Free Shades of Evil by Shirley Wells Page A
Authors: Shirley Wells
important, gay. He’d be more likely to go for Marshall than Lauren.
‘Who else?’ Max asked.
‘I don’t know.’
‘You’re not doing very well, are you?’ Jill said.
‘Wait. There was another bloke she saw when she walked that dog of hers. He gave her the creeps, she said, but he fancied her, too.’
‘Another bloke? That narrows it down a lot,’ Max said.
‘She sometimes saw him when she was taking the dog for a walk. She reckoned he was old, about fifty probably. Called him a dirty old man. Said he wore a funny grey hat, like his mum had knitted it for him.’
‘Where did she see him?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Where did she walk her dog?’ Jill asked.
‘I don’t know. I’ve told you, I don’t know.’
‘You must have some idea,’ Max insisted. ‘Sometimes she walked the dog through town. Sometimes she drove out to Kelton Bridge and walked the dog over the hills there.’
‘So?’
‘So where did she see this man?’
‘I don’t know,’ Ricky said again. ‘All I know is that he used to chat her up. Or so she said. And he had a dog.’
‘What sort of dog?’ Max wanted to know.
‘I don’t know. Christ, I wasn’t interested. If I’d took an interest in every bloke she claimed fancied her, I’d have a bloody degree in it!’
‘She loved that dog of hers,’ Jill said, ‘and the dog loved to go for walks. Now, given this big romance you had going with her, I’m surprised she didn’t invite you along when she took Charlie out.’
‘She did,’ he boasted. ‘I went three or four times. We went into Burnley and walked round Towneley Park.’
‘And you didn’t see any men in grey hats?’ Max asked.
‘No. We saw no one. Oh yeah, once we saw a woman with two little yappy dogs. Lauren said hello to her.’
Jill couldn’t understand what had attracted Lauren Cole to Marshall in the first place. Assuming she’d been looking for thrills and excitement, perhaps his lack of respect for authority had appealed. If she’d been after scintillating conversation, however, she must have been sorely disappointed.
‘What about Josh?’ Jill asked. ‘Does the name ring a bell?’
‘No.’
‘Really? I’m surprised. He was always on the phone to her apparently,’ Jill informed him. ‘She must have mentioned him to you.’
‘No.’
‘Perhaps that’s why she didn’t want sex with you,’ Jill said. ‘Perhaps the lucky Josh was wearing her out.’
‘Never heard of him.’
‘You used to phone Lauren presumably?’ Max asked.
‘Course I did.’
‘What number did you have for her?’
‘You what?’
‘Tell me Lauren’s phone number.’
Marshall’s phone was clipped to his belt and he switched it on.
‘I’ve probably deleted it,’ he muttered, scrolling through a list of contacts. ‘No, I haven’t. There it is.’
He thrust his phone at Max.
‘Thanks.’
Max, too, scrolled through the list of contacts.
‘Tell you what,’ he said pleasantly, ‘we’ll leave you alone for an hour or so and you can have a little think. Maybe you’ll remember something else. Hey, I’ll even get someone to bring you a cup of tea.’
‘What about my phone?’
‘You’ll get it back. Later.’
Jill’s feet were numb and she was more than happy to end the interview.
‘What did you think?’ Max asked when they were out of the room.
‘I think he’s an obnoxious little shit,’ she said.
‘Agreed.’
‘But I don’t think he knows anything more than he’s told us. He doesn’t seem bright enough to lie.’
‘He doesn’t seem bright enough to breathe. Still, it’ll do him good to sit in there and freeze. I’ll get this phone looked at and send someone out to Towneley Park with Lauren’s photo.’
‘In that case, I’ll go back to my nice warm office.’
‘Is it warm?’
‘It is now I’ve pinched a heater from CID.’
Bellingham’s Turf Accountant Limited was Kelton Bridge’s most recent acquisition and Jill loved it. It was different to
‘Who else?’ Max asked.
‘I don’t know.’
‘You’re not doing very well, are you?’ Jill said.
‘Wait. There was another bloke she saw when she walked that dog of hers. He gave her the creeps, she said, but he fancied her, too.’
‘Another bloke? That narrows it down a lot,’ Max said.
‘She sometimes saw him when she was taking the dog for a walk. She reckoned he was old, about fifty probably. Called him a dirty old man. Said he wore a funny grey hat, like his mum had knitted it for him.’
‘Where did she see him?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Where did she walk her dog?’ Jill asked.
‘I don’t know. I’ve told you, I don’t know.’
‘You must have some idea,’ Max insisted. ‘Sometimes she walked the dog through town. Sometimes she drove out to Kelton Bridge and walked the dog over the hills there.’
‘So?’
‘So where did she see this man?’
‘I don’t know,’ Ricky said again. ‘All I know is that he used to chat her up. Or so she said. And he had a dog.’
‘What sort of dog?’ Max wanted to know.
‘I don’t know. Christ, I wasn’t interested. If I’d took an interest in every bloke she claimed fancied her, I’d have a bloody degree in it!’
‘She loved that dog of hers,’ Jill said, ‘and the dog loved to go for walks. Now, given this big romance you had going with her, I’m surprised she didn’t invite you along when she took Charlie out.’
‘She did,’ he boasted. ‘I went three or four times. We went into Burnley and walked round Towneley Park.’
‘And you didn’t see any men in grey hats?’ Max asked.
‘No. We saw no one. Oh yeah, once we saw a woman with two little yappy dogs. Lauren said hello to her.’
Jill couldn’t understand what had attracted Lauren Cole to Marshall in the first place. Assuming she’d been looking for thrills and excitement, perhaps his lack of respect for authority had appealed. If she’d been after scintillating conversation, however, she must have been sorely disappointed.
‘What about Josh?’ Jill asked. ‘Does the name ring a bell?’
‘No.’
‘Really? I’m surprised. He was always on the phone to her apparently,’ Jill informed him. ‘She must have mentioned him to you.’
‘No.’
‘Perhaps that’s why she didn’t want sex with you,’ Jill said. ‘Perhaps the lucky Josh was wearing her out.’
‘Never heard of him.’
‘You used to phone Lauren presumably?’ Max asked.
‘Course I did.’
‘What number did you have for her?’
‘You what?’
‘Tell me Lauren’s phone number.’
Marshall’s phone was clipped to his belt and he switched it on.
‘I’ve probably deleted it,’ he muttered, scrolling through a list of contacts. ‘No, I haven’t. There it is.’
He thrust his phone at Max.
‘Thanks.’
Max, too, scrolled through the list of contacts.
‘Tell you what,’ he said pleasantly, ‘we’ll leave you alone for an hour or so and you can have a little think. Maybe you’ll remember something else. Hey, I’ll even get someone to bring you a cup of tea.’
‘What about my phone?’
‘You’ll get it back. Later.’
Jill’s feet were numb and she was more than happy to end the interview.
‘What did you think?’ Max asked when they were out of the room.
‘I think he’s an obnoxious little shit,’ she said.
‘Agreed.’
‘But I don’t think he knows anything more than he’s told us. He doesn’t seem bright enough to lie.’
‘He doesn’t seem bright enough to breathe. Still, it’ll do him good to sit in there and freeze. I’ll get this phone looked at and send someone out to Towneley Park with Lauren’s photo.’
‘In that case, I’ll go back to my nice warm office.’
‘Is it warm?’
‘It is now I’ve pinched a heater from CID.’
Bellingham’s Turf Accountant Limited was Kelton Bridge’s most recent acquisition and Jill loved it. It was different to