The Shelter by G.N. Smith

Author:G.N. Smith [Smith, G.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803149059
Published: 2023-11-01T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-TWO

To question suspects in the hearing of other suspects was a million kinds of wrong. Fiona knew that and she made sure to keep her questions neutral and devoid of accusation. What she planned to do was gather information so she could identify the killer. She’d collected one of the Tilley lamps which she set on the floor and seated herself on a bench, gesturing for Ivor to sit opposite her. It was nowhere near as private as an interview suite but provided they talked in low voices, they wouldn’t be overheard. Without the stove to heat it, this room was cold enough to fog their breath.

Other than this second room, the only other place she could have talked to each person was outside. That was a complete non-starter as it would at some point have put her into a one-on-one situation with the killer.

‘You’re a gardener and maintenance man at Kevin’s hotel, right?’

‘Aye.’

‘What exactly do you do there?’

‘The gardens and maintenance.’

‘I was looking for a more specific answer.’ Fiona allowed her tone to harden. ‘Or are you trying to be deliberately obstructive?’

‘No. I plant veg and flowers. Pick or prune them when they need it and fix owt that needs fixing. Do you want me to tell you about cutting the grass and painting ceilings, or do you want to cut to the chase and ask me if I killed Kevin?’

The laconic tone Ivor was using didn’t escape Fiona’s notice. On some levels he seemed amused by her questions, but he also seemed nervous about any accusation she might make. Were those nerves founded in guilt or fear of a miscarriage of justice?

‘Not yet. I’ll be honest, I’ve no idea who the killer is, and that’s why I’m trying to find out about you all before I make any accusations. How long have you worked at the hotel?’

‘Since Kevin got the place in ninety-five.’

‘That’s a long time. You must be good at what you do. How many of the others work there?’

‘Lewis is in the kitchen with Kevin. Alice does the books, Frances is on reception.’

‘And the others?’

‘Thomas runs the bar and ponces about with fancy wines.’ Fiona couldn’t picture the nervous Thomas as a sommelier, but she’d been wrong about people before so she filed the fact away for later consideration. ‘Sara does the rooms, and Neil used to run the restaurant until he was poached by the castle and given the manager’s job there.’

‘Steve’s a nurse. How does he fit in?’

‘Kevin brought him up. Steve’s parents died in a car smash when he was ten. It was a miracle he survived. When help came he was trying to do CPR on his mother. Kevin took him in and looked after him ever since.’

‘Does Kevin have any other family?’

‘Nane. Everything he has will go to Steve, but if you’re thinking Steve killed him so he’d inherit, you’re wrong. They were like faither and son.’

The claim they were like father and son rang a familiar bell with Fiona, as she was as close to Aunt Mary as she ever had been to her mother.

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