Due Process by Jane Finch Read Free Book Online Page A

he was sweating.  He was wearing dark trousers and a short-sleeved white shirt.  He must be burning up.
    “You should have brought some shorts to wear,” she remarked.  He looked down at his wool encased legs and smiled.
    “You’re right. I left quickly, didn’t have much time to think about suitable clothing.”
    She smiled.  “We could go inside if you’d like, The air conditioning will be on.”
    “That would be wonderful.”
    He picked up his briefcase and she grabbed her beach bag and they went inside the café. The cool air felt like someone had opened a giant refrigerator door.  They settled at a corner table, ordered some drinks, and he finally seemed more relaxed.
    “Miss Greenwood…”
    “Please call me Sarah.”
    “Sarah…I’m not sure how much you know.  I’ll start from the beginning, and then perhaps you can answer some questions.”
    She sat in silence as he told her what had happened since Tony Purcell disappeared.  Her eyes grew horrified as she heard about the fire, the ramming of the boat, the threat to little Jenny. She gasped when he told her of Paul Justin’s death.  Neither of them touched their drinks as he related the series of events.
    Then it was her turn.  She told him about the inheritance again, how she had struggled at work doing a job she did not enjoy. She related the email she had sent to Tony
    Tony, we need to talk.
    How she just decided to leave, telling no-one.  She had no-one to tell.
    “The Justin case,” he asked, “ was there anything unusual about it?  Did Tony feel unhappy about it?”
    “Not that I remember,” she replied. “He was a strange character, that’s for sure. He had more hair on his face than on his head, and his clothes would be turned down by Oxfam.”
    “Did he ever bring anyone with him when he saw Mr. Purcell?”
    She thought for a moment.
    “No. He always came alone. Tony never made any comment about him, other than to give him one star.”  She explained the star system.
    “He wasn’t a very nice person, Paul Justin, but I’m sorry he’s dead. Was his death suspicious?”
    D.C. Blake shook his head.
    “Nothing conclusive…nothing that can be proved. As the papers have already reported, death was by an overdose of a controlled substance and/or drowning.”
    They paused for a while and sipped their drinks.  The café was buzzing with the sound of the people around them, chatting and laughing.  She didn’t feel like laughing at the moment.
    They went on to discuss her view on Tony’s home life – his marriage, his wife, his work.  Sarah could offer nothing that might give a clue as to his disappearance.
    They ordered more drinks, both lost in their own thoughts.
    “Now that I think about it…”  Sarah began, “there were a lot of mysterious telephone calls.”
    “When, can you remember?”
    “Let me think for a moment.  Yes, it would have been just before I left.  Someone kept asking for Tony but wouldn’t leave his name.  When I told Tony about the calls he told me to give them his mobile number.”
    “So you’ve no idea who it was?” he asked hopefully.
    She shook her head.
    “No, but after that he started getting quite a few text messages.  He didn’t say who they were from but he did seem a little troubled by them.”
    D.C. Blake wrote it all down, anxious not to miss anything of importance.  He checked through what he had written, and then folded the notebook and put it in his briefcase.
    “Thank you, Sarah.  I appreciate your taking the time to talk to me.  If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”  He handed her a card.
    “Do you think Tony is alright?” she asked.
    He shrugged.
    “It’s hard to say. These could be a series of coincidences, but the threats are very real.” He handed her a card. “Please ring me if you think of anything that might help.”
    Sarah Greenwood rubbed her temples. She wasn’t sure just how much she should tell the nice detective.  If he got