Read Online Blood at the Root by Peter Robinson - Free Book Online

Banks showed her his card.
    If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. “What is it?” she asked. “My name’s Mary, by the way. Mary Mason.”
    “I’ve come about one of your employees. A lad called Jason Fox. I’d like to speak to his boss and workmates, if I can.”
    Mary Mason frowned. “I don’t believe I know the name. Still, there’s a lot of people work here, and I’m quite new to the job.” She smiled. “Do you know what department he’s in?”
    The Foxes hadn’t been that specific, Banks remembered. All he knew was that Jason worked in an office.
    “Well,” Mary said, “at least that lets out the shop floor, doesn’t it? Just a minute.” She tapped away at her computer. A few moments later, she swiveled away from the screen and said, “No. It’s not just me. We don’t have a Jason Fox working here.”
    Banks raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
    “According to payroll records.”
    “Computers make mistakes sometimes.”
    Mary laughed. “Don’t I know it. Every once in a while my mouse starts running wild, all over the place. Nobody’s managed to work out why yet, but they call it ‘mad mouse disease.’ In this case, though, I’d tend to believe the computer. Are you sure he was on the clerical staff?”
    Banks scratched the scar beside his right eye. He wasn’t sure of anything now. “That’s what I was told. Would it be too difficult to check all your employees?”
    Mary shook her head. “No. It’ll take just a little longer. One of the benefits of computers. They do things fast, then you can spend the rest of your time varnishing your fingernails.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    Mary tapped a few keys and did the Ouija-board thing with her mouse, which wasn’t running wild today as far as Banks could tell, then clicked the buttons a few times and squinted at the screen.
    “Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “No Jason Fox anywhere in the company. Maybe he worked for another branch?”
    “You have other branches?”
    “ Rochdale. Coventry. Middlesbrough.”
    “No. His parents definitely said he lived and worked in Leeds. Look, are there any back records you can check, just in case?” It was probably pointless, but it was worth a look while he was here.
    “I can search the files for the past few years, if you’ve got a bit of patience left.”
    Banks smiled. “If you would, please. I’ve got plenty of patience.”
    Mary returned to her computer. Banks found himself tapping his foot on the floor as he waited. He wanted a cigarette. No chance in here; you just had to sniff the air.
    Finally, with a frown creasing her brow, Mary whistled and said, “Well, what do you know…?”
    “You’ve found him?”
    “I have indeed.”
    “And?”
    “Jason Fox. Can’t be two, I don’t suppose?”
    “I doubt it.”
    “Well, according to our records, he left the company two years ago after working for us for only one year.”
    Now it was Banks’s turn to frown. “He left? I don’t understand. Why?”
    Mary stared at the screen and pressed her lips together in thought, then she looked at Banks with her warm, dark eyes, smiled and said, “Look, I appreciate that you’re a policeman, and a pretty senior one at that. I also appreciate this might be important, even though you haven’t told me a thing. But personnel records are private. I’m afraid I can’t just go around giving people any information they want at the drop of a hat, or a warrant card. I’m sure you could get a court order, if you really want to know. But I’m only doing my job. I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you any more, even if I knew.”
    “I appreciate that,” said Banks. “Can you tell me anything at all about his time here, about his friends?”
    She shook her head. “As I said, it was before my time. I’ve never heard of him.” She turned to face the others in the office. “Anyone remember a Jason Fox used to work here?”
    All she got in return was blank stares and shaking heads.