Read Online Murder Comes Calling by C. S. Challinor - Free Book Online

upstairs and down, while she asked questions about the neighbourhood. What were the neighbours like? What did they do? Was it safe and quiet? I told her it was for the most part. But I didn’t get the impression this couple would fit in that well. They looked like they should be living in some yuppie suburb. Her, anyway. I don’t know if her diamonds were real, but they looked it, and she was wrapped in white fur, and wore white suede ankle-length boots. White! Hardly practical.”
    “And the man?”
    “Heavy overcoat, leather gloves.”
    Rex nodded as he took down notes in his pad. “Did they say if they liked the house?”
    “They said it was lovely, but after all the looking around and opening cupboards, they said they needed four bedrooms because they planned to start a family.”
    “A large family,” Rex suggested, and was again rewarded with a smile.
    Malcolm coughed. “And you never heard from them again?”
    “No.” Charlotte shrugged in defeat. “I just got their names. But I’ll tell you what else was odd … ”
    Rex leaned attentively across the coffee table. “Go on.”
    “Well, the next day I ran into Ernest Blackwell at the greengrocer’s in Godminton. I asked if he was having any luck selling his house, because I wasn’t. And he said that only the day before he’d had a young couple from Argentina who were very interested and said they’d be back. Well, you don’t get many young couples around here, but age is relative, so to an old man like Ernest anyone below forty-five would be young. My couple were in their early thirties. And I thought I might have mistaken the accent. So I asked him what they looked like, just to be sure, and it was them! The broad-shouldered bloke, the beautiful blonde in the white fur. You could tell Ernest was quite smitten. But what got me was the fact they had said they were looking for four bedrooms, and Ernest has the exact same floor plan as me, the Elm. Only the Oak has four bedrooms.”
    “I have the Oak,” Malcolm put in with a modest cough. “Most of the homes on Badger Court are Oaks.”
    “Perhaps they liked the fact that Ernest’s house backs onto woods,” Rex pointed out.
    “It’s possible. But, all put together, it seemed strange. I mean, for one thing, she didn’t look like she was from Argentina. And him, apart from the hair and eyes? I don’t think so.”
    “The world had become a very migratory place,” Malcolm opined. “Even the UK.”
    Rex was well acquainted with his friend’s conservative views, which were hardly relevant to the inquiry. “But Ernest appeared to have no such suspicions?” he asked Charlotte.
    “No, he just seemed happy to have a potential buyer. I’ve had no bites. Even less likely to now,” she said ruefully.
    “How was Chris Walker as a house agent?” Rex asked.
    “Pleasant enough. I’ve never had any issues with him. Who would have thought?” Charlotte hugged her arms and shook her dark locks. “The times he sat on that sofa where you’re seated …” she said, pointing her head in the men’s direction. “Doesn’t really bear thinking about. I’d like to switch agents, but I have an agreement with the firm. In any case, it’s not like Chris Walker’s been convicted, is it?”
    “Innocent until proven guilty,” Rex said.
    “But, in a way, I hope it’s him. Otherwise it means the killer is still at large, and I might be next!” The colour drained from Charlotte’s face. “That’s if it’s true only sellers are being targeted. What if it’s some crazy person in Notting Hamlet who doesn’t want anybody to leave?”
    “If the police are interested in Chris Walker, there’s probably good reason,” Malcolm attempted to reassure her.
    “But why? Why would he murder four of his clients? It doesn’t make sense!”
    Rex had to agree, but he kept quiet. Presumably, the police were equipped with more information than they had released to Malcolm. “Do you know a handyman by the name of