Gavin's Death (Cara Daniels Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Gillian Larkin

  Chapter 4

  “Mr Fox looks like a fox!” Robin laughed and pointed out of the car window. “Look at him, Cara! He’s got ginger hair and a pointed nose, just like a fox!”

  “I am looking at him,” Cara replied. She peered through the binoculars at Gavin as he spoke to an irate-looking man outside 32 Church Street. Mr Fox was waving his hands about in an angry manner. Gavin still had that annoying smile on his face as he listened.

  Cara lowered the binoculars and switched on the listening device that she’d placed on the dashboard. “I don’t think we really need this, I can guess what Mr Fox is saying.”

  Robin rubbed his ear and grimaced. “I can actually hear him. He’s accusing Gavin of keeping all the good houses for his other clients, he’s saying that Gavin isn’t taking him seriously.”

  The listening device crackled and then Gavin’s voice broke through, “Mr Fox, Liam, I can assure you that I do take your interests seriously. You are one of our most valued clients. I know we haven’t found the right house for you yet, but trust me, we will. Would you like to look inside the property?”

  There was a ‘humph’ kind of noise which Cara assumed came from Mr Fox.

  Cara and Robin watched the two men enter the house.

  Cara said, “Do you think Mr Fox could be a possible murderer? He doesn’t look well-built. He’s much smaller than Gavin.”

  Robin grinned. “He’s small and wiry, like a fox. Everyone is capable of murder, even you.”

  Cara put the binoculars on the dashboard. “I wouldn’t kill anyone, ever.”

  “Are you sure about that? What if you had a child and someone attacked that child? Wouldn’t you do everything you could to protect your child? Even if that included murder?”

  Cara frowned. “Can we not talk about things like that, it makes me feel uncomfortable. So far, we’ve met Susan at the office, and Mr Fox here. They could be possible threats.”

  Robin held up a finger. “Don’t forget about that phone call Gavin wouldn’t take, from a woman called Nora Silcoates. She could be anyone, an ex-girlfriend, a disgruntled client, even a relative with a grudge.”

  Cara slipped down in her seat. “This is going to be a difficult case. Why did you have to give this one to me?”

  “I don’t get a choice, and neither do you. Look, they’re coming out again. Look at Foxy’s face, he looks furious. I wonder what went on inside the house.” Robin looked at Cara. “You should have told me to go inside and follow them.”

  “Oh! Why didn’t you say so earlier? There’s no point telling me that now.” She sat up straighter. “Gavin’s not smiling any more.” She looked through the binoculars again. “Robin, look at Gavin’s hands, they’re curled into fists.” Her voice rose. “Do you think there’s going to be a fight? Is Mr Fox going to kill him now?”

  Robin winced. “Do you have to shriek like that when you get worried? Gavin isn’t due to die yet.” He glanced at his watch. “I think he’s got another thirty, maybe thirty-five hours to go.”

  Cara moved the binoculars. “You think? I thought your new watch was reliable.”

  “You’re missing the action. Look, Foxy’s waving his little fist at Gavin, and now he’s storming away. Oh, bless his little legs.”

  Cara packed the binoculars and listening device away. “We might as well appear for our appointment now. Are you going to stay invisible?”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I want to see who keeps ringing Gavin. That’s the third time he’s looked at his phone and ignored whoever’s been phoning him.” Robin flew through the metal of the car and over to Gavin’s side.

  Cara kept her face straight as she walked towards Gavin. What would Gavin do if he could see the angel floating over his left shoulder?

  Cara called out, “I know I’m early but I was passing and I saw your other client walk away. Was he interested in this house? Has he put an offer in?”

  A flicker of annoyance passed over Gavin’s face. He quickly replaced it with a professional smile. “I’m afraid Mr Fox wasn’t happy with the house. He didn’t like the shed in the garden. Some people find the slightest excuse for not buying a house.” He indicated towards the front door. “Shall we?”

  His phone rang again. Robin peered over his shoulder. He looked back at Cara and said, “It’s that Nora Silcoates who’s ringing him. Gavin’s just pressed the ignore button. Whoever she is, she’s determined to speak to Gavin.”

