Innocent: Book 3—Gray and Armstrong Private Investigations

By Eve Grafton

Set in a southern coastal city in England, the investigation team is busy with requests for help to solve mysteries. By the end of the year the team is exhausted, and James and Alicia go to Spain to visit James’ parents for the Christmas period. Percy calls James back home to help a man ensure his innocence in the death of his neighbour and his dog. Things are not as simple as they first thought. Was the man guilty? Was he innocent? He led them on a wild goose chase looking for a phantom killer.

Although the office was officially closed for the season, there were more messages asking for help. James received a call from a man anxious for his life. He had received a death threat at his office in the Customs Department and arranged for James and Percy to oversee that office for a while to see if the threat is to be carried out. When the team realised a container of cocaine was held in the warehouse, they were alerted to trouble. Was it possible that the workers were about to take off with the cocaine? Which ones were guilty, and which were innocent? All of James skills were called for to solve this one.

Smaller jobs came in the aftermath, although the office was still supposed to be closed, keeping them on the run, until Alicia and James decided to have a holiday in India for eight days, to make up for the holiday in Spain he missed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Apr 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796001013

Eve Grafton

Eve Grafton is a Western Australian, and proud to be so. Over the years Eve and her husband and family have travelled to many countries around the world, coming back to Australia when it became necessary for their children’s education. After their children left home, Eve and her husband bought a hobby farm, farming sheep and making their own wine and growing their own vegetables so that they were practically self-sufficient. The couple now live in Perth, Western Australia and Eve writes fictional novels to replace the many hobbies she has had over the years.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Third in the Gray and Armstrong Private Investigations series, featuring James and Alicia Armstrong, with business partner Percy Gray and Granny, who runs the bookshop.

CHAPTER 1

J ames Armstrong arrived home from Spain without his wife, Alicia, who was staying another few days with his parents before returning home. His parents were now living there to escape England’s cold and wet winters, as his mother had a weak chest, and she thrived in the drier climate of Spain. He was so pleased that Alicia was enjoying her holiday and willing to stay on for a little longer. They had gone to spend Christmas with his parents, and on Boxing Day, James had received a telephone call from Percy, his partner in the Gray and Armstrong Private Investigations business, saying he was urgently needed back home to clear a murder suspect.

The business had been recommended by both Alec Overington, the lawyer they did a lot of work for, and Charles Chamberlain, a former customer who had his daughter returned to him after having the Armstrongs on the case for him.

Percy met James at the airport in Gatwick and, on the way home, described the case as best he could with the information he held. ‘It is a story of neighbours falling out over a dog that bared its big teeth and barked incessantly at all and sundry. The next-door neighbour, named Ross Whittall, has lived in his house for many years, bringing up a daughter and two sons alone after his wife left because of the dog next door—or that was her excuse anyway.’

At this stage, Percy gave a grin. ‘I know for a fact that she left with a chap that ran a landscaping business, and it was after he did over Ross Whittall’s garden for him, making it into a dream place, that the runaway happened.’

‘You know this Ross Whittall, Percy?’ asked James.

‘I have run into him once or twice at garden shows. My wife was a great gardener, and we went to a garden show every year. You have not visited my house to see our garden. It too was a showpiece when my wife was alive and well. Unfortunately, it has gone downhill a bit since then. I do not know the difference between onion weed to daffodil, I am afraid, so it is not as brilliant as when she was here. However I have tried to keep it up for her memory. I engage a gardener twice a week to give it a once-over. If I were doing it, the garden would soon sink back to a desert, I am afraid. My knowledge is so small.

‘Anyway, back to Ross Whittall. He seemed like a rational, nice bloke to me, not the sort of man to shoot a dog and its master. After all, he would have had to snap. He has put up with the dog for many years now. You do not go off the deep end as bad as that without some reasoning behind it. That does not sit right with me, knowing the chap as I do. Or at least knowing his story. You would think if he wanted rid of the dog and his neighbour, it would have been done when he was depressed after his wife left him. I asked him once how he was getting on, and he said to me, My wife did us a favour when she left. She was a beautiful girl but a terrible wife and mother. Even the children said they only missed her at mealtimes. I learnt to cook after that observation, so we did not miss her at all from then on.’

‘I gather, Percy, that Ross Whittall pleads innocent,’ said James with a grin.

‘It is just that I am so happy to see you looking fresh and nicely tanned, James. I thought if you were enjoying yourself, you might not want to return to work.’ Percy returned his grin.

‘It sounds like this will be a good job to kick us into the new year. At this stage, we cannot afford to ignore work when it comes our way. Alicia and I talked it over, and so my mother would not be too disappointed, Alicia stayed on for a few more days. They are getting along very nicely.’

