Priceless Betrayal: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery Book 6) by Victoria Tait

Author:Victoria Tait [Tait, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781915413185
Publisher: Kanga Press
Published: 2023-03-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Keya and Ryan stood in Lemington Hall’s old stable yard and watched Ozzie drive away in her old VW Golf, with Norman following in Dotty’s Skoda.

“What was it like inside the hall?” asked Ryan with boyish enthusiasm.

“A contrast of old English and modern opulence. My family would love all the bling, but it’s not to my taste. And what have you been sent here to do?”

“Sergeant Unwin wants me to find out if Tariq owned the dagger which was used to kill him, and if it was already in the office, or if his assailant brought it with them.” Ryan glanced across at Keya before adding, “The sergeant and Chief Inspector Ringrose were about to interview Dotty when I left.”

“How was she?” asked Keya. “I feel guilty for not visiting her, but I thought trying to prove her innocence was more important.”

“And I’m sure she’ll agree. The chief inspector also asked me to search for anything in Tariq’s office I think might be relevant to the case.”

“Would you like me to help until Jarrod arrives?”

“Thanks.” Ryan paused and looked down at his feet.

Keya laughed. “I know, as long as I’m careful and try not to break anything.”

Ryan smiled back ruefully and handed Keya a pair of blue latex gloves, which she put on.

The office was neat and tidy. Ryan started searching Tariq’s desk while Keya approached the second one. It was clear of papers and the drawers were empty apart from a tall black chess piece. She hadn’t spotted a chess set.

“I guess Tariq was considering a partner,” mused Keya.

“Or a PA. He must have done everything himself, but there are only a few papers on his desk.”

“Do we know what work he did? I presumed he was a man of leisure, or helped run the estate or family business.”

“He was working as an accountant in London until two years ago. Since then I’ve discovered him on the board of several companies with interests ranging from oil exploration to diamond mines and a vineyard.”

“A man of means, I think the term is.” Keya was drawn to a bookcase behind the second desk. There was a wooden stand on top of it holding a gold scabbard encrusted with jewels.

“I think I know where our murder weapon came from,” Keya announced.

Ryan, who was peering at the screen of Tariq’s open laptop, stopped and joined Keya beside the bookshelf. “Is that real gold?” he asked.

“I think so. The inscription on the base says, ‘Presented to Tariq Kazem by the Government of Iraq, in recognition of his services’.”

“What services?” queried Ryan.

“I’ve no idea, but I doubt the Iraqi government would have presented someone of Tariq’s standing with a fake gold item, or an empty sheath, for that matter. Would the murder weapon fit in it?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the dagger, but let’s bag this as evidence and take it back. And I’ll do the same with Tariq’s computer, although I’m not sure I’ll be able to access it, as I’ve no idea what his password is.

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