Killer Plan by Leigh Russell

back, and I ran out of patience. I’m telling you, he had it coming.’
    ‘What did he have coming?’
    Greg’s overhanging brow lowered into a scowl. ‘Look, he had my dosh, right. I told him I needed it back, but he just kept giving me excuse after bloody excuse. I told him if he didn’t get me my money I’d make him sorry. I meant it too. So I had a bit of a go at him. So what? I wanted my money. He owed me. Now he’s dead I’m well and truly screwed. No one’s going to pay me back now, are they? I called on his wife and the bloody cow said he never borrowed anything from me, and that’s a bloody lie.’ He leaned forward suddenly. ‘He owes me a hundred quid, all told, and you’ve got to get it back for me. You’re the law, aren’t you? I lent him that money, fair and square, out of the goodness of my heart, because I thought he was a mate. It’s mine, that money. That’s the law, isn’t it? I should be paid interest and all.’
    Max was convinced Greg had killed Dave.
    ‘Sounds like we have our suspect. He must have gone after his money and lost his temper when Dave didn’t pay him back. Where was he last Saturday afternoon?’
    ‘He told me he was at home with the children while his girlfriend was at work. She confirmed his alibi.’
    ‘No independent witnesses then.’
    ‘Now hold on.’ Geraldine appreciated the young sergeant’s enthusiasm, but he was jumping to conclusions. ‘I don’t think he did it. He was genuinely upset about it. Actually, he was angry because Dave owed him a hundred quid that he doesn’t think he’ll ever get back now.’
    Somehow Geraldine wasn’t surprised that Reg agreed with Max. When she raised a note of caution, her senior officer raised his eyebrows sceptically.
    ‘He could have been deliberately throwing you off the scent when he complained about never getting his money back. It looks pretty clear cut. Dave refused to pay back the money he owed him. Greg lost his temper. It was a vicious attack. We can’t take his posturing seriously. We know he attacked Dave the day before the murder. We have a witness to that.’
    On the face of it what Reg was saying made sense, but Geraldine wasn’t convinced that Greg was guilty of murder. It was a stretch from being annoyed about his money to violently attacking Dave with a garden spade. When she remonstrated, Reg shook his head.
    ‘The chances are Greg’s our killer. We know he was violent.’
    ‘If the witness is credible.’
    ‘At any rate he was angry enough to start a fight with Dave, and then the next day, Dave was assaulted and killed. It’s too much of a coincidence to ignore. Let’s bring him in, Geraldine. Let’s not pussyfoot around any longer. We need to get him behind bars, and the sooner the better, before someone else gets hurt. Or worse.’
    On the point of protesting, Geraldine stayed silent. She despised herself for lacking the gumption to stick to her guns for fear of antagonising her senior officer. But she could offer no proof of Greg’s innocence. Her opinion wasn’t enough. Reg might quite reasonably deride it as mere ‘feminine intuition’, or worse. She needed evidence, and so far she had none. For all their efforts she was convinced they had the wrong man. Even if it meant working alone, she was determined to put that right.

20
    Every time Caroline left the house she was scared of bumping into Brian, but she couldn’t stay indoors indefinitely. Apart from anything else, it wasn’t good for Ed and Matthew to be cooped up all the time. Life had to go on for them. Bored after a whole week at home when all their friends were at school, they had both agreed to go back to school on Monday. Caroline had been dithering about whether to take them to football practice as usual on Saturday. At the last minute, she decided it would be good for them. Matthew was reluctant, but he didn’t want to be left out.
    It was a crisp day, overcast with an invigorating breeze. She felt uncomfortable