by Adele Abbott
“Was it worth very much?”
“Not really. Five hundred quid tops. It’s not the money. My dad gave her most of that stuff. It meant the world to her.”
“Is she still in hospital?”
“Yeah. They said they wanted to keep an eye on her for a couple of days. The thing is, I’m not sure if she’s going to be okay in that house by herself now. Her and my dad lived there almost forty years, but this has really shaken her.”
“What do the police have to say about it?”
“Not much, as you’d expect. Don’t get me wrong, they were very good with Mum, and they’re obviously as disgusted with whoever did this as I am. But, realistically, they don’t have the resources to devote to something like this.”
I stayed with Rose for another half hour until she’d got it all out of her system.
“I hope your mum’s okay. Give her my best wishes.”
“Thanks, Kat. See you around.”
***
Back at the flat, the Widow Manning was waiting for me in the ground floor hallway. The black lab was lying at her feet.
“Thank goodness you’re back, Kat. He needs to go for a walk.”
“It looks like he’s asleep to me.”
“He must need to go. He hasn’t done anything all day.”
“Are we talking number one or number two here?”
“Both, I imagine. Here.” She handed me a small plastic bag.
“What’s this for?”
“What do you think?”
“Gross. What do I do with the bag afterwards?”
“There’s a bin at the far end of the road, near the park.” She handed me his lead. “You can’t miss it. It’s a big red thing.”
“Okay.” I gave a gentle tug on the lead, and the dog followed me out of the door.
I was just wondering where I should take him, when he began to pull on the lead. He seemed to know where he wanted to go, so I gave him his head, and he led the way to the park.
Once there, I let him off the lead, and he shuffled over to a clump of bushes. He was an old dog, and moved at a slow pace, so I was easily able to keep up with him. Ten minutes and lots of sniffing later, he got down to the main business of the day.
Seriously? For a moment there I began to wonder if the bag was going to be big enough.
While I put the bag into the red bin, which smelt like Hades had just farted, the dog refocussed his energy on sniffing.
“Come on, boy!” I started towards him, but he saw the lead, and walked in the opposite direction. “Come here!” He ignored me again, so I tried to grab him, but even though he was slow, he was crafty, and he managed to duck out of reach every time.
Ten minutes later, and I was still chasing shadows. In desperation, I shouted, “The Brick! Come here!”
Much to my amazement, he came trotting over to me, and stood stock-still while I clipped on his lead.
“That’s a great name.” A man with a golden retriever grinned at me.
Chapter 3
The next morning, I was starving, but all I had in were a couple of slices of bread and an egg. I considered nipping out to Geordie’s for one of their famous full English breakfasts, but as I didn’t have a clue when and where my next pay cheque was coming from, I had to watch the pennies. So, egg on toast it was.
Breakfast finished, I added the plate to the ever-growing pile of pots waiting to be washed. The dishwasher had broken a week earlier, and I hadn’t yet come to terms with having to revert to washing them by hand. Maybe, if I said a prayer to the electrical appliance fairies, they would mend it for me.
My phone rang; caller ID showed an unknown number. It was probably some idiot trying to sell me something.
“Yes?”
“It’s Constable Sharp.”
“Morning, Sharpy.”
“I just wanted to let you know that we’ve released your offices.”
“Great. Did you find anything?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss an on-going investigation.”
“Go on, Sharpy. You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Goodbye, Kat.”
“Spoilsport.”
I called Sheila.
“It’s Kat.”
“Hi. Are you okay?”
“Fine. The police just called. We can go back to the office.”
“That was quick. Did they say if they’d found anything?”
“They wouldn’t tell me.”
“Is there any point in us going back there, Kat? Now that Roy is dead, I mean?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“The thing is, I’m going to be at the hospital with Don all day today, but I should be okay to come in tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
As soon as I stepped out of the door, the Widow Manning appeared in her doorway; she’d obviously been listening out for me.
“The dog needs a walk.”
“Another one? I only took him last night.”
“Could you manage on only one pee a day?”
“Point taken, but I really do have to get to the office.”
“Best hurry, then.” She handed me his lead, and The Brick took that as his cue to drag me to the park.
“Is that really his name?” It was the same man I’d seen the previous day; the one with the golden retriever and the smug look.
“Sorry?”
“Is your dog really called Brick?”
“It’s The Brick, actually.”
“Were you drunk when you named him?”
“He isn’t my dog. Not all of him, anyway.”
“Which part belongs to you?”
“I share him with the Widow Manning.”
“Does everyone in your life have a weird name?”
“What’s your dog’s name?”
“Miles.”
“What kind of name is that to give to a self-respecting dog?”
“If he could talk, I’m pretty sure he’d say he preferred Miles to The Brick. I’m Graham, by the way.”
