Bring Him Back Read Online Free PDF

fair-haired boy and a guy with straggly, sandy hair to go on.’
    ‘Oh, my god,’ she breathed. ‘That devious . . .’
    ‘I’ll drop by the house later and let you have the hair sample I collected, so you can pass it on to the cops for analysis. I won’t be surprised if it tests positive as Drew’s. He’s gone about this very cleverly, Jessica.’
    A short drive across town, Ben found ‘A Stitch in Time’ down a little alleyway. The bell tinkled as he walked in. The shop was filled with racks and hangers of clothing. A dumpy woman scowled up from behind a sewing machine.
    He handed her the little yellow ticket he’d found at Drew’s place. ‘Picking this up for my brother,’ he said.
    She only had to look at the name on the ticket and put two and two together: Drew was all over the media and big talk on the island. But the blank look on her face told Ben that she’d either missed the news or didn’t care one way or the other. She browsed through a set of hangers, pulled one out and laid it on the counter. It was a navy blazer, alpaca wool, pricey-looking. The woman showed him where she’d replaced a button and fixed part of the lining, then stuffed the garment in a bag. Ben tumbled coins across the Formica.
    ‘I might need something repairing myself,’ he said casually. ‘Problem is, I’m going on holiday soon. How long does it take?’
    She shrugged. ‘’Bout a week, normally, for a small job like this one.’
    ‘Great. Be seeing you, then.’
    Back at the car, he slipped the blazer out of the bag and looked at it. It somehow didn’t look like the jacket of an overweight slob. Going by the description of Drew, it would have been impossibly tight on him.
    Ben slipped off his own leather jacket and tried the blazer on for size. It wasn’t too baggy even on his lean frame. He felt in the pockets. In the left one he found a piece of fluff. In the right one, a crisp and new-looking business card.
    The name on the card was Paul Finley, and he was co-partner in a private detective agency in Dover.

 
     
     
     
     
    6
    ‘FINLEY AND REYNOLDS Investigations.’
    ‘Can I speak to Mr Finley, please?’ Ben said to the agency receptionist as he drove. He was heading back to Jessica’s place, to give her the hair sample as he’d promised. The detective’s card lay next to him on the passenger seat.
    There was a pause on the line. ‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible,’ she replied. Ben noticed the edgy tone in her voice.
    ‘This is very important. When will he be available?’
    ‘He won’t. I’m afraid Mr Finley is no longer with us.’
    ‘I see. Do you have a number for him?’
    ‘He’s dead.’
    Now it was Ben’s turn to pause at the unexpected news.
    ‘May I ask who’s calling?’ the receptionist asked.
    ‘My name’s Ben Hope. I was calling on behalf of a mutual client. Was Mr Finley ill?’
    Her swallow was audible on the line. ‘Mr Finley was murdered.’
    ‘I’m extremely sorry to hear that. What happened?’
    ‘He was on his way back from London,’ she said in a tight voice. ‘Waiting for a train. These two thugs attacked him. Took his wallet, but obviously that wasn’t enough for them. It never is these days, is it?’ She sighed. ‘They stabbed him, twice in the chest. He was dead by the time the ambulance arrived. Poor Mr Finley.’
    ‘Did they catch the killers?’
    She snorted. ‘Do they ever?’
    ‘When did this happen?’
    ‘Nearly three weeks ago. It was late afternoon. Broad daylight. Can you believe it?’
    ‘What date?’ Ben asked, narrowing his eyes.
    ‘May third,’ she said. ‘Monday. Why?’
    The day before Drew had withdrawn all his money from the bank, Ben thought. Four days before the kidnapping.
    ‘Perhaps I could speak to Mr Reynolds instead?’ he said. ‘It’s about our mutual client.’
    ‘I’m sorry, Mr, uh, Hope. There’s no way Mr Reynolds or anyone else at the agency is going to discuss clients’ affairs without prior written