Mrs Capper's Christmas: Mrs Capper's Casebook #1 by David W Robinson

Author:David W Robinson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2021-11-29T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

I broke not only the speed limit and the rule of a lifetime (certainly my recent lifetime) but also the law (again) by speaking to Kim on the smartphone as I sped down Moor Road towards town. And it was not hands-free. My car was not set up for hands-free. I’d pestered Dennis time and time again, but he said it was down to Lester Grimes – Haxford Fixers’ theoretical electrical wizard – and Lester hadn’t found the time. What Dennis really meant was Lester didn’t like working for nothing and Dennis could be relied upon not to pay him for the job, at least not at company rates.

“I’d pay him as a guvvy, but I’m not tipping up full whack for it,” Dennis once told me.

‘Guvvy’ was an old Yorkshire slang word for a cash job done outside the firm’s time, usually without the boss’ knowledge or blessing. It’s what tradesmen in most walks of life and other parts of the country would call a ‘foreigner’, the kind of back pocket payment which the taxman never got to know about. And Dennis knew all about guvvies. He did his share when he worked for Addison’s, and even now, I’m not sure that all his work went through the Haxford Fixers’ books.

Kim was not a happy bunny when I got through to her. “It’s turned quarter past four, Chrissy, and you know what Alden’s like. The doors are shut, bolted and alarmed at ten seconds past half past. In fact, he’s making his rounds right now, chucking the punters out. You’ll never make it.”

“You can’t hang about another fifteen minutes, Kim?”

“Wouldn’t bother me, but he won’t have it, especially the state he’s in, and I’m only an assistant. I don’t have any keys.”

I had to accelerate my thinking as fast as I accelerated the car. “Listen, Kim, you must have a spare memory stick kicking about the place.”

“Technically, officially, no. They’re supposed to be banned to stop people downloading stuff off the web. Come on, Chrissy, you know the rules as well as anyone.”

And I did. Users were supposed to ask for printouts if they wanted anything from the web, and of course, the library charged 50p per sheet for printouts. And there was I thinking public libraries were not about making money. “Kim,” I pleaded, “I need that download if I’m ever gonna find your book thief. Think of it this way. Alden must be really low right now. If I could pin down your thief, it would lift him a tiny bit, wouldn’t it?”

She was persuaded. “Let me have a scout about. As I say, we’re not supposed to have any memory sticks on site, but Alden’s completely out of it this afternoon. He’s running on autopilot. I’ll bet there’s a couple knocking about somewhere.”

“Well, if you find one, do me a favour and download this afternoon’s security video. I’ll get the memory stick back to you tomorrow.”

“Okey-dokey. Where do you wanna meet? Car park behind us or would you fancy a snifter?”

“What about Alden? I thought he was going to stay with you.

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