DEADLY PARTNERS a gripping British murder mystery by CHRISTINE GREEN

Author:CHRISTINE GREEN [GREEN, CHRISTINE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books crime thriller and cozy mystery
Published: 2023-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The nightmare affected me badly. In the light of a grey December morning I stood staring blankly out of the window. It was all very well trying to find Nigel, who irresponsibly had disappeared, but what about Caroline? Had the police made any progress? Were the Isle of Wight CID capable of dealing with a murder case? After all, the IOW was hardly renowned as the murder capital of the world. This could well be Formbridge’s only experience of murder. For goodness’ sake, I probably had more experience than he! A little warning voice told me to be careful. Just because fictional detectives seemed to have all the suspects lined up like extras in a film didn’t mean I could do the same. Had I even found one solid suspect? Stewart had to be in the running and James Renton, or at least one of his hench men, and Alex, of course, who professed to have loved Caroline once and lost her. He could quite easily have carried his bitterness with him through the years. And who was Adam’s father anyway?

After an early breakfast I found James Renton’s address in the phone book and booked a taxi. The driver, when he finally arrived, was as sullen and silent as the grey skies above Ryde. The journey into the island hinterland was thankfully short, taking only half an hour.

The house, in a hamlet of six or so houses, gave me the impression of 1920s middle-class gentility. There were wide bay windows and timbered gables. Inside I knew there would be high ceilings and deep skirtings, and an attic room where once a maid of all work spent her few measly hours of freedom. Now it would be a study or would house a billiard table. The illusion was shattered by two things: the satellite dish on the side of the house and the sight of two huge Rottweilers who loped excitedly towards me as I approached the front gate. There was a fence and trees and shrubs between the dogs and me, but their legs looked long and powerful and I had the feeling they could be over the fence in seconds. Just as I began backing away a man appeared. Renton. He was tall and wide, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a dark grey pin-striped suit. He looked quite respectable until he opened his mouth and called the dogs. ‘Here, Flash! Here, Thunder! Get inside.’ I heard in his voice the sound of north London; although his accent was pronounced its pitch was the most striking thing; high, squeaky and it certainly didn’t belong with his large head and body.

Once the dogs were inside he came up to the gate. ‘Yes, love, what can I do for you?’

That was the crunch question? I looked past him at the house beyond. ‘I was just admiring your home, it’s wonderful. I’m staying on the island for a while — sort of house-hunting — and I came out here because someone told me there was a house for sale in Little Barstead.

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