Let Sleeping Dogs Die by DH Haines

Author:DH Haines [Haines, DH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2021-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Tracey poured herself a glass of red wine and put the bowl of prawn crackers to one side. There had been enough change left over to buy a Thai takeaway in addition to the wine and she had thoroughly enjoyed the green curry she’d treated herself to.

She brushed away some remnants of prawn crackers from her lap as she picked up the file from the seat next to her. Before she opened it she hit the play button on the remote control and Adele’s distinctive voice filled the room. She reduced the volume and opened up the manila folder. There was an A4 sheet stapled to the inside flap. Sexton had detailed the time frame that he’d worked within on the financial statements and outlined Laidlaw’s route through France with dates and place names.

Tracey had a quick look at his scrawling handwriting and familiarised herself with Laidlaw’s journey, checking it against a map of France that she’d printed off the internet. She then began working her way back through the credit card statements to see if there was anything that stood out as unusual.

The first thing she came across that caught her attention was a payment for £245 made out to Cockington Manor. She grinned to herself. The Manor was a popular venue for weddings. She picked up a highlighter pen and put a big yellow mark through it before adding the date to Sexton’s notes. A payment for £735 had been made to Susan’s Flower Shop a month earlier. That same day a payment had also been made to Alan’s Luxury Cars in the sum of £1100. She Googled the company name on her smart phone. She was on a roll. The company supplied wedding cars. It was looking more and more likely that the trip to France had been Laidlaw’s honeymoon.

Unless the wedding had been called off at the last minute, there was no way Laidlaw had travelled to the south of France alone. So how on earth had the new Mrs Laidlaw got there?

Earlier entries showed that Laidlaw had led quite a good life prior to his wedding. He had regularly run up monthly credit card bills in excess of £2,000, eating at nice restaurants, staying at good hotels and enjoying regular trips and weekend breaks away, both in the UK and abroad. At the end of each month the account was settled in full by direct debit.

Tracey began studying the period after the wedding had taken place and it looked like Laidlaw had started experiencing financial problems within 24 months. The statements showed that he was no longer automatically clearing the card at the end of the month and the credit limit had been increased. He was still living the good life; but it was obvious he could no longer afford it. A winter ski trip to Courchevel. A cruise to the Caribbean. A summer holiday in Tuscany. Laidlaw hadn’t made much of an effort to cut back on his spending, even though he was struggling to clear the balance.

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