Read Online A Deadly Imperfection: Calladine & Bayliss 3 by HH Durrant - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: HH Durrant
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office. ‘I’ve been hanging around the High Street for over an hour waiting for you to show.
‘That’s the nature of this business, I’m afraid. I seem to spent most of time parked up somewhere in my car, camera lens pressed against a window. But you can always get me on my mobile,’ he smiled, handing Rocco a business card.
Rocco pulled his Warrant Card from his pocket. ‘DC Simon Rockliffe, Leesdon CID,’ he introduced himself.
The man stood up and proffered his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, I’m Sandy Cole, Private Investigator,’ he said with a sense of pride.
He was a heavily built man with red hair – hence the name ‘Sandy’, Rocco presumed. He had a florid face and a small moustache and was wearing a tweed jacket, a check shirt and a bow tie. A man with a very individual look and Rocco wondered why he’d never noticed him around Leesdon before.
‘We spoke briefly on the phone earlier about the murder in Hopecross,’ Rocco said sitting on the chair opposite his. ‘You were there, last night, keeping watch on a house down the road. Given the timescale we’re looking at you must have seen the killer pass by. We’re looking for a woman. We don’t know her age but she was possibly dressed as an elderly woman. She’d be going to a house three doors up from the one you were watching.’
Sandy Cole thought for a moment then accessed a file of photos on his computer.
‘This could be her,’ he decided. ‘I snapped her almost unconsciously – I was taking photos of anything that moved – the boredom,’ he laughed. ‘People think I live such a glamorous life but they’re quite wrong – it’s hard slog that wins a case in the end.’
‘Same with us mate,’ Rocco agreed.
‘But I do remember her, mainly because of the way she was walking. She had a stick and was sort of hunched, as if she was in pain. She was talking to herself as well, couldn’t hear what she was saying of course, I was too far away. Anyway it was more mumbling really, as if she was working something out.’
‘Did she have anything with her?’
‘A bag, quite small and tucked under her arm,’ Sandy said examining his images. ‘And the stick, she was leaning on it quite heavily too.’
‘Was the bag big enough to hold a weapon, a large knife for example?’
‘No, it was more like one of these little clutch jobs,’ he explained. ‘Here she is,’ he smiled beckoning Rocco to his desk.
‘Knifed then, was he?’
‘I’m not supposed to say, not yet anyway.’
The image wasn’t particularly clear but Sandy was able to enlarge and enhance it some as Rocco looked. It was definitely a woman. Her face was fuzzy, the light must have been bad but she had the right colour hair, grey and was wearing glasses.
‘It could be the stick, you know.’ He zoomed in closer. ‘See, it’s one of those old jobbies. They often had a blade hidden inside. That could be your murder weapon,’ he said, pointing it out on the screen. I’ll print you a copy,’ Sandy offered. ‘She was going three doors up you said – I’ve got a good one of his other visitor, and unlike this one she was a regular. I’ve been staking out that road for over a week now and she’s there most nights.’
‘Who is? Rocco asked puzzled.
‘She is,’ Sandy said giving him a second photo. ‘And quite a stunner she is too. She very often stays all night – something going on there, mark my words.’
So the good doctor wasn’t so unsociable after all – he’d obviously had a lady friend. But who was she and more to the point why hadn’t she come forward?
***
‘She let you out then,’ Ruth greeted him at her front door. ‘Come in.’
‘I do as I please, Lydia doesn’t run my life you know,’ Calladine replied miffed at her remark. ‘She’d like to but I can be quite firm when pushed.’
‘Glad to hear it. What’s she working on currently?’
‘My
‘That’s the nature of this business, I’m afraid. I seem to spent most of time parked up somewhere in my car, camera lens pressed against a window. But you can always get me on my mobile,’ he smiled, handing Rocco a business card.
Rocco pulled his Warrant Card from his pocket. ‘DC Simon Rockliffe, Leesdon CID,’ he introduced himself.
The man stood up and proffered his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, I’m Sandy Cole, Private Investigator,’ he said with a sense of pride.
He was a heavily built man with red hair – hence the name ‘Sandy’, Rocco presumed. He had a florid face and a small moustache and was wearing a tweed jacket, a check shirt and a bow tie. A man with a very individual look and Rocco wondered why he’d never noticed him around Leesdon before.
‘We spoke briefly on the phone earlier about the murder in Hopecross,’ Rocco said sitting on the chair opposite his. ‘You were there, last night, keeping watch on a house down the road. Given the timescale we’re looking at you must have seen the killer pass by. We’re looking for a woman. We don’t know her age but she was possibly dressed as an elderly woman. She’d be going to a house three doors up from the one you were watching.’
Sandy Cole thought for a moment then accessed a file of photos on his computer.
‘This could be her,’ he decided. ‘I snapped her almost unconsciously – I was taking photos of anything that moved – the boredom,’ he laughed. ‘People think I live such a glamorous life but they’re quite wrong – it’s hard slog that wins a case in the end.’
‘Same with us mate,’ Rocco agreed.
‘But I do remember her, mainly because of the way she was walking. She had a stick and was sort of hunched, as if she was in pain. She was talking to herself as well, couldn’t hear what she was saying of course, I was too far away. Anyway it was more mumbling really, as if she was working something out.’
‘Did she have anything with her?’
‘A bag, quite small and tucked under her arm,’ Sandy said examining his images. ‘And the stick, she was leaning on it quite heavily too.’
‘Was the bag big enough to hold a weapon, a large knife for example?’
‘No, it was more like one of these little clutch jobs,’ he explained. ‘Here she is,’ he smiled beckoning Rocco to his desk.
‘Knifed then, was he?’
‘I’m not supposed to say, not yet anyway.’
The image wasn’t particularly clear but Sandy was able to enlarge and enhance it some as Rocco looked. It was definitely a woman. Her face was fuzzy, the light must have been bad but she had the right colour hair, grey and was wearing glasses.
‘It could be the stick, you know.’ He zoomed in closer. ‘See, it’s one of those old jobbies. They often had a blade hidden inside. That could be your murder weapon,’ he said, pointing it out on the screen. I’ll print you a copy,’ Sandy offered. ‘She was going three doors up you said – I’ve got a good one of his other visitor, and unlike this one she was a regular. I’ve been staking out that road for over a week now and she’s there most nights.’
‘Who is? Rocco asked puzzled.
‘She is,’ Sandy said giving him a second photo. ‘And quite a stunner she is too. She very often stays all night – something going on there, mark my words.’
So the good doctor wasn’t so unsociable after all – he’d obviously had a lady friend. But who was she and more to the point why hadn’t she come forward?
***
‘She let you out then,’ Ruth greeted him at her front door. ‘Come in.’
‘I do as I please, Lydia doesn’t run my life you know,’ Calladine replied miffed at her remark. ‘She’d like to but I can be quite firm when pushed.’
‘Glad to hear it. What’s she working on currently?’
‘My
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