Inspector. My wife assists me, and Colinette sometimes calls in to help her with the children. Perhaps my wife pays her for that. I don’t know.”
We’d come up against the Rice Curtain. It’s an occupational hazard in this part of the world. I leaned forward over the little table until I was as close to his face as I could get. He’d had curry the night before, but I didn’t mind – so had I. “Mr Naseen,” I began. “We are investigating a murder. The fact that you employed Colinette Jones on a casual basis, paying no National Insurance fees on her behalf, or deducting no Pay As You Earn, is irrelevant to this enquiry. At the moment .” I loaded the last sentence with meaning, to show that we’d keep it on the file if he didn’t cooperate. “We’ve also spoken to two girls who had the job before Colinette did. Two girls who didn’t stay with you for too long. Now, Mr Naseen, can we start again? How long did Colinette work for you?”
The expression on his face indicated that he’d got the message. “As Mrs Jones told you,” he replied, very softly, “Colinette had assisted in my shop for about one year. You must realise, Inspector, that the shop is in a very poor area.My turnover does not allow me to employ full-time assistance and I have a wife and four very young children to support .”
“Not to mention a Series Seven BMW,” I added.
After that he began to cooperate. He confirmed that she’d left just after seven, in the rain, and told us what she’d been wearing.
“Was she carrying a handbag?” I asked.
“No, Inspector, an umbrella.”
“But no handbag?”
“No. She very rarely carried one, unless she was going straight out with her friends.”
“Did you fancy her?”
“What do you mean by that, Inspector?”
“I mean, Mr Naseen, did it ever enter your head that a more intimate relationship, even a sexual one, with Colinette would be very desirable?”
He sat back in his chair, one arm extended, resting on the table, almost as if he were enjoying himself. “She was a modern young woman, Inspector. Had lots of boyfriends like western girls of her age do. She was attractive and dressed in a very provocative way. Yes, I fancied her, as you put it. I fancied her to distraction, but I never did anything about it. I’m a middle-aged man, as you are, and feelings like these are part of the growing old process, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“That’s not what the other two girls say.”
“What do they say?”
“They say you propositioned them constantly, until they had to leave.”
“They were not very nice girls, Inspector. I caught them stealing. It is only natural that they would try to blacken my character.”
“So where were you between seven and seven thirty last night?”
“In my shop.”
“Can anyone support you in that?”
“I would imagine so, Inspector. I had a steady stream of customers and a couple of them paid their newspaper bills. I can furnish you with their names and the till receipts, which will bear the exact time that they paid. Will that be sufficient ?”
I glanced across at Dave, who looked as if his strangulated hernia were playing up. “Yes Mr Naseen,” I replied. “That should be quite sufficient.”
“Bugger!” I exclaimed when we were back in my office.
“He’s not exactly love’s young dream, is he,” Dave said.
“No, and I bet he runs close to the edge of the sexual harassment laws, but he’s in the clear, if his story checks out.”
“It will do.”
“Mmm, I think you’re right.”
“Do you want a coffee?”
“No, we haven’t time. I wonder how long Maggie will be?” I’d asked Maggie Maddison to attend the post-mortem because she’d be liaising with Mrs Jones throughout the enquiry, and there might be a flake of comfort for Colinette’s mother in knowing that a female officer was present when they cut her open.
“A while yet,” Dave replied. “They weren’t starting until nine.”
“OK. So you
We’d come up against the Rice Curtain. It’s an occupational hazard in this part of the world. I leaned forward over the little table until I was as close to his face as I could get. He’d had curry the night before, but I didn’t mind – so had I. “Mr Naseen,” I began. “We are investigating a murder. The fact that you employed Colinette Jones on a casual basis, paying no National Insurance fees on her behalf, or deducting no Pay As You Earn, is irrelevant to this enquiry. At the moment .” I loaded the last sentence with meaning, to show that we’d keep it on the file if he didn’t cooperate. “We’ve also spoken to two girls who had the job before Colinette did. Two girls who didn’t stay with you for too long. Now, Mr Naseen, can we start again? How long did Colinette work for you?”
The expression on his face indicated that he’d got the message. “As Mrs Jones told you,” he replied, very softly, “Colinette had assisted in my shop for about one year. You must realise, Inspector, that the shop is in a very poor area.My turnover does not allow me to employ full-time assistance and I have a wife and four very young children to support .”
“Not to mention a Series Seven BMW,” I added.
After that he began to cooperate. He confirmed that she’d left just after seven, in the rain, and told us what she’d been wearing.
“Was she carrying a handbag?” I asked.
“No, Inspector, an umbrella.”
“But no handbag?”
“No. She very rarely carried one, unless she was going straight out with her friends.”
“Did you fancy her?”
“What do you mean by that, Inspector?”
“I mean, Mr Naseen, did it ever enter your head that a more intimate relationship, even a sexual one, with Colinette would be very desirable?”
He sat back in his chair, one arm extended, resting on the table, almost as if he were enjoying himself. “She was a modern young woman, Inspector. Had lots of boyfriends like western girls of her age do. She was attractive and dressed in a very provocative way. Yes, I fancied her, as you put it. I fancied her to distraction, but I never did anything about it. I’m a middle-aged man, as you are, and feelings like these are part of the growing old process, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“That’s not what the other two girls say.”
“What do they say?”
“They say you propositioned them constantly, until they had to leave.”
“They were not very nice girls, Inspector. I caught them stealing. It is only natural that they would try to blacken my character.”
“So where were you between seven and seven thirty last night?”
“In my shop.”
“Can anyone support you in that?”
“I would imagine so, Inspector. I had a steady stream of customers and a couple of them paid their newspaper bills. I can furnish you with their names and the till receipts, which will bear the exact time that they paid. Will that be sufficient ?”
I glanced across at Dave, who looked as if his strangulated hernia were playing up. “Yes Mr Naseen,” I replied. “That should be quite sufficient.”
“Bugger!” I exclaimed when we were back in my office.
“He’s not exactly love’s young dream, is he,” Dave said.
“No, and I bet he runs close to the edge of the sexual harassment laws, but he’s in the clear, if his story checks out.”
“It will do.”
“Mmm, I think you’re right.”
“Do you want a coffee?”
“No, we haven’t time. I wonder how long Maggie will be?” I’d asked Maggie Maddison to attend the post-mortem because she’d be liaising with Mrs Jones throughout the enquiry, and there might be a flake of comfort for Colinette’s mother in knowing that a female officer was present when they cut her open.
“A while yet,” Dave replied. “They weren’t starting until nine.”
“OK. So you
Similar Books
