Death Dues Read online

  She nodded. ‘I know that. But I was reluctant to apply for one. Tracey Stubbs at number nine has several and she has a terrible time juggling the payments. I was worried that once I had one I might keep using it. I didn’t want the temptation. At least by taking a loan out with Mr Forbes, I don’t have a card always there and handy.’

  Rafferty could see her point. It was the same reason his Ma gave for not using credit cards. It was a good argument, until, as Llewellyn had pointed out, you looked at the interest rates and the potential threat of violence from the alternatives. At least the credit card companies stopped short at sending the boys round, though, he supposed, they’d do that as well eventually, if they had to have debts chased by debt collectors.

  ‘Why don’t you explain your financial position to your family?’ Llewellyn asked gently. ‘I’m sure they wouldn’t expect expensive gifts if they realised your situation.’

  ‘Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. I don’t like to worry them. And they have their own troubles without loading mine onto their shoulders, too.’

  It was pride, Rafferty assumed. A lot of people didn’t like to admit they couldn’t afford to buy the youngsters in the family the expensive trainers and other designer gear they clamoured for. Let the little buggers get Saturday jobs and pay for them themselves if they were such must haves, was his reasoning. When his nieces and nephews were younger, his Ma would organise all the present buying for him. But generally nowadays, he just put a tenner in the card and left it at that, his lack of knowledge about teen fashion matched his reluctance to pay for it. But he supposed he was lucky as men in general and the Rafferty males in particular, were seldom expected to make much effort in the gifts’ department.

  But, he reminded himself, they weren’t here as social workers. They were here to try to solve a murder and now he reapplied himself to the purpose of their visit.

  Like the Joneses and Peter Allbright, Emily Parker claimed not to have set eyes or ears on Harrison on Friday. Not one of the residents had so far admitted to seeing him or to hearing any cries other than those from Tracey Stubbs’s children. He was beginning to believe they had all got together to agree their stories in the time between Eric Lewis finding the body and his dialling 999 at five o’clock. He could understand why the murderer would be happy to collude in such a plan, but not why the rest might have gone along with it. Unless they were all — bar one — telling the truth and Harrison had been killed before he’d had a chance to collect any of the money owed.

  They received the same answers from the soon-to-be married Josie McBride at number three and the Smiths’ ‘ology’ student lodger, Samantha Dicker at number one.

  Both young women were in Josie’s home when they went to question her, which was convenient.

  In spite of the recent too close murder, the two girls seemed far away from doom and death and had clearly been deeply immersed in honeymoon holiday brochures filled, as were Rafferty’s, with exotic holiday destinations. The brochures were spread all over the floor, on the table and chairs. With a little moue of annoyance at having her wedding planning interrupted, Josie McBride cleared some of the clutter away so they could sit down.

  ‘Ms McBride, Ms Dicker,’ Rafferty began. ‘As you probably know, we’ve been questioning the other residents and—’

  ‘Yes,’ Josie McBride broke in. ‘We wondered when you’d get around to us. Not that we can tell you anything.’

  The fair-haired Samantha Dicker put in, ‘I was studying all afternoon and didn’t notice a thing.’

  ‘And what about you, Ms McBride?’ Rafferty asked. ‘What were you doing?’

  She laughed and tossed back her thick dark hair. ‘Probably what I spend most of my spare time doing — planning my wedding.’

  My wedding, she’d called it. Briefly, Rafferty wondered if that was how Abra thought of their big day. As her wedding, rather than theirs. It might explain a lot.

  ‘You were both alone, I take it?’

  The two girls looked at one another and nodded. ‘My fiancé was around my mother’s house doing some DIY for her,’ Josie explained. ‘But I already told the other officers that.’

  ‘I’m afraid something as serious as a murder inquiry brings a lot of repetitive questions.’

  ‘Hoping to catch us out?’ the vivacious Josie put in.

  ‘Only if there’s anything you can be caught out about,’ Llewellyn quietly reminded her.

