Inspector Jameson Murder Mystery Box Set

By Steve Graham

This box set contains the first three books in the popular Inspector Jameson Murder Mystery Series.
A Reason For Murder - When a body is discovered in a local park, it was to be the start of a series of murders that would have the residents of Helperton locking their doors, afraid to venture out.
Born Evil - When the body of a young woman is discovered, partially buried in the woods, it was to be the start of something, the likes of which Helperton police had never seen before.
Too Young To Die - A young girl fails to return home, after a night out with her boyfriend, and she is later found brutally murdered.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Graham
• Release date: Nov 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463750568

Steve Graham

Steve Graham is a retired financial adviser, who now lives in Staffordshire. He is married to Anita and they have four children – Lynne, John, Diana and Gary, and three grandchildren – Logan, Dylan and Sami. Not forgetting their dog Stan, a Springer Spaniel / Border Collie cross, that is loved by them all. Now that he has retired, Steve spends most of his time doing the things that he enjoys most, which includes writing, walking. Carp fishing, and looking after his grandchildren.

Book preview

Phil Blacklaw felt like he was the luckiest man alive. He was thirty two years of age, and very happily married to his wife Jane, whom he adored. They`d been married for seven years, and he loved her just as much as on that sunny day in June when they`d both said I do. He was a football fan, and played in a five-a-side team at the local leisure centre, every Thursday evening. He also supported Nottingham Forest, as had his father before him, although he hadn`t been to quite so many games in the last few years. These days he was happy to spend time at home with Jane. The couple had not long discovered that Jane was expecting their first child, which had just made everything even more perfect. When they`d gone to hospital for the first scan, they`d been told that the child was a boy, and Phil had spent countless days converting the spare room into a nursery. He`d painted the room a lovely shade of blue, and then spent hours building a cot in the corner of the room. He`d made the cot out of oak, and patiently shaped and sanded each piece until it was perfect. He loved working with wood. His father had been a carpenter, and had taught him all about carpentry, when he was quite young. He still had all of his father’s tools too, and it was with these that he`d made the cot. Jane had bought a mobile, which she`d hung above the cot. There were half a dozen Disney characters, in various bright colours, which hung from it, and she thought that it finished off the nursery nicely.

Their house was a small two bedroomed terraced property in Lansbury Road Helperton. There was a tiny paved area at the front, and a very small lawned garden at the back, with six slabs leading to a rotary washing line, a shed in one corner and not much room for anything else. Phil and Jane had talked about moving to a larger house after their son was born, one with a bigger back garden so that he`d have somewhere to play.

‘After all, if he`s going to play for Forest one day, he`s going to need somewhere to practice.’ Phil had jokingly told her, and he looked forward to the time when he could watch his son kick his first football.

Phil had worked at Greens Rubber Mouldings for more than ten years, and although it was far from exciting work, it was a steady job, and he had some good mates there, so he was quite content. He was working the 6-2 shift that week and when he arrived home at just after twenty-past two in the afternoon, he found a note from Jane. It said that she`d gone to the library and would then do a bit of shopping in Helperton, but she should be back at about four, or perhaps four-thirty at the latest.

‘I`ll grab a quick sandwich, and then I should just have enough time to watch that cup match that I recorded, before Jane gets back from town.’ he said to himself, as he settled down in front of the television.

After he`d watched the match, Jane still wasn`t back so he thought he`d tidy up the shed a bit. He`d been meaning to do this for some time, but somehow just hadn`t got around to it. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, and he soon had all sorts of tools and other bits and bobs spread all over the ground. He`d taken so much stuff out of the shed, that he could hardly see the small lawned area in his back garden. First there were countless tins and jars, containing nails, screws, nuts and bolts, drill bits and all sorts of other paraphernalia. Then next there was a lawn mower, strimmer, spades, forks, shears, brushes and a rake. There were also dozens of pots of paint, all of different colours. Some of these were less than half full, and several years old. He wondered whether he should throw some of them away, but in the end he decided to keep them.

‘They might come in.’ he said to himself.