  Gavin showed Cara around the house. For a while Cara forgot about being there to save Gavin’s life. He was most professional as he showed her around, he pointed out all the attractive features and the potential possibilities. Cara liked everything about the house, even the dilapidated garden shed. She clasped her hands together, she could just imagine living there.

  Gavin beamed at her response. “I can see that you’re quite taken with this house. Do you want to make an offer?”

  Cara looked wistfully around the hall. She jumped as Robin appeared inches from her face. “Cara! Come back to earth! You’re not here to buy this house. Take that dreamy look off your face!”

  Cara snapped back into reality. “I am interested but I’ll have to think about it. Do you have a business card?”

  “Of course.” Gavin produced a glossy card from his inside pocket. “You’ll have to make your mind up quickly, I’ve got a feeling that this property will move fast.”

  They stepped out of the front door. An angry-looking woman stood on the path. She glared at Gavin and said, “You can’t ignore me forever, Gavin Bennett! You have to listen to me! It’s a matter of life and death!”

  Gavin slammed the front door. He pointedly ignored the woman and spoke to Cara, “Please let me know if you want to make an offer. Goodbye.”

  He made to stride away. The angry-looking woman grabbed his sleeve and said, “Please, Gavin, we have to talk!”

  Gavin roughly shrugged her off. “Leave me alone, Nora! I’ve nothing to say to you!”

  Chapter 5

  “So that’s Nora Silcoates,” Robin said. “I wonder why she needs to speak to Gavin so urgently.”

  “I should have spoken to her!” Cara declared. “Shall we chase after her?”

  Robin shook his head. “She’s already driven away, and in the opposite direction that Gavin has. She didn’t look in the mood for talking, she looked as if she was going to cry.”

  “All the more reason that I should have spoken to her. Come on, we can’t follow both of them. I need to keep my eyes on Gavin.”

  Cara ran to her car and jumped in, Robin was already in the passenger seat. Cara zoomed off in the direction that Gavin had gone in. It was quiet on the roads and she soon caught up with him. She stayed two cars behind so that she didn’t arouse his suspicion.

  “This isn’t the way back to the estate agent’s,” Cara noted. She slowed down. “He’s stopping at that bungalow down there. I can’t see a for sale sign, maybe it’s another property that’s just come on to the market.” She stopped the car and watched Gavin pull into the driveway of the bungalow. He got out, walked towards the side door and went in.

  Cara’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think he lives there? It doesn’t look like the sort of house he’d have, it looks too old-fashioned.”

  “Why don’t you park closer? There’s a gap in the net curtains, you could try and see what’s going on inside. And the listening device should be able to pick up voices through that open window.”

  Cara drove down the road and parked opposite the bungalow. She gave Robin a wry smile and said, “Look at me, how easily I spy on people. I hope I never get caught by the police while I’m doing this.”

  “It’s for the greater good. I can see an old woman sitting in the chair by the window. Gavin’s walking over to her, that smile that you don’t like is on his face again.” Robin cocked his head. “It seems a different kind of smile this time, a smile full of love.”

  Through her binoculars Cara saw Gavin kissing the wrinkled cheek of the elderly woma
n. The woman reached out a hand and said, “Gavin? Is that you?”

  Gavin answered, “Yes, Mum, it’s me.”

  Cara lowered the binoculars and shared a look with Robin. “His mum?” Cara said.

  Robin nodded. “I can see the likeness.”

  Gavin sat opposite his mum and held her hand. “How are you today? Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier, I had work to do.”

  His mum patted his hand and said, “You’re always so busy, you work too hard. I want to see more of you. Why don’t you visit me more, Gavin? I miss you.”

  “I know, Mum. I come to see you every day, three times some days.”

  His mum frowned. “Do you? I don’t remember.” She briskly pulled her hand free from Gavin’s. “You’re lying! You don’t come to see me three times a day!”

