The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

Author:Ann Cleeves [Cleeves, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2023-07-21T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

ROSS FOUND RODNEY BOTTLE IN A smart retirement flat in a little development on the edge of Morrisham. There was a gate with an intercom and, beyond that, manicured lawns.

Bottle himself was spry and jovial. When Ross phoned, it had been clear that the man would relish the company, and the chance to talk about his career. They met in the communal lounge, which was empty, apart from a woman in the far corner who was sitting with a newspaper, doing the crossword. There was a coffee bar at the end of the room, and the lawyer shouted across an order for drinks and scones. He walked with a stick and couldn’t have managed the tray, so a young woman with pink hair carried it to their table.

‘I saw the news about Jeremy Rosco’s death. Of course, I’ve retired now and all the paperwork will be in the office, but I’ll help if I can.’

‘Rosco inherited a considerable fortune from Grace Fanshaw.’

‘He did!’ Rodney was spreading jam on his scone and looked up. ‘It was all above board. The nephew tried to challenge it, but Grace Fanshaw was clearly of sound mind. I knew her, not as a client, but as a neighbour. She was frail at the end, but sharp as a tack.’

‘How did she die?’

‘Pancreatic cancer. Terrible disease. She went very quickly.’ He looked at Ross again. ‘And that was above board too, if you’re thinking what I believe you are. She was in hospital for her last two weeks. There was no monkey business around her death.’

Ross smiled. He hadn’t been thinking murder in relation to Grace Fanshaw; he was young and thought the elderly died all the time. The old man obviously had a colourful imagination.

‘Were you surprised that Miss Fanshaw left everything to Rosco?’

‘Not once I’d met the boy. He bounced into my office full of charm and confidence.’ He nodded towards the teenager with the pink hair. ‘Jasmine she’s called. She brightens my life. Always full of chat and a joke. If I didn’t have close dependents, I’d leave everything I had to her. Better that than the government have it all.’ He gave a wink. ‘I’ve left her a couple of thousand anyway. She doesn’t know. It’ll give her a nice holiday, or help her get her first car.’

‘But Miss Fanshaw left him a fortune! Not quite the same.’

‘Jeremy had been good to her, and was almost a permanent carer at one point. Not living in, but visiting to shop for her, and to keep her company. The nephew didn’t even come to see her in the hospital when she was dying. It seemed harsh that she’d left the nephew out of her will, but I could see why it happened.’

‘Do you think Rosco had expectations?’

‘You think he was kind to her in the hope of inheriting? Probably! But there’s nothing illegal in that.’ Rodney dropped the last of the scone into his mouth, avoiding crumbs on his smart blazer. ‘And it was years ago!’

‘When was the last time you saw him?’

‘It was just before I retired.

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