by Adele Abbott
“How did you get on with the loan shark guy?”
“Malky? I got out with all my limbs intact, so I’ll chalk that up as a result.”
“Do you reckon he’s the one who murdered Roy and Westy, and who tried to bump you off?”
“He definitely wasn’t the one who tried to run me over.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because a friend of mine in the police force just sent me a photo of the man who was seen dumping the car that drove at me. It was a guy who I’d had a bit of a disagreement with earlier that day.”
“What kind of disagreement?”
“He reckoned my half-dog had bitten his kid. He was going to hit the dog with a metal bar until I pointed out the error of his ways.”
“What did you do? Did you deck him?”
“I prefer to think of it as disarming him with the minimum force necessary.”
“And he tried to run you over for that?”
“Apparently. He clearly didn’t take kindly to being humiliated by a woman. With a bit of luck, the police will be having a few words with him any time now.”
“What about Malky, though? Do you reckon he might still be responsible for the two murders?”
“Let’s just say he’s a very strong candidate. He certainly has the motive. He’s convinced that Roy and/or Westy were ripping him off.”
“How?”
“He used RK Investigations to collect debts from small businesses who he’d given loans to.”
“I thought we were private investigators, not debt collectors?”
“We are. At least, we are now. But Roy wasn’t too particular about the type of jobs he took on. Anyway, Malky reckons that some of the money collected never found its way to him.”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“I don’t know.”
“Enough for him to murder two people?”
“The amount isn’t what’s important. It’s the principle. If word got out that Malky had allowed someone to cheat him, it would destroy his reputation. He might not kill for the money, but he would definitely do it to keep that reputation.”
“Are you going to take this to the police?”
“It would be a waste of time, and besides, I don’t know for sure yet that it was him. There are at least two other people I want to talk to first.”
“Are they as bad as Malky?”
“One of them is worse. Much worse.”
“Maybe you should take someone with you?”
“Are you volunteering?”
“I—err—”
“It’s okay. I’m only joking. You’ve got your work cut out here with the accounts.”
“Who do you reckon brought the books in, Kat?”
“I don’t know, but whoever it was must have taken them from Roy because the last time I saw him alive was when he came to pick them up.”
“Shouldn’t you contact the police? Won’t they want to dust the books for fingerprints or something?”
“It would be a waste of time. The police don’t give a rat’s arse about who killed Roy. The only way his murderer is going to be brought to justice is if I find him.” I finished the last of the coffee. “And I’m not going to do that sitting here, chatting to you. I’m going to have a word with Rod “Masher” Masham.”
“Who’s he?”
“He’s the guy I mentioned before.”
“The one who’s worse than Malky?”
“That’s him. He came out of prison about a year ago.”
“What was he inside for?”
“Murder.”
“Are you going there now?”
“No time like the present.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Kat?”
“Probably not, but that’s never stopped me before.”
***
The address in the case file for Masher was a flat in Clapham Common. I’d never met the man in person, but I knew him by reputation. If the stories were to be believed, he’d run some kind of protection racket back in the nineties. That was before he was incarcerated for the murder of a rival who’d made the mistake of encroaching on Masher’s patch.
Upon release from prison, and undeterred by his advancing age, he had apparently picked up where he’d left off in the protection business. Roy’s involvement with this scumbag had been the surveillance of a number of individuals. The precise reason for the surveillance was unclear. Once again, it appeared that the majority of the grunt work had been carried out by Westy.
I’d been knocking on Masher’s door for the last five minutes without any response.
“You’re wasting your time there.” A woman appeared at the door of the neighbouring flat.
“I’m looking for Rod Masham. Do you know where he is?”
“Down the crem, unless he’s risen from the dead.”
“He’s dead?”
“He died last month. Had a heart attack in the Anchor.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I was in there when it happened. Best laugh I’ve had all year. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
“Right. Thanks.”
If what his neighbour had told me was correct, that would definitely rule Masher out of my enquiries because he’d died long before either Roy or Westy was murdered.
The final suspect was a man called Leroy Sanders, who was the only one of the three who didn’t have a nickname. His case file was much thinner than the others, and gave no clue as to the nature of the work that Roy had undertaken on his behalf. I’d only included him in my list of suspects because of a cryptic note, in Roy’s unmistakeable scrawl, that read: This guy is trouble.
Unfortunately, the case file contained no contact details for the mysterious Leroy Sanders, so I would have to get Zero to see if he could track him down.
***
On my way back to the office, I called in at McDonald’s to grab a burger and fries. I really would have to improve my diet. Just not today.
“That was quick.” Zero looked up from the computer.
“Rod Masham died of a heart attack before Roy and Westy were murdered.”
