Descent (A Kate Redman Mystery Novella) by Celina Grace

Author:Celina Grace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Isaro Publishing Ltd
Published: 2017-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Paul White’s place of work could not have been in greater contrast to that of Thomas Denver’s. The office buildings containing the solicitors’ practice of Chipstead, Denham and White were almost brand new; built of angular cream-coloured stone, black cladding and some rather startling but undeniably effective strips of copper. Their burnished hue reflected the struggling rays of the sun, which were just creeping out from behind the cloud.

Kate had rung ahead, if only by ten minutes, to ascertain that Paul White would be in the office. She was quickly shown through to where he was located, and he opened the door to her himself, shaking hands courteously. For all that, Kate could sense an undercurrent of anxiety in his slightly too casual small talk, just a tiny thrum underneath the superficial normality. But that was actually quite normal when interviewing people who didn’t have a lot to do with the police in day-to-day life. It didn’t necessarily mean he was hiding something. As Kate sat down, she took a surreptitious look at the back of his office door but the only coat there was a dark-grey, pinstriped suit jacket, matching the trousers Paul White was currently wearing.

“Where was I?” Paul White sounded almost shocked to be asked. “On the day – I presume that was the day Karyn – well, died?”

Kate smiled neutrally. “If you could just let me know, sir, where you were from half eleven am on the twenty-eighth of December last year?”

Paul White frowned. “Well, um – it was Christmas week, wasn’t it? So I took the week off, I normally do – spend time with the family and all that. So, um, I would have been at home.”

“I see. What were you doing at that particular time, Mr White?”

Paul White was looking slightly more relaxed now. “Oh, gosh. Half eleven on a holiday day? Probably just watching TV, something like that.”

“Did you go out at all that day?”

Paul White looked hard at her and then smiled. “No. No, I don’t think so. I didn’t have any reason to go out, and I like relaxing at home.”

“Was your wife at home?”

The hunted look came back, if only briefly. “Louise? Yes, of course she was. She was doing a big declutter of the whole house in time for New Year.”

Kate nodded. Was there actually any point to this? What did she have to go on, apart from a vague feeling that something wasn’t quite right?

She cleared her throat. “We have a witness statement that says they saw Karyn Denver leave your house at one am on Boxing Day – so, actually, on the twenty-seventh but very early – in a distressed state. Can you tell me anything about that?”

Paul White stared at her. “What?”

Kate met his gaze calmly and repeated her question. Paul White blinked and then said, somewhat reluctantly, “Well, she had been upset, a bit, earlier in the evening. Both Louise and I were trying to help, you know, calm her down. I think the situation with Tom had been getting at her and you know what Christmas is like.

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