To Die Alone Read Free Page B

already allowing their gaze to wander to the new batch of dark clouds gathering on the horizon.
    ‘I think we have to face facts,’ said Crowther, mindful of their mutterings, ‘either he’s dead or, instinct or not, he was never here. What if his girlfriend picked him up when the car broke down?’
    ‘Then why did he not leave a note?’
    ‘Maybe he forgot. And she still hasn’t turned up, has she?’
    Before the DCI could reply, his mobile phone rang. Fishing it out of his pocket, he glanced at the name on the screen: Gallagher .
    ‘Perhaps our resident Cockney can shed some light on the proceedings,’ said the inspector: Matty Gallagher was the detective sergeant at Levton Bridge.
    ‘Hope so.’
    ‘Matty, lad,’ said the inspector, ‘I do hope you’re not going to tell me that we’ve got wet-through for nothing and that Meredith and his young lady have been enjoying a cream tea in Roxham?’
    ‘Now that,’ said Gallagher’s voice, ‘sounds nice. Better than the muck they served in the canteen at lunchtime. No, we have not found them. The name and address in Meredith’s diary for the appointment turns out to be fake.’
    ‘Jasmine Riley still missing?’
    ‘Yeah, but we’ve tracked down her old mum in Chester. The story Jasmine told her workmates on the phone this morning? Absolute cobblers. Fabrication from start to finish. Mum does not have cancer  – in fact, she is really upset that her daughter would tell anyone she had – and she has not been rushed to hospital. What’s more, she hasn’t heard from her daughter for the best part of a week and was starting to get concerned.’
    ‘Intriguing.’
    ‘Well, if you think that’s intriguing, get this. You know I said no one at Levton Bridge railway station had seen Jasmine? Well, we tracked down a bloke who got off further down the line at Maltby – he was visiting his grandmother – and he remembers someone who looked like Jasmine sitting in the same carriage. Caught her staring at him a couple of times. Wondered if she fancied him, the arrogant git. According to Butterfield, he’s no oil painting.’
    ‘We can assume that Jasmine was on her way to Roxham then. It’s the next stop.’
    ‘And chummy’s car was found on the Roxham road, remember.’
    ‘Indeed it was,’ said Harris. ‘Look, are we a hundred per cent sure they weren’t travelling together?’
    ‘The witness did not see anyone else with her. The train got into Roxham just as the Manchester service arrived, so the station was busy, but no one among the platform staff remembers seeing them either. I’ve got the Roxham plods checking things out but they’ve not turned up anything yet. Not sure they will now.’
    There was a brief silence.
    ‘What you thinking?’ asked Gallagher.
    ‘I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s not good. I take it there’s still no word from the chopper? We could do with some help.’
    ‘Control talked to them an hour ago – they reckon it’s still far too bad to fly.’
    ‘Try again, will you? Everything else quiet?’
    ‘Not the word I would use. Uniform have been called twice to punch-ups at The King’s Head. There’s a load of locals in for a sesh by the looks of it. Been there since opening time.’
    ‘Anyone hurt?’
    ‘Na, it’s all been a bit handbags.’
    ‘What are the fights about?’
    ‘Uniform are not sure. I’m keeping out of it, to be honest, we’ve got enough to do compiling those bloody burglary statistics that the super wants for his meeting. See you wheedled yourself out of that one.’
    ‘Sometimes it’s OK to pull rank.’
    ‘So it would seem. Oh, some old fellow called Harry Galbraith has been on for you three times. He’s getting all aeriated, says it’s urgent. Who is he?’
    ‘The Farmwatch guy. Lives up at Sneets Edge. I rang him over the weekend to suggest we do an op tonight.’
    ‘For why?’
    ‘Thought it would play well after my comments about travelling gangs after the case on Friday.