Watching the Dark (Inspector Banks Mystery) Read Online Free

if I can manage to draft in some help,’ Banks said. ‘Until then, just do the best you can.’
    ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘And get a couple of officers asking around the general neighbourhood, the village, find out if anyone was seen hanging around here lately, last night in particular. A car, anything suspicious.’
    ‘It’s pretty isolated, sir.’
    ‘That’s why someone might have noticed something. You can get the word out to the media, too. No information about DI Quinn’s murder, especially about method of death, but we want to talk to anybody who passed by St Peter’s between, say, ten o’clock last night and two in the morning. The press will be here soon, so make sure you warn the men on the gate to keep them at bay. Did DS Jackman mention anything about searching the grounds and rooms?’
    ‘Yes, sir. We’re trying to get it done as quickly and discreetly as possible.’
    ‘Carry on, Doug,’ said Banks.
    ‘OK, sir.’ Doug Wilson strode off.
    ‘Sir? Excuse me. Just a minute, sir. Are you in charge of all this?’
    Banks turned towards the new voice. The woman behind the reception desk was calling out to him. The area reminded him of a hotel reception, with the rows of pigeonholes on the wall behind her for keys and messages, a laptop computer on a pullout shelf, filing drawers, printer, fax and photocopy machine. The woman was perhaps a little older than Banks, grey-haired, matronly, and her name badge read ‘Mary’.
    ‘I’m DCI Banks,’ he said, offering his hand. ‘Sorry for all this upheaval, Mary. What can I do for you?’
    ‘Well, I was just wondering, you know, about the regular schedules. The patients. I mean physio, massage and suchlike. We do have our routines and timetables.’
    ‘A police officer has been murdered,’ said Banks. ‘I’d say normal operations are pretty much suspended for the moment, wouldn’t you? I’ll let you know when they can be resumed.’
    Mary reddened. ‘I’m sorry. But what should I tell people? I mean, one of our physiotherapists drives all the way over from Skipton, and her first appointment isn’t till two this afternoon. Should I phone and cancel?’
    ‘I’m afraid not,’ said Banks. ‘We’ll want to talk to everyone connected with the place as soon as we possibly can, including the staff. That means we’ll need the names and addresses of any personnel who won’t be coming in today. Were you here all night?’
    ‘No, sir,’ said Mary. ‘I live in Eastvale. The desk isn’t staffed twenty-four hours a day. No need. I’m usually gone by six or seven at the latest, depending on how much catching up I have to do. I start at eight, as a rule. In fact, I just arrived. I can’t really believe what’s going on.’
    ‘Are you a police officer, Mary?’
    ‘No, sir. Registered nurse. Retired.’
    ‘No need to call me sir, then.’
    ‘Oh. Yes. Of course.’
    ‘I’m sure it’s a shock,’ Banks said. ‘Apart from the patients and the nurse, is there anyone else who stops here for the whole night?’
    ‘There’s Barry.’
    ‘Barry Sadler?’
    ‘Yes. Head groundsman, porter, jack of all trades. He lives in the flat over the old stables, but he’s here to help if there’s ever a need for heavy lifting or anything, and he does most of the odd jobs himself. Of course, he has a small staff to call in, as and when he needs them. Cleaners, gardeners, a lawn-trimmer and topiarist and so on. But they don’t live here.’
    ‘I’ll need a list of their names, too,’ said Banks. ‘Do you have a security system?’
    Mary paused. ‘Well, yes, sort of. I mean . . .’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘The rule is that the front door’s locked at midnight, and the burglar alarm is activated.’
    ‘But?’
    Mary gave Banks a lopsided grin. ‘You know what it’s like. It’s a pretty laissez-faire sort of place. If someone wants to go out for a smoke, or stops out late at the pub, you don’t want to be turning the burglar alarm on and off, do you?’
    ‘Right,’