Free Death Dues by Geraldine Evans Page B

quickly. ‘Though if Forbes had anything to do with Harrison’s murder, I reckon we’ll be the last to hear. Like the mafia’s code of Ōmerta, that sort of information is unlikely to be for our ears.’ He checked the mirror and pulled out. ‘Let’s get back. Maybe something new has come in.’
     
     
    But once back at the station, there was no revelatory news awaiting them; just more of the labour intensive paperwork that was so familiar. And Superintendent Bradley demanding a progress report. He ordered Rafferty along to his office and he was told to shut the door and sit down.
    'So what's doing on the murder front? You must have some suspects, but,' he said as he sat behind his massive desk.
    'We have a number of suspects,' Rafferty told him as he studied the array of photographs of Bradley cosying up to the great and good on the wall behind his desk. 'Half the residents of Primrose Avenue had the opportunity to kill Harrison and all of them had good reasons to murder him.'
    'Anyone specific in mind?'
    'Not yet. It's early days. But there are several youths who'll bear closer scrutiny.'
    Bradley nodded. 'I shall want a report by the end of the day. And not one of your usual scrimped efforts. And no getting Llewellyn to do it for you. You're the investigating officer. Remember it.'
    If only I could forget, thought Rafferty as the super let him go. With a succession of long days I'm not going to be flavour of the month with Abra. Worse, the evenings spent alone would give her even more opportunities to come up with novel ways of over spending.
     
     
    ‘I think we should take a thorough look through Harrison’s home,’ Rafferty said when he returned to his office. He sat down and leaned back in his chair away from the incessant paperwork. Annie Pulman had earlier been persuaded to identify the body; they’d dropped her back home on their way to interview Malcolm Forbes. ‘If he was helping himself to some of the cash from his collections that’s where we’d find it. It’s not as if he’d be likely to put it in a bank or building society.’ He glanced down at the high-piled paperwork the house-to-house had produced and sighed. Then his emotions rose at the realisation that the visit to Jaws Harrison’s place would enable him to put off fighting his way through it for a while. And if they found a stash of cash or anything else of interest there, the paperwork could be put off for even longer as they chased evidence against Forbes in the role of murderer.
    ‘It’s still possible we’re on the wrong scent and that someone had reason other than debt to want him dead.’
    ‘We’ve no evidence for that,’ Llewellyn pointed out. ‘The facts point the other way. Few enough could have had the opportunity to kill him down that alleyway. The killer would surely have been seen either going in or coming out, no matter what motive they might have had.’
    ‘Maybe, but we’ve only the word of Tony Moran for that. The other three yobbos in their little gang are sticking pretty much to their “no comment” stance, though at least Jake Sterling backed up Moran about the identities of the three women who left the Avenue that afternoon and seemed to take a delight in doing so. No one else has so far come forward with any evidence.’
    In spite of what Llewellyn said, it was certainly a possibility that someone other than one of the Primrose Avenue residents had killed Harrison, especially when the late Harrison’s personality was taken into the equation. He spent his life throwing his weight about and threatening those in no position to retaliate; maybe he’d met his match, and his murderer had been someone whose visit to the Avenue Moran had preferred not to mention. Like Malcolm Forbes, for instance.
     
     
    Annie Pulman answered the door. She looked surprised to see them again so soon. Given her so recent bereavement, her tears seemed to have dried up remarkably quickly after identifying John Harrison’s