  ‘Well, there’s not. And neither is there for Sam. Neither of us saw or heard a thing. It’s not as if he died down our end of the alley, so we wouldn’t have been likely to hear anything. I doubt if I would anyway as I had some music on while I was finishing the wedding present list.’

  Rafferty nodded. ‘So, when’s the happy day?’

  ‘Not till September next year. But you’ve got to get organised early these days if you want your first choice of venue, photographer and the rest.’

  As Rafferty had learned to his cost. He’d been a little too relaxed about the whole thing. But so many weddings nowadays were such crazed and costly affairs. So different from his first wedding, which had, of course, because of Angie’s pregnancy, been quickly arranged and done relatively cheaply. It hadn’t cost much more than a thousand pounds, even Angie’s dress had been a second hand and never before worn outfit from an ad in the local paper. But at the time he’d thought it all costly enough. They’d had the reception in one of the local pubs with a wannabe DJ friend spinning the discs.

  He hadn’t told any of this to Abra. He’d implied that he’d let Angie have her way on everything, mainly because he didn’t want Abra to think him a wedding cheapskate on both occasions, something he was beginning to realise hadn’t been one of his best ideas. But it was true that he’d begrudged every penny he’d been forced to spend on that wedding because he hadn’t wanted to get married. Talk about being careful about where you planted your seed…

  He came to from his reverie to find Josie McBride, Samantha Dicker and Llewellyn staring at him expectantly. He rose from his chair. ‘We’ll be off,’ he said. ‘If you remember anything. Anything at all—’

  ‘We know. Contact you,’ Josie said pertly. ‘But as there’s nothing for us to remember…’

  Rafferty mused about the two young women after they took their leave of them.

  Samantha Dicker was the quieter of the two, every inch the ‘ology’ student, from her owl-like glasses to her dowdy, calf-length brown skirt.

  Both girls were in debt. Josie McBride had taken a loan out from Malcolm Forbes to pay part of her wedding costs and Samantha Dicker had taken one out when she’d exceeded her student loan limit. It seemed likely that both might be having trouble meeting the repayments. The two seemed very close, the one so dark and the other so fair and both so deeply in debt.

  Had they colluded in killing Harrison? There again, both seemed bright girls and must surely have realised killing Harrison would only delay their repayment problems rather than remove them. It would probably only be a matter of days before Forbes rearranged his collection routes or took on and minimally-trained a replacement collector.

  Still, Josie’s shed was missing its hammer, as was the Smiths’ where Samantha lodged. Josie had also been one of the three women who had left the street after the murder and before uniform’s arrival and so could have disposed of the murder weapon.

  But, Rafferty reflected, as he and Llewellyn shut the gate and crossed the street, all the maybes and ifs were only that. Many maybes and ifs clung to the other residents too, several of whom were far more likely to resort to violence than these two. Like Leslie Sterling, for instance, the ‘waster’ father of Jake and Jason.

  Chapter Ten

  Sterling’s wife was at work when they called, as she had been on the day of the murder. They found Les Sterling in his vest with the racing blaring out on the television. There was no sign of his two sons.

  The house, as they walked through from the hall, had an uncared-for air. Even Rafferty, not usually
one to notice such things, couldn’t help but see the dust thick on the skirting boards and the plentiful spiders’ webs draped from the ceiling corners. Clean clothes were piled in heaps on the arm and back of the worn settee waiting for someone, presumably Mrs Sterling, the only working member of the family, to take them upstairs and put them away.

  Sterling had a stack of betting slips and several empty lager cans on the table beside his chair into which he slumped immediately after letting them in. He looked set for the day. Perhaps he spent every day like that. He was inclined to be surly, a surliness doubtless fuelled by the cans of alcohol he had already consumed. After meeting his two sons, Rafferty had half-expected a less than gracious welcome. The apples certainly hadn’t fallen far from the tree in his case. Sterling owed Forbes six thousand pounds. It looked like he was trying to solve his problems by gambling his way through them. But, to judge from the number of torn up betting slips littering the floor, his plan was going awry.

  ‘It’s never a good idea to look to the bookies to solve your money problems, Mr Sterling,’ Rafferty pointed out. He got no thanks for this piece of gratuitous advice however.