“I guess that rules him out, then.”
“Can you see if you can trace a guy called Leroy Sanders?”
“Sure. Kevin Lockhart called while you were out.”
“Oh?”
“He confronted the security guy who denied everything at first. Until he saw our footage that is. Then he confessed. Lockhart has sacked him, and he has the police coming in to see him tomorrow.”
“Brilliant. Don’t forget you need to raise an invoice for that.”
“Already done and in the post. Things are looking up.”
“Except that now we have no paying cases on the books.”
“That’s the other thing I have to tell you. We had two calls while you were out. Potential new clients.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve booked them in to come and see you tomorrow. I hope that’s okay?”
“That’s fantastic! How did they find me? Did you ask them?”
“Of course I did. They both found you on Facebook.”
“Really? I knew social media would be good for the business.”
He grinned. “Who did?”
“Okay, you did. And to show my gratitude, I’ll make us both a coffee.”
“Do you even know how to?”
“Less of your cheek or I’ll change my mind.”
The phone rang again. It was an existing client who was checking if the agency was still open for business. Three in one day? Wow!
“How did you get on with the accounts?” I asked Zero over coffee.
“Okay, it’s all done. There’s something weird going on, though.”
“Weird how?”
“Some of the cases aren’t in the accounts at all.”
“I already knew that. Roy was obviously working some cases on a cash-in-hand basis.”
“That much is obv
ious. He was running two sets of accounts. The official ones for the cases that went through the books, and another set for the cash-in-hand jobs.”
“So?”
“There are still some cases which don’t appear in either set of accounts.”
“How can that be? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Exactly.”
After we’d finished our coffee, I told Zero he could call it a day and go home. I locked up and left thirty minutes later.
I was on my way out of the building when I bumped into Sonya.
“Hey, Kat. Where are you off to?”
“I’ve finished for the day.”
“Nice work if you can get it. Is Sheila back at work, then?”
“Sheila? No, she’s quit.”
“I thought that was what you said, but I could have sworn I saw her earlier.”
“Where? Here?”
“Yeah. She was headed down the stairs. She seemed in some kind of hurry.”
“You must be mistaken. Her husband died yesterday. She’ll be at home.”
“I had no idea. Poor love. It must have been someone else I saw.”
Chapter 24
The next morning, I felt like crap. Mainly because I’d woken at just before four o’clock, and no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t get back to sleep. My brain had decided to engage, and nothing I could do would disengage it.
The photo Batman had sent to me had taken me by surprise; I would never have believed that Charlie Beale would escalate something so ridiculously trivial in that way. On the other hand, it had come as something of a relief to know that whoever had murdered Roy and Westy wasn’t also gunning for me.
I’d received a text from Anne the previous night, asking if I’d made any progress with finding her father’s murderer. My response had been brief and guarded; I’d said simply that I was still working on the case, that I had nothing to report yet, but that I would let her know just as soon as I did. Malky Moore was still top of my list of suspects, but maybe that would change once I’d had a chance to speak to Leroy Sanders.
I was just on my way out of the flat when my phone rang.
“Kathleen?”
“Is everything okay, Mum?”
“Of course it is. I just wanted to know if you’d given any more thought to coming back home? Next Tuesday is the closing date to apply for those jobs at Lidl. Rachel Marsh has already been offered a position on the checkouts. You remember Rachel, don’t you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Yes, you do. Her mother has a limp.”
“Oh yeah, the girl whose mother has a limp.”
“You do remember her, then?”
“No. And anyway, I told you the last time we spoke. I’ve taken over the agency.”
“I thought you might have changed your mind?”
“I haven’t. In fact, things are going great. The new guy I’ve taken on, Zero, is doing really well.”
“Hero?”
“Not Hero. It’s Zero with a Z.”
“What kind of name is that?”
“Look, Mum, I’m sorry, but I really do have to go. Maybe we could have a longer chat later in the week? One evening? I’ll ring you.”
“You’ll forget.”
“I won’t. I promise. I have to dash now. Take care. Give my love to Jen.”
On my way to the tube station, I gave Zero a call.
“Kat? I haven’t had any joy tracing Leroy Sanders yet.”
“That’s okay. That’s not why I called. I wanted to ask you what time those new clients are coming in.”
“They’re both coming in this afternoon: the first one at one-thirty and the next one at three.”
“In that case, I’m going to shoot over to see Sheila this morning. I want to make sure she’s alright.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
***
I’d only been to Sheila’s house once before. That was over a year ago when Don had gone to stay with his brother for a long weekend.
I could have phoned ahead, but as she only lived twenty minutes away, I figured I had nothing to lose by dropping by on spec. I half-expected her sister-in-law to come to the door, but it was Sheila who greeted me.
