“Come And See”: Part Fifteen

~ beetleypete

This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words.

Four weeks after the murder of George Greaves, Jo Drummond held a briefing for her team. “Okay, thanks to everyone for your hard work. We have been working on the theory that George was killed by James Walker, to stop him inheriting his mother’s money. But we have nothing on the suspect. We cannot place him at the scene, and there are no fingerprints of anyone in the flat except for George himself, and Mandy, his working girl. Young Walker has no form, and appears to be clean as a whistle. I couldn’t even get enough on him to justify a search warrant for the house. If he didn’t kill George, then we have the prospect of the famous ‘unknown stranger’, and that leaves it all wide open. The boss has told me to leave it pending for now, and for us to work on the two recent Post Office robberies. Bernie”.

Sergeant Cohen stood up. “Looks like we will have to wait until James kills someone else, and he’s sure to do that. He has a great alibi too. The receptionist and a nurse at the Edith Cavell unit both place him on Mollett ward at around the time of George’s death. Then his bird backs up him arriving home at two. But then she’s bound to do that. Anyway, on to those two robberies”.

On the day when the police had called round, Lesley had been left speechless when Jimmy had called her his fiance. He had never mentioned being in love with her, or getting engaged. She had always hoped that would come in time, and had no idea he had fallen for her so quickly. After they had left, she had been getting dinner ready, but the need to say something overwhelmed her. “Jimmy, you told that policewoman I was your fiance. Is that a proposal? Are you going to buy me a ring then?” Jimmy’s reply made her drop the cheese grater she was holding.

He said that they might as well just get married. If it was going to happen after an engagement, why not just do it now? He suggested they have a registry office wedding in about a month, to give everyone at work time to get used to the fact that they were together. After showering his face in kisses, a delighted Lesley couldn’t stop talking. “Oh they will all be convinced I am pregnant, you wait and see. Then there’s the age difference, everyone’s sure to have something to say about that”. Jimmy told her he was hungry, and she went back to finish preparing the best fish cakes with cheese sauce ever served to anyone.

Two days later, he bought her a ring in the local branch of H. Samuel. A solitaire diamond engagement ring that cost him a whopping two hundred pounds. Lesley burst into tears when the girl in the shop put one the right size on her finger. On the way home, Jimmy said he would phone the Registry Office from work tomorrow, and book the wedding. Lesley was excited, but worried. “You know I haven’t spoken to my parents for years, Jimmy. Not since that business with that horrible man I was going out with. He was my Mum’s second cousin, and he treated me like dirt. They expected me to stay with him, and we had a falling out when I said no”. Jimmy told her that he would ask Patrick Killane and his wife to be the witnesses, but there would be no party, or big cake. Then he gave her thirty pounds to buy a new dress and shoes to get married in.

Back at the house, Lesley sat admiring her ring, hardly able to believe she was about to get married. And to someone as good looking and clever as Jimmy too. He took out a very small notebook, and asked her the name of the second cousin who had been bad to her. It never occurred to her to ask why he wanted to know.

Jonathan Carrington hated being a bank manager. He hated his stupid wife too, and the greedy son who didn’t want to go to work. All he had to do was put in his time, and get the pension. Then he intended to leave the silly cow and her spoiled parasite of a son and go to live somewhere warm, like Spain. Eight more years seemed a long time. But they would soon pass.

He was thinking about drinking a beer on a beach at sunset. Or maybe some Sangria, followed by a plate of Paella. Perhaps with a dark-haired beauty by his side.

That meant he didn’t notice the young man following from a reasonable distance.

39 thoughts on ““Come And See”: Part Fifteen”

  3. Jimmy has a God complex, he gets to decide who lives or dies, and he’s far more judgmental! Lesley is a little short sighted if she’s willing to accept a murderer for a husband over being alone. Another great chapter Pete, C

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    1. Lesley doesn’t know for sure that Jimmy killed George, and seems content to believe his innocence. Jimmy has a God complex because he thinks God is talking to him and telling him to ‘make a difference’. We will see how difficult that is for Jimmy to do.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Jimmy thinks he should kill mean or evil people first on his journey. But his overall mission is to make everyone fear God and seek salvation by causing a huge number of deaths based on the Fourth Seal. It is not going to be easy. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  5. (1) After Lesley showered Jimmy’s face with kisses, he was no longer as clean as a whistle. His face had to kiss its cleanliness goodbye.
    (2) “Then his bird backs up him arriving home at two. But then she’s bound to do that.” Yes, but only so long as Jimmy feeds the parrot a quality mix of fruits, nuts, and seeds; cleans out her birdcage regularly; and allows her to watch her favorite pirate movies.
    (3) Did Lesley grate the cheese before or after she dropped the cheese grater? Also, is Lesley inadvertently attracting mice?
    (4) A whopping two hundred pounds doesn’t cut it in sumo wrestling.
    (5) “Lesley burst into tears when the girl in the shop put one the right size on her finger.” Did the salesgirl also try putting a glass slipper on Lesley’s foot?
    (6) “Jimmy told her…there would be no party, or big cake.” Not even a small fish cake with cheese sauce?
    (7) Is Jonathan Carrington’s wife named Dora? Does the silly cow paint portraits and landscapes? Bovine features aside, does she at least slightly resemble Emma Thompson?
    (8) Jonathan was thinking about drinking a beer on a beach at sunset. It didn’t occur to him that the beach might be infested with sand sharks.

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  6. It looks like Jimmy is on a roll…and anyone best be wary of upsetting him or Lesley it seems…I’m guessing a few heads will roll before he is finally caught…and being weird in the police’s eyes means they won’t forget him …:) x

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  7. As soon as I heard about Lesley’s old flame, I knew it was curtains for him. I know things appear to be good with Lesley now, but I fear for her safety down the road.

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  8. Oh, my goodness, Jo will get him in the end (who knows how many might be dead by then?) and I fear poor Lesley (OK, starting to feel really sorry for her now) might not cope well when she finds out her dream man is not what she thinks he is…

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