“Kat.”
“How come I haven’t seen you in here before yesterday?”
“I didn’t have a dog until then.”
“How come you have one, or part of one, now?”
“He used to belong to a guy named Walt, who lived a few doors down from me, but he dropped dead of a heart attack.”
“Do you mean the homeless guy? I knew I’d seen that dog somewhere before.”
“Walt wasn’t actually homeless.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“You know the house where he used to beg?”
“Yeah?”
“Walt owned it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“What a nerve. So, you’ve taken his dog in? Quite the good Samaritan, aren’t you?”
“Not really. It was my neighbour who took him in.”
“The Widow Manning?”
“That’s right. She isn’t very good on her feet, so she’s recruited me for walkies duty.”
“Welcome to our little community. There are several regulars who come in here.” He checked the time on his phone. “I’d better be going. Time and tide and all that.”
While I’d been talking, The Brick had deposited an obscene amount of number two right next to a patch of nettles.
“You did that deliberately, didn’t you?”
He gave me a butter wouldn’t melt look, but I knew better.
***
I went to the office as though it was just another normal day, but as soon as I walked through the door, reality smacked me in the face. What did I think I was doing there? I should be pounding the streets, looking for another job.
My mind was still in something of a fuzz when I walked through to Roy’s office. I rarely went in there, and when I did, it was usually because he wanted to give me a dressing-down about something or other.
It occurred to me that he
might have left some personal items in his desk drawers. I could at least make myself useful by gathering them together for whoever eventually came around to collect them.
I’d no sooner taken a seat at his desk when someone came into the outer office.
“Hello? Kat? Sheila? Anyone home?”
It was Roy’s daughter, Anne.
“Through here!”
“Hi, Kat.” Her eyes were red and puffy.
“Sorry.” I jumped up, embarrassed that she’d found me sitting in her father’s seat. “I was just checking for any of your dad’s personal items.”
“Don’t be silly. Sit down.” She took a seat at the other side of the desk. “It’s not like he’s going to be needing the desk, is it?”
“How are you doing?”
“Not great. I was the one who found him.”
“I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“He called me every night, you know. Without fail. When he didn’t call on Sunday, I knew something was wrong, so I went straight around there.” It took her a couple of minutes to compose herself enough to carry on. “He was lying on the kitchen floor. There was blood. So much—” Her words drifted away.
“That must have been terrible for you.”
“I know he was a pain, Kat, and he wasn’t a brilliant father, but he was all I had.”
“The police will soon catch whoever did it.”
“Will they, though? I wish I shared your confidence. They reckon it was a burglary gone wrong, but that’s crap.”
“Have they said why they think it was a burglary?”
“Because, according to them, the living room had been trashed. But it hadn’t. One chair and the coffee table had been tipped over—that was all.”
“Was anything taken?”
“Just the watch he was wearing.”
“The Rolex?”
“Yeah, but if it was a burglary, why didn’t they take the others? Dad had seven altogether; one for each day of the week. It’s not like they were difficult to find; they were all in his bedside cabinet. I could never understand why he spent so much money on those stupid things when he was living in that hovel.”
“Are you here to pick up his stuff?”
“No. There’s nothing here that I want. I came to see you.”
“Oh?”
“I want you to find out what really happened to Dad, Kat.”
“Me? I’ve never worked on a murder investigation.”
“I’ll pay you.”
“It isn’t that. I wouldn’t take your money, anyway.”
“Please. I don’t trust the police. It’s obvious that they’re only going to put the bare minimum of resources into this. Dad always said you were the best investigator he’d ever worked with.”
“No, he didn’t.” I laughed. “He was always telling me how useless I was.”
“That was just his way of making sure you didn’t ask for a raise. You should have done. He’d have given it to you.”
“Are you being serious? Did he really say that?”
“Honestly. He really rated you.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll find Dad’s murderer.”
“I’m willing to give it a go, but I wouldn’t want to build your hopes up.”
“Just say you’ll try.”
“Of course I will. Would it be okay if I continued to work out of this office while I do?”
“Why don’t you just stay here permanently?”
“What do you mean?”
“You should keep the agency going.”
“Me?”
“Have you got any other plans?”
“Not really. I was going to start looking for another job.”
“What do you have to lose by trying to make a go of this place? You can still look for a job if it doesn’t work out.”
“By rights, the business belongs to you now that Roy has gone.”
“I have absolutely no interest in it. It’s not worth anything, is it?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so. Roy could barely make payroll each month.”
“That’s what I thought. If you want to give it a go, I’m fine with that. The name would still work.”
“Sorry?”
