Read Online A Killing Resurrected by Frank Smith - Free Book Online

‘You are Mr Taylor, I take it?’
    The welcoming smile disappeared. ‘That’s right,’ the man said neutrally.
    David Taylor was shorter than Paget by an inch or two. His broad shoulders, short neck, and well-muscled arms made him look more like a rugby player than Paget’s idea of an artist. Paget glanced around the empty shop. ‘Can we talk here or . . .?’
    â€˜As I told you on the phone, I’m here alone, so if customers come in I shall have to attend to them.’
    â€˜In that case, I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.’
    â€˜Good. So let’s get to the point, shall we? Claire said she told you that Barry Grant and I were friends, but I’ll tell you what I told her.’ Taylor repeated what he had told Claire, concluding with: ‘I hardly ever saw Barry after I went off to Slade, but I heard about him from my brother, Kevin, who said he’d run into Barry at university in Leeds. Barry had always been crazy about cars, so the Grants packed him off to Leeds to take Mechanical Engineering. Kevin was three or four years older than Barry, but Barry sought him out and said he was a friend of mine and that I had told him to look Kevin up when he got to Leeds.’
    â€˜And you hadn’t?’
    â€˜Lord, no. That’s the last thing I would have done.’
    â€˜Your brother is Kevin Taylor? A solicitor? Is he with Bradshaw, Lewis and Mortimer, by any chance?’
    â€˜That’s right. You know him, then?’
    â€˜I haven’t dealt with him directly, no, but I met him briefly when my father died. Mr Bradshaw was the one who dealt with my father’s will.’
    â€˜Who is also Kevin’s father-in-law.’
    â€˜Sorry?’
    â€˜Ed Bradshaw is Kevin’s wife’s father. Kevin met Stephanie Bradshaw at university, and they were married at the end of their third year there. Kev was taking Law, and Steph was taking Business Administration. When Kevin got his degree, Ed offered him a job with the firm. Kevin is a pretty bright lad, and I expect he’ll become a full partner in the firm when Mortimer retires at the end of the year.’
    â€˜So, if I understand you correctly, you’re saying that while your brother Kevin, Stephanie Bradshaw, and Barry Grant were all at university together, they weren’t close friends?’
    â€˜Far from it,’ David said emphatically. ‘In fact I’m sure they went out of their way to avoid him, so there’s no need to go pestering Kevin and Steph with your questions about Barry.’
    Paget raised an eyebrow. ‘Pestering?’ he said mildly. ‘I would have thought that, now we have been given a second chance to find out who killed your father, you and your brother would be only too happy to help us with our enquiries. Until Miss Hammond came to us with new information, the case was as good as dead, and the killers had nothing to fear. But now we know that Barry Grant and friends of his were involved – although “friends” might be too strong a word, considering the way he claims he was treated by them. Miss Hammond couldn’t tell us who his friends were, but she thought you might know. So tell me, why are you so reluctant to talk to me?’
    Colour darkened David’s face. ‘Perhaps it’s because I don’t take kindly to being suspected of having killed my own father,’ he said tightly. ‘According to Claire—’
    â€˜Ah! So that’s it, is it?’ Paget broke in. ‘She told you that I had asked if she thought you might have been involved. Did she also tell you why I asked that? Did she tell you the reason Barry gave for the killing of your father?’
    â€˜She said Dad recognized one of the robbers.’
    â€˜And did she tell you that Barry said he couldn’t face you after that?’
    â€˜Yes, but . . .’ David looked puzzled.
    â€˜So I asked myself why he