted Robin on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Tell me more about Gavin. Are you going to come with me on this case?”
Robin immediately cheered up. “I am! I’m going to stick to your side like jam on bread! Shall we get going now?”
“Where does Gavin Bennett work?” Cara repeated.
“At Wright’s Estate Agents in town.”
Cara winced. “Oh, not them! They’ve got the most annoying ads. Their slogan is ‘Wright’s Estate Agents, the right estate agent for you!’ They’re always advertising on the local radio, they’ve got such an annoying jingle! Makes me want to smash my radio up every time I hear it.”
Robin held a finger up. “Now I know how you feel about estate agents.”
A third voice spoke, “You two are not taking your job seriously. This is a matter of life and death.”
Cara spun around and looked at the face on her computer screen. “Gran! It’s you! How did you get on my screen? Where are you? When are you coming back?” She sat down and stared at Gran, she hadn’t seen her for weeks. Cara looked closer. “Have you got a flower in your hair?”
Gran laughed. “I have! I’m calling from Hawaii. What a beautiful place! You should go some time. How are you getting on with your soul saving work? I’ve heard that you’re doing a wonderful job.”
Cara gave her a wry smile. “Once I got over my disbelief of angels, and people having souls, I must admit that I’ve enjoyed helping people.”
Gran tutted. “You haven’t just helped people! You’ve prevented them from committing murder, you saved their souls from shrivelling into almost nothing! Don’t be so flippant, you’re doing an extremely important job!”
Cara’s cheeks warmed up. She pressed her lips together and gave Gran a small nod. There were many worries she had about this soul saving business, the biggest one was that she wouldn’t get to the right person in time before they committed a murder.
Robin appeared at Cara’s shoulder and gave Gran a friendly wave.
Gran smiled at him. “You must be Robin, I’ve heard how well you’re doing too. I like your image, young and fashionable.”
“Thank you, Abigail. Is it okay to call you Abigail? It’s a pleasure to meet you, you’re a legend amongst us angels. Everyone wants to work with you. No one will ever be as good as you at saving souls.”
Cara gave him a look which he completely ignored.
Gran chuckled and waved a hand at him. “That’s kind of you to say. I’m having a break at the moment, a break that was forced on me by my latest angel! I’m glad he did though, dealing with people and their murderous thoughts can take it out of you! Which reminds me, Cara, you must make use of the gadgets and products that I have in my house. They will help you.”
Cara said, “I can’t face going there, Gran. I miss you too much.”
Gran moved closer to the screen. “You must use my house, treat it as your own. In fact, why don’t you give up your lease on that apartment and move in full-time?”
“But won’t you be back soon?” Cara asked.
Gran sighed. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I’m relying on you to continue with the soul saving jobs. I can see the doubt in your eyes. Try not to have doubts, Cara, a doubt can cost you a soul.” Gran glanced over her shoulder. She looked back at Cara and said, “I have to go, I’ve entered the limbo competition. Go and save a soul!”
Robin said, “She’ll do her best, Abigail!”
Gran disappeared from the screen before Cara could ask her any more questions. Cara’s heart felt heavy in her chest. She looked at Robin. “I miss her so much. I’ll never be as good as Gran at saving souls.”
Robin’s look softened. “What did your gran say about doubts? Now, are we going to stop Gavin Bennett from being murdered?”
Cara gave him a wobbly smile and said, “I’ll try.”
Chapter 2
A short while later Cara parked across the road from Wright’s Estate Agents.
Robin was sitting in the passenger seat. He said, “I’ve seen consumer programmes about estate agents. Why do people hate them so much?”
Cara shrugged. “I suppose some people have had bad dealings with them. The estate agent that we … I used was okay. The sale went through quickly. Should we go into the building?”
Robin went on, “On the programme there was an estate agent who tricked people into selling their home at a ridiculously low price so that he could make money quickly. That’s not fair, is it? And he made some houses sound better than what they were, again tricking people.” Robin shook his head. “I don’t like humans when they behave like that.”
Cara gave him a small smile. “Are you sure you want me to save the life of Gavin Bennett? We could just drive away.”
Robin looked shocked. “We can’t do that!” He paused and looked closer at her face. He wagged a finger. “Ah, another joke. You should work on your jokes, Cara, they’re not as funny as you seem to think they are
.”
