Death at the Library: A completely gripping cozy mystery (A Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 9) by Betty Rowlands

Author:Betty Rowlands [Rowlands, Betty]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838880835
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2019-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

‘So,’ said DCI Leach, glancing round the semicircle of detectives seated before him, ‘I see you’ve made some cracks in their armour. Well done.’

It was Wednesday morning and the team working on the Woodlands Estate case were once again assembled in the SIO’s office.

‘Small ones, admittedly, sir,’ said Rathbone, ‘but enough to make it pretty certain that there was a cover-up in which the entire staff as well as the four outsiders – Pearce plus Jennifer Cottrell’s three business associates – appear to have colluded. I haven’t actually interviewed the financial adviser, but I’ve spoken to him on the telephone and he’s sent me copies of his quarterly reports on Cottrell’s portfolio for the past couple of years. In total it represents quite a substantial investment; I’ve had it vetted by one of our own financial whiz kids and she assures me it appears to have been well managed with no unusual or suspect movements in or out. The FA – his name’s Bicknell, by the way – assures me that his client left her affairs entirely in his hands and that she always signed without question anything he sent, such as contracts for the sale or purchase of shares, but otherwise took no interest. He understands she passed his reports to Lillian Brand, who sent formal acknowledgements but never passed on any comments from her employer or made any of her own.’

‘I see.’ Leach made a note on his own file and moved on to the next item on the list on his desk. ‘Now, I have the report of your latest interview with Fraser. I see Sukey has raised a tentative point about a possible relationship between Fraser and Brand. Would you like to enlarge on that, Sukey?’

‘It was just a thought that came into my head before our – that is, DS Rathbone’s and my – interview with Fraser, sir,’ Sukey said. ‘You could describe it as brainstorming I suppose, but it was something I bore in mind during the interview.’

‘And?’

‘All I can say is that he said nothing that would have suggested that possibility until I asked him if he had ever met Lillian Brand in other than a professional capacity. For some reason the question appeared to irritate him.’

Leach turned to Rathbone. ‘Was that your impression, Greg?’

‘Yes, sir, but I’d already noticed he was beginning to watch the clock and it was at that point he said he was seeing a client in five minutes, so—’

‘So that could have been behind the hint of tetchiness?’

‘That’s what I put it down to, sir.’

‘Sukey?’

She hesitated for a moment before saying, ‘I’d like to keep an open mind for the moment, sir.’

‘Very well.’ Leach made another tick and turned to Rathbone. ‘It seems from your report on the interview with Pearce that unless he’s an exceptionally clever liar – which according to what you say about him here seems unlikely – you’re inclined to accept his insistence that he had no part in the murder nor knew anything about the circumstances.

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