Stalking The Ripper: A British Murder Mystery (DI Declan Walsh Crime Thrillers Book 11) (Detective Inspector Declan Walsh) by Jack Gatland

Author:Jack Gatland [Gatland, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hooded Man Media
Published: 2022-07-16T16:00:00+00:00

15

NIGHT MOVES

Declan arrived back in Hurley just before nine in the evening, having made good time after leaving Whitehall.

When he entered the living room, he saw Anjli had left a note on the coffee table, saying she’d gone for a late dinner at The Olde Bell, and so even though he’d likely missed last food orders, Declan grabbed his jacket and headed over there.

He hadn’t expected date night or anything, but at the same time, he hadn’t expected any kind of intervention.

‘About time you turned up,’ Monroe said, pushing his finished dinner plate away as he placed the napkin on top. ‘Thought you’d left us for a life in politics.’

‘Guv,’ Declan replied, frowning. ‘You’re a bit out of your patch, aren’t you?’

‘Had a craving for the pie they do here,’ Monroe tapped with a fingernail on the plate. ‘You should try it. Very good.’

Declan glanced at his watch; it was past nine, and the kitchen was closed.

‘You knew the answer to that before you said it,’ he muttered. ‘This is why we don’t invite you to parties.’

‘You don’t invite me to parties, because you hate parties,’ Monroe picked a piece of food out of his tooth as he replied. ‘You’re miserable, Declan. I fear for the bonnie lass here. She’ll waste away, stuck in your basement.’

‘I don’t have a basement.’

‘Aye, and you didn’t have a secret crime room either, until you had to show us it,’ Monroe patted his stomach approvingly. ‘I look forward to the basement visit.’

‘I had looked forward to food, but now I’ll just have crisps, I suppose,’ Declan turned to the bar, ignoring the rumbling in his stomach.

‘Don’t worry, I asked Dave to hold off closing the kitchen for you,’ Anjli grinned. ‘I knew that cheapskate Baker wouldn’t cover dinner, and I guessed you’d get out as quick as you could.’

‘I wasn’t in there long enough for food,’ Declan said, walking over to the bar, where Dave, the portly, smiling barman nodded to him.

‘Round for the table, yours being a Guinness?’ he asked, pouring the moment Declan nodded.

‘And a chicken and mushroom pie,’ Declan replied. ‘As long as it’s a pie, and not a—‘

‘A casserole in a dish with some puff pastry on top,’ Dave the barman finished. ‘I know. I’ll pass them over. Your man there’s started a tab and said this all goes on it.’

Nodding, Declan walked back to the table.

‘Thanks for buying dinner,’ he said to Monroe as he sat down on one of the two spare chairs, with Monroe now to his right and Anjli to his left. ‘I’m trying the pie. Apparently, some people around here speak quite highly of it.’

‘Who said I’m buying dinner?’ Monroe raised an eyebrow. ‘I only set up a tab.’

Declan said nothing, deciding not to reply. Monroe was just baiting him; which meant that he was either in a mischievous mood, had information, or was waiting for some, the latter with the patience of a small child.

‘So what did you learn from Baker?’ The banter over and now back to business, Monroe leant back, stretching.

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