by M A Comley
“Fine. She was genuinely pleased. She told me to send you her love and a reminder that you and AJ have an open invitation to visit.”
“That’s kind of her. She’s never far from my mind, you know. You can’t work with someone over ten years and stop thinking about them just because they leave. Maybe the three of us will take her up on that invitation soon. I’m sure Georgie would be in her element surrounded by the dogs. She’s always asking if she can have one.”
“What a sweetheart. You should get her one. I think growing up with animals is a good foundation for kids, as long as they treat them with respect, that is.”
Katy puffed out her cheeks. “Impossible, especially now AJ has started his business. There are not enough hours in the day to consider taking on an extra burden at this time.”
“Such a shame. I get that. I’ve always had dogs in my life yet now, I go home and it’s just Brandon and me. Something seems to be missing.”
“Can you not get another rescue?”
“It wouldn’t be fair. Not on the dog to be left at home all day. Dogs are sociable animals. It really pisses me off when people work full-time and complain if their dogs leave them a package at home on the living room carpet. Mum had a friend once, her husband died of cancer, the dog was really his; she was jealous of it, in fact. She was out of the house ten hours a day and hit the dog when she got home and found she’d weed and pooed in the kitchen. She handed the rough collie over to Mum, said she couldn’t cope with it any more. Mum got the dog checked over by a vet—she came to us with cystitis. The heartless bitch hadn’t even taken her to the vets. Mum struck her off her friends’ list after that.”
“How sad. What happened to the dog?”
“We found her a loving home with a retired couple. Not long after, we learned she’d died of pyometra because the previous owners hadn’t been responsible enough to spay her. She was such a beautiful dog, died way too young, she was only nine.”
“Oh God, I’m filling up here. Why are people so irresponsible? Did they breed from her?”
“Not as far as I can remember. Some people just…” The lift pinged, and the doors sprang open. “Saved by the bell. Don’t get me started on negligent owners not doing the best for their animals.”
“Ha, we’re supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, and yet some of the tales we hear about how animals, dogs in particular, are treated could curl your toes. Makes you ashamed to be British at times.”
“Yep, just glad places like Mum runs exist. She’d never see a dog on the streets. Back to business.”
Katy smiled. “We do get riled up about things. What a pair we are.”
“Shows how much we care and the compassion we have running through our veins.”
“True enough.”
They approached the security guard and showed him their IDs.
“Hello, ladies. I was informed about your imminent arrival. Come this way. I’ll show you through to Mr Markham’s office. He’s been expecting you. Such a dreadful thing, losing Grace. She was a wonderful lady. Always had a kind word to say about everyone.”
“Hopefully we’ll get to the bottom of why it happened, soon.”
“I hope you do. We hear of so many cases not being solved these days…not that I’m blaming you guys. I’m sure you do your best with the funds you have in place.”
“Departmental cuts are the bane of our lives, that’s for sure. We’re extremely proud of our arrest record all the same, if that’s any reassurance.”
“Congratulations. Here we are, ladies. Can I get you a drink? I’m sure Mr Markham won’t mind me asking.”
“Coffee, white with one sugar. Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
“I’ll fetch them in. Go through.”
Mr Markham was on the phone. Seated behind his large walnut executive desk, he gestured for them to take a seat and held up two fingers, signifying how long he was likely to be before he could give them his full attention.
The security guard returned and handed Katy and Charlie a paper cup each. “There you are, ladies. Enjoy,” he whispered and backed out of the room.
Mr Markham swivelled in his chair and turned to view the London skyline visible through the sizeable picture window and laughed before he ended the call and faced them again. “Sorry about that. I haven’t spoken to my chum in a few months. Not an ideal time for a catch-up chat, but some people can never take the hint. I suppose you’re here about Grace?”
“That’s correct. We needed to shoot off to break the news to her husband before we spoke to anyone here. We’re going to need to interview all of her colleagues. Do you have many people working here?”
“A couple of hundred. How did Toby take the news? No, that was probably the dumbest question I’ve ever asked in my life.”
“Yeah, not good. He was about to tell the kids when we left. Ouch, a couple of hundred, you say?”
“Yes, however, I was teasing a little, it’s just my way. The people who worked closely with Grace you can count on one hand, I suppose.”
“That’s a relief. Would it be possible to have a word with them?”
“Of course. Will it take long?”
“I’m not sure. I suppose it depends on what information they can offer us. Let’s start with you, shall we?” Katy replied brusquely. The man’s attitude sucked in her eyes. Here he was, laughing while, as they spoke, his colleague was probably being cut open at the mortuary by Patti.
“Go on then, what do you want to know?”
“Did Grace ever come into contact with the general public in her role?”
“No. Well, what I mean by that is no, not face to face, only over the phone, occasionally. We tend to deal with the big corporate firms here, very rarely with investors taking a punt on the stock market, although it has been known now and again. You know, if someone has been left a large sum in a family member’s Will, an inheritance, or been left a house and they ring up to enquire about the best way to invest their money.”
