Thursday Murder Club, #1
The Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 84
Overview
Bobby Tanner gives the group a clearer picture of Turkish Johnny’s old connection to Tony Curran: Johnny held more than one hundred thousand pounds for Tony and vanished, prompting Tony to search for him in Cyprus without success. The discussion shifts the investigation toward whether Johnny has returned and who might have sheltered him.
Jason and Bobby identify a private lead who may know the truth, but they withhold it from both Elizabeth and the police. Their secrecy creates a new thread in the inquiry and temporarily puts the next move in their hands.
Summary
Chris and Donna meet Jason Ritchie and Bobby Tanner in the Jigsaw Room, while Elizabeth and Joyce are also involved in the discussion. Bobby remains a difficult prize for the police: detectives had failed to find him for years, and Elizabeth refuses to reveal how she located him.
Bobby agrees to share what he knows on the condition that he can disappear again afterward. Bobby explains that Turkish Johnny had a little over one hundred thousand pounds in his flat, money Johnny was keeping safe for Tony Curran.
The conversation turns to Johnny’s disappearance. Bobby says Tony went to Cyprus more than once to look for Johnny but found nothing, and that nothing was the same afterward. Jason admits he drifted away from that world and into television, while Bobby says he left town after his brother died because nothing remained for him there.
Donna questions whether Johnny could have returned recently without anyone noticing. Bobby says few people from the old days are still around, and Jason wonders who Johnny would trust if he needed somewhere to stay.
Bobby and Jason suddenly realize there is someone who might know the answer. Jason sends a text and receives confirmation that the person can meet at two, but Bobby and Jason refuse to share the lead with Elizabeth or the police, joking that Elizabeth cannot solve everything.
Who Appears
- Bobby TannerFormerly Peter Ward; shares Tony and Johnny history while insisting he can disappear afterward.
- Jason RitchieTony’s son; joins Bobby in identifying and privately contacting a possible source.
- Chris HudsonPolice officer present for Bobby’s account and interested in evidence Elizabeth controls.
- Donna De FreitasPolice officer questioning whether Johnny could have returned without being noticed.
- ElizabethClub member who found Bobby but refuses to reveal her methods or evidence without a warrant.
- JoyceClub member present at the meeting, briefly asking about Johnny’s flat.
- Turkish JohnnyAbsent suspect whose disappearance with Tony’s money remains central to the investigation.
- Tony CurranMurder victim whose missing money and failed Cyprus searches are discussed.