The Patron of Lost Causes by Mark Daydy

Author:Mark Daydy [Daydy, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

17. The Dynamic Duo

Later that afternoon, Nick pulled into a parking space in Chichester. Naturally, they hadn’t spoken with Billy Brown over the phone. The whites of his eyes would be seen. Lies would be obvious. Hopefully.

Most of the drive had been Lucy recounting her admin days there. Nick had asked if she still had friends in the city, but this wasn’t something she wanted to explore. She didn’t like flying visits. Had she planned to come back to Sussex for good, then revisiting her little network might have had a point to it, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Getting out of the car, she thought about stopping by Terry Norton’s place before they left Chichester. He was only a few streets away. She quite fancied having Nick alongside when she picked up her watch and necklace.

Maybe she would.

But Nick stole the moment.

“Show me your sanctuary. I never spend enough time in Chichester and yet there’s history at every turn.”

Lucy was pleased. – especially when a planned ten-minute diversion turned into a full-blown expedition to the cathedral, inside and out, the old clock tower, the garden, and the secluded enclave of beautiful old dwellings behind the cathedral.

Eventually, they headed for Billy’s place in the pedestrian zone two hours later than planned. Lucy couldn’t help but glance in shop windows as they made their way through the Saturday crowds – not to view the goods on display but to see her reflection alongside Nick’s.

A short while later, they were outside a charity shop that sold everything from thimbles to secondhand furniture in aid of heart care.

“Ready?” said Nick.

“Ready.”

Inside, they approached a middle-aged man at the counter. Lucy noticed his name badge: Ross.

“Hello, is Billy around?” Nick asked.

“Billy?”

“Billy Brown,” said Lucy. “He’s an old friend.”

“There’s no Billy Brown here.”

Lucy frowned. “Maybe he’s called Bill then. Or William or Will or Willy?”

“An old friend, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, I don’t know him.”

Lucy was deflated. It was an all too sudden arrival at the end of a strong lead.

“Our mistake,” said Nick. “Has this been a charity shop long?”

“Seven years or so.”

“I’m guessing we’ve missed Billy by that amount of time then. Do you know what the premises was used for before the charity took over?”

“Sorry, no. Business services, maybe. You could try the landlord. I think they’ve owned the place a long time. They might know something.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nick and Lucy were outside Charterhouse, an estate agent and property management outfit on the other side of Chichester. In the window, alongside photos of houses for sale and shops to let, a board explained that Charterhouse owned properties as well as managing, selling and letting properties for residential and commercial clients.

Inside, a young man in a sharp suit was quickly upon them.

“Hi, I’m Rob Greer. How can I help?”

Lucy decided to take the initiative.

“I’m Lucy Holt, this is Nick Taylor. We’re trying to locate a man called William Brown. He used to lease one of your properties not far from here. It’s a charity shop now, but William might have used it for something else – business services, possibly.

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