Derek Cole had worked as caretaker and general handyman for the Wentworth Trust since taking early retirement from the police force due to stress.
He loved his present occupation.
The company had offices all over England, and their main interest came from buying up dilapidated old houses from people who had inherited them from distant relatives, and who did not have the inclination, let alone the finances, to restore them to their former glory.
Wentworth could rip out the interior of a property within a week and, by the end of the same month, would have the place fully rewired, centrally heated, with new fixtures and fittings, ready to be sold on for an absolute fortune.
Derek worked in Hertfordshire, where he had lived his entire life. At present, he had more than 30 properties on his
