Neil White 3 Book Bundle. Neil White

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СКАЧАТЬ the country roads towards Ted Kenyon’s house. The street was quiet when Charlie pulled up. The sodium orange of the streetlights curved away ahead and he couldn’t see anyone on the pavement. There had been no cars behind him.

      As he closed the car door, he thought that Ted’s house looked like there was no one in. Some of the lights were on, but the curtains were open, and all Charlie could see were walls and furniture. But then there was the rumble of an engine. Charlie tensed and wondered if it was the people who had been in Donia’s flat, guessing his next move, but as it got closer, he recognised Ted Kenyon in the passenger seat.

      As Ted and Sheldon climbed out, Ted said, ‘Mr Barker, I was sorry to hear about Miss Diaz.’

      Charlie nodded his thanks. ‘It doesn’t compare to your loss.’

      Ted started the walk up his drive, Sheldon with him. Charlie took it as an invitation to follow, and when Ted opened the door and stepped aside to let Charlie walk in, he was surprised at how quiet it seemed.

      ‘Is this some kind of trap?’ Charlie said.

      ‘What do you mean?’

      Charlie nodded towards Sheldon, who was walking into the living room. ‘Inspector Brown told me to come here. I’m wondering if it was the right thing to do.’

      ‘It’s no trap,’ Ted said. ‘Can I get you a drink?’

      Charlie sighed and nodded. ‘Just make it strong,’ he said, and then followed Sheldon into the living room. They stared at each other, neither saying anything, until Ted came back into the room and passed him a glass. The amber fluid and the oak smells were warm and comforting. A single malt. He took a sip. It was good.

      Once the whisky had filtered down to where it would do most good, Charlie got a good look at Sheldon, and was surprised by his appearance. His clothes hung from him and there was a film of sweat on his forehead.

      ‘Can we talk openly?’ Charlie said to Sheldon, glancing towards Ted Kenyon, unsure about what he could discuss in front of him. When Ted didn’t leave the room, and Sheldon let him stay, Charlie guessed that there was no problem.

      ‘You sounded scared on the phone,’ Sheldon said.

      ‘My business partner is dead.’

      ‘Not your friend?’ Sheldon said.

      Charlie’s eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘You worked together. Even if you didn’t socialise, she must have been your friend too.’

      ‘Why the hell does that matter?’ Charlie said, getting impatient.

      Sheldon shrugged. ‘I just thought it might matter to her, to be missed.’

      ‘Whatever I call her, she is dead, and we both know that whoever killed her also murdered Billy Privett.’ Charlie looked up at Ted. ‘I’m sorry for being drunk last night, but I meant what I said, that I’ve never heard anything from Amelia that Billy admitted killing Alice.’

      ‘So what information have you got?’ Ted said, not giving away his emotions.

      Charlie pulled out the John Abbott file from under his jacket.

      ‘Two days before Billy died, he made a video. I think whoever killed Billy did so because of the video, because the person who made the video with him, Amelia, has been killed too. They came into my office and took all the copies of the disc.’

      ‘How do you know this?’ Sheldon said.

      ‘Because Amelia sent copies of the footage to the police, to the press, and also to Mr Kenyon here.’ Charlie turned to him. ‘Did you get a copy?’

      Ted shook his head.

      ‘No, I didn’t think so. There had been a burglary the night before, and so my secretary was late sorting out all the post. I think they stole the lot of them. They got lucky.’

      ‘So what was on it?’ Sheldon said.

      ‘My guess is it’s Billy telling his story. The instructions to Amelia were to post it out if he died.’

      ‘So what’s that?’ Sheldon said, and pointed at the file in Charlie’s hand.

      ‘Part of the puzzle, but you can provide this part.’ Charlie held up the file. ‘Amelia made three calls to the same number after that video was made, and she billed this file for the calls. There were another three calls made on this file after Billy had been found.’

      ‘So that makes a connection, does it?’ Sheldon said.

      ‘It does in my mind, because this file finished four months ago. Why would Amelia start calling someone in connection with this file after Billy has made a video?’

      Sheldon held out his hand for the file.

      ‘I’ve not finished,’ Charlie said. He reached in and pulled out the bill. ‘This file is a criminal file. So why has she sent the bill to the police?’ He passed over the piece of paper and let him take in its contents. ‘Why were the police settling bills for petty criminals? I’ve never heard of that before.’

      Sheldon eased out a crick in his neck as he took in the bill, and Charlie could tell that he didn’t know the answer.

      ‘What is the file about?’ Ted said.

      ‘Some wannabe anarchist,’ Charlie said. ‘His mother died and left him money and a house, and so he got a conscience about all the poor people in the world and painted slogans on buildings in the town centre. Political rants. So why were the police so interested in him that they would settle his legal bills for him?’

      Sheldon looked at Charlie, and then at the piece of paper again. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.

      ‘Why don’t you go find out?’

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘There’s the file,’ Charlie said. ‘Take it. And find out who are the two men in suits who visited Amelia at the office and who broke into my apartment.’

      Sheldon reached out for the file and then turned it over in his hand, as if he could find out the answers without opening it.

      ‘What about you?’ Sheldon said eventually.

      ‘I’ll wait for you to come back,’ Charlie said. When Sheldon glanced at Ted, as if to seek his approval, Charlie added, ‘I’ve had a rough day. I just need to have a rest.’

      Ted nodded at Sheldon, who returned a thank you and headed for the door.

      As the sound of Sheldon’s engine grew faint along the street, Ted said, ‘What’s really going on?’

      Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out the video camera, the connection leads hanging from it.

      ‘I don’t know how much time I’ve got, because I’m a target now, and I’m worried about a young woman who came to the firm this week. I don’t know if she is on the killer’s side, but I know that I wanted СКАЧАТЬ