Dance of Ghosts Read Online Free Page A

‘It’s a restaurant …’
    I knew The Wyvern, and I knew that it wasn’t a restaurant. It was a pub. And a shit-hole pub at that. The only menu you were likely to be offered at The Wyvern was a menu of Class A drugs.
    ‘I don’t know the address, I’m afraid,’ Mrs Gerrish said. ‘But it’s –’
    ‘It’s all right,’ I told her. ‘I know where it is. Was Anna living at home?’
    ‘No, she has her own little flat down near the docks. Do you want the address?’
    ‘Please.’
    She gave me the address and I wrote it down.
    I said, ‘Is it a rented flat?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘What’s happening with it at the moment? Is Anna’s stuff still there?’
    Helen nodded. ‘The rent was due last week … we’ve paid it up for another month.’
    ‘Does Anna live on her own?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘She’s not married?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Boyfriend?’
    ‘No …’
    ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Anna would have told me if she had a boyfriend.’
    ‘What about old boyfriends?’
    ‘Well, yes, of course … she was always a very popular girl. I can’t think of any names offhand at the moment …’
    ‘Didn’t the police ask you for their names?’
    ‘Well, yes … but I told them I couldn’t remember. I think they got them from somewhere else.’
    Somewhere else?
I thought.
What the fuck does that mean?
    ‘OK, Mrs Gerrish,’ I said. ‘I’ll need Anna’s phone numbers – landline and mobile, please.’
    She gave me the numbers, I wrote them down.
    ‘Have you got any other recent photos of Anna?’ I asked. ‘Anything a bit more … natural?’
    ‘There’s a few more at home, I think. They’re not
very
recent –’
    ‘OK, don’t worry, we’ll sort that out later. How about a key to her flat?’
    ‘The police have Anna’s keys, but I’ve got a spare at home.’
    ‘Well, I’d like to take a look round her flat as soon as possible. Could you drop the key off later?’
    She looked slightly pained. ‘Well, it’s a bit difficult … you see, I don’t drive, and my husband has the car all day –’
    ‘How about later on this evening?’
    ‘He’s working this evening.’
    ‘All right,’ I sighed. ‘Where do you live, Mrs Gerrish?’
    ‘Stangate Rise.’
    I nodded. ‘How about if I drive out later on and pick up the key myself? Would that be OK?’
    She hesitated again. ‘Well, yes … I suppose …’
    I sighed to myself again. This was already beginning to feel like hard work.
    ‘Would six o’clock be convenient?’
    ‘Yes … six o’clock, that’s fine.’
    ‘Right. Perhaps it’d be best if we leave any more questions until then.’
    ‘Yes … yes, of course. Would you like my address –?’
    ‘My secretary will take all your details before you go. Just one more thing … do you know the name of the officer in charge of the police investigation?’
    ‘Yes, it’s Detective Chief Inspector Bishop.’
    I paused, momentarily taken aback. ‘Mick Bishop?’
    ‘Yes. Do you know him?’
    ‘My father …’ I began to say, but I had to stop to clear my throat. ‘My father knew DCI Bishop … they used to work together.’
    ‘Your father’s a policeman?’
    ‘He used to be.’
    ‘But not any more?’
    ‘No.’
    She looked at me, waiting for me to go on, but after I’d stared back at her for a while, letting her know that I didn’t want to talk about it, she eventually got the message and reluctantly lowered her eyes.
    ‘I usually charge by the hour,’ I told her, clearing my throat again. ‘But I think it’s probably best in this case if we agree on a set rate for a limited period of time – say, three days – and then we’ll both see how it’s going and take it from there. How does that sound?’
    ‘Yes, thank you, Mr Craine. That’s perfectly acceptable.’
    ‘And we’ll need a retainer from you, if that’s all right.’
    ‘Of course. How much would you like?’
    ‘My secretary will detail our rates for you. If you’d like to go through to the main office, she’ll