“Really? They come to you as opposed to going to a financial expert?”
“People try to cut out the middleman, see financial advisors as a waste of money. Some can be, but most of them are okay. You’ll always get the odd person trying to save money, though. I can see if she’s dealt with any members of the public lately, if that’s what you want?”
“It would definitely be a help. We’ll need a list of people she’d possibly spoken to over the past couple of months, if that’s all right?”
His shoulders slumped, and he collapsed back in his chair. “That could take weeks to sort out. We have over…what…? I suppose a hundred thousand or more clients, that’s off the top of my head.”
“Crikey. I didn’t really think it would be that many. Do your best, maybe over the past few weeks rather than months, in that case,” Katy corrected. “We’ll also need to speak to the colleagues she came into contact with daily also.”
“That’s easy enough. I’ve only just promoted her, within the last month or so. She had a team of four under her. I can arrange for you to see them all, organise a spare room to talk privately with them, if that’s what you want?”
“That would be excellent, as soon as we’ve finished talking. What was your take on Grace?”
He shrugged. “She was a very likeable character. She had a stubborn streak, which was what drew me to her and ended up being the main reason I promoted her.”
“I see. Stubborn, as in?”
“She knew her own mind and wasn’t easily swayed by others. Willing to work on her own initiative without knocking on my door every two hours or so, seeking advice on what to do when certain queries cropped up, like her predecessor did.”
“Okay. About her predecessor, was that person male or female?”
“Male. Bill Enright, he was ancient really. Sixty-two. I should have had the balls to get rid of him a few years back.”
“May I ask why?” Katy asked as Charlie jotted down the executive’s answers.
“Because as soon as I initiated the change, our profit margins leapt up to another level, a much higher level.”
“All because of Grace Hunt’s efforts?” Katy asked, unsure how the dynamics of her team worked.
“Indirectly, yes. She was open with her team. Told them to come to her when they had problems that needed solving rather than stew on things, which Bill used to encourage during his tenure as leader. The team’s confidence appeared to improve overnight. I know most people will find that hard to believe, but it’s true. In my opinion, she was one in a million.” His head bowed, and he coughed slightly. “I will miss her. One of those people who brightened your life when she said hello to you, if that makes sense? Although there was a more ruthless side to her which bubbled beneath the surface on occasions.”
“She sounded an amazing character. A person who could solve any problem fairly perhaps?”
“Oh yes, that times a hundred. I noticed the change in the staff within a day of her taking over. Wait, maybe I’m exaggerating there a touch, let’s call it a week. As I said, profits rose at the same time and, let’s face it, that’s the most important thing in our line of business.”
“Great to hear that someone is capable of turning a firm around like that. You’ll miss her input around here, I should imagine.”
“I will, in more ways than one. I’ll have to see what the others have to offer now before I can appoint a replacement. This will knock the stuffing out of them for a while, it’s bound to, isn’t it?”
“I would think so, yes. Do you usually promote internally? Or do you open up the interviews to outsiders as well?”
“I always do the latter as a matter of principal. There’s a chance I could strike it lucky and snap up a super-experienced candidate who has relocated to the area, perhaps. I tend to steer clear of people who have left a rival firm lately. And, before you ask, that’s just my suspicious mind at work.”
Katy smiled and nodded. “Always good to have some form of doubt guiding you in business.”
“Oh yes, especially a financial business. It’s seen me right over the years.”
“And there were never any ill-feelings with any of Grace’s colleagues?”
“No, she got on with everyone. Any conflicts are generally worked out within a few hours of them arising. I believe in running a happy ship. It keeps things stable in choppy waters, and there’s been a fair few of them over the past few years. The stock market has been up and down like a prostitute’s undies, if you’ll excuse the analogy.”
Katy grinned. “You’re excused. What about jealous partners?”
He frowned and sat forward again. “I’m not with you.”
“If you say everyone got on well, is there a possibility that Grace got on too well with one of her colleagues?”
“Never, not Grace, I refuse to believe that of her. She was happily married with kids.”
“I should think, over the years, that’s been said about a lot of people who have managed to stray with work colleagues. What about Christmas parties, under the mistletoe perhaps?”
He shook his head and tutted. “You couldn’t be more wrong. Grace was above all of that. She loved the bones of Toby.”
“Okay, that’s good to hear. I didn’t mean to cause any offence. I had to ask, please forgive me.”
“Of course. I understand you have a job to do, but surely, if I’ve given you a character assessment already, why would you then try to tarnish her name?”
“I wasn’t aware I had. All I did was ask a genuine question.”
“I’m sorry, maybe I was wrong to snap. My feelings are a tad raw right now, as you can imagine.”
“I can. I really didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just if I don’t ask the questions, I won’t obtain the answers needed to get the investigation off to a good start.”
“I get that. Maybe you could be a little less sharp-tongued with the staff. They’re deeply mourning her loss, to the extent that trade is down by half today.” He waved his hand. “Not that I’m concerned about that right now, I just wanted to make you aware of the situation and how much they’ve been affected by this godawful news.”
