Chapter 5
The Strolling Bone watched the DCI’s office. He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do but he’d made a promise and felt he had to carry it through.
As he prepared himself, Thurstan wandered out into the corridor. He settled down again, timing was everything.
Forty minutes later, he knew if he was going to do this today it had to be now. With a sheet of paper, printed off the system, he strode purposely across and knocked on the open door.
Thurstan looked up, noting the A4. “Robert, come in. Is that something for me?”
“It’s something I’d like you to look at, Boss. If you’ve got the time. But I need to explain something to you first, if you don’t mind?”
“Ok, take a seat.” The DCI leaned back in his chair.
Bob sat down and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you were aware but I’m a member of Liverpool Harriers.” Thurstan nodded.
“Well, we had a race meeting the other day and this guy from one of the other teams must have found out I was in the Police and he collared me afterwards. Apparently, an old man he knew from way back died, suddenly, a couple of months ago here in Liverpool. He lived on his own. It was looked into by the Area CID. Nothing outwardly suspicious, no suicide note, the post mortem concluded that death was due to a combination of too many sleeping tablets and positional asphyxiation, so it was put down by the coroner as misadventure.”
“And what’s changed?”
He looked slightly embarrassed. “Well, nothing really. It’s just that this bloke says he last saw the old fella about a week before his death and he seemed to be worried about something. Almost scared is the way the bloke described it. He accepted the enquiry results initially but now he’s had time to think.”
“And?”
“Well, he just thinks something’s not right.”
“Anything else?”
“No, Boss, that’s it, apart from it looks like only partial forensics were done, probably because it appeared to be non-suspicious.”
Thurstan sat forward, elbows on the desk. “And he asked you if you could look into it and you said you would?” A little smile played across his lips. He’d been there before.
Bob flushed. “What could I do, Boss? And to be honest, from what he told me and what I’ve seen on Niche there are some questions raised.”
“Ok. Give me that.” He indicated the printout. “Where’s your tormenter now?”
“He’s still in Liverpool, Boss, on business. I’ve got his number here.”