Case 155: The Big Egg

It was another Tuesday morning and I was on to my fourth coffee of the day. My landlady had been on the phone three times already asking when she was going to get last month’s rent so I was sending out final demands on some old bills, seeing if I could scrape enough cash together to keep her quiet. It was raining outside; it’s always raining these days.

I looked out across the street wondering whether I could make it over to Greggs without getting drenched. That’s when I spotted her; crossing the street under a bright red umbrella. She stood out from the crowd with that elegant walk, those high heels and a dress that looked like it had been spray-painted on to her body fresh that morning. 

I knew she was coming to see me; the way she looked behind her anxiously, the way she didn’t belong on Peebles High Street, and the way she did belong in my office, or even in my arms.

I didn’t have to wait long before I heard those high heels coming along the corridor, followed by a knock on the door.

 Come in, the door’s open

 Mr Barr? The private detective?

She was tall, she was blonde and her red dress was so tight I could read the day of the week embroidered on her underwear. It said “Wednesday”. She was a day ahead of herself and it hung in the air like a promise. She sat down and took out a cigarette holder almost as long as her umbrella.

Have you got a light?

I pushed across a lighter and a heavy glass ashtray; the same one that got Freddy “fingers” McTavish put away for twenty years after he used it to kill his brother for the insurance money. He’s got thirteen years left to serve then he’s promised to come and do the same to me. 

Mr Barr, I’m told you can look into things discreetly. Can you do that for me?

Depends what it is, Miss..?

Gift, Mr Barr; I’m Amber Gift

Pleased to meet you Miss Gift. What seems to be the problem?

It’s my shop, Mr Barr. I’ve had to close down my shop on the High Street.

A lot of shops closing down these days Miss Gift. What kind of shop was it?

A gift shop. Gifts Gifts Shop.

Yeah, I know the one. Down beside the opticians wasn’t it? Sold gifts?

Mostly gifts, yes. 

So why did you close down?  No-one buying gifts these days?

On the contrary, Mr Barr. Gifts are big business in this town. My shop was so busy I had three assistants just to keep restocking the shelves. I was just about to open a second gift shop at the other end of the street; Gifts Gifts Two.

So what happened?

My landlord cancelled the lease. Gave me some excuse about wear and tear but I did nothing wrong. And now I’ve heard he’s rented it out to someone else.

Who?

He won’t say. And that’s why I’m talking to you Mr Barr. You see, my shop is the third one this month to close down, and all for the same reason.

Cancelled leases?

Cancelled leases. So will you take the case?

I’ll look into it Miss Gift. No guarantees of course and it’s cash up front if you don’t mind.

Of course.

She reached down and slowly lifted the hem of her dress. She got as far as her red lace suspenders then extracted a roll of twenty pound notes. She peeled off half a dozen and handed them over. They were still warm. 

Will this be enough?

Plenty, thanks Miss Gift.

Call me.

And with that, she was gone. I headed out down the street to visit a lawyer friend of mine. Hamish has his ear to the ground and if anyone was doing dodgy business with property leases, he’d know about it.