Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

Thank you steveizy for your kind words of encouragement. Yes, it is a great risk but as you said it's hard to imagine if you don't read each page. I'm glad you are enjoying each page and know you will enjoy the rest. I love writing this story. The words bubble from my mind onto the keyboard with pleasure. Here is the next page:

'The Proposition' - Page 9:

‘Bundy, you’ll work with Detective Superintendent Emerson and she’ll bring you up-to-date with her latest investigation.’ Each shook hands with the Commissioner and left.
After leaving the Commissioner’s office they boarded the lift to the third floor. Bundy followed Detective Superintendent Emerson into an office. It was small compared to other offices. Two desks, one in the corner, there were two filing cabinets and a computer monitor on each desk. There were no windows.
‘That’s your desk over there in the corner.’ She stated in a command rather than an inviting voice.
Bundy walked behind the desk and sat on the chair facing the monitor. He looked at the blank screen, his mind not certain how he should approach the conversation to break the ice with this bitch. His instincts told him she was going to be a hard piece of ice to defrost.
‘Do you know why the Commissioner wanted me to work with you?’ He asked in a soft and inviting tone.
‘Something about you, and your way of being a detective, he told me. Look – let’s get something straight before we start. I don’t know why he chose you, I’ve read your old records and yes I must admit you were a good detective, in your day, but I emphasise, the word - were. I’ll do what the Commissioner wants to please him because he’s the boss and I’m not going against his wishes.’ Her voice raised and fell as she spoke.

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'The Proposition' - Page 10:

‘Hey, don’t get your tits in a tangle over this – I didn’t know what he wanted either. All I did was write and thank him for sending me two medals. He was the one who wanted to see me - okay.’ Bundy calmed once he expressed his feelings of their initial meeting.
‘My tits, as you referred to them, and don’t you ever refer to my body parts again if you don’t mind, these are mine and I’m the only one who can refer to them that way. And they’re not in a tangle if you must know.’
‘Alright, I’m sorry; I guess you are in your late thirties. I have a daughter who is thirty-eight.’
‘It’s none of your business how old I am.’ She exploded.
‘I didn’t mean anything bad - but I wonder how you rose to the rank of Detective Superintendent at your age? I was only a Sergeant First Class at a similar age.’
‘Not by lying on my back – if that’s what you referring. I worked bloody hard. Not as hard as you did obviously, but I put in the hours.’
‘Are you married or have a family?’
‘It’s none of your business – no, I never married nor have a family. My parents are deceased and I am the only child. Does that answer your question?’
‘Yes – thank you. Now we’ve broken the ice – what is it we’ve got to do?’

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'The Proposition' - Page 11:

Both looked at one another in a way two champions eyed each other off before competing in a prize fight. Bundy looked around and couldn’t see a telephone on either desk, ‘don’t you have telephones here in this office. Are you important enough not to have them?’ He asked.
‘In your day you had telephones but today we have mobile phones.’ She produced a small hand size black instrument in her right palm of her hand; with her thumb she flipped open a lid to show Bundy the face of a gadget flashing lights and numbers.
‘What’s that – one of those new fangled things you talk into?’ Bundy asked.
‘You mean to tell me – you don’t have a mobile phone – how old are you?’
‘I’m old enough to be your father – ah..sorry about that, I didn’t mean to refer to your father. Anyway – I’m old enough. I have a daughter a similar age to you.’
‘Do you know how to use the computer – did they have computers in your day?’ She asked sullenly.
‘Yes, but not fancy ones like these. Ours were large – very large. They’re different now. I suppose after twenty years I’d expect many things have changed.’
‘I agree.’ She answered, their eyes met for the first time.
At least she was dropping her tone and the ice melted, Bundy thought.
‘How about we go to the canteen and have a coffee?’ Bundy asked the question. ‘Do they still have a canteen?’
‘That’d be a good idea. I need a heart starter before we go any further.’
They left the office.