‘That is good to hear, James. You need to get on with your in-laws, or there will be friction in the marriage. You get on well with Alicia’s grandmother, so that is one hurdle over.’

‘Yes, I do, Percy. It is as if she is an older version of Alicia, and we clicked from the first time we set eyes on each other. Mind you, I think she thinks I am like her dead son. Not having known him, I have no comparison to make, so I try to be myself with her. It works. Sometimes I think she reads my mind.’

‘I have noticed that, James, since I have been staying at her house. She seems to read mine too. She is a canny lady altogether.’

‘It makes life a bit easier. I do not have to explain myself all the time, and life is very comfortable.’

‘There is a bonus to this new job too, James. Charles Chamberlain sent a large goose to the bookshop. Attached was a note saying Leanne arrived home for Christmas with Charles’s mother and her own infant son and she said all the thanks go to you and Alicia for her visit. You made her remaining family feel important to her.’

‘That seems a nice thing to do, Percy. Have you eaten the goose yet?’

‘Good heavens, no, it is far too big for Valerie and me. We have pushed it into the freezer until Alicia comes home to cook it, and we will have a party. Just as well he sent it too late for Christmas and we did not cook it, or we would be eating goose morning, noon, and night to get through it. I like goose, but once a year is enough. It remains a speciality for the season celebrations.’

‘Good, maybe we can have a party and ask a few people around to enjoy the goose with us.’

‘Sounds like a good idea to me. And by that time, we may have solved this murder and may have a bit of money in the bank. There was not too much there after we gave out the holiday pay.’ Percy did not seem too concerned that the bank balance was low for the business.

‘True, and without anything coming in, because we closed up for a month, it may be just as well we have been asked to work this one out. I find I get a bit fidgety sitting around, doing nothing and being a tourist anyway, although it was nice seeing my parents. So let’s see what we can do for Mr Whittall.’

‘We have an appointment in Alec Overington’s office first thing in the morning, and Mr Whittall, as you call him, will be there too. Also one or two of his children, who are putting up the money for our fee. They believe him wholeheartedly and are standing by him. That is nice to see in a family. It shows what sort of man he really is. I met him with Alec yesterday, and that is when we agreed to ring you. Sorry, James, to call you back, but this could be a big job, needing your expertise.’

‘That is alright Percy. I would rather be working anyway. Alicia can get to know my parents without me interfering, and we can go back to Spain another time.’

They arrived back at the bookshop. Percy parked the car in the rear alleyway, and they walked around to the bookshop door.

Percy said, ‘Valerie has not opened the bookshop yet. She is sticking to the break until school starts again, as she organised for herself. Put your bag upstairs in the apartment, James, and come into the house for afternoon tea. She is dying to know how Alicia is getting on with your mother.’

‘I expected her to be interested, Percy. Alicia has not known a mother since she was five years old, when her own parents died, and her grandmother has filled her life since. It is only natural she would want to know how Alicia is managing with my parents.’

James went upstairs to the apartment above the bookshop, he shared with Alicia, and put his bag down and brought out the gifts he had brought from Spain to give to Granny and Percy. He went downstairs and into the house next door, where Granny lived. Percy had been ‘Granny sitting’ by staying in the spare bedroom of the house while Alicia and James had gone on their holiday. It made everyone feel happier, in case she had a fall while they were away. She did not have the full use of her right arm, after an accident the year before which crushed her elbow.

Granny was pleased to see him, and he sat down at the table while she cut him a piece of cake, freshly baked that morning, and Percy poured him a cup of tea. ‘Now I know I am back home.’ James grinned.

He presented his gifts and was awarded a kiss from Granny and a handshake from Percy. After the morning tea was over, Percy asked if James wanted to have a look at the crime scene.

‘The fresher the scene, the better. Have the police finished there, Percy?’

‘Yes, they spent a day going through things, but as it was Christmas Day, I think they hurried over things to get back home to their families. The coast is clear now. I drove past this morning on the way to the airport. The crime scene tape is still around it, but we have permission to have a look around. Alec organised that as soon as I agreed that we would take on Ross Whittall’s case yesterday.’

‘Good man, Percy. Do you want to come too, Granny, for an outing? We will probably not be too long, and I believe Ross Whittall’s garden is worth looking at, according to Percy.’

‘Yes James it would be nice to get out of the house for a while. Thank you for the invitation. I do not have many chances nowadays to go looking at other people’s gardens. I will enjoy that. Give me a minute to grab a coat and sturdier shoes, and I will be ready.’

