Buried in the Past Read Online Free PDF

see.’
    ‘Blimey, you are going back a long time. That must be well over twenty years ago. We’ve lived here that long, and more.’
    ‘In that case, I reckon you must have moved in here right after she left. Can you remember where she went? Did you forward her mail, perhaps?’
    ‘Aye, for a while we did. After a bit it stopped coming. Except for the junk – that ruddy stuff never stops coming.’
    ‘Did you keep her new address?’
    ‘No, binned it long since. But I can tell you the name of the village if you want. It was in the dales. Close to Helmsdale.’
    Perry listened as the old man recited the details, thanked him and left. Of course, he thought as he retraced his route down the walkway, there was no guarantee she would still be there, in which case his task could be well nigh impossible. Finding someone who doesn’t want to be found is far harder after such a long time.
    The couple watching Perry reversed their car and swung it to face the row of lock-up garages at the end of the street. Corinna, who was driving, watched Perry in her rear-view mirror. When he turned and headed in the direction of the town centre, she looked at Phil. ‘Now what do we do?’
    ‘We have to find out why he went there. Give me that credit card folder of yours. The one that looks just like a warrant card.’
    ‘You really think that will fool the old man?’
    ‘Didn’t you notice? He was blind, or near enough. He was wearing dark glasses and carrying a white stick. He won’t be able to tell the difference between a warrant card and a lottery ticket.’
    Inside the flat, the old man entered the lounge. His wife was listening to the radio. Her favourite programme was on, and he knew better than to interrupt. ‘I’m back,’ he told her. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’ As he walked towards the kitchen, the doorbell rang.
    ‘Good afternoon. DS Holgate, North Yorkshire Police,’ the caller stated. He held up a small blue wallet.
    The old man peered at it, then at the man holding it. He listened with increasing curiosity to the caller’s tale. ‘We’ve had several complaints about a gang of thieves who are targeting senior citizens. They operate with a front man who calls with some sort of spurious questions, which enables them to check out the property. Have you had any strangers calling on you recently?’
    ‘Aye, we have. Only a few minutes back. I’m surprised you didn’t bump into him.’
    ‘What reason did he give for calling?’
    The old man explained.
    ‘Interesting. That’s a new one on me. Were you able to tell him anything?’
    ‘No, I said we’d only moved here a couple of years back, and he lost interest after that.’
    ‘Best to keep your guard up, and if you get any more suspicious callers, report them. They’re very cunning, these conmen, cunning and extremely plausible.’
    ‘Aye, they are that; extremely plausible.’
    As he walked back down the path, Phil Miller wondered why the old man had placed such emphasis on that final sentence, then dismissed the idea as his imagination. He climbed into the waiting car.
    ‘Perry’s set off back the way he came. What happened back there?’ Corinna asked as she accelerated after Perry.
    ‘He asked the old man where the woman who used to live there went after she moved. Obviously that has to be the sister.’
    ‘Did you find out where?’
    ‘No, the old man says he’s only lived here a couple of years.’ He paused.
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘I don’t know, something’s wrong. I’m not sure if I trust what the old man said or not. Just a feeling, so I may be completely wrong.’
    ‘Where does that leave us? What do we do next?’
    ‘We can’t let Perry get to her, that’s for sure. If the old man was lying, he could have told Perry where she lives. Whatever happens, we can’t allow him to get to her first. And if we can’t get there before him,’ he took a deep breath, ‘that’ll be it, game over, and we’ll be ruined.’
    ‘So