Cara reached under the driver’s seat and pulled out a small briefcase. “Time for Gran’s gadgets.” She opened the case and took out a small pair of binoculars. She then placed a small box on the dashboard and aimed it towards the estate agent’s window. “Let’s see what sort of a man Gavin Bennett is.” She looked through the binoculars. “I can see a few people inside. Which one is Gavin? Oh!” She dropped the binoculars.
“Cara, what is it? You’ve gone as white as a ghost.”
Cara turned to Robin. “Are you sure about the time frame in which his death is going to happen?”
Robin tapped his watch and frowned. “Yes, it still says the same time. You’re scaring me, what have you seen?”
“Gavin is the man sitting at the desk nearest the window.”
Robin focused his gaze on the man. He slowly nodded. “I see, his death line is quite thick.”
Cara pointed her binoculars at Robin. “When I’ve met possible murder victims before, I’ve seen their death lines and the lines are thin. It gets thicker as the victim gets closer to their death, doesn’t it? Why does Gavin’s look like that?”
“Erm …” Robin began. “I’m not sure you want to know.”
Cara stared at him. “I do want to know. Tell me.”
“Okay, no need to give me the evil eye. That thick line means that Gavin has many possible threats against his life.” He saw Cara’s confused look. “It means that many people want to kill Gavin Bennett.” Robin gave her a smile. “Which means, Cara, that you’ve got your work cut out for you on this case! Isn’t that exciting?”
“No.” Cara switched on the listening device. “Gavin Bennett can’t be that bad.”
She soon changed her opinion.
Cara and Robin watched Gavin as he answered his phone with a smile on his face. “Mrs Jenkins, how lovely to hear from you. Yes, we’ve had many potential buyers interested in your beautiful home. I’m confident that we’ll have it sold in no time! You can reply on me, Mrs Jenkins. Goodbye! Take care.”
As soon as Gavin put the phone down his smile dropped. He yelled out, “Susan! For God’s sake, get rid of that Jenkins dump! I don’t care how much it goes for. I can’t be doing with that old trout phoning me every day.”
Cara shared a look with Robin and said, “Maybe he’s under a lot of stress.”
Gavin answered another call, his smile back. “Good morning, Mr Smith. Yes, I have many properties for you to look at. Don’t be silly, you’re not wasting my time at all. You have to get the right house even if that means we have to look at hundreds together. I’ve all the time in the world for you, Mr Smith. You can trust me. Goodbye! Take care.”
As soon as the call ended Gavin almost snarled as he yelled, “Susan! I thought I told you to block calls from that idiot! If you let him through again we’ll be having words about your future here at Wright’s! Get me a coffee.”
Cara lowered the binoculars. “Robin, this isn’t a joke, can we drive away?”
“Unfortunately not. He’s a … an unpleasant man. I can’t say the exact words that I’m thinking in front of you.”
Cara smiled. “I’m thinking certain words in my head. If you’re thinking the same words as me, how do you know them?”
“I’ve been watching a lot of reality television. Cara, are you ready to meet Gavin Bennett face-to-face? Do you want me to come with you?”
“Yes, but make yourself invisible. The last time I dealt with an estate agent he was fine with me when I was on my own, but when I was with my husband it was like I’d become invisible. I’d rather have Gavin’s full attention.”
Robin shook his head. “I can’t believe women are still treated like that. Men can be so insensitive. Yes, I think it’s best that I’m invisible. I don’t want him to be intimidated by my good looks.”
Cara shook her head as she put the binoculars and listening device away. She got out of the car and walked towards the estate agent’s. She steeled herself to meet Gavin Bennett.
Chapter 3
Gavin Bennett gave her a cheery hello as she entered the estate agent’s. Cara smiled back out of good manners. Robin hissed at her side, “Don’t trust his smile, he’s sussing you out, seeing if you’re someone who’s worth his time. Look at his calculating eyes!”
Cara’s smile faltered. It was useful having Robin at her side but not if he was going to give her a running commentary.
Gavin said to her, “Are you looking for anything in particular today?”
Cara shrugged weakly. She should have prepared herself in the car, had a list of house specifications ready. “I’m just looking.”
Gavin pointed to a wall where the houses listed for sale were pinned up. “If you see anything you like, give me a shout.”
Robin lifted off the ground and flew over to the photographs of the houses. “Cara! Look at this one! It’s got a conservatory! And this one’s got a downstairs toilet!” He looked closer. “Wow, this one has a home gym. That would be useful for you.”
Cara ignored Robin as she glanced at the photos. Perhaps she should consider buying a house. She’d been renting her apartment ever since the divorce. Part of her didn’t want to settle into a permanent home, she was worried that she would have to leave it again, that someone would take it from her.