*     *     *

The drive to Ross Whittall’s home only took ten minutes. to reach. It was a standard three-bedroom house, with a garden front and back, and included a tool shed and a garage at the rear of the house. There were daffodils planted alongside the driveway leading to the rear, with a few buds on the top stems almost ready to flower. The garden really was lovely, with many flowering plants, a small patch of lawn front and back, and many shrubs of an evergreen flowering variety.

James knocked. Ross Whittall came to the door, and James introduced himself and Granny. He explained, ‘We have come to have a look around where the crime took place, Ross. We brought my wife’s grandmother, Valerie Newton, because Percy explained how beautiful your garden is. Would you like to show her around while we pop in next door at your neighbour’s house?’

Ross appeared to be taken aback at the request but was very polite. ‘That will be my pleasure, James. I am very proud of my gardening skills. I did have someone landscape it a few years ago, but other than that, the rest is all my own work.’

They left Granny with Ross and went into the house next door then through the crime scene tape. There were chalk marks on the ground where the dog had lain, and its dead owner. Percy had a key to the door, and they wandered through the house, not picking up any clues. Evidence showed that all the action had happened outside the front door.

They went to the front of the property again for further examination. James picked up a few pieces of birdshot from near where the dog had lain, and he said, ‘Looks as if it was a gun loaded with birdshot. Does that kill dogs too? I thought that type of shot was only a light peppering for birds, not strong enough to kill anything else. Also, there is no birdshot around where the man lay. What was his cause of death?’

‘We will have the report tomorrow, James. Things have been delayed in the coroner’s office because of the holiday season. No one has been told the cause of his death yet. The dog was shot. Whether with birdshot or something else, we will also find out tomorrow. However, Alec told me the police said there was no gunshot wound on the man or the dog. That is curious in itself. How do they know it was shot if there was no wound?

‘Ross Whittall was not held, because it was, once again, the holiday season, and he did not appear to be crazy. So he was let go into his son’s care, to appear with us tomorrow. I did not expect to see him at home today.’

James looked curious at Percy’s statement. ‘Let us go and question him on the birdshot. He may know more than we do, being city fellows. I have to admit, I have never had anything to do with firearms, so we will have to review the subject tonight. Just as well we made this foray today before trying to sound knowledgeable tomorrow.’

There was not much more to look at where the dog and his master had lain, so they went back to Ross Whittall’s home next door.

When asked about birdshot, Ross said, ‘I have a .22calibre rifle that fires birdshot. It is locked up in my tool shed. I have not used it for years. When the garden was first established, this was all new ground around us. We were one of the first to move into the subdivision. That is why we have a larger plot of ground than the average around here. We were lucky to have been able to take our pick of the plan, and this block, being at the end of the street, had more space. We had three children, and I liked the thought of the space for the children to play in.

‘The birds in those days were horrendous and would land on the newly planted garden in clouds of twittering, screeching creatures. The children, just toddlers at the time, were frightened of them. I did not want to kill the birds, only remove them from my precious newly planted shrubs and encourage the children out of the house, so I asked what to do about them and was shown the gun and shot. I do not use them nowadays, because although the clouds of birds have gone, I like to see the remainder in the garden and, in fact, encourage them, with little houses hanging from the larger shrubs for them.’

James asked, ‘Can you show us the gun and shot, Ross? We do not know much about firearms—or I do not. Percy used guns when he was in the police force, but there’s no reason for me to carry a gun as yet.’

‘Certainly, James. Come around the back to the tool shed. I will go and get the key. The gun has been locked away for years and is probably all rusty by now.’ He went into the house and came back with a key and showed them to the rear of his home.

He unlocked the door of the shed and opened it wide, inviting them in. He went to a cupboard above the workbench and put the key in the lock and opened the door. He stood quietly in front of the cupboard for a few minutes, staring at the empty space where the gun should have been. He seemed mesmerised at seeing the empty space. He said, ‘No one but my family had access to the key of this cupboard. I do not understand.’

James was looking around at the neat tool room and said, ‘Ross, is this the gun you believed was in the cupboard?’ He pulled a .22-calibre rifle from under a flat pack of cardboard and showed it to him, holding it with a stick he picked up from a pile of kindling.

The look on Ross’s face left no one there wondering if he was acting. ‘How on earth did that get there? As I said, I have the only key. I have not looked in that cupboard for years. How or when could the gun have been removed?’

‘Is it possible to kill a dog with birdshot, Ross? We found birdshot pellets on the ground near where his body lay.’