There was all of his decorating kit too. A paste table, paint brushes, and then of course all of his dad`s tools, which he would never part with. When he saw all of it lying there in his back garden, he wondered how it could possibly fit into the shed, but eventually it was all put back, and Phil was quite happy that it was tidy at last. As he walked back into the kitchen to wash his hands, he was surprised to see that it was almost six o`clock.

Jane still wasn`t home.

At this point Phil started to get a little bit worried. This just wasn`t like her. Jane was always very organised and punctual. He read the note again and it definitely said that she`d be home by half-past four at the latest, so where was she?

‘I`ll go and ask Mrs Smith if she`s seen her.’ he said to himself.

Molly Smith lived next door at number 53. She was seventy years of age, and they couldn`t have wished for a better neighbour. Unfortunately her husband, Ted, had passed away some five years before, and they`d never been blessed with any children, but Molly thought the world of Jane and treated her rather like the daughter that she`d never had. She`d been delighted when Jane had told her that she was expecting a baby, and she had already bought something for the child, a great big teddy bear with a blue ribbon around its neck. She hadn`t given the present to Phil and Jane yet of course, because that would be bad luck, but she looked forward to the day when Jane brought the little boy home for the first time. Mrs Smith told Phil that she`d seen Jane leave at about half-past one that afternoon, and she`d waved to her, but hadn`t seen her since, so couldn`t really help.

‘Don’t worry Phil, I`m sure she`s just got talking somewhere, and she`ll soon be home.’ she told him.

‘I`m sure you`re right Molly.’ he replied, but when Jane still hadn`t returned by seven, he decided to give her sister a ring.

Judith was Jane`s elder sister, but although she was quite a bit older than Jane, they got on really well and often went shopping together, so Phil hoped that Jane was with her now. Unfortunately Judith said that she hadn`t heard from her for a couple of days.

‘If only she carried a mobile phone.’ she said, but Jane had never owned one. It was a mystery to them both how Jane had managed to run her life without a phone for so long, and they had often laughed about it. At times like these however, it would have been a godsend.

Phil was due to play five-a-side football at the leisure centre at eight o`clock that evening, as he did every Thursday, but he was very worried now, and rang his best mate Steve to say that he wouldn`t be going. That left the team one short, but Phil explained what had happened, and Steve told him not to worry about it. They`d probably be able to find someone to take his place in the team, but if not, they`d just have to manage. Phil had only just put the phone down, after speaking to Steve, when there was a knock at the door.

There were two people standing there – a tall dark-haired man in his early forties and a younger dark-haired woman, probably in her late twenties.

The man introduced himself as Detective Inspector David Jameson and his colleague as Detective Sergeant Beverley Jones.

‘Are you Mr Philip Blacklaw?’ he asked.

‘Yes. What is it? Has something happened to Jane?’ he asked, with a look of fear in his eyes.

‘I think that we`d better talk inside Sir, if we may.’

‘Of course.’ he replied, ‘Please come in.’

Once they were inside, Phil asked again, ‘Is it Jane?

Sergeant Jones spoke first. ‘Can I ask if you have a recent photo of your wife Sir?’

‘Yes this one on the wall here was taken of us both on holiday in Cornwall last year. Will that do?’

She looked at the photo and nodded to the Inspector.

Taking a deep breath, he then said ‘I`m sorry to inform you Mr. Blacklaw, that a woman matching the description of your wife, was found earlier this evening in Helperton park. I`m afraid that although the paramedics arrived very quickly, there was nothing that they could do, and they were unable to save her.’

Phil started to shake and felt his knees give way underneath him. Before he fell, the Inspector grabbed his arm and guided him to a chair.

‘Perhaps you could get Mr. Blacklaw a glass of water Bev.’ he suggested.

‘Of course guv.’ she replied, and walked into the kitchen to get one.

The water helped a little, and Mr. Blacklaw managed to gain a bit of composure, but he still looked ghostly white, and was obviously still very shaken. Despite this however Dave knew that he still had to do his job and he spoke as calmly and compassionately as he could.

‘I know this is a terrible shock for you Mr. Blacklaw,’ he said, ‘but I`m afraid we`re going to have to ask you some questions. It`s purely routine you understand, but I`m afraid it has to be done.’

