by Emily Selby
'We can't accuse him of not protecting her.'
'I'm not suggesting that. I'm simply connecting the dots. I want to know what he was trying to warn her against. Obviously, the letter is a piece of evidence. Can you use it?'
'I suppose so,' Chris replied, reluctance edging into his voice.
'And who said they had heard Amanda arguing with someone?'
'It was her husband. But this was about an argument with your non-paying boss.'
Katie ignored the sharp pang in her chest. At some point, she'd have to deal with Mr McBride again.
Mr McBride?
'Hm...' Katie murmured, looking away. She ran through the snippets of conversations and flashback memories of the previous few days.
'Yes, that was on Saturday. The man Mr McBride saw, the unhappy customer dressed in a T-shirt and flip-flops, just like those two in the camper van.' Katie clapped her hands. 'Mr McBride might recognise him. '
Chris watched her carefully for a while. 'Well done, lass,' he said, giving her what she took as an appreciative nod. 'I missed that. There's been a lot of information coming to light in a short period of time. I feel a little lost, to be honest. I'll check with McBride. Can you describe the men from the pub?'
'Sure.' Katie gave Chris as detailed a description of Hamish and his friend Adam as she could.
'Honestly, flip-flops in this weather. Bare feet?' Chris asked.
'Yes,' Katie replied. 'They told Zuza they were from New Zealand. Maybe that's what they wear over there.'
'But Amanda’s husband is also dark-haired with a beard,' Chris added. 'It might have been him on Saturday in the hotel.'
'The husband is shorter, and his hair is short and straight. The one I think is Hamish has a mop of wavy, almost curly hair. And then, there is the ... dress style. It's quite different from these two.'
Chris chuckled. 'Fair enough. The hubby is quite different. This morning, he turned up in a suit and a tie.'
Katie pricked her ears. 'Mr Rychter came to the station this morning? Did you learn any more useful information from him?'
'I'm not sure. I'll let Heaton be the judge. By the way, he seemed quite stressed this morning. Something to do with his meeting. It's about his transfer back, isn't it?' Chris' blue eyes drilled through her, and Katie shifted from foot to foot.
'So I understand.'
'Any more details?' he asked, still watching her intently.
'Not at the moment,' she replied, quite proud of her diplomatic response.
Chris held his gaze on her face for a while. A hot wave crept up her cheeks.
'How about you call Mr McBride now?' she asked, keen to change the topic.
'I suppose, I could do that,' Chris said reluctantly and plucked his phone from his pocket. Katie listened to the conversation and once he finished she simply asked.
'It wasn't the husband wasn't it?'
'No, judging by the description of the clothes I do think it might have been one of your beach fans. McBride didn't see the chap's face though.'
'Did he hear what Amanda and the man were talking about?'
'He didn't, but he did notice Amanda looked quite upset. He described her as scared. Petrified. He had never seen her act that way. She was usually all smiles. He wondered if he should help her get out of the situation, though. That's why he made a comment about returning to the desk as soon as she finished and asking if she needed any help.'
'Is this information enough to go and question those two about their potential involvement in Amanda's death?' Katie added, pointing in the direction where the van disappeared.
'I think so.'
'So, go,' Katie said. 'You can thank me later, by reporting the results,' she added, flashing him a smile.
Chris shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. 'Yeah, I'd better go. Thanks, lass.'
She watched him walk back to the police car. She had to go, too. The school pick up time was approaching fast. She didn't realise she'd spent so much time "sleuthing by the pub."
18
Having spent a few hours being mum to a ten-year-old who’d had a bad day and mulling over the events of her day, Katie was more than ready for a dinner with Jack. And, according to his latest message, so was he.
Katie ran down the stairs the moment she heard the doorbell. She opened the door and almost bumped into the white cardboard box Jack was holding at chest level.
'What's that?' she asked.
'Dessert,' he replied pride clearly vibrating in his voice. 'My mum's bread and butter pudding you loved so much. She made it last night for you.'
A warm wave crept up Katie's neck and face.
'That’s so kind of her. She shouldn't have,' Katie mumbled.
'She wanted to. She also asked me when you and Julia were coming for a visit again.'
Katie hurried Jack inside.