‘I have never used the gun except to frighten birds and rats. The shot does kill rats if you are close enough to them. I suppose it could kill a dog if you were close enough and, say, shot in its mouth. That dog had a snarl on it as wide as two fists. Or even in its ear, I suppose. The dog was quite old. About twelve years I have been listening to it bark all day while its owner was at work. It did not bark if Malcolm was at home, except if anyone entered the gate. Then it would sound very savage, protecting its owner, although it never barked at my children.

‘Several times lately, I have heard some howling that sounded similar to a child’s cry, and I would go out and talk to the dog. It would quieten for a while, but when I would come back inside, it would start up again. It was a new sound. Mostly he only barked. Despite all the years I have lived next door, if I peered over the fence, I would be greeted with a snarl of big teeth. It was never a friendly dog.’

‘Would your sons have used the gun at all, Ross?’ asked Percy.

‘No, I doubt if they even knew there was a gun here. The boys were not interested in gardening, and I never showed them the gun.’

James was busy taking photos of the gun and where it had lain amongst the packs of cardboard from boxes, the empty cupboard, and the key in Ross’s hand. ‘There is no birdshot here with the gun, Ross. Did you keep that in the cupboard?’

‘I don’t believe there was any, James. As I said, it’s been years since I used it, and it was probably locked away when I ran out of shot.’

James pulled out the shot he had picked up and said, ‘Is this the type of shot you used, Ross?’

Ross picked the few pellets up and said, ‘I think so, James. Looks the same. Perhaps there was a number of shot still in the gun, but they would have been years old.’

James put some back into his handkerchief wrap and said, ‘We will need this for evidence. Now we have to solve the mystery of how the gun came to be out of the cupboard. We will talk it over tomorrow with Alec present. These are facts he needs to know.’

Ross said quietly, ‘This does not look good for me, James!’

‘We will work our way through, Ross. Do not panic yet. It does look bad, but I believe your story. So there must be some other explanation we will have to find.’

Granny had been very quiet, and now she asked, ‘Ross, I have seen the boy across the road looking at us here. Does he live there? And did he get on with your neighbour?’

‘You mean Richard Samson, Mrs Newton? Yes, he does live there. He is autistic and no longer goes to school. He finished at the end of the school year. He rides his bicycle around the streets for something to do. He understands a lot but is a little slow about some things. The dog next door hated him and barked and snarled at him whenever he came out with his bike. I do not know of any altercation between him and my neighbour, except the chap next door did call him names, saying Richard encouraged the dog to bark and snarl. But it was not Richard’s fault at all, which must have been hurtful to the boy.’

Granny looked at James, and he nodded. There was no need for words between these two, Percy thought.

‘Okay, Ross, we will go on home now. Please think hard and question your family about that key. It could be crucial to your innocence as seen by a jury, or just the police force if they should push on for a conviction. We will come back and talk to Richard in a day or so. We may have to get him into Alec’s office with his guardian for an interview.’

Ross looked relieved. ‘Thank you, all of you, for believing in me. It is wonderful to be believed after the going-over I got from the police. They were very hard on me. If you are going to interview Richard, I suggest you do that at his home, in his own surroundings. He can get very nervous and tends to close up when he is away from familiar things.’

‘Sometimes, Ross, the police are hard on the first interview. The guilty often crack under that type of questioning, but I am sure you are innocent. I just hope someone will come forward to clear you.’ Percy did not look concerned though finding the gun in the tool shed was not a good sign. He continued, ‘We have been promised the post-mortem results tomorrow, and that will clear up things a bit.’

As they took their leave, they saw Richard watching from a window.

Granny waved to him, and he waved back. Granny said, ‘That boy is itching to tell someone a story. I believe he knows something about this problem here.’

‘Yes, Granny, from his mannerisms, I too believe that. However, we will have to get permission to talk to him. He is disadvantaged, being autistic, and we will need to have someone of authority over him to tell us what he may know and what he understands. Walking up to him and asking questions would be disallowed in court without permission from his guardian.’

‘That makes sense, James. The world is changing. It has not been long since we could interrogate him alone. But I see the sense of the authority bit. The poor boy could be talked into admitting anything, I suppose.’

‘That is true of a few years ago, Granny. Luckily, these new rules benefit everybody, especially the autistic. What do you think of Ross Whittall, Granny? Did you spend long enough with him to form an opinion of him?’

‘He seemed to be a very nice man, from what I could make of him, James. He is the type of man that everybody takes advantage of because of his good nature. I cannot see him shooting the dog and certainly not harming the neighbour. He is not a person with wild tempers. He is more of what I would call a gentleman in every sense of the word.’

