01 - Memories of the Dead Read Online Free

wearily, “She wants to
believe so badly that her husband left her some money somewhere. She is
struggling and I think she has pinned her last hopes on this clairvoyant and a
mythical treasure.”
    “Well that decides it.”
    “Beg your pardon?”
    “If you don’t help her she’ll
find someone else, someone who has no scruples wasting her money on a wild
goose chase, meanwhile she will also still be paying for a medium to tell her
lies. You need to step in, prove the clairvoyant a charlatan and find out if
there are any legitimate savings left for the poor woman.”
    It was a persuasive argument
and Clara saw the sense in Tommy’s words. Besides, if she let Mrs Wilton carry
on being fooled when she might be able to help, then she was little better than
Mrs Greengage.
    “I’ve got another argument for
you.” Tommy said fixing her with his brown-eyed stare, “You need the money and
I need something other than paper angels to keep my brain going. It’s over a
month since the mayor’s case.”
    There was truth to that too.
Finding cases was never easy when you were a relatively unknown detective,
finding a case when you were an unknown female detective was even harder.
    Clara had started her business
out of the ashes of the Great War. It was partly practical and partly a means
to, as Tommy had pointed out, help keep her older brother occupied. It began by
helping friends and neighbours who were dealing with the aftermath of losing
all their menfolk. Some were still looking for answers as to what had become of
loves ones, others were trying to track down lost savings accounts or war
pensions. Before she knew it, Clara was the person people went to when they
wanted something sorted out.
    As she gained a reputation
work mounted up, as did the difficulty of the cases she was involved in. She
was starting to feel overwhelmed at the same time as Tommy came out of the
military hospital in the depths of depression. She had given him some odd
research to do just to occupy his mind while she was out of the house and
before long he was intrigued by his sister’s new life and wanting to know more.
    Now two years on they were a
real partnership, but Tommy still suffered the worst when there was no work to
do.
    “Think of it this way.” Tommy
said to her now, “If she was looking for a relative lost in France you would
tell her it was a near enough impossible task, but that you would try anyway.
Is this so different?”
    “She is certain her husband
left her money somewhere.” Clara admitted.
    “Then find it and expose the
fraud this medium is conducting!”
    Clara closed her eyes for a
moment and let her thoughts swirl inside her mind. Mrs Wilton needed someone’s
help, no doubt about that, and to leave her in the clutches of Mrs Greengage
was unthinkable. She opened her eyes having made up her mind.
    “I am to ring her tomorrow and
I will tell her I will take the case.”
    “Good.”
    “But I will charge no fee
unless I find her husband’s lost savings.”
“Clara,” Tommy groaned, “You can’t give your help away like that, we have our own
finances to think about.”
    “Daddy’s investments will see
us through, so where is the problem?”
    Tommy shook his head at her.
    “What were you saying about
gullible?”
    “I call it being ethical. Now,
she has arranged a séance especially for me tomorrow night, I imagine you will
want to come?”
    “Absolutely!”
    “Then I shall ensure you have
a place. There. Now I best see if Annie has managed to arrange some dinner.”
    Tommy grinned at her.
    “This is going to be a fun
one.” He said.
    “I hope not, I remember the
last case you described as fun. It made me crave dull and boring.”
    “Just don’t get spooked if any
ghosts or ghoulies turn up tomorrow night.” Tommy mocked.
    “Hah!” Clara said as she
opened the door, “Don’t you worry about me big brother. It’s Mrs Greengage who
will need to be watching out tomorrow night!”
     
    Mrs Wilton was