Page 44 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes

“Bruce is back at the bookshop. He wasn’t kidding when he said he couldn’t leave it for long periods of time,” I say to Danny. “It pulled him straight back. I don’t think he’s strong enough to resist that pull, and we’re not sure how long it will be before he can leave it again.”

“I thought Dusty would be with him.”

“Dusty’s in a mood,” I say quietly.

“Dusty’s in a mood,” she mimics under her breath in a childish tone without turning her attention from the TV.

She’s been sulking since we returned from The Rainbow Room yesterday. There really is no talking to her when she’s like this, so I’m letting her stew for a bit. Knowing that I have to go back to work tomorrow, I’m taking the opportunity to go through some old boxes of my dad’s that I brought from our old house when I sold it for him and moved in here.

I’d shoved them in a cupboard and then ignored them. However, given that the flat is leaking like a sieve with no hint of this weather letting up anytime soon, I figured now would be the time to sort through them. Especially before we have to move to our new place. If we find a new place.

The first few flats Chan tagged for us weren’t right, either wrong location or too small and boxy. Soon, we should hear back about the one in Whitechapel to see if we can view it.

“How’s it coming along?” Danny asks as I aimlessly stare down at the box and its contents.

“Tedious.” I sigh and grasp another sheaf of papers. “Dad kept a load of paperwork. Most of it’s junk or old bills, which I can get rid of, but I know there’s other stuff mixed in.”

“Like what?”

“There’re photo albums somewhere, and Dad spent ages researching the family tree, so all that stuff is in here too.”

“Are there photos of you when you were little?” He grins.

“Shut up.” I huff a laugh and nudge his good leg.

“What? I bet you looked adorable.”

“I looked like the non-ginger version of Ed Sheeran.” I roll my eyes. “Seriously, the NHS glasses my parents made me wear were no joke.”

“Oh god, now I have to see. Are they in here?” He reaches down awkwardly for the box I’m sorting through.

“Nope.” I shove it out of his reach.

“Spoilsport.” He chuckles.

“What about you?” I ask, nodding toward the laptop resting on his thighs. “Any luck?”

“Not yet. I’m trying to track down the identity of who owns the sports ground where the bones were found,” he says contemplatively. “There’s just something nagging at me. I mean, it’s a prime location. A developer would’ve been prepared to pay a lot of money for a piece of land like that in the middle of Surbiton. They’d have snapped it up in a heartbeat and thrown a block of flats up before you could blink.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, why didn’t the owners want to sell? Why leave it sitting abandoned for years?”

“A body that would be discovered the moment they started digging foundations would be a good reason.” I ponder. “You think the owner, whoever it was, knew the body was there?”

“Maybe.” Danny scratches his chin, his eyes drawn back to the TV.

“Ssush,” Dusty hisses. “Brett is about to marry Billy and her sister Ashton has arranged to have him killed because she can’t have him.”

I snort loudly.

“What?” Danny asks curiously, so I repeat what Dusty said verbatim.

“Christ,” Danny mutters, staring at the screen. “It’s likeDynastydoes the Civil War. Why can’t I look away?”

“You’re caught in its snare now.” I chuckle. “You’re going to have to binge watch the entire first two series.”

“The first two?” He cocks a brow.