Impression (DI Gardener 4)

“I never thought to check.”

“Have you checked inside the car, touched it at all?”

“No.”

Gardener glanced through the driver’s window, careful not to touch anything. The keys were still in the ignition.

“Don’t suppose you have any traffic cones, do you?”

Prosser nodded and led him to a small workshop behind the portacabin. There were half a dozen. Gardener and the driver took three each, and walked back to the car. As it was backed up to the wall surrounding the lot, Gardener placed the cones around the front. He then pulled out his mobile

and called the station for a breakdown truck.

“I’m impounding the car, Mr Prosser. We’ll have a truck here shortly.”

Prosser’s expression was grave. “Something has happened to him, hasn’t it? Is he dead?”

“I would like to speak to his brother first. But tell me, you say Barry was a workaholic. Did he have many friends?”

“Not really. He was a bit of a loner. He’d sometimes go out with the other drivers for a drink, but not often.”

“Female friends? A girlfriend, maybe?”

“In all the time I’ve worked here I never saw him with a woman.”

“How did he get on with his brother?”

“Fine. They were like chalk and cheese, mind. Barry couldn’t even spell the word exercise, but Billy’s down the gym two or three nights a week. They live totally different lives, but they were brothers. They loved each other, and they both loved the business.”

“Is business good?”

“We’re not breaking any records, but them two have good business heads on their shoulders. A lot of places round here have gone to the wall in the last year, but not us. They used the profit to reinvest in the business, and they always keep something back for a rainy day.”

“So they got on okay? Never disagreed or argued?”

“Do you have a brother, Mr Gardener?”

“No.”

“I do. Sometimes you get on, other times you argue like cat and dog, but you always love each other no matter what. Sometimes Billy and Barry would argue, mostly over stupid stuff, sometimes over business ideas. But they always patched it up, and they always came out the other side of the argument talking to each other. And where the business was concerned, they always reached an agreement that would benefit the place. I know you lot always look at family first if there’s a problem, but if anything has happened to Barry, you’ll be barking up the wrong tree with Billy.”

“Pleased to hear it,” said Gardener. He entered the portacabin to find his partner replacing the receiver of the office phone. “Any luck?”

“Billy’ll be back here around two o’clock.”

“So will we.”

Chapter Eleven

“That’ll be £34.61 please, sir.”

“Pardon?”

“£34.61.”

“I make it £32.21.”

“I’m sorry?” said the cashier, whose name badge informed the customer she was called Rachel.