“Morning, Kat. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Oh? Right. I hope it’s okay. I probably should have called first.”
“Don’t be silly. Come in, and I’ll make us both a nice cup of tea.”
“Why don’t you let me do that?”
“Don’t you start. I’ve had enough with Flora fussing around me.”
“Where is your sister-in-law?”
“I sent her home. She was doing my head in.”
We took our tea through to the living room where the first things I noticed were the framed photographs of Sheila and Don.
“I’ve been looking at those.” She picked one up. “This one was taken at Southend. Don used to love Southend.”
“He was a good-looking man. When was that?”
“The late seventies, I’d guess. Have a seat, Kat.”
“You’re looking better than I expected.”
“I’m fine. At least, I will be once the funeral is out of the way.”
“When is it?”
“A week tomorrow. At the crem. Will you come?”
“Of course I will. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime? Anything you need?”
“No, thanks. Everything’s pretty much in hand. Don insisted on making most of the arrangements himself, so there isn’t much left for me to do. He was considerate like that.”
“He was a good man. You were very lucky.”
“It’s about time you found someone yourself.”
“Not you too.” I smiled. “I’ve already got my mother on my case. She’s trying to talk me into going back up north, getting a job at a supermarket, and settling down with a nice young man.”
“Are you going to do that?”
“Not a chance. I love what I do, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I’m enjoying it even more now that Roy’s gone.”
“I half-expected you to call around last night.”
“I’m sorry. I would have done, but I wasn’t sure you’d be up to receiving visitors. I did speak to your sister-in-law on the phone.”
“I meant after you’d found the books.”
“Books?”
“I expected you to be in the office yesterday. When you weren’t, I let myself in. I hope that’s okay. I really should let you have the key back.”
“Hang on. Are you saying it was you who left the accounts books in the office?”
“Yes, I would have waited there, but I didn’t know how long it would be before you came back.”
“But, I—err—” My head was spinning, as I tried to get to grips with what she’d just said. “Where did you get them?”
She sat back in the chair, and said nothing for the longest moment.
“I didn’t intend to do it, Kat. I want you to know that.”
“Do what? What are you talking about, Sheila?” Even as I asked the question, I already knew the answer. But a part of me was praying that I was wrong.
“You know how Roy could be. You more than anyone. I tried to reason with him. I tried to explain why I’d done it, but he wouldn’t listen. I begged him, Kat. I literally begged him, but he didn’t hear. Or he didn’t care.”
“Sheila! I don’t think you should be telling me this.”
“I have to. That’s why I left the books in the office. That’s why I thought you’d come around last night.”
“I—err—”
“I don’t remember doing it. One minute he was shouting at me, and then the next minute, he was lying on the floor.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “There was blood everywhere. I didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay. Take a breather. I’ll go and make us another drink.”
As I waited for the kettle to boil, I tried to get my head around what Sheila had j
ust told me. It wasn’t easy.
“Thanks, Kat.” She took the cup of tea from me. “Please don’t hate me.”
“Don’t be daft. Of course I don’t hate you.”
“I only went around there to try and reason with him. I was in the wrong for taking the money, I knew I was, but like I said to him, I’d only done it for Don. I told Roy I’d make sure I paid him back. Every penny. It would just take a while.”
“Is that why you didn’t want him to take the books when he came into the office that day?”
“Yeah. He’d never shown any interest in the accounts, just as long as there was cash in the bank. But we’d been through a particularly bad period, and the cashflow had all but dried up. I knew if he got someone to take a look at the books, they’d soon work out what had happened.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having money problems?”
She smiled. “You never had two pennies to rub together, and besides, it wasn’t your problem.”
“I would have tried to help.”
“I know you would. I honestly thought I’d be able to pay back the money before Roy noticed it was missing, but the bills kept piling up, and—well, you know the rest.” She began to cry.
I walked over and gave her a hug. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
I held her for several minutes while she sobbed. Eventually, she said, “I need you to do me one favour, Kat.”
“Of course. Anything. Just name it.”
“I want to go to Don’s funeral.”
“Of course you do. What do you need? Cash? Is there something you want me to arrange?”
“Nothing like that. That’s all taken care of. I just need you not to go to the police until after the funeral.”
“I’m not going to tell them anything. Ever. They think it was a burglary. There’s no need for them to—”
She raised a hand to silence me. “After the funeral, I’ll hand myself in.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I have to, Kat. I couldn’t live with the guilt. Roy was a horrible man, but he didn’t deserve to die. I’ll hand myself in the day after Don’s funeral. And of course, I won’t mention this little conversation. No one need ever know that you knew what happened.”
