Ahead of his Time, Adrian Cousins [short story to read .txt] 📗

I waited on the doorstep as the woman approached.

“Mr Apsley?”

“Yes.”

“DI French.” She held out her hand.

“Frenchie! Yes, I thought I recognised you.”

“It’s DI French, sir. Not Frenchie.”

With me firmly put in my place, we shook hands.

“Well, err … how can I help?” I asked, as Jenny joined me on the doorstep.

Frenchie held out a brass Zippo lighter with the initial J engraved on the front. “Sir, I believe this belongs to you?”

“Oh, darling, that’s the one I bought you, and you lost years ago.”

“Good grief, it is! But why on earth would you, a Detective Inspector, be returning lost property?”

Frenchie smiled. “I guessed it was yours, and my hunch was correct.”

I wasn’t sure I was particularly comfortable where this conversation was now heading. With all the events of ten years ago, and now a DI returning a lost cigarette lighter suggested something was up.

“Sir, we’ve been closing down some old cases and archiving evidence. This lighter was in the evidence box from a car crash ten years ago.” Frenchie stared at me.

“Oh?”

“It was the car crash that killed Paul Colney, but you’d know that because you were in the car that day?” She raised her eyebrows and shifted her sizable chest fully in my direction, and smiled again. It was a question, not a statement.

Not wishing to incriminate myself any further, I held my newly returned lighter and kept schtum.

“Yes, well, we both know I’m right. Anyway, I thought I’d let you know we’ve arrested Andrew Colney on four counts of rape.”

I shot Jenny a surprised look and then turned back to Frenchie. “Andrew Colney?”

“Yes, sir. Brothers alike, wouldn’t you say?”

I nodded. Frenchie knew, as I’d always known, that Paul Colney was a rapist. But this new revelation suggested that Martin’s real father was Andrew and not Paul as I’d always thought. Thank God I’d seen Sarah Moore last night, as apart from a bust-up with her boyfriend, she didn’t appear to be a recent victim of rape.

“Well, sir, that’s all from me. Just thought you’d like to know.”

“Oh, why?” I asked Frenchie, as she turned to go.

“Mr Apsley, I know you were there the day David Colney died, and something tells me you and Mr Nears always knew more than you were telling.”

Frenchie raised her eyebrows again, moving her statement to a question, but again I kept schtum. Jenny’s grip on my arm tightened.

Frenchie continued, “I also know you had an interest in Patrick Colney as you were in court that day he was convicted of attempted murder … and I know you were in that car when Paul Colney died.” She looked down at the Zippo lighter that lay in my hand.

All three of us stayed silent for a moment as Frenchie’s ideas hung in the air. This was a blink first game which I wasn’t prepared to lose.

“So, Mr Apsley, both you and I know what evil that family represented. I thought you would like to know I’ve dealt with the last one of those evil brothers. I think you were instrumental in the three others’ demise, and I also think you were ahead of your time. Our lot, the police, have just caught up.”

“Right,” I replied and nodded.

“Don’t suppose you’re ever going to tell me who was driving that car the day Paul died?”

I returned a tight smile and gave the slightest shake of my head.

Frenchie smiled. “Thought not. As I said, Mr Apsley, I think you were ahead of your time.”

Jenny’s grip on my arm released as the tension fell. Frenchie turned and walked back down the drive.

“DI French,” Jenny called out.

Frenchie turned and glanced back.

“You’re correct in what you say. My husband is ahead of this time.”

~

This book is the second book in the Jason Apsley series. For now, I’m letting Jason and the other characters have a well-earned rest after they have successfully removed the evil Colney family from Fairfield. But hey, maybe they might return again as surely the criminal matriarch, Shirley Colney, can’t wither and die without a last hurrah … we’ll see.

Eye of Time – my new time travel – second chance thriller will be published in late Autumn of 2021 – I hope you have the opportunity to catch that book.

Thank you for reading this book and my first book, Jason Apsley’s Second Chance. If you enjoyed reading this book, I would like to ask a small favour – if I may? I will be so grateful if you could leave a review on Amazon – as a new author, it will undoubtedly help to get me established – I’ll hugely appreciate it.

For more information about Adrian and to sign-up for updates on new releases, drop onto my website; you can also find my page on Facebook.

www.adriancousins.co.uk

facebook.com/adriancousinsauthor

Penultimately, thank you to Adele, Brenda, Lisa, Ricky, and Andy, my beta readers, and Jacky for your suggestions.

And of course, a huge thank you to Sian Phillips, my editor, who makes everything come together – I’m so grateful.

Finally – thank you for reading.