IMPLICATION: Gripping crime fiction with a cruel twist (The DI Gardener crime fiction series Book 9) by Ray Clark

Author:Ray Clark [Clark, Ray]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Book Folks - bestselling British crime mysteries
Published: 2022-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-six

The following morning, Grace was shown into the offices of Powell and Potter in Bursley Bridge. They had been the family solicitors for as long as anyone could remember. As the business had grown considerably over the years, so had Norman Powell, whose girth was now probably three times what it had been in the early years. He’d somehow managed to force his corpulent frame into a small seat behind a small desk in a small office, or perhaps it simply appeared that way.

As Grace took a seat, the solicitor grunted whilst still sifting through his paperwork, scrawling a signature every now and again. The office had a Victorian fireplace with a fully loaded fire, which was currently spitting and crackling away. Most of the furniture was wooden, with a number of glass cabinets overstuffed with books and files, a coffee table and two armchairs, a stained mirror above the fireplace, and a rug that was probably older than Powell.

“I shan’t keep you, Mrs Challenger,” he said, peering through a pair of pince-nez perched precariously on the end of his nose.

His grey thatch was thick and showed no signs of abating, despite his advancing years. His head was large and his features were all quite small and rodent-like, apart from his jowls.

Powell, who was wearing a grey suit with a white shirt, blue tie, and a grey waistcoat as always, finished signing his papers, shuffled them all together and placed them in a folder. At that point, his secretary stepped into the office with tea, and an assortment of digestives on a large silver tray – at least half a packet. She smiled at Grace, took the paperwork and left the office.

Powell clasped his hands together and placed them under his chins.

“Thank you for calling me, and for coming in. I was in fact about to call you.”

“Me?” said Grace. “Whatever for?”

“Shall we have some tea, Mrs Challenger?” said Powell, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner that Grace had somehow failed to notice. “I do so enjoy my elevenses. I can’t quite imagine getting through the day without it.”

Whether Grace had wanted it or not, the tea had been poured and a saucer of digestives was placed in front of her.

Powell immediately devoured at least half a dozen of the biscuits – four of which had been dunked in the tea – before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“As I said, I was about to call you before you called me.”

“What about?” asked Grace, the feeling in the pit of her stomach growing more intense.

“Well,” said Powell, “this unfortunate business of a body in a van fire.”

“Do you know about that?”

“I do now,” replied Powell. “It does help to keep one’s finger on the pulse.” He quickly ate another three digestives before continuing. “There is a police website that lists… well, shall we say the unsavoury things that happen in their day-to-day engagements. And although they put out press releases, appealing for witnesses to crimes, they usually post it on their site immediately, which can of course produce much quicker results.

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