A Dead Herring (A Right Royal Cozy Investigation Mystery): A female amateur sleuth cozy mystery with a hint of humour by Helen Golden

Author:Helen Golden [Golden, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781915747075
Publisher: Drew Bradley Press
Published: 2023-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

24

9:45 AM, MONDAY 11 JANUARY

“Thank you for coming, Mr McLean. I have a couple of follow-up questions after our interview yesterday.” DCI Richard Fitzwilliam ushered the grey-haired man towards an armchair in the middle of the anteroom. “Please take a seat.”

Hector McLean sighed and leaned back into the chair so heavily, Lady Beatrice, who was sitting by the window, thought it would tip back. He picked at his trousers, straightening the seams so they lay neatly over his shoes, and huffed. “I’m not sure there’s much I can add.”

Fitzwilliam pressed record on his phone and leaned back, propping himself up with the arm of the sofa. It was strange not to see Daisy by his side.

Bea had now resigned herself to the fact her little dog preferred Fitzwilliam’s company to her own these days. When she’d moaned about it to Fred last night on their way up to see their grandmother, he’d pointed out it was the novelty of having someone new around rather than a shift of affection away from Bea, but she wasn’t so sure. Whenever Fitzwilliam was in the room, Daisy mooched around after him like a love-struck teenager. Do dogs fall in love? She’d been pleased when Perry had offered to take the little terrier with him on the ‘special assignment’ Fitzwilliam had given him. Daisy was a good icebreaker.

“When we spoke yesterday, Mr McLean, you said you didn’t know Ben Rhodes well.”

“That’s correct.” He sounded less confident now. Was he worried they had found him out?

“But you’re actually familiar with him, aren’t you, Mr McLean? After all, it was Ben Rhodes who purchased your company’s shares in Urshall United at a knock-down price, wasn’t it?”

This is more like it! This was what she’d been waiting for.

Hector McLean’s face turned puce, and a purple vein pulsed on his forehead. “I don’t know what that’s got to do with anything,” he snapped.

“Don’t you? By our estimates, you lost over thirty million when you sold your shares. You must have been angry at the man who caused you to take such an enormous loss.”

Hector glared at Fitzwilliam. “Thirty million! That’s ridiculous. It was nothing like as much as that.”

Hadn’t Fred said something about the company having sold some of their shares just before the trouble had all started?

“How much did you lose then, Mr McLean?”

The man stilled and narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to divulge that information. All I can tell you is that it was a lot less than your estimate.”

“We can find out, Mr McLean,” Fitzwilliam informed him.

Go, Fitzwilliam! Don’t let him push you around. Hector McLean was clearly trying to downplay the impact so it looked like he had no reason to have killed Ben. She inched forward in her seat.

“Not without due cause, chief inspector. I’ll give you my corporate lawyer’s number. You can have that conversation with him!” He catapulted out of his seat. “Now, if that’s all, please excuse me.” He glanced at Bea, raised his chin, then returned his stare to Fitzwilliam.

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