Free Dead and Gone by Bill Kitson

registered and been allocated their rooms it can be very late.’
    Jackie continued. ‘He has tried to ring the off-duty receptionist and the night porter, but got no response from either ofthem.’ She smiled reassuringly at the man, seated behind his desk clutching a, by now, cold cup of tea and obviously struggling to come to terms with the morning’s events.
    ‘They probably switch their phones off in order to get some sleep,’ Nash commented. ‘I don’t see that there’s much more we can do here at the moment.’
    The detectives thanked the manager and stepped into the reception area to continue their conversation. Across in the lounge, uniformed officers were taking statements from the guests on-site. The lift doors opened and Professor Ramirez stepped out. ‘Ah, Nash, you’re still here. Saves me a phone call. I’m going. My patient is leaving by the goods lift. I’ll expect you at two, sharp, after I’ve had my lunch.’
    Jackie Fleming smiled as she watched him leave. ‘Talkative today, isn’t he?’ The others nodded in agreement as she turned to Nash and said, ‘We need to look into the dead man’s background.’
    ‘SOCO found a mobile phone in the room. We’re assuming it belongs to Jennings. I’d like to check that out as soon as they’ve finished with it. Who knows, it might provide us with a clue as to who killed him. What do you suggest we do in the meantime?’
    ‘I think we should have a word with West Yorkshire and get them to send some officers to Jennings’ house. He might have a wife and family. We also need to know why he’s staying in Netherdale. It seems a little curious, when he only lives fifty miles or so away. Did he enter any car details when he registered?’
    ‘Yes, he did,’ Lisa answered. ‘I looked in the car park at the back of the hotel, and it’s there. I told SOCO about it.’
    ‘Run up to the room and ask if they’ve found any car keys.’ Fleming waited until Andrews was out of earshot. ‘Will she be OK, Mike? She was involved in that double murder here a while ago, wasn’t she?’
    ‘Yes, leave it to me,’ Nash said. ‘I’ll sort it.’
    Lisa came back across the foyer. ‘They have the keys. They were in the dressing table drawer along with his wallet. Isuppose that rules out robbery?’
    ‘You never know,’ Nash replied. ‘That’s another job for forensics. His car will need to be checked over, but in the meantime we need to run Jennings through the PNC and see if he has form. Until we know more about him, we can’t hope to make any headway.’
    ‘I’m going back to HQ,’ Fleming told them. ‘I can ask Tom Pratt to do the PNC check. I’ll also arrange for uniform to remain on-site. They’ll be needed later.’
    ‘That’ll be a help.’
    ‘Someone from CID also needs to interview members of staff and liaise with SOCO re fingerprints,’ Fleming told them before leaving.
    ‘I’ll stay if Mike’s going,’ Lisa said.
    ‘Are you sure you’re all right being here? In view of what happened before?’ Nash asked.
    ‘It isn’t easy,’ she admitted, ‘but I’ll have to put up with it; there’s nobody else available.’
    Nash thought for a moment. ‘No, you won’t. I’ll get Viv to come here and you can help out with the other job. I’m not leaving you here if it makes you uncomfortable. I’ll ring Clara and get it organized. I need to know the state of play there anyway.’
     
    Within minutes of arriving at the vehicle, the paramedic reported back via the mountain rescuer’s radio that the man was alive and urgent medical attention was needed. The mountain rescue team lowered a portable generator and cutting equipment needed by the fire crew. Others began assisting the firemen and the second paramedic in their descent. In the midst of this, reports came back that all the child seats were empty, much to the relief of all those present.
    Clara’s mobile rang. She glanced at the screen. ‘Hi, Mike, how are things in