‘I knew I could count on you, Granny, for a description of him, and yes, that is what I thought too. What about you, Percy?’

‘I agree, he is a very mild chap. Not the sort to suddenly fly off the handle and brutalise a dog and its owner.’

‘We all agree then. It is one thing sorted already. We all believe him innocent, so now we only have to find out who did the dastardly deed.’ James laughed. ‘It is almost dinner time, folks. Who wants takeaway, and who wants Italian at our favourite restaurant?’

‘Umm, Italian sounds nice, James. I did not expect to spend most of the afternoon away from home, so it will be a late dinner if I cook,’ said Granny with a smile.

‘You may as well make the most of it, Granny, while it is being offered. Are you okay with Italian, Percy?’

‘Wonderful, James. I always like the Italian restaurant and the welcome we get from them.’

‘Okay, Italian it is. We will wait for tomorrow in Alec’s office before worrying our minds about the case. The first thing I will do is get Alec to make a phone call to Richard Samson’s guardian to make an appointment. Richard is likely to have seen something of what happened from that window.’

Over dinner, James told of his visit to Spain and seeing his parents and Alicia’s enjoyment of it, saying that she fits in wherever she goes.

CHAPTER 2

P ercy, James, and Ross Whittall, with one of his twin sons, Steven, were with the lawyer, Alec Overington, in his office when the courier arrived with the post-mortem results. Ross said, ‘I am anxious to see these results. I cannot imagine that birdshot killed a dog the size of Brandy next door and am curious to hear what killed his master, Malcolm Heath.’

James said, ‘I looked up the type of dog and the gun and birdshot on the Internet last night. I cannot fathom it either, so I too am interested in what the post-mortem has to say.’

Alec said, ‘Well, we are about to find out. It’s all here in this package.’ He leaned down to a drawer to take out some scissors to open the quite thick envelope. He pulled out some X-rays of the dog, pointing firstly to the birdshot splattering the dog’s throat and mouth and a second X-ray of the dog’s lungs, which showed cancerous tumours. ‘The vet’s notes explained that the dog was dying of lung cancer. He was about twelve years old—old for a Staffordshire terrier and lived indoors with a heavy smoker and wood fire, by the appearance of his lungs. It was the birdshot that killed him, as some pellets are shown in the already affected lungs, and the lungs were not healthy enough to fight the shock. The birdshot looks as if it was fired at close range, the barrel of the gun right up to his mouth, and several teeth look broken.’

‘The tumours possibly caused the howling I heard in the last few weeks. The poor dog must have been in pain.’ Ross sounded sympathetic, certainly not like a man who had shot the dog. He went on, ‘What caused Malcolm’s death? Surely he was not shot as well.’

Alec went on, ‘Malcolm Heath died after slipping on the wet step outside his front door. Because he was wearing bedroom slippers, his feet slipped from under him, and he fell and banged the back of his head on the step as he fell backwards. He died of hypothermia. It was a cold, sleety night, and he lay next to his dog all night and possibly died before midnight. It was difficult, because of the conditions that night, to put a time of the death. His death has been ruled accidental.’

There was a look of relief and sorrow on the faces of Ross and Steven. Ross said, ‘I feel like crying for my old friend. What a way to die. If I had been home that night, I may have been able to help him, but I was with my children, celebrating Christmas with Betsy and her husband and new son at their home on the other side of town. I stayed over because of the sleet. Betsy ruled that it was too terrible a night to drive home, and she made me up a bed in the spare room. The boys slept on the floor in the living room, in sleeping bags, for the night. We all came home in the morning next day. Betsy was going to her husband’s family for Christmas dinner.’

Alec said, ‘You are off the case for Malcolm Heath. Now we have to answer the query on the dog, which actually caused the whole thing, including Malcolm’s death, even if that part was an accident. You say that it probably was your gun. But how did someone get it from a locked shed and a locked cupboard? And why?’

James asked, ‘Have you thought about this overnight, Ross? Did you give a key to anyone else?’

‘I have thought of nothing else, James, believe me. The only other person besides my family who has ever had access to the shed was that landscape fellow who ran off with my wife after he had collected payment from me for the work he did and the plants. The only thing I could settle on was, he had use of the shed the whole month he was working here. He could have cut another key. There is a shop in the arcade down our street, at the other end. It would have been easy enough to take the key there while I was at work.

‘My wife was at home. She may remember it, but we do not see anything of her nowadays. I think she has forgotten we have three wonderful children, and now since last week, she is a grandmother. She will not like that. She thought she was too young to have children, so I cannot see her cooing over a grandchild.’

Steven patted his