In Plain Sight (Detective Karen Hart) by D. S. Butler

Author:D. S. Butler [Butler, D. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2025-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Arnie fumbled in his pocket for his car keys. ‘We’ll take mine,’ he said to Karen as they headed out of the village hall.

‘We could get a pool car . . .’

‘No, this will be quicker.’

Karen eyed Arnie’s Vauxhall dubiously as she climbed into the passenger seat. The car smelled of stale coffee, and old fast-food wrappers littered the floor. She tried to find a clean spot to put her bag but ended up keeping it on her lap.

Arnie slid behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. ‘Sorry about the mess,’ he said, even though he didn’t sound very apologetic.

‘We could have taken my car,’ Karen said.

‘We always take your car.’

‘For good reason. I clean it occasionally.’

Arnie huffed. ‘It’s clean underneath. It’s just a bit cluttered.’

He pulled out of the car park, and they were soon cruising along the open roads heading towards Louth. Karen lowered the window a fraction, letting the brisk autumn air blow away the stale smell.

‘So, Clive Rothwell,’ Arnie said. ‘What do we know about him?’

‘Property developer,’ Karen replied, scrolling through some background on her phone that Sophie had sent over. ‘Made a fortune building fancy hotels, golf courses and the like. Started off as a bricklayer’s assistant working on building sites, and now he’s rubbing shoulders with the cream of society.’

Arnie grunted. ‘Sounds like we’ll have our work cut out. He’ll be one of those “new money” snobs. Can’t stand them.’

‘His projects probably bring a lot of jobs and money into local communities,’ Karen said.

‘Trust me,’ Arnie said. ‘His sort only part with money when they’re forced to. He’s not going to be regularly donating money to food banks.’

‘You sound like you’ve made up your mind about him already.’

‘I have. The message he left Alison told me all I need to know to form an opinion on his character. Leaving threatening messages for a woman – does that sound like a nice bloke to you?’

‘No,’ Karen agreed. ‘And you’re right, the message was unnerving. Rothwell was furious about something.’

‘Alison might’ve blocked approval for one of his big development projects,’ Arnie said. ‘That would have upset him big-time.’

‘Yes, and maybe he lost his temper.’

Arnie nodded slowly. ‘We could be looking at a bribery situation too. Rothwell slips Alison some cash to get his plans approved. She takes the money but then gets a guilty conscience and blocks the project.’

‘Leading to a very angry wealthy man who feels he’s been betrayed,’ Karen said. ‘I’m surprised he’s willing to talk to us today. He’s got money, which means he can afford a big legal team who’d enjoy tying us up in red tape to stop us getting close to him.’

They drove on, fields and hedgerows rushing past in a blur. The landscape began to change, becoming hillier and the roads steeper as they entered the Lincolnshire Wolds. Arnie shifted down a gear as the road started to wind and curve through the rolling terrain.

‘Nearly there,’ Karen said, checking their progress on Google Maps. ‘Rothwell’s estate should be just up ahead.

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