  Gavin knelt at her side. Cara’s heart twisted at the love she saw in his face. Gavin said softly, “It’s okay, Mum, don’t get upset.”

  His mum shoved him to one side and tried to stand up. Gavin stood and said, “Mum, what’s up? Are you going somewhere? Do you need something?”

  The old woman’s face twisted into a snarl. She grabbed her nearby walking stick and raised it. She screamed, “Who are you? What are you doing in my house? Get out!”

  Gavin swiftly grabbed the walking stick and threw it to the floor. He put his arms around his mum and held her tightly while she beat her fists against his chest. In a soothing voice he said, “Mum, it’s me, Gavin. You know me, I’m your little boy. Calm down, Mum. I’ve got you.”

  The old woman’s fists stopped moving. She collapsed into Gavin’s arms and began to sob. Gavin stroked her grey hair. Cara saw a tear trickle down his cheek.

  After a moment Gavin held his mum at arm’s length and smiled at her. “Are you okay now?”

  His mum sniffed and said, “Hello, Gavin, when did you get here?”

  Cara lowered the binoculars and turned the listening device off. She wiped away a tear of her own. She said to Robin, “I can’t bear to watch any more, it’s too private.”

  Robin gave her a small smile. “It’s so sad, all those wonderful memories that she has, they’re all going to fade away. Poor Gavin Bennett.”

  “My first impression of him was wrong,” Cara admitted. “I must do all that I can to keep him safe, his mum relies on him.”

  “You’re not on your own in this, you’ve got me at your side.”

  They waited patiently for Gavin to come out of the house. After ten minutes, he did so. He was no longer smiling. He rubbed his forehead and winced. He then climbed into his car and drove away. Cara took a last look at his mum. She was still sitting next to the window. She was gazing into the distance, a small smile playing on her lips. Cara hoped she’d found a happy event to think about.

  They followed Gavin back to the estate agent’s. Once more, the listening device came out as Gavin walked into the office. Cara noticed his steps weren’t as light as before.

  Susan announced, “Mr Bennett, you’ve got a client waiting for you. A past client.”

  The listening device caught the oath that Gavin muttered under his breath. They then heard him say brightly, “Mrs Coldcott! How lovely to see you again. What can I do for you?”

  Mrs Coldcott said, “Mr Bennett! I’m here to warn you, I think my husband is going to kill you!”

  Chapter 6

  Cara’s ears pricked up. This was something new. Robin was holding the binoculars out to her. Cara grabbed them. She saw Gavin take off his jacket and sit down at his desk. His smile looked tired as he indicated for Mrs Coldcott to sit opposite him.

  Mrs Coldcott was in her late fifties. Her tweed coat was buttoned to the top and she clutched her handbag protectively to her chest as she sat down.

  Gavin began, “Is this about that abattoir again? I told you before that I had no idea it was going to be built behind your house. I told you and your husband at the time to undertake a full survey on the property before you bought it.”

  Mrs Coldcott pulled her handbag closer. “I know you did, Mr Bennett, but my husband doesn’t believe you. He thinks that you were somehow in cahoots with the owners of the abattoir.”

  Gavin frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. What would I have to gain by selling you that bungalow, other than my commission?”

  “John, my husband, thinks that you told the owner to keep quiet about their building plans until you sold that bungalow, and then it would be too late to object their plans. Oh! Mr Bennett! The smell from that place is disgusting! I’ve got air-fresheners in every room but it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference! And, of course, we can’t sell the house now. We’ve tried every estate agent for miles but they just won’t take us on.”

  “You haven’t tried us. I could try and sell it for you, I’d have to price it much lower than what you bought it for.”

  Mrs Coldcott shook her head. “My John won’t have anything to do with you, he says he won’t line your pockets any further, not after what you did to us.” She took a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed her eyes. “I don’t know what got into John this morning. He opened a window and his face turned purple with rage. He banged his fist on the window sill and said that he’d had enough.” A sob escaped from her. “Mr Bennett, he said he was going to wring your neck! I tried to calm him down but he wouldn’t listen. I waited until he went to work and then I came here to warn you.” She buried her face in her tissue and cried.

