No Accident (The Kent Fisher Mysteries Book 1) by Robert Crouch

Author:Robert Crouch [Crouch, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-07-23T23:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

By the look of contempt frozen on Danni's face, she hasn't come to award me Accident Investigator of the Year. The buttons on her jacket strain, especially when she slides a white envelope into an inside pocket.

"Danni," I say, knowing I have to take the offensive. "Just the person I wanted to see. You'll never guess what I found."

"Unless it's a miracle, Kent, I'd stop right there."

Her fingers tug at the hem of her jacket. It could be a nervous reaction, but I doubt it. Her appearance here is no accident. She knew where I would be. That narrows down the list of people who could have told her to Birchill or Foley. I'm relieved it's not Gemma, who's standing a few paces behind. She looks like she wants to be anywhere but here.

"I found the missing guard," I say, aware of Adele joining me. "And this is Mr Collins' daughter, Adele Havelock. She came to meet her father, unaware of his tragic accident. Naturally, she's a little upset at the moment."

It's a lame attempt at emotional blackmail, but it's all I can muster.

My boss straightens her jacket and steps forward. "Daniella Frost, Head of Environmental Health and Waste. Please accept my sympathies on your loss." The handshake is brief and perfunctory. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why were you in the barn just now?"

"Kent kindly showed me where my father died. It's just around the back of the barn. Have you seen it?"

"You haven't answered my question," Danni replies, walking into the barn. She stops just inside the door and prods the nearest jerry can with her toe. "With all this petrol and machinery, it's not the safest place to be."

"I wanted to see where my father worked," Adele says. "Kent kindly offered to show me."

Danni turns to face us, almost smiling now. "He's good at helping women in distress. I can't imagine how you feel at the moment. It must be quite overwhelming."

"It's devastating."

"Devastating enough to spoil your lunch in The Cactus Grill? That explains why you left so quickly."

Credit where credit's due, Danni has well and truly stitched me up. "Believe it or not, we left because the restaurant had a poor hygiene rating," I say.

Danni laughs. "You're full of surprises, Kent. You disobey instructions, ignore procedures and break the rules, but you won't eat in a poorly rated restaurant."

"It depends on who sets the standards."

"Oh, I think it's more a case of who enforces them, don't you?" Danni's smug grin tells me I'll be lucky to keep my job. "Leave us, Miss Havelock. This is an official investigation and we have confidential matters to discuss."

Adele crosses her arms. "Are you taking over the investigation, Miss Frost?"

"Operational matters are not your concern."

"You're a manager, not an inspector. I'd like to know what experience you have to ensure my father's accident is properly investigated. I'm sure my readers will want to know too. They expect me to hold public officials to account."

Danni tugs at the base of her jacket.

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