“Duly noted. I’ll be careful where I put my size fives, I promise.”
“Okay. In that case, do you need me for anything else?”
“No, you’re free to go about your day.”
He rose from his seat and crossed the room to the door. “I should only be ten minutes. Make yourselves comfortable until I get back.”
He closed the door behind him, and Katy heaved out a sigh. “I wasn’t heavy-handed, was I?”
Charlie’s brow furrowed. “On the contrary, don’t go beating yourself up for him misinterpreting something. You asked the obvious questions needed to proceed.”
“Thanks for the reassurance, Charlie, I was beginning to doubt myself for a moment there. What do you think?”
“It’s hard to say. She was obviously well-liked and enjoyed her job.”
“Yeah, we’ll see what the others have to say about her character without their boss’ ears flapping and go from there. Maybe this was a one-off, pot-luck kind of shooting and not a stalkerish type after all.”
“Who knows? Something we should be aware of, I suppose.”
Katy took the opportunity to ring the station.
Karen answered her call. “Everything okay, boss?”
“Yes and no. We might as well get the background checks started on the family, if you would, Karen. It’s Grace and Toby Hunt.”
“On it now. Anything else you want us to look into?”
“CCTV footage of when the shooting occurred on Tybold Street. There are lots of buildings around, some of them are sure to have cameras. That’s it for now, Karen.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll get Graham on the task. He’ll ring you if he finds anything.”
Katy ended the call, and within seconds, Colin Markham had come back into the room.
“Okay, ladies. I’ve rearranged the furniture a little in the conference room. Would you like to come with me?”
Katy and Charlie followed him up a narrow corridor. The rooms either side were behind glass, so all the other members of staff looked up as they passed.
The conference room had solid walls but a glass door.
“Will this do you?” Colin enquired.
“It’s perfect, thanks so much.”
“Not a problem, happy to oblige. Do you want me to send the first one in?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. Who will that be?”
He paused to think. “Shall we go by seniority?”
“Makes sense to me,” Katy agreed.
“In that case, Steve Abbott will be first. I’ll ask him to join you.”
Katy and Charlie took a seat and were settled ready for the interviews to begin within moments. Steve Abbott joined them not long after. He was in his mid-to-late forties with black hair tinged with grey at the sides and bright-blue eyes which appeared to be somewhat watery.
“Hi, I’m Steve. The boss said you’d like a word with me.”
“Hi, Steve. I’m DI Katy Foster, and this is my partner, DC Charlie Simpkins. Please, take a seat. We promise not to keep you too long.”
His smile seemed false, and he pulled out a chair. “How can I help?”
“As you’re probably aware by now, Grace Hunt lost her life this morning. We’re trying to form a picture of what happened in her daily life that could have possibly led to her murder.”
“Murder…I never thought I’d ever hear that word, not personally, not about anyone I knew anyway. Hard to believe she’s no longer with us. My heart goes out to Toby and the kids.”
“You knew the family well then?”
“Yes, we’re a really close-knit unit. We work exceptionally long hours and don’t tend to socialise much except with each other. We take it in turns to hold a barbecue at each other’s house in the summer. Winters are a different story, of course. I suppose we all tend to hibernate when it’s
darker evenings. Sorry, I’m waffling. I tend to do that when something doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Learning a close friend has just been killed can definitely take its toll on people with a sensitive nature.”
“I’m not sure if I have one of those. What I will say is that we’re all struggling to come to terms with losing her. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think someone could hate a person enough to want to end their life like that. It’s callous, evil and beyond my comprehension. I keep asking one question over and over…why? It doesn’t make sense, not one jot.”
“It doesn’t to us either, hence our need to interview those who were closest to her. Is there anything you can tell us about Grace?”
“No, except vouch for her wonderful character and her willingness to help those around her.”
“Do you mean workwise?”
He shook his head.
Katy continued, “Can you give me an example?”
“One of the guys had a lot of expense when his car broke down. Ben, it was, he’ll fill you in on the details, I’m sure. Anyway, at the end of the month he found he didn’t have enough to pay his rent, and good old Gracie dipped into her savings to help him out. Not sure if her husband, Toby, knew about the loan or not, she didn’t seem the type to keep secrets from her husband. Anyway, there are not many folks who would go to such lengths to help out a colleague in need, right?”
“I suppose so. Did Ben pay the loan back?”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him.”
“We will. Thanks. Regarding her colleagues, had anyone fallen out with her in the past? If so, what was the reason?”
“I don’t think that’s the case at all. You should see everyone in that room, they’re all devastated, and rightly so. There’s no way on earth a cross word with her by someone would lead to her murder. Are you sure someone she knew did this disgusting thing?”
“No, but until we have formed a picture of her and her life, then this is all we have to begin our investigation.”
“Okay, I think I comprehend that. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. She was floating around the office this morning, so happy. It was her wedding anniversary, did you know?”