  Gavin rubbed his forehead again.

  Gavin reached into a drawer and pulled out a booklet. He pushed it towards the crying woman. “Mrs Coldcott, I may have a solution for you and your husband. It’s not something I recommend often but in your case I think it might be the only solution. Please, have a look at this.”

  Mrs Coldcott stopped crying and looked at the booklet. She frowned. “I don’t understand. What sort of company is this? Do they buy houses, are they some sort of estate agent?”

  “They buy houses directly from customers, they aren’t estate agents. I’ve used them before, they’re a reputable company. They guarantee to buy your house at a price less than the market value. They move quickly, all the paperwork would be done in around six weeks.” He gave her a small smile. “I know you’ll lose out financially but I can’t see another solution for you. I honestly didn’t know the abattoir was going to be built behind your house.”

  Mrs Coldcott took the booklet and put it in her handbag. “I believe you, Mr Bennett. I know my husband doesn’t. I’ll show him this little book, I’ll convince him that it’s the best thing for us to do.” She stood up. “Thank you for talking to me, Mr Bennett.”

  “You’re welcome.” He stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. He said goodbye to Mrs Coldcott as she walked out.

  When she’d gone Gavin turned in Susan’s direction and said, “You’d better go for your lunch, sorry for being so late back.”

  Susan was out of her seat in a second. She grabbed her coat and handbag and whizzed past Gavin. Just before she left she said, “That Nora Silcoates phoned you again ten minutes ago.”

  Susan dashed out of the door before she heard what Gavin’s reply was. Cara and Robin weren’t so lucky. Cara felt her ears heat up as Gavin swore.

  Robin shook his head. “He really doesn’t want to talk to Nora Silcoates, does he? You should have spoken to her earlier when you had chance. Ouch!” He grabbed his arm. “What did you do that for? You can’t hit an angel!”

  “It was only a touch. You have this annoying habit of stating the obvious, Robin.” Cara tapped her chin. “I can’t quite make my mind up about Gavin Bennett. We’ve seen two sides of him today.”

  Robin helpfully added, “And we’ve seen many people who might murder him! We can now add Mr Coldcott to that list. You’ve got your work cut out for you alright!” He raised his hands. “If you hit me again I’ll report you to the angel police! They’ll put you in angel prison and you’ll have to wear angel handcuffs and eat angel food!”

  “Woul
d I have to eat angel cake? I love angel cake. Well, any kind of cake.” Her stomach rumbled. “I’m starving. Do we have to stay here all day and watch Gavin?”

  “Just a moment.” Robin studied his watch. He put his head to one side. “I think he’ll be safe if we go now.”

  “Think? I can’t leave him if you just think he’ll be safe.” Her stomach made another noise. “I can wait here as long as I need to.”

  “I can’t sit here and listen to that noise.” Robin pointed to her tummy. “I’ll make myself invisible and I’ll sit at Gavin’s side. If a threat appears I’ll let you know. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds perfect. Are you sure?”

  “Of course I am!” Robin winked at her and disappeared. Cara looked towards the estate agent’s. She laughed when she saw Robin sitting in the chair opposite Gavin. He gave her a wave.

  Her smile dropped when she noticed that the death line around Gavin Bennett had grown even thicker. He must be closer to his death.

  Cara took a deep breath and drove away, putting her trust in Robin to keep watch over Gavin.

  Chapter 7

  “When your gran told you to use her house as your own I don’t think she meant for you to sell it,” Robin said the next morning.

  “I’m not really selling it, it’s a ploy to get Gavin here,” Cara explained. “And anyway, Gran doesn’t need to know, does she? Are you going to tell her?”

  Robin held his hands up. “If Abigail ever finds out about this I want to make it completely clear that I had nothing to do with it.”

  “Wimp,” Cara said with a smile. She parked outside Gran’s detached house. “Are you sure Gavin isn’t in any immediate danger? I know you kept an eye on him last night but I can’t shift this feeling that something is going to happen soon.”