Phil was white as a sheet and too stunned to take it all in, as they tried to explain what had happened. They told him that some children had been playing cricket, and one of them, a young boy, had gone to retrieve the ball from behind some trees and bushes in the corner of the park, when he discovered the body of a woman. She had been stabbed. She had been identified by documents that were in a brown handbag, which was found at the scene, and her description matched the photo that they had just seen. A formal identification would have to be carried out, but there seemed little doubt that it was Jane.

‘Can you tell me when was the last time that you saw your wife Mr. Blacklaw?’ asked Dave.

‘She was here this morning when I left for work, but she was still asleep, so I didn`t speak to her.’ he replied. ‘I often make her a cup of tea before I go, if she`s awake, but she wasn`t this morning, so I didn`t disturb her.’

‘And what time would that be?’

‘About half-past five I suppose, because I started work at six.’

‘Where do you work?’

‘At Greens on the far side of town. I`ve been there for more than ten years.’

‘And you were at work until what time?’

‘My shift finished at two o`clock.’

‘So where did you go when you finished work?’

‘I came straight home, but Jane wasn`t here. She`d left a note to tell me that she`d gone to town and that she`d be back later that afternoon.’

‘Have you still got that note now?’

‘Yes it`s on the table over there.’

After reading the note, Dave carefully placed it into an evidence bag, and informed Mr. Blacklaw that they would be taking it with them.

‘It will be returned to you in due course.’ Dave told him. ‘That`s enough questions for the time being, but we`ll probably have to speak to you again. In the meantime, if you remember anything which you think might help, then please get in touch.’

Dave didn`t think that there was much point in questioning him any further at this stage. He was still far too shaken to give many coherent answers, so Dave felt that it would be better to leave it for the time being. They would probably learn more by talking to him after he`d had a chance to calm down.

‘Is there anyone that we can call for you Mr. Blacklaw?’ asked Bev. ‘I don`t think that you should be by yourself at the moment. Perhaps a friend or a family member could come and stay with you.’

‘That`s very kind of you Sergeant,’ Phil replied, ‘but I think that I`d rather be by myself thank you.’

‘If you`re sure, but please take care.’

‘I`m going to have to let Jane`s sister know though. I just don`t know how I’m going to break it to her. She`ll be devastated.’

‘We`ll be in touch as soon as we know any more, and we`re very sorry for your loss. Goodbye Mr. Blacklaw.’

As they walked back to their car, Dave said ‘That`s the part of the job that I hate the most Bev, telling the next of kin. No matter how often you do it, it doesn`t get any easier.’

‘I know what you mean guv. That poor man. I could have cried myself.’

2.

Dave Jameson was forty-one years old, six feet tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He had been married to his wife Linda for almost 16 years, and they had two children, Darren who was 14 and Bella who was 12. He had been a Detective Inspector at Helperton for more than eight years, and had seen a lot of things during that period, some of which weren`t very pleasant at all, but this was the first time that he`d been faced with a murder enquiry.

Bev Jones was 28 years old, five feet seven inches tall, and was a brunette with brown eyes. Although she was still single, she had a boyfriend John, who was an ambulance driver, and they`d been dating for more than four years. She had only recently been promoted to Detective Sergeant, and was far less experienced than Dave, so she was glad that he was with her today. She wasn`t sure that she could have coped with that situation by herself.

Back at the station Dave called a meeting, and with the use of a white board, he started to organise the investigation. On the board he wrote -

The victim was a Mrs. Jane Blacklaw

Address 51 Lansbury Road Helperton

Age 29

Height Five feet 4

Brunette

Four months pregnant

Worked part-time (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

Secretary at Gray and Simons solicitors Helperton.

Married to Mr. Philip Blacklaw of the same address.

Body was discovered in Helperton Park at 6 p.m.

The cause of death was a knife wound to the neck.

Time of death between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday 23rd May

‘That’s what we know so far.’ said Dave. ‘I`m going to make a statement now, for the press and T.V. Bev can you set up a help-line please?’