She jumped as Robin placed his hand on her forehead. “Just taking your emotional temperature, you had a funny look on your face.” His look softened. “You don’t have to worry about things being taken away from you, Cara. Don’t let the past affect your future.”
Cara moved her head swiftly from his hand and walked away from Robin. That was easy for him to say, he was an angel, he didn’t need to worry about living arrangements. He probably had a heavenly bed set up somewhere. Cara frowned, where did Robin go when he wasn’t with her? She’d have to ask him.
A woman’s voice called out, “Mr Bennett, there’s a call for you. Nora Silcoates again, she says it’s urgent.”
With a tight smile on his face Gavin said, “Please tell Ms Silcoates that I’m not here. And, Susan, I’ve told you before about her, I won’t be taking her phone calls.”
Cara looked over at Susan who was sitting behind a desk in the far corner. Susan sighed and shook her head slightly. Her shoulders sagged as she told the caller that Mr Bennett wasn’t available.
Robin tutted. “Poor Susan, I can tell she doesn’t want to be here, she doesn’t like working for Gavin Bennett. And who can blame her? Have you heard the way he talks to her? Of course you have, you’re not deaf.”
Cara looked closer at the middle-aged woman. Was Susan the possible murderer? Would she be pushed to her limit with Gavin Bennett?
Susan’s phone rang again. She picked it up and after a moment said, “Just a moment, Mr Fox.” There was a small tremor in her voice as she called out, “Mr Bennett, there’s a Mr Liam Fox on the phone. Do you …” she gulped, “do you want to speak to him?”
“Of course I’ll speak to him, Susan. Put him through.”
Cara moved back along the row of photographs so that she was closer to Gavin. Robin moved with her.
Gavin said, “Liam! Great to hear from you! What? Of course I’m not keeping the best houses from you. In fact, a new property has come on to the market this morning, it’s perfect for you.” Gavin rustled through some papers on his desk and held one up. “It’s 32 Church Street. Lovely detached property. I can meet you there in twenty minutes. What do you say?” There was a pause and then Gavin laughed. “You can trust me.”
Robin folded his arms and said, “I don’t trust him.”
Gavin ended the call and stood up. He pulled on his jacket. “Susan, I’m going out on a viewing.”
“But it’s time for my break,” Susan said.
Gavin opened his mouth and looked as if he was going to tell Susan what she could do with her break but then he saw Cara looking at him. He gave Susan a benevolent smile and said, “You can have an extra break this afternoon.”
Cara saw an opp
ortunity to keep close to Gavin. She pointed at the paper that Gavin had in his hands. “Did you say you had a property on Church Street?”
“I did. It’s new on the market.” He quickly looked her up and down. “It’s expensive, probably outside your budget. If you have any queries about our other properties, speak to Susan.”
Cara felt heat rise in her. Keeping her voice steady she said, “You don’t know what my budget is,” she made a pretence of looking at the nameplate on Gavin’s desk, “Mr Bennett. I have come into a large amount of money. I intend to use it to buy a home as soon as possible.”
Robin laughed and clasped his hands together. “What a great lie! Look at his face change!”
Gavin smiled and said, “I’d be more than delighted to show you the property on Church Street. I’m going there now to meet a potential buyer.” Gavin moved his head closer to Cara’s and lowered his voice. “To be honest, this buyer is a bit of a pain. He’s never been satisfied with any properties that I’ve shown him. He keeps accusing me of keeping all the good houses away from him. I’m not entirely convinced that he wants to buy a house.”
Cara nodded. “Can I see the house after your buyer?”
Gavin buttoned his jacket, the smile never leaving his face. Cara reckoned he must have strong facial muscles to keep it in place for so long. Gavin said, “Give me an hour to show Mr Fox around and then I can show you. It’s number 32. Do you know the way?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Gavin grabbed his keys and a briefcase, along with the paper with the house details on. “See you soon.”
He left the estate agent’s. Cara heard a small sigh of relief from the corner of the room.
Cara called out a thank you and goodbye to Susan who now looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Cara and Robin left the building.
When they were back in the car, Robin said, “What do you think about Gavin Bennett now that you’ve met him?”
“I think he’s horrible. I can see why his death line is thicker than a normal person’s.” She sighed. “But I know we have to save his life, not so much for his sake, but for the person who’s going to kill him.” She started the engine up. “Time for some spying.”
Gavin's Death (Cara Daniels Cozy Mystery Book 4) Page 1
