The Case of the Haunted Ghost (The Spirit of the Law Book 2) by Liz Hedgecock

Author:Liz Hedgecock [Hedgecock, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: White Rhino Books
Published: 2023-09-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Steph was back within half an hour, alone. I shot Superintendent Hicks a triumphant look. ‘Was the inspector out?’

‘No, he was in.’ That didn’t account for Steph’s disappointed face.

‘Did you get the chance to talk to him?’

‘Briefly. He was about to go into a meeting, but he said he’d pop round in an hour if he could.’

‘Did you mention Walton Jail – I mean HMP Liverpool? And Adam?’

‘Yes,’ said Steph. ‘He seemed OK with that.’

‘Then why are you fed up?’

‘No reason,’ said Steph. ‘Anyway, I’m not fed up. I’m pleased I managed to get hold of the inspector and he’s taking it seriously. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to the file room. Those files won’t process themselves, unfortunately.’

The superintendent and I exchanged glances as she scurried into the building. ‘What’s up with her?’ I asked.

‘I suspect someone wasn’t in,’ said Superintendent Hicks. ‘Or busy.’

‘But Inspector Farnsworth was in,’ I said. ‘And while he was busy, he wasn’t opposed to our idea and he’s coming over. So Steph should be happy.’

Superintendent Hicks tapped the side of his nose. ‘The mystery deepens.’

‘I do wish you’d stop talking about a mystery. Steph’s my friend. If anything was going on, I’d know.’

‘Of course you would.’ Superintendent Hicks stuck his pipe in his mouth and fumbled for matches.

I left him to it and went up to the detective office. It struck me that we hadn’t used it in this case. Everything had taken place either in the file room, in the yard, or at the Athenaeum. I resolved to speak to Steph about that when she was in a better mood. It was a shame not to use all the station’s facilities.

There was a knock at the door around fifty minutes later, according to the clock Steph had put on the desk. I ran down and hovered while Steph came up from the basement. Superintendent Hicks strolled in, too.

‘I can’t stay long,’ said Inspector Farnsworth, the minute he was inside. ‘I have five minutes before I must be elsewhere.’ Despite his words, his eyes were bright and he looked full of pent-up energy. ‘There’s just enough time to show you what I’ve found.’

‘You found something?’ I cried. ‘How?’

‘I have a subscription to the Ancestry website,’ said the inspector. ‘I did a few searches last night after work, then checked the British Newspaper Archive, and I found John Finley.’ He held up his phone.

‘Should we go to the yard?’ I asked. ‘So that you can get reception?’

He smiled. ‘That’s very modern of you, Nora. However, as I am old-school, I typed up my findings and printed them out.’ He took a folded piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket.

‘In that case,’ I said, ‘shall we go to the detective office?’

‘No time.’ The inspector unfolded the sheet and spread it against the wall. ‘Here he is. John Finley, born the twenty-first of March 1860, son of Thomas and Mary Finley. He’s the seventh of ten children, though several didn’t live long.’

‘Oh no, that’s terrible,’ said Steph.

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