  ‘What’s it got to do with you?’ Sterling rubbed pork sausage fingers through his thinning reddish-blond locks and glared at him from bloodshot brown eyes. He took a swig from the open lager can and then demanded belligerently, ‘And why aren’t you interviewing anyone else but me on this side of the street? I saw you across the road. You made a beeline for my place after questioning the lot across the way.’

  The Sterlings lived at number ten, not, as he said, on the side of the street that backed on to the alley where Harrison’s body had been found. It was clear he felt he was being picked on. But given his family’s history he could scarcely be surprised at that.

  ‘Your neighbours in this row have already been questioned once, Mr Sterling and will be so again.’ He didn’t add that Sterling was the only resident on this side of the street to owe Forbes money.

  ‘But you decided to do me first the second time around, is that it?’

  That was exactly it, but Rafferty felt exonerated from the accusation that he was picking on Sterling Senior in view of the fact that not only was he yet another of Forbes’s debtors, but he had also had two of his sons hanging round at the top of the street, either of whom could have tipped him the wink on Harrison’s arrival. The day of the murder had been wet, chilly and blustery; not one in which anyone would choose to go out if they didn’t have to. Les Sterling could have slipped out of his back door and up the right-hand-side alley with a good chance, for a betting man, that none of his neighbours would see him. Of course, any of his neighbours could also have slipped out. But none of them had two sons perfectly positioned to monitor arrivals and departures.

  Sterling, as expected, denied leaving the house.

  ‘Killing someone? Not me. And certainly not that bastard Malcolm Forbes’s man. Kick your head in soon as look at you that lot. If I was worried about not being able to pay my bills I’d go for the head honcho not his lackey. I’d petrol bomb the bastard where he keeps his records. What would be the point of going for one of the lackeys? It would be stupid. And I’m not stupid.’

  No, thought Rafferty. You’re just a bone idle sponger. But Sterling had made the same point he had himself hit on early in the case. And he was right. Petrol bombs would have settled the debt problem nicely. With the records destroyed who was to say who were the debtors?

  Having learned little more than the unpleasing thought that Sterling was on a similar wavelength to himself, Rafferty, as they returned to the station to write up their reports, admitted that they knew little more than they had known before. Even their reports would be the same as those they had made the first time round, with ‘no evidence’ featuring strongly.

  Bill Beard hailed Rafferty as he came into reception. ‘I’ve had a word with my auntie and she said she’ll be glad to help you out with your wedding flowers She said she’d have done it cheaper than the price you named if only because of all the laughs she’s had at your expense over the years. But as I told her, a deal’s a deal.’

  You’ve done yourself, Rafferty told the groom. But even though he now found Bill’s aunt would have done the flowers for an even lower price than the one he’d suggested, he was chuffed. ‘That’s great, Bill. Give me her number and I’ll get Abra to get on to her with her exact requirements.’

  Bill reached for a blank witness statement form and scribbled a number down. ‘She lives here in Elmhurst so she’s nice and handy.’

  ‘Thanks Bill. I owe you one.’ He was owing a lot all ways round.

  ‘That’s right. I might call in the favour one of these days. Don’t forget I shall expect an invite to the wedding.’

  ‘And you shall get one. You and auntie both.’

  Once they had finished writing up the latest reports on the case, Rafferty threw the last one down on the pile. ‘I’m done in,’ he said. He glanced at the clock and smiled. ‘Nice timing. A spot of lunch is called for. Fancy a bite at the Black Swan?’ he asked Llewellyn.

  Llewellyn nodded. ‘Just half an hour, though. Remember, we’ve more interviews this afternoon.’

  Rafferty pulled a face at this reminder. ‘Don’t be a spoilsport, Daff. What is it they say about all work and no play?’

  ‘Point taken. But what if Superintendent Bradley wants to see you for an update and you go to his office smelling of beer?’

