Lost Cause (A Daisy Dunlop Mystery ~ Book 1)

Chapter Nine

Solomon sipped his soft drink and waited for his lunch companion. The café door swung open, and the man of the hour stepped inside. Apparently in no hurry, Detective Dan Maloney stopped to chat to the waitress. The girl giggled and blushed. Dan winked at her and then made his way across the room.

Solomon sighed. "I see you've lost none of your charm with the ladies."

Dan held out a hand and Solomon took it, giving a firm shake before letting go. The detective sat in the empty chair across the table and raised an eyebrow. "What can I say? The women love me."

The waitress arrived, blushing all over again when the detective turned on the charm. Solomon ground his teeth. Nothing pissed him off quicker than a philandering husband...or wife. Once the waitress had taken their orders and they were alone, Solomon rested his elbows on the table. "I wanted to call in the favor you owe me."

"I suspected as much. So what is it?"

"What do the police know about the suspicious death of Stuart Bligh?"

"Stuart Bligh?"

"When his body was discovered in his burnt-out weekender in the New Forest there was only one leg left."

"I heard about that, but it's not my case."

Solomon leaned closer. "I'm sure you can put that charm to good use and find out a few things."

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"How the fire started and, if the police suspect foul play, who they have in the frame for it?"

"Not much, then."

"Have you not heard any murmurings in the office over your morning doughnuts and coffee?"

"Very funny. Kerry has the case, and he likes to keep things close to his chest. Besides, I've been busy."

The waitress arrived with a Caesar salad for Solomon and a large bowl of steaming pasta and sauce for the detective. Maloney was whippet thin. Either he worked out a lot or he had a great metabolism. Solomon ran for miles, but there was no way he would devour that many carbs in the middle of the day unless he was bulking.

Solomon lifted his fork. "I heard you're working on the case of the frozen corpse."

"Not just one frozen corpse. It's the second in a month."

"Interesting. Have you any leads?"

Dan shrugged. "Some."

"And were both the bodies found around here?"

"Nope. One was in Poole Harbor. They were semi-frozen, but here's the thing"-Dan waved his fork toward Solomon-"Both of them had their teeth pulled out, faces bashed in and the ends of their fingers were missing."

"Whoever murdered them is trying to hide their identities. What would be the point of that unless their identities will lead you back to the killer?"

"Not likely. We know who the dead men are. Two homeless bums. Both mid to late twenties. Medium build. Blond hair. Both came to the area to look for work and dropped off the radar. No one knows when exactly they went missing off the streets. One of them had a social worker who was trying to get him into rehab for substance issues, but they only met him once a month, so we can't pinpoint when he disappeared."

"How did they die?"

"One drowned and the other appears to have been suffocated."

"So it's a nutter with a thing about blond twenty-something men and a large freezer that you're looking for?"

"Exactly."

Solomon shoved his half-empty plate aside. "Well, good luck, Detective. If I should hear anything on my travels I'll be sure to pass it on."

"And then expect another favor?"

"Cynicism is not a good look on anyone."

"Realism is, though. I'll give you a call if I find out anything about your barbecued leg."

Solomon patted the detective on the shoulder and made his way onto the street. He glanced back to see the waitress bent over the table. No doubt Maloney was enjoying the view of her cleavage.

Daisy had been in the office alone for a couple of hours. She would be wanting lunch. There was a café that did food to go on the way back to his SUV, and he had a feeling Daisy would love the sorts of sugary, unhealthy fare on offer. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the icon for the tracking app.

* * * *

Daisy tried to resist checking out Solomon's personal space, but her inner snoop won out. She now knew, despite his claims to the contrary, he wore white boxer briefs, had an overdeveloped tidy gene, and trusted no one. Apart from clothing, the cupboards contained nothing of interest. The safe however would no doubt hold an encyclopedia's worth of information about the Irish git. Maybe his desk in the office would reveal more. She resisted the temptation. Finding out Solomon's secrets could wait for another day. Besides, she already knew more than she did yesterday. He was off women. Some crazy bitch with a love for big shoes was after him for money, and he probably had a kid called Molly. A smile spread across her face. Ronan. He didn't look like a Ronan.

She sat back at her desk, opened a Word document and added bullet points of all that she knew about Toby. There was the unusual guitar, Elliott's parentage, and maybe she would find something more if she could look into the duke's finances. Where to start, though?

She typed, "Jimi Hendrix guitar for sale" into Google and a dozen links to sites popped up. After clicking on all of them, and finding none of the instruments were white, she gave up. She brought up the Yellow Pages and searched for music stores in Southampton. A list flashed up, and she clicked on the link for one that claimed to be a guitar specialist. The website stated that the store was called Strummers, but had formerly been Fretland. Bingo. She pulled a notebook from her bag and wrote down the address.

She switched off her computer and shrugged on her jacket. Fingers crossed Toby had hit hard times and sold the damn thing. Hopefully the store could give her some ideas about where to go looking for the sale, and the seller.

Her stomach rumbled. Where the hell had Solomon got to? She should probably wait for him to get back. Her gaze shifted down the corridor toward the open door to the secret room. Solomon would go apeshit when he saw it. Maybe she could call a locksmith. On the other hand Lisa had done a fantastic job. A locksmith would probably recommend a whole new door and a carpenter to fit it. Then it would need to be painted. No way could she get that all done before Solomon showed up. And even if she could, who was going to pay for it? No, it was best not to be around when he came back. Besides she had a hot lead to follow up.