“R.K. Investigations. Royle, Kat—it’s close enough.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“Yes, but I won’t take any money for working on your dad’s case.”
“Okay. If you need me to sign any paperwork, just let me know.”
“Will do. Thanks, Anne.”
No sooner had Anne left than I got a visit from Tommy Hill, landlord of the Sidings. He was an okay kind of guy, but he never missed a trick when it came to maximising his profits.
“Hey, Kat. I see you’ve already claimed Roy’s office. I thought I should drop by to find out when you’ll be vacating this place.”
“It’s only been a day, Tommy.”
“So says the woman sitting at her boss’s desk. I just need a rough idea, so I know when I can re-let it.”
“I might try to keep the agency running.”
“Can you do that?”
“His daughter is cool with it. In fact, it was her idea. And, I’ve already worked on a lot of Roy’s cases. Would that be okay with you?”
“I guess so. It would save me the trouble of having to find a new tenant, but you’ll have to make sure you come up with the rent on time.”
“When’s it due next?”
“A week on Tuesday.”
“Don’t I get some kind of free introductory period?”
“No chance. Do you want to stay on or not?”
“You’re a hard man, but yes.”
“Okay, I’ll get the paperwork changed, and bring it up for you to sign. What’s the new business going to be called?”
“I thought I’d keep the same name. Continuity and all that.”
“Fair enough.” He offered his hand. “Best of luck, Kat.”
“Thanks, Tommy.”
Not long after the landlord had left, the phone on Roy’s desk rang. As I went to answer it, I wondered how long it would be before I stopped thinking of it as Roy’s desk and considered it to be mine.
“R.K. Investigations. Kat Royle speaking.”
“This is Ted Fulton. Roy King said that someone from your office would be contacting me, but I heard on the TV that he’d been murdered. I thought I’d better check what was going on, and if I should make alternative arrangements?”
“That won’t be necessary, Mr Fulton. Roy had already asked me to take on your case. I would have been in touch yesterday, but as you can imagine, things were a little difficult.”
“But the business is still operational?”
“Absolutely. Would you prefer to pop into the office, or for me to come out and see you?”
“If you could come to me, that would be great.”
“Okay. I can make it anytime today, to suit you.”
“I have a meeting in a few minutes. How about first thing this afternoon? Say one o’clock?”
“That’s fine. I have your address on file, so I’ll see you then.”
“Okay.”
My first client!
I didn’t have time to celebrate because my mobile rang.
“Kat? It’s Sonya. I thought I should check how you are. I heard about Roy.”
“I’m okay. The police have just let me back in the office.”
“Are you there now?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it okay if I pop down for a coffee? You can tell me all about it.”
“Sure. Why not? I don’t have to worry about Roy giving me a hard time now. Does saying that make me a horrible person?”
“Yeah, but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. I’ll be down in two ticks.”
Sonya worked part-time at Buyvrator, one of the many small businesses located in the Sidings. As its name suggested, the business sold adul
t toys.
The kettle had just boiled when she walked into the outer office. “Kat?”
“I’m through here.”
“Are we having our drinks in here?” She glanced around Roy’s office.
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid his ghost might be watching?”
“It just feels a bit weird.”
“Black, one sugar?” I held up the coffee jar.
“Yes, please.”
“What are your plans now?” She asked once we were seated at the desk.
“I’m going to try to keep the business going and see what happens.”
“Thank goodness for that. Who would I chat to if you left?”
“You’d still have Craig.” I grinned.
“Don’t talk to me about that loser.”
Sonya and Craig had had an on/off relationship for over a year. These days it seemed to be more off than on.
“What’s he done this time?”
“The pig stood me up for West Ham. It wasn’t even a first team match.”
“Are you still enjoying the job?”
“Yeah, I love it. I get a great discount too. I just wish they could give me more hours. I’m looking for a second job. If you hear of anything, let me know, will you?”
“Sure.”
“I always thought you and I had a lot in common, Kat.”
“In what way?”
“We both work with dicks. I sell them, and you used to take orders from one.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
“But true?”
“Absolutely.”
“What about Sheila? Will she be staying on?”
“I hope so. She doesn’t know yet that Anne has said I can continue to run the agency. I’ll give her a call tonight.”
“All systems go, then. Are you going to change the name?”
“I don’t see the point. It’s just additional expense, and R.K. works just fine anyway.”
“It’s almost like it was destined to be.”
“I probably ought to invest in a few business cards, though. I’ve never needed them before because Roy has always been the one who brought in the work.”
“You should go and see Vic. He’ll see you right.”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s on the third floor. The office next to the gents’ toilets.”
“What’s the name on the door?”
“He doesn’t seem to have a business name, but he does all kinds of printing. Very reasonable prices. Tell him I sent you.”