  ‘I’ll smell as much from half a pint as I will from two. Besides, that’s what breath fresheners are for.’ Rafferty sighed. ‘Come on. We’re five minutes into our precious half-hour already. If we stop to worry about any more things — like Bradley wanting an update — that might happen this afternoon it’ll be time to come back before we’ve gone.’

  To forestall any other reasons for not going to the pub, Rafferty put on his jacket and made for the door. As they reached the car, he tossed the keys to Llewellyn. ‘You drive,’ he said. ‘I want to do some thinking on the way. Let no one say I don’t use my leisure time productively.’

  ‘You can’t drive and think?’

  ‘Not according to Abra. She says men can’t multi-task. At least that’s what she says when I’m driving and trying to read road signs at the same time.’

  It didn’t take more than a few minutes to reach the pub. Situated on the river like several others in Elmhurst, the Black Swan was an old pub, filled with low beams dark with age and smoke. They had beaten the lunchtime crowd and were quickly served, Rafferty with a pint of Adnam’s bitter and Llewellyn mineral water. After placing their food order, they went into the garden. They had only been sitting for five minutes when their order of a Ploughman’s each arrived.

  They ate in silence for a few minutes enjoying the crusty French bread and the sharp taste of a mature cheddar its sharpness heightened by the tang of pickles.

  It was a pleasant day after all the recent rain and the pub garden was bathed in sunshine. It was quiet and the sound of birdsong came to them clearly above the gentle gurgle of the river. The Black Swan’s garden was a veritable paradise on such a day. A warm breeze caressed them and Rafferty took off his jacket and stretched. ‘Sure we can spare only half an hour?’ he asked. ‘Me, I could spend the rest of the day here, just idling’, he grinned, ‘and thinking through our current investigation of course. I can do it just as well here as at the office.’ And without the danger of Superintendent Bradley interrupting their quiet idyll.

  But Llewellyn had other ideas. ‘There’s been extensive local media coverage on this case,’ he reminded Rafferty. ‘It wouldn’t do if one of the local press had followed us here and reported that we idled the afternoon away instead of being seen to get on with the investigation. If it got back to the superintendent—’

  ‘All right, all right, I get the drift. I hardly need Long Pockets Bradley on my case when I’ve got you, do I?’ He took a long pull from his beer and even though the minutes of their short half-hour were ticking away, h
e sighed contentedly. It was only as his mind dwelled on the wedding and the still spiralling cost of the parts of it that Abra had charge of that some of his contentment seeped away. He asked Llewellyn, ‘How did you keep the costs down on your wedding? Ours are getting beyond a joke, even with you doing the invitations and Bill Beard’s auntie doing the flowers. Abra seems to have developed a Princess Di complex. I can’t seem to rein her in.’

  ‘I was lucky, I suppose, in that Maureen isn’t given to ostentation or extravagance. I’m an only child, too, which reduced the guest list. I suppose we just worked on it together.’

  ‘What? No arguments? I keep getting the “Aren’t I worth it?” line from Abra. What am I supposed to say to that?’

  ‘That’s a tricky one. Can’t you reason with her?’

  ‘She’s beyond reason most of the time. The things she thinks are essential are ridiculous to my mind. She wants me and the other men in morning suits, if you please. She wants a rehearsal dinner, a five-tier wedding cake. She wants a theme to the wedding – her current fancy is for an Oriental do. She even wants wedding favours, whatever they are. I didn’t dare ask.’

  ‘I believe they’re gifts for the guests. Little mementoes of the day.’

  ‘Gifts for the guests? I thought it was them who are meant to buy us presents, not the other way round.’

  Llewellyn smiled as he finished his meal. ‘You don’t need to buy anything extravagant, though something more expensive is appropriate for the bridesmaids and the best man.’

  Was that a hint? Rafferty wondered. That was yet another problem; he hadn’t yet decided who to ask to undertake the role. There were several candidates, including Llewellyn.

  ‘As I said, we kept a lid on things for our wedding, though we did have favours for the bridesmaids — a gold locket and chain each. I have to admit, though, that I’ve heard Abra discussing the wedding with Maureen and she’d frighten me with her plans. What are you going to do?’