A Penny for the Ferry Man: The 28th Murray Barber P. I. Case

By Julie Burns-Sweeney

A Penny For The Ferry Man
Case 28
Murray Barber is a private investigator with a difference, he can hear the dead speak. Along with his friend Jeff, from C.I.D. and the ‘late’ Jake Kelly, he solves a number of cases.
After the death of his Aunt Pam, Murray is reunited with his brother, Martin, while they discover the history behind the riverside cottage that is part of their inheritance. The tenant that had watched the neighbours and the sister that went missing decades before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9780244413606

Book preview

A Penny for the Ferry Man: The 28th Murray Barber P. I. Case

A Penny For

The Ferry Man

The 28th

MURRAY BARBER P. I.

Case

By Julie Burns-Sweeney

Copyright: 2018

ISBN: 978-0-244-41360-6

Published by: Lulu.com

CHAPTER ONE

Well, thank the Lord that’s over!

I don’t think you’re supposed to say things like that Auntie Pam. Murray whispered over his shoulder as they wandered out of the church service. The sun was shining brightly and it was a surprisingly warm early spring day.

Is she here?

Yes Mum. Murray squeezed his mother’s arm as they turned and strolled down the church yard path.

I do hope she liked the flowers? His Mum sounded concerned.

Oh tell her to stop fussing. She’s done me proud. I’m more than happy with the orchids.

Auntie Pam says you’ve done her proud.

Being the g0-between for his Mother and Aunt at his Aunt’s funeral was not something that Murray had considered having to participate in before. But here he was. Since the recent death of his dear Aunt Pam, after a chest infection became pneumonia and then a blood clot ended her suffering, Murray was now the only person alive who he knew could genuinely speak with the dead. It made him feel quite alone.

Oh… do we have to go to the grave side? The ground’s all damp and dingy. Pam was not sounding in the least enthusiastic. Maybe I should have asked to be cremated? It’d be warmer.

You don’t need to Auntie, but we should show our respects. They were watching the pallbearer’s carry the coffin across the grave yard to where Pam was to be laid next to her late husband George.

I would have quite liked you and Martin to have carried me you know…

You said you didn’t want us to! You said we should be here for Mum. Murray’s Dad and brother, Martin, had joined them outside the church doors. His Dad was thanking well-wishers but his brother was now staring at Murray along with his Mum.

What’s she saying? His Mum asked, dabbing her eyes with her hanky.

I can change my mind. Who really knows what they want at their funeral anyway?

She thinks we should have carried the coffin… she’s changed her mind! He rolled his eyes at his brother.

We probably would have dropped her or tripped over a plaque! Martin joked with a wry smile.

Martin had flown back from his home in New Zealand upon the news of his Aunt’s death. The family were a little surprised that his wife, Shelley, had not come with him but the excuse was the short notice, cost and work commitments. They had no children, much to the disappointment of Murray’s Mum, but they said they were in no hurry. It took some of the pressure off Murray who hadn’t even settled down and got married yet. Maybe he never would?

Things were moving slowly with Laura. They had been on a couple more double dates with Georgie and Tony and once had dinner alone at the Indian restaurant near the railway bridge. Her confidence was low but their relationship was uncomplicated and it was suiting them both at that moment in time. Murray hadn’t heard from Jake since the day on the Moor and was growing more and more concerned that his ‘late’ friend, for that was what he had unwillingly become, had sacrificed his afterlife to end the tyranny of the Thornton family. Maybe now, his newly ‘late’ Aunt Pam could track down what had happened to the absent Jake?

With the coffin laid to rest and some final words spoken, the congregation headed back to the harbourside cottage that Pam had called home. Drinks had been poured and glasses raised, stories told and memories shared. The friends and locals offered help if needed to the family. The last of the guests left late in the evening and the family decided to stay the night in the cottage. With Uncle George already gone many years before and with no children, Pam had arranged for there to be a Will reading with her solicitor. It was to be the next afternoon at the offices of Needham and Barraghby. In the meantime, she had refused to disclose any details, not that Murray had pushed her to!

CHAPTER TWO

The offices of Needham and Barraghby stood just off the main high street in the small market town just a short drive from Aunt Pam’s seaside village home. A tall Georgian building, once the home of the original Charles Needham some hundred and thirty years previously. Kept in the family, the grandson of Charles, the present Andrew Needham, took on his good friend Oliver Barraghby as a partner some fifteen years ago. It was this Oliver Barraghby that the Barber family had an appointment with.

Murray, his brother and Mother, along with Oliver Barraghby, sat around a large solid oak table in the man’s office which was painted a pale blue colour and over looked the town’s main car park. Aunt Pam was also somewhere in the room but her impatient humming kept moving so Murray couldn’t pin point her exactly. They all had a cup of tea in front of them and Oliver was smiling and doing his best to keep things relaxed.

Murray studied the man as he introduced himself. He was in his early forties? A full head of hair, showing signs of a few greys but probably died as it was a redder shade of brown than what matched his skin tone. He was clean shaven, of average build and wore an expensive watch. He shuffled the papers in front of him as he apologised for the loss of their Aunt Pamela.

… I won’t keep you longer than necessary but please feel free to ask any questions and I will remain at your service until all matters are settled. Now…. He stared down at the Will. "As I have out-lived my dear Husband, George Wichfield, I own all our worldly possessions. We have no children. I therefore wish the