'It's cold, don't stand in the door. Come in. Julia's reading in bed and the chicken pie is ready.'
She closed the door behind him, avoiding his gaze. On one hand she was delighted to hear that Jack's parents enjoyed her company. On the other hand, anything that reminded her of the need to make a decision regarding further commitment in her relationship with Jack made her jitter. She'd made bad decisions in the past, she was petrified of repeating them.
'I'm starving, and you?' she asked, climbing the stairs.
'Me too, and hence ignoring you ignoring my mum's question,' he replied. 'But I'll get back to that later.'
'So, let's get on with the food and obviously the updates,' Katie said relaxing a little. At least, she had some time to prepare emotionally for the conversation.
That was, assuming that the "updates" didn't take up all her brain’s emotional and intellectual processing capacity.
They busied themselves with setting the table.
'Why did you want to talk to Amanda's husband again?' Katie asked, pulling the pie out of the oven.
'He rang me, full of guilt,' Jack replied. 'The pudding needs to be reheated. I'll put the oven on,' he announced.
'Thanks!' Katie replied. 'What did he feel guilty about? He didn't kill her, did he?'
'I don't think so, but he did re-enter the hotel, and saw her body with the gun on the floor. It must have been shortly after the shot was fired. He had been sitting outside, waiting for her call. He was desperate to talk to her. He felt guilty that he hadn't gone back into the building a few minutes earlier. He might have prevented her death, or at least seen whoever did it. He should have raised the alarm and called the police immediately. Plenty to feel guilty about, isn't it?'
Katie tensed her shoulders again. She had been having similar thoughts - that was no use. 'He didn't touch anything in the room, did he?'
'Just the door handle, but we knew that already. He disclosed another interesting thing though. Amanda had asked him for money.'
Katie opened the cutlery drawer with a little more force than she wanted. 'Money? What for?'
'She said she needed it but gave him no details. He didn't ask but used her request to try and convince her to return with him, insisting that their life back in Poland would be less expensive and less stressful for her.'
Katie suppressed the urge to make a sarcastic comment about martial life being less expensive. It was time she'd move on from her failed marriage to a mid-life crisis spendthrift.
She found a spatula and set it gently on the table beside the chicken pie.
'It looks like she really needed money. Probably a lot.'
'Not necessarily. She might have needed just a couple of thousands to get away.' Jack replied. 'Shall I make tea?'
'Yes, please,' Katie replied. 'So, Mr Rychter didn't want to give her money?'
'He would have given her, but didn't have any, because he'd spent a lot on a training. It sounded a little like he was trying to explain himself to me, which was strange. I've got an impression that he'd previously given her money. Maybe it was an expectation, an arrangement.'
'She expected him to give her mon
ey?' Katie asked, doubt tugging at her stomach. 'Didn't she work when she was living with him?'
'According to what he previously told me,' Jack replied with a strange tone in his voice. Katie glanced at him.
'I have a hunch you're trying to imply something here?'
He grinned at her. 'Good hunch! I can't shake the feeling he's hiding something.'
'I'll talk to Zuza,' Katie offered. Her stomach clenched - even more information to absorb and process.
'Let me know if you can find out any more about this strange man,' Jack added. 'Speaking of money, Mr McBride provided the financial records for the hotel. It's doing rather well.'
'Old news,' Katie mumbled. 'I would have been surprised if it was otherwise.'
'I know, but now we've got it from the horse's mouth,' Jack said taking plates out of the cupboard and carrying them to the table. 'It doesn't, explain why Mr McBride hasn't paid you yet. But I have good news for you, he's daughter is back in the country.'
'Excellent. Have you talked to her yet?' Katie asked.
'Yes, and I've got some interesting info. Are you ready to sit down?'
'Is it that bad?' Katie asked.
Jack chuckled. 'It's quite interesting, but not bad,' he said. 'I'm just ...'
'Starving?'
'Yeah,' he laughed.
'Let's eat then,' Katie gestured him to the chair and took her place opposite.
'Out of curiosity, why do you think Mr McBride hired Amanda?' Jack asked reaching for Katie's plate and the serving spatula. 'How much?' he asked her.
'A slice this big,' Katie showed him and took the plate from his hand.
'