The Ravenswood Murders by Helen H. Durrant

Author:Helen H. Durrant [DURRANT, HELEN H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-six

Friday

Neil Barrow and Roger Wallis were at the front door of Albert Whitton’s cottage. “You mean someone actually lives in this dump?” Barrow said. “It’s fit for nothing but tearing down.”

Wallis could see what his colleague meant. The cottage sat in the middle of a large tract of land and had a spectacular view of the hills, but it had been left to go to rack and ruin. Nothing had been done to the house or the garden in what looked like years.

“He’s a gardener too,” Wallis commented, surveying the knee-high weeds. “You’d think at least he’d make an effort with that.”

“Let’s get this waste of time over with,” Barrow said.

“We don’t know that,” Wallis said. “This man is connected to the Kendrick family and until we found out about Reagan, the boss was convinced that one of them was responsible for the deaths of those girls.”

“She’s not said as much,” Barrow replied. “Anyway, let’s face it, the boss is clueless and she’s wasting her time hounding Reagan. We all know that what happened to those girls is not his style. Now this little detour. We need to get on with the job and stop pissing about.”

“DCI Rossi is nothing if not thorough and she trusts her instincts,” Wallis said, giving the dilapidated front door a bang. “I’ve worked with her before and take my word for it, her instincts are spot on.” He pounded the door again, sending flakes of paint to the ground. “Mr Whitton! Are you there?”

“What d’you want?” The croaky voice came from behind them, his words followed by a prolonged bout of coughing. “You’re trespassing, and I don’t take kindly to folk wandering over my land.”

The man who’d addressed them looked as unkempt as the cottage. He wore an old jumper that was fraying at the elbows.

“Albert Whitton?” Barrow asked.

“Who wants to know?”

“We’re police,” Wallis told him, flashing his badge.

“That means nowt to me. This is my land, and I want you off it.”

“A quick look round, that’s all we want. Surely you can’t object to that.”

Whitton coughed again, cleared his throat and spat. “Well, I have. I don’t want strangers poking around my home, and particularly not the bloody police.”

“When was the last time you saw your wife?” Wallis asked.

“Why, what’s she done now?”

“Just answer the question, Mr Whitton,” Barrow said.

“She walked out a couple of years ago and I haven’t seen her since. Good riddance, that’s what I say.”

“D’you mind if we come in?” Wallis asked. “We’ll have a quick look around and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Yes, I bloody well do mind. This is my home, so do one or I’ll set the dog on you.”

This wasn’t going to be easy. Barrow could see the day stretching out in front of him. They had better things to do than waste their time trying to reason with Whitton. “Okay, if that’s how you want to play it, we’ll leave you in peace, but you’ve not seen the last of us. We’ll be back with a warrant and believe me you won’t want that.

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