The Whitby Murders (A Yorkshire Murder Mystery), J. Ellis [free ebook novel TXT] 📗

on it, sir,’ said Granger, and then she changed the subject. ‘I thought you’d like to know we’ve tied up most of the loose ends. Your sergeant sent me a report. The painting was found undamaged in Morton’s room in his shared house in London. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen to it.’

‘Let’s hope it finds its way to one of the public galleries.’

‘Yes. He also found a knife which was probably the one which Morton used to stab Barnes. That’s at the lab. There was also the trick knife with a retracting blade as you predicted. As you know we’ve got the gun which proves that Pesku, as we call her, shot Holgate. There’s not much forensic evidence to link either of them to the murder of Hugh Preston, but plenty of circumstantial stuff. The thing is though, as they’ve both confessed, a lot of the evidence probably won’t be needed. It’ll be a judgement by the court as to whether Morton controlled Pesku. They’re not denying that they’re guilty. Oh, and by the way, the game’s up for the Withingtons, too. I’ve got another team investigating their activities and they’ve uncovered a whole network of fraudulent goings on in the world of fake jewellery. I’m expecting some arrests soon.’

‘Good, well, you don’t need me anymore then.’

‘No,’ replied Granger rather sadly. ‘It’s been great working with you again, sir.’

Oldroyd smiled as they shook hands. ‘The feeling’s mutual. Although I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it in the circumstances; far too personal.’

‘I can appreciate that. Please pass on my best wishes to your daughter.’

‘And mine to yours. Is she okay?’

‘Yes, she’ll be fine. To tell you the truth a bit of a shock might do her good and make her take life a bit more seriously. I’m hoping she’ll knuckle down to her studies now. The fact is she’s bright but she’s just been coasting for a while. As Bill’s not around a lot of the time, the responsibility for cracking the whip falls to me.’

Oldroyd laughed. ‘It’s only teenage angst. If it’s any consolation, Louise went through a similar phase at the same age and she got over it. And I have to confess I left most of it to my wife because we were separated by then. We men still have a lot to learn, but it’s not that we don’t care.’ He paused, thinking about Louise again. ‘Anyway, keep up the good work here in Whitby. I’m proud when I see people brought up at Harrogate HQ being so successful.’

‘Thank you, sir and give my best wishes to everyone back at Harrogate. I have a lot of fond memories.’

Andy got back to Leeds in the late morning. He’d already spoken to Oldroyd and Steph about what had happened.

‘Where’s the hero of the moment?’ he called out as he entered their apartment overlooking the River Aire in Leeds.

‘In here,’ Steph replied from the living room where she was watching television.

Andy took off his coat and went in. Steph, still in her dressing gown, got up from the sofa.

‘Hey, well done,’ said Andy as they embraced. ‘You were brilliant.’

‘Maybe,’ replied Steph, who was feeling drained after the excitement of the day before. ‘I’m relieved it came out right in the end.’

‘That’s an understatement. You saved his daughter’s life. You’ll be permanently in favour with him now.’

‘Andy! It’s not about that.’

‘You’ll be his blue-eyed girl even more than before!’ He loved to tease her about their long-running, light-hearted competition about who was most in favour with their boss.

‘Stop it, it’s serious. If we hadn’t been there Morton would have killed her.’

‘Okay, I know, I’m only teasing. I’m just jealous. The only important things we found were the knives in Morton’s flat and the painting. That bloke was creepy though. He has a giant ego and he’s a big vampire freak.’ He told her about the series of photographs and the paintings.

‘Yuck. Well, the painting was what the whole thing was about in the end, wasn’t it?’

‘Yeah, and I’ll tell you, it’s nothing to write home about. Just a picture of a woman biting a man; she’s supposed to be a vampire, I think. The thing that puzzles me is why something like that is worth so much money. I wouldn’t put it on my wall.’

‘It’s because it’s by a famous artist, Edvard Munch, and it’s been missing for a long time. That gets the art collectors excited, doesn’t it?’

‘I suppose so. Anyway, apart from finding that I’ve seen no real action down there, just a lot of interviews in offices.’ He smiled at her. ‘In fact, I’m ready for a bit of excitement myself.’

‘Look at him. He’s not been in the place two minutes but I’m so gorgeous he can’t resist me!’ she laughed.

‘Something like that.’

‘You’d better be a good boy then and carry me in. I’m tired after all my outstanding efforts.’

Andy scooped her up in his arms and she laughed again as he took her down to the bedroom.

Louise was lying on the sofa in the darkened sitting room at her mother’s house in Chapel Allerton when Oldroyd came quietly into the room. He put his hand lightly on her shoulder and whispered ‘Lou?’ It had been his pet name for her when she was a little girl. He hadn’t called her that for years.

She stirred. ‘Dad, is that you?’

‘Yes, love.’

She sat up and held out her arms. She burst into tears as they hugged.

‘Oh, Dad!’

He waited for a while as she sobbed on his shoulder. He winced when he saw the red mark round her neck. Then she lay down again and he sat on the floor beside the sofa. She propped herself up a little.

‘I’m sorry, Dad, I feel such an idiot. You couldn’t get through to me because my phone was dead and I had no idea that . . .’ She couldn’t continue and cried again.

‘Don’t blame yourself. He took us all in for a long time.’

‘But I