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'The Proposition' - Page 12:

Chapter 2

Surprise to Bundy the canteen was in the same place as it was when the building was officially opened in 1989. He remembered the time; he was one of the selected few who were permitted to attend the opening.
‘Nothing much has changed in here.’ He told his partner when they walked into the canteen to order their drinks. ‘I’ll get them. What do you have?’ Bundy requested.
‘Flat white thank you, strong.’
Bundy ordered a strong flat white and a hot chocolate. He stopped drinking coffee a couple of years before. At the time he was having lunch at his favourite café when the coffee he ordered scorched his throat after he drank a mouthful. He fainted and was taken to the hospital thinking he’d had a heart attack. Since then he only drank hot chocolate.
‘Haven’t you been weaned?’ Detective Superintendent Emerson said.
‘What’d mean.’

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'The Proposition' - Page 13:

‘Hot chocolate – that’s what you drink before you go to bed at night.’
‘There’s a story attached to drinking hot chocolate – I’ll share it with you one day when we get to know one another a little better.’ Bundy answered.
They sat at a table waiting for their drinks to cool. Detective Superintendent Emerson waved to other officers she knew. One officer walked over to their table, ‘hi there Kathleen, you didn’t go to the party the other night. Weren’t you well?’ This person asked.
‘I’m sorry; I didn’t feel up to it. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, perhaps another time.’ The person said goodbye and left.
‘You can’t burn the candle at both ends. It’s what happened with me. I never realised until I retired how many hours I used to put in for the service and then thrown onto the scrap heap until now.’ Bundy expressed.
‘If you must know, I don’t burn the candle at both ends. I didn’t want to go to their damn party they treat me like a leaper – it’s as if I’ve got two heads.’ She expressed.
‘Probably they’re jealous – there’s a lot of it in the service. Shortly after I joined in 1970 a fellow officer told me not to expect many friends whilst I was in the job. When I asked him why; his reply was because the ones in the job were too frightened you will get ahead of them and the ones outside didn’t want to know you because you’re a copper.’

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The Proposition - Page 14:

‘If that’s the case then why did you want to accept this proposition from the Commissioner?’ She asked in a friendly tone.
‘I’m intrigued and at the same time want to get back on the horse. It’s been twenty years but I don’t think I’ve lost anything. I’m much older and perhaps wiser, let’s hope so. I loved my work as a detective; it kept me alive in tough times.’ Bundy shared.
They finished their drinks and returned to their dingy small office which wasn’t large enough to swing a cat.
‘How about letting me know why the Commissioner wanted me to work with you?’ Bundy requested.
‘Eight years ago I was a detective working up north; a twelve year old lad disappeared. He’s still missing. I’ve been working on the case ever since.’ She admitted to Bundy.
‘How does this concern me?’ Bundy queried.
‘After you sent your letter, the Commissioner asked to see me. I bought him up-to-speed with the investigation. He told me you’d written a letter to him after you received your medals. He strongly suggested he bring you in to work with me in the hope you can help solve the mystery.’
‘Eight years you’ve been working on this case. Why haven’t you asked for assistance before this?’ Bundy wanted to know.

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'The Proposition' - Page 15:

‘I didn’t need it. I don’t need it now. I’ve been handling it okay; but when you’re told by the Commissioner he had another suggestion to help, you do as you’re told.’
‘Okay then – here I am. You’d better get me up-to-speed. Eight years, my wife lost her fight with cancer nine years ago.’ Bundy shared.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Are you alright to work this case?’ She asked.
‘You bet your life I am. I’ve been itching to get back into it. I never thought I’d get another opportunity. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Its makes me feel young and alive.’ Bundy smiled.
‘Do you know how to switch on the computer?’ She asked.
‘There’s a switch here somewhere, isn’t there. Ah - here it is.’ Bundy switched on the computer to see the monitor flash alive with icons and a buzzing noise.
‘In the beginning we set up a data base to record our investigation. Click onto icon “missing child 2003” and the file will come up. The password is Peter. The name of the child is Peter Clayton. He was twelve years old at the time.’ Detective Superintendent Emerson said in a soft and concerned voice.
Bundy opened the file. Pages and pages of documentation, times, dates, references, and other information glared from the screen. ‘How am I going to get up-to-speed with all this?’ He asked.