Daisy and Bernard (The Blind Sleuth Mysteries 3)

Chapter 5

In the van on the way to South Kensington, Daisy, sitting next to Collins in the front, asked Bernard, sitting in his wheelchair in the back, "What makes you think that I am the one that got pregnant? I was forty-five years old at the time!"

"Don't you see that the obvious is staring you in the face, now? The forensic expert said that there was a family resemblance between your teeth and the killer's... Then if the child is bent on avenging its mother, that only makes sense if the mother is you. Why would the girl's child be angry with McCullough? So I can only conclude that you have a son—or maybe a daughter—who is McCullough's killer."

"All right. Idle speculation; circumstantial evidence at best. We'll see."

When they arrived at Daisy's place near Earl's Court, Bernard said, "You'd better give me the key to your front door, otherwise the response unit will break it down."

Another, bigger van arrived right behind them and the heavily armed police officers immediately ran down the small stairs to Daisy's front door. As soon as he emerged from his own car with a little help from Collins, Bernard handed over the door keys to the leader of the squad. The men quickly disappeared inside the flat. Standing on the pavement in front of the house, Daisy could hear the men shouting downstairs. She felt a shiver going down her spine: would Jonathan still be at home? It was up to him! She had given him enough warnings and admonitions.

But to her relief, the men came out as swiftly as they had disappeared inside a moment before, and their leader told Bernard, "There's no one there Sir. Sorry."

"That's a pity. Thanks all the same, gentlemen. Now Collins and I need to search the place; can a couple of you please carry me down?"

And that is how Bernard finally entered Daisy's home. "Do you care to show me around, my dear? I have leave to snoop, of course, but I don't want to be rude."

"Very noble I'm sure. But all right. I have nothing to hide anyway..."

So Daisy obligingly took the handles of the chair and started wheeling her guest around. Her own flat was so familiar in her mind, of course, that she could do so without using her cane or groping around in the least. But as soon as she had said, "And that, as you can see, is where the bathroom is," Bernard said, "Collins, please check it," before they moved on to Daisy's bedroom. A moment later Collins joined them and announced, "Only the lady's things Sir."

Then they stood in front of Jonathan's door. The only door in the flat, and it was closed.

"And this would be?"

"Oh, just an unused guestroom, dear Bernard. Do you want to see it?"

"By all means!"

As soon as they entered the room, they were overwhelmed by the unmistakable odour of fresh paint, though Daisy had already caught a whiff of its vinegar smell through the closed door that morning. Bernard and Collins looked around them in amazement at the stark white walls. There was a bed, a desk and a chair; some audio equipment, but all of it looking so sterile, that you couldn't imagine that anyone ever stayed in here, even for a short while as a guest. The built-in cupboards were empty, of course. Daisy was stricken by the tellingly echoing acoustics of the place as they stepped forward. "Johnny-John!" she thought, "you certainly did a thorough job last night."

Bernard cleared his throat in the echoing silence. "Isn't it bizarre that you repainted only the guest room, which is presumably the least used room of the flat?"

"On the contrary," Daisy remarked, "the guest room is the easiest to do, so why not start there?"

"Hmm... Still, I recognise the style. The mentality seems familiar. It's that typical overkill, you know?"