‘Sure guv, I`ll get on to it now.’

‘And when you`ve done that Bev, can you go down to Gray and Simons, the solicitors where Mrs. Blacklaw worked, and see if anyone knows anything there.’

‘Paul can you organise a thorough search of the park. Not just the area where the body was found, the whole park please. We need to find the murder weapon if we can, and it could be anywhere. Take as many people as you need, and if you haven`t got enough, then ask for volunteers. It needs to be done as soon as possible.’

‘I`ll start arranging it now.’ he replied.

‘Terry can you go and talk to the neighbours. Maybe one of them can tell us something. Take Bob with you’

‘I`m on it guv.’

‘John can you go and talk to those kids that found the body Tread carefully though, they`re probably a bit shaken up. Perhaps take Shirley with you. They might not feel quite so intimidated by a W.P.C. When you`ve done that, go to the park and talk to anyone near there. They might have seen something, but do it again tomorrow afternoon, after it`s been searched, and is open again to the public. Perhaps some people may visit the park at the same time each day.’

‘If no-one`s got any questions, I`ll go and prepare that media statement.’

P.C. Terry Hawkins and P.C. Bob Shilton went to talk to the Blacklaw`s neighbours, and the first one that they spoke to was Molly Smith at number 53 Lansbury Road. Molly told them that she saw Jane leave the house at about half-past one on Thursday afternoon. She waved to Jane, who waved back, but that was the last time that she saw her.

‘I just can`t believe that she`s gone.’ she said, with tears running down her cheeks. Jane was such a lovely young girl. Who would want to do that to her?’

‘I don`t know Mrs. Smith,’ Terry replied, ‘but we won`t stop looking until we`ve found them, you can rest assured of that.’

Next they knocked on the door of number 49, and it was answered by Mrs. Pauline Sissons. Unfortunately Mrs. Sissons hadn`t seen Jane at all that day, but she did see her husband Phil Blacklaw come home at about twenty-past two, or maybe just after.

‘Did you see anyone else near the house?’ Terry asked, ‘or see anyone leave?’

‘No I didn`t see anyone else at all,’ she replied, ‘but I`ve been out in the back garden quite a bit this afternoon, so I probably wouldn`t have seen anyone come or go anyway. You don`t expect anything like that to happen round here.’ she added, ‘It`s always so quiet. I just can`t believe it.’

Terry and Bob spent quite some time speaking to most of the other residents of Lansbury Road, or at least to all of those that were at home, but they didn`t learn anything more that could prove useful. They did however, make a note of all the residents of Lansbury Road that hadn`t been at home when they called, and they`d come back later to speak to them.

Dave walked into the press room at ten o`clock the next morning, and several reporters from the local television channels, local radio and newspapers were present. He sat down and started to speak.

‘Good morning. I am Detective Inspector David Jameson and I have a short statement that I`d like to read to you. I`m afraid that I won`t be answering any questions at this time. Thank you for your understanding.’

‘Yesterday afternoon, Thursday 23rd May, a body of a woman was found in Helperton Park. The victim, who was 29 years old, had been stabbed, and we believe that the attack took place between the hours of three p.m. and six p.m. that afternoon.’

‘If you were in Helperton Park on Thursday afternoon, or have any information that may help this enquiry, would you please ring the help-line on 01394629162.’

‘Any information, no matter how trivial it may seem, may prove vital to the apprehension of the perpetrator, so please do contact us. Once again the number to call is 01394629162. Thank you.’

Dave worked until late that evening organising the investigation, but he was back at the station early the next morning. Just after midday, he was drinking a cup of coffee, whilst talking about the case to Bev Jones when Sergeant Brown approached them.

Paul Brown was forty-eight years old, six feet tall, with dark hair, although it had started to turn grey and was thinning on top. He was the Desk Sergeant at Helperton police station, and had been for as long as anyone there could remember. He`d actually joined the force about thirty years before at eighteen years of age, as a new recruit, and had been there ever since. He`d been born and bred in Helperton and had never wanted to live anywhere else. He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone and was a very popular member of the team.

‘What can I do for you