The Ultimate Truth Read Online Free PDF Page B

200 and 400 metres and the 400-metre relay, and according to Dad she was an absolute
genius on the pool table. And that was just the stuff I knew about her. Courtney’s one of those people who constantly amaze you with the depth of their hidden talents.
    It might seem strange that someone with so much going for them would work as an assistant for a small private investigation company, but Courtney didn’t define herself by what she did for
a living. Working for Mum and Dad suited her perfectly. Her mother had been the assistant at Delaney & Co for years, and when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and it got too
bad for her to carry on working, Courtney had not only made the decision to stay at home and look after her, she’d also accepted Mum and Dad’s offer to take over her mum’s job. It
didn’t pay very much, but it was interesting work, and Mum and Dad let her take as much time off as she needed, plus the office was only five minutes’ walk from her house.
    In the two years she’d worked for Delaney & Co, Courtney had become very close to my parents, and she was fiercely protective of both them and the company. So when the man with the
shaved head began patronising her that morning, talking to her as if she was nothing, I knew he was heading for trouble.
    I leaned against the wall, put my hands in my pockets, and settled down to watch the show.
    ‘I need to speak to whoever’s in charge here,’ he said to her as she studied his business card. ‘So if you wouldn’t mind—’
    ‘It says here you work for M & G Commercial,’ she said, looking up from the card.
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Who called you?’
    ‘I’m sorry?’
    ‘Who called your company about the insurance claim?’ He hesitated. ‘No one called us. We pride ourselves on being proactive in situations such as this.’
    Courtney grinned. ‘Proactive?’
    He gave her a condescending smile. ‘It means—’
    ‘I know what it means, Mr Smith. It’s just that I’ve never come across a proactive insurance company before.’ She smiled at him. ‘No offence, but in my experience
it’s difficult enough to get a
re
active response from an insurance company.’
    ‘Well, that’s as maybe—’
    ‘What position do you hold with M & G?’
    He stared hard at her, trying to stay calm. ‘I think it’s probably best if I speak to someone else about this. Is your manager available?’
    ‘What makes you think I’m not the manager?’
    ‘Are you?’
    She stared back at him. ‘Your business card doesn’t state what position you hold. Are you a loss adjuster?’
    He sighed. ‘Perhaps it’d be better if I came back another time.’
    She nodded thoughtfully. ‘That sounds like a good idea. Let me give you a bit of advice though. Before you come back, you might want to check to see who Delaney & Co are actually
insured with first.’ She passed him back his business card. ‘Or at least come up with something better than “M & G Commercial”.’ She smiled at him. ‘I mean,
I’m no expert, of course, but if I wanted someone to think that I worked for an insurance company, I’d pick one that actually existed.’
    The man glared at her for a moment or two, then he put the business card back in his wallet and said, ‘I’ll bear that in mind, Ms Lane.’ He looked over at me, held my gaze for
a second, then turned round and walked out.
    ‘Well, that was interesting,’ Courtney said when he’d gone.
    ‘Very interesting,’ I agreed, taking the printout from my pocket.
    ‘What have you got there?’ she asked.
    I went over and gave her the picture. She didn’t say anything at first, just quietly studied the photograph, and after a few seconds I saw her raise her eyebrows in surprise.
    ‘That’s our friend Mr Smith,’ she said, still looking at the picture.
    ‘Exactly.’
    ‘Where did you find this, Trav?’
    ‘It was in Mum and Dad’s safe.’
    She nodded thoughtfully, then looked at me. ‘They were investigating