Chapter 11
A tap on the door. It was Taffy. “Sorry, Boss, but I came to give you this.” He placed a thin folder on the desk.
“Is it possible to speak to you about what’s in it, Boss? If you’re not too busy?” He shifted awkwardly, one foot to the other.
Thurstan waved him to a seat. “Go on then.”
Taffy sat down and cleared his throat. “Thing is, Boss, I was minding my own business in the office when this CSI came in, Sheila she said her name was. She was looking for you or Gandalph. Well, I could see you were busy discussing something with the DI and DS Nolan and Gandalph has gone out on an enquiry with the Foetus so I said I would look after it. She wanted to leave it on his desk but I thought, keep it away from prying eyes and all that.”
The DCI nodded sagely.
“Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice the name of the subject in it. Danny Wilson. He used to be a burglar. Earned me a lot of overtime in his day, he did. He was a good burglar but his sense of direction wasn’t all it should have been, that’s why I kept catching him. The good thing is he never put up a struggle and always had it if you’d caught him bang to rights, if you know what I mean.”
Thurstan nodded and flipped quickly through the file. He looked up. “So you’ve read it?”
Taffy looked slightly abashed. “Only because you were taking so long, Boss.”
“So it’s my fault now, is it?”
“No, I’m... I’m not saying that, Boss. Just curiosity got the better of me. That’s why I wanted to speak to you. Danny Wilson isn’t one to get involved in this sort of thing. Yes, he used to be a bit of a scally but he’s been clean of convictions for quite a —”
“Maybe his sense of direction improved?” Thurstan smiled.
“I take your point, Boss, but my information is, he’s turned a new leaf and he’s been behaving himself all that time. I just can’t see him being responsible for this old man’s death.”
“Who told you it was about an old man’s death? There’s nothing in here,” he replied, tapping the file.
Taffy looked like a small rabbit caught in the headlamp of an equally small bicycle. “Ah! Well, I may have overheard Gandalph the other day in the canteen when he was talking to this Sheila girl. Just a snippet. But, I am a Detective, after all.”
They were silent.
The DCI flicked through the file. “Well, oddly enough, his prints are all over the kitchen, the cup next to the sink and all the glasses on the shelf bar one, which is wiped perfectly clean.” He sat back. “Ok, so do you know where we find this Danny Wilson now?”
“Yes, Boss. He’s in Copy Lane Custody Suite.”
“I assume he’s not working there?”
Taff shook his head. “Sadly no, Boss. He’s been locked up on suspicion of card fraud.”
“And you still think he’s been behaving himself and couldn’t have done this?”
Taffy shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I do, Boss. And I’d stake my reputation on it.”
“Is that the good reputation or the bad one?”
“Both of them, Boss,” Taffy grinned.
Thurstan looked at his watch. “Ok, I take it you’ve got nothing more pressing to do?” Taffy shook his head.
“Right, grab a job’s car and take me to Copy Lane.”