An Artistic Way to Go by Roderic Jeffries

Author:Roderic Jeffries
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250101815
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

CHAPTER 14

As Alvarez entered the post, the duty cabo behind the desk looked up from his girlie magazine. ‘You’ve become very popular.’

Alvarez came to a stop, mopped his face with a handkerchief.

‘She’s been in twice, asking for you. I told her not to waste her talents on a brass oldie. She didn’t seem to understand.’

‘Who are you talking about?’

‘This foreign piece. She told me her name, but I’ve forgotten it. If she’d not given me thoughts, maybe I’d have remembered it.’

‘Señora Cooper?’

‘That sounds about right.’

‘Did she leave a message?’

‘Yes. But not in words.’

Alvarez carried on, climbed the stairs, and went along to his office. He settled in the chair behind the desk. No wonder the world was hellbent for trouble when the younger generation could think of nothing except sex. Not for them the demands and therefore the satisfactions of duty done; not for them … As he began to drift off to sleep, an image of Rachael as she climbed out of the pool slid into his mind …

The phone jerked him fully awake. Traffic reported that the most careful search had failed to uncover anything more of significance on or in the BMW.

Sometimes, nothing could be as significant as something; in this instance it was not. Had Cooper committed suicide, it was very unlikely there would be any traces beyond those already found. If he had been murdered, the murderer, wishing to set the scene for suicide, would surely have killed him and then either wrapped his corpse in a body-bag so that no traces could be left in the BMW, or, if he had had an accomplice, have transported it in another vehicle …

The internal phone rang. ‘She’s back,’ said the duty cabo.

‘Who are you talking about?’

‘It’s blokes like you give stupidity a bad name … Señora Cooper is here and wishes to speak to the inspector.’

Alvarez left the room and went down the stairs. The duty cabo was exerting all the charm of which he considered he had an abundance, but with little impact because in his eagerness he was speaking too quickly and using the flowery language of the traditional lover so that Rachael failed to understand much of what he said.

She swung round to face Alvarez. ‘What d’you think you’ve been doing? When my husband comes back, he’ll complain to the British ambassador in Madrid…’

‘Señora, would it not be best if we go upstairs to my office where we can speak more privately?’

She hesitated.

‘If you will go up those stairs.’ He gestured with his hand.

She walked forward.

When satisfied she was out of earshot, the cabo muttered: ‘What a waste on an old man like you.’

In the office, Alvarez moved the spare chair so that she could sit directly in front of the desk, then settled behind it. ‘Please tell me, señora, what bothers you?’

‘You know damn well! When you spoke to Neil this morning, you made the most disgusting accusation. Oliver’s missing, I’m sick with worry, and all you can do is suggest I’m having an affair.

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