Read Online Murder in the Neighbourhood: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery by Penelope Sotheby - Free Book Online Page B

computer screen.
    “That’s her,” says Darrell confidently.
     
    They look at her file up on the screen. A few years ago Mrs. Rosalyn Thomas had been charged with intent to commit insider trading fraud. She served a two-year community sentence where she was ordered to meet with a probation officer and a counsellor on a regular basis.
    “She lives in Swansea now sir, and I was able to get hold of her bank records,” says the sergeant. “When I asked the bank manager to send them over, I don’t think he meant to, but he snickered on the phone.”
    Sergeant Webster shows Darrell the printouts from the bank. It is clear from the big, fat negative sign that Mrs. Thomas is not only broke – she’s in the red.
    “Thank you Bob. Now we need to figure out her movements from Swansea to here. Did she really only arrive here the day after Mrs. Jones’ murder?”
    “Already done, sir. She took the train from Swansea to Shrewsbury on Thursday. Then I found records that she hired a car at the railway station.”
    “So she arrived in Shrewsbury two days before Mrs. Jones died. I don’t suppose you’ve located where she’s been staying since she arrived?”
    “She checked into a Bed & Breakfast just outside Apple Mews on Thursday night.”
    “Well done Bob!” Darrell shouts, slapping the sergeant sportsmanlike on the back.
    After nearly choking on his coffee, Sergeant Webster looks delighted to have impressed his superior.
    Darrell races to the phone on his desk and asks the operator to transfer him to the South Wales Police.
    “Hello, this is Inspector Darrell Crothers from the Shrewsbury Police Force. I’d like to talk to someone who may have had dealings with a Mrs. Rosalyn Thomas of Swansea.”
    It just so happens that one of the inspectors who worked Mrs. Thomas’ fraud case is at the station and able to take Darrell’s call. The Welshman tells Darrell that he remembers Mrs. Thomas well. How did he put it? “ He has never seen someone so greedy - so in love with money – in his life.”
    Talking to people who knew her, the Welsh inspector found out that apparently Mrs. Thomas was always wanting to borrow money from people and that she would always try to wiggle her way into people’s lives just to have a large piece of their pie. She was a gambler too and lost lots of money, from making bad investments to making hefty bets at the casino. That’s why, as part of her sentence, she was ordered to seek gambling addiction counselling.
    Darrell hangs up the phone. It’s clear that Mrs. Thomas is quickly climbing her way up to the top of the suspect list, but first there’s something that needs to cleared up once and for all.
    “Bob, thanks again! Your work is the bee’s knees!” says Darrell, grabbing his coat. “I’m headed to Apple Mews to see Richard Butler.”
    Richard lives in a small apartment above Apple Mews’ pub. Before climbing the long staircase to Richard’s front door, Darrell briefly wonders if he should have called some backup.
    At the top of the staircase, Darrell sees a messy pile of newspapers and leaflets littering the front stoop. He gently shoves them out of the way with his foot and knocks on the screen door. After a minute and no answer, Darrell knocks again, harder this time.
    He can hear something inside and then notices one of the slats of the front window blinds move.
     
    “Richard, it’s me, Inspector Darrell Crothers. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just need to have one more chat with you… just to finalize some details. It won’t take long…”
    Darrell can hear the chain slide out of the lock, and the front door slowly opens. In front of him stands Richard, in an undershirt and boxer shorts; his hair is ruffled, and he clearly hasn’t shaved in days. Richard holds open the door without making eye contact with the inspector, and then trudges over to the small sitting room.
    Inside, Darrell’s first instinct is that Richard’s apartment has been ransacked. Upon closer