DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 by Kerry Wilkinson Read Free Book Online Page B

briefings were necessary because of the number of people who had to be organised and assigned to various
roles. It was that type of work which made Jessica feel glad she hadn’t been promoted any further. At least as a sergeant she could get out and investigate things. She could see first-hand
how Cole and Reynolds often had their hands tied because they were the ones supposed to be sorting out everyone else. It also helped that they trusted her enough to get on with the job.
    Keith Nunns was exactly how Jessica would have pictured someone who ran an allotment society. She knew it would be a deeply insulting thing to say out loud but sometimes,
knowing what someone’s job was before seeing them, she found that the person ended up living up to every prejudice and stereotype she felt bad about having. He was somewhere in his late
fifties, short and slightly overweight with narrow strands of hair combed across his head.
    And he could talk.
    He lived with his wife in a semi-detached house not far from the allotment and, after inviting Jessica in, proceeded to give her his life story. Usually she would have taken control and made
sure he addressed the questions she needed answering – but listening to him tell her about his forty-year career in the engineering industry seemed reassuringly normal after everything that
had gone on in the past few days.
    When it seemed as if he was finally running out of steam, Jessica steered the conversation towards the things she needed to know. ‘I was wondering if you could talk me through the process
people go through when they pay their annual fees, Mr Nunns?’ she asked.
    He enthusiastically leapt up from his armchair and started digging in a cupboard underneath the TV, pulling out a large folder and sitting next to Jessica on the sofa. ‘I know I should
really do it all on a computer but I had enough of that at work before retiring. Between you and me, I don’t really know what I’m doing on them beyond what I had to do with my
job.’
    He opened the folder and flicked through the pages. Each one had a number at the top to indicate the plot, followed by a name and address, then a list of payments. Some numbers had multiple
pages assigned to them.
    ‘You’ll notice that I keep the pages for people who gave up their land,’ he added. ‘When someone else takes it on they get a new page but I also hang on to the old one.
I’ve been doing this on and off for twenty-five years now.’ Jessica feared he was about to give her another chunk of his life story but instead he skimmed through to number sixty-one.
‘There’s only one page here,’ he added. ‘The guy who had the records before me has died now and I inherited his information. I copied a lot of it from his notes into my own
files but it has only ever had one owner.’
    Keith tapped his finger on the page and Jessica’s eyes were drawn to the name inked in tidy joined-up handwriting: ‘Glenn Harrison’.
    Jessica scanned down the page and could see the annual deposits written in the same neat writing. The amounts had grown each year as the price increased but everything else seemed
straightforward. ‘I know it sounds like an obvious question,’ Jessica began. ‘But did you ever meet Glenn Harrison?’
    He instantly shook his head. ‘I know it might seem odd but I probably only know around half the people who have plots. Some apply through the council and they’ve been trying to get
people to pay via direct debit. Others are long-term people who pay with cheques or cash. Some of the ones I know personally will give me their money when it’s due.’
    ‘How did Glenn Harrison pay you?’
    ‘I would get an envelope through the door with cash in. It’s not that unusual but admittedly most people see me in person. After I’d taken over the job, it took me a while to
sort out all the separate accounts. A few people used to put cash through my door back then and one or two never stopped.’
    ‘Would you