Read Online A Death to Remember by Roger Ormerod - Free Book Online Page B

cup, sipping it, looking up.
    ‘ You put sugar in it.’
    ‘ Sorry. You on a diet?’
    ‘ Prison food. You know.’
    ‘ I can guess.’
    Then we stared at each other, aware that we were talking round what we didn’t want to face.
    ‘ Then who d’you think it could be?’ he asked anxiously.
    ‘ Let’s just wait, shall we.’
    At that moment a police patrol car drew on to the forecourt and two uniformed officers stepped out, eyes seeking and probing in all directions. By the time I’d got out to meet them, a grey Renault drove in from the other direction, doing a skid stop. Two more men, in casual clothes. One of them I knew, having had various dealings with the local CID on minor fraud cases. Sergeant Bill Porter, solid and humourless and unflappable. He had been the one to visit me, officially, several times at the convalescent home. It was to him I naturally turned.
    ‘ It’s in there, Bill.’
    I pointed at the boot of the Volvo. He nodded. No greeting. He went and lifted the boot lid, stared, prodded gently, and stepped back, slamming it again. Then he had a few words with his mate, who returned to the Renault and began to talk on his radio, and to the two uniformed men, who began to remove no-go signs from the back of the Rover.
    ‘ I’ll need to speak to the boss,’ said Porter. ‘Know where he is?’
    I jerked a thumb. ‘He’s in there.’
    ‘ Will you dig him out for me – I’d better stay here.’
    I nodded, and turned on my heel. Clayton was slumped over the coffee cup, which was now the centre of his universe. I told him he was wanted outside. He shook his head, I thought at first in refusal, but he began levering himself to his feet.
    ‘ You know what they’ll think. It’ll have to be me.’ He’d said it in despair. Then he stared at me belligerently. ‘Once you’ve been inside...’
    ‘ Don’t start on that again, and for God’s sake try to get a hold on yourself. We know nothing yet. Nothing. Come on, he’s waiting.’
    But not with impatience. Sergeant Porter was smoking placidly. He turned as we approached, and if he recognised Clayton – he’d surely have done so – there was no sign of it.
    ‘ I’m afraid we’re going to be causing you some trouble, sir,’ he said. ‘There’ll be some big brass around, and this area’s going to be cordoned off. It’ll be inconvenient, I know. But it can’t be helped. Sorry.’
    Clayton flapped a bit, not sure what his attitude was supposed to be, then he wandered away to watch what the uniformed men were doing, checking how many pumps could now be operated, and went to tell his staff what it was all about. He was back in business.
    ‘ What d’you know about this, Cliff?’ the sergeant asked.
    ‘ It’s my car. It’s been stored here since the assault...’ He nodded. ‘I came to pick it up. They’d got it ready for the road. I found that in the boot.’
    ‘ The car’s been here...how long?’
    ‘ Sixteen months.’
    ‘H mm! A bit of unpleasant work for the pathologist, then. I’ll be talking to you later. Hang around.’ He nodded. I wandered away.
    He ’d sounded friendly, but I didn’t know how long that would last. I went to find Clayton.
    There was an uneasy silence in the repair section at the back. The corrugated walls were not ringing with activity. I found the four men in a corner, gathered around Clayton, who was telling them what had happened to the best of his knowledge.
    This was the first time I’d got a good look at them without their face masks and the right way up. I didn’t recognise one of them, then wondered why I should expect to. Clayton saw me watching and thrust his way through the group, coming over to seize my arm.
    ‘ What’s happening?’
    ‘ Nothing yet. Try to relax, can’t you. Are these the men who were here the day I came...’
    ‘ Have we got to talk about that, with this happening?’
    ‘ Seems a good time. We’ll be stuck here for hours. Were they?’
    ‘ You know damn well