We Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside

Blackpool: fun capital of the northwest (of England). It’s the location of the STAC Mystery #11, Death in Distribution, which will be released two weeks tomorrow. To save you getting out your diary, that’s April 1st.

Everyone knows Blackpool. Illuminations, The Tower, the Pleasure Beach, Mme Tussauds, The Big One, its bars and cafes have made it the major attraction since before I was born.

Naturally, there is a whole lot more to Blackpool than mere hedonism. As well as putting on many shows during the season, The Winter Gardens has been a popular venue for political party conferences, and the various theatres can number some of the biggest names in the business starring in their productions. The airport, south of the town has grown from a small, regional airfield, to an international departure point, and while every other town and city in the UK was doing away with trams, Blackpool kept them.

Following in the footsteps of my wife and I, the Sanford 3rd Age Club are visiting for the weekend, but as usual things do not go according to plan. After a fender bender on the motorway, Joe becomes involved in a double killing at Ballantyne Distribution’s depot. Warned off by the police, he is enjoying an evening of classic (not classical) music in the hotel bar, when Dave Kane, the site manager visits and asks him to investigate the deaths.

But Joe is unusually reluctant.

***

“I dunno. There’s just something telling me to keep away from it.”

Kane seized on the admission. “Look, Joe, if it’s the police—”

The words clicked in Joe’s mind and he cut Kane off. “That’s just what it is. That Burrows, he warned me, you know. He said if he found me at your place again, he’d book me for obstructing a police investigation.”

“That could make life awkward if you turn up with your driver to collect the bus on Monday morning,” Kane observed.

“Exactly what I told him.”

“Joe, don’t worry about Chief Inspector Burrows. He will do as he’s told.”

Brenda almost choked on her drink. Her eyes widened and slowly swivelled to fall on Sheila, whose face had become a mask of fury. Joe noted the reactions of his friends. Like him, Brenda had read between the lines, and Sheila’s reaction was to be expected. Her late husband had had a distinguished career with the police.

To head off the argument, Joe demanded, “Don’t tell me Ballantynes own the police, too.”

A rueful smile crossed Kane’s lips. “Nothing of the kind. Ballantynes uphold the rule of law. We don’t hide behind corporate lawyers, and if there is anything untoward in the manner of our employees’ deaths, then we insist on getting to the truth.”

To Joe it sounded like a prepared speech, but he resisted the temptation to applaud and call for the author. Instead, he said, “You just want to control the media. Put a bit of spin on it.”

“There is that aspect,” Kane agreed. “The police are not particularly subtle when it comes to dealing with the press, and as I explained before, we don’t like any story that would show the company in a bad light. Burrows has already gone on record as saying it was a fight between the two men.”

“And that reflects badly upon your company, Mr Kane?” Sheila hissed.

“Not so much on the company but the management, Mrs Riley. Without the full background, the press will ask what kind of management is in place at Ballantynes that could allow an argument between two individuals to get out of hand.”

Sheila’s furious features indicated she was about to go on the attack again. Kane read it accurately and pressed on before she could speak.

“If it could be demonstrated that the two men were killed by a third party, it wouldn’t be as damning for us.”

It was not the wisest thing he could have said. She put down her glass, jumped to her feet and stormed from the table.

“I’d better go after her; calm her down.” With an apologetic smile, Brenda quickly followed her friend.

Kane was nonplussed. “Did I say something out of place?”

“And then some,” Joe told him.

***

Will Brenda help Sheila calm down? Will Joe take up the challenge? How will Chief Inspector Burrows react to Ballantynes interference?

The answer to these questions, plus many more are in the pages of Death in Distribution.

As always, this eleventh STAC Mystery will be available in all e-formats and in paperback from all online suppliers. Make a note in your diary. April 1st. Don’t be an April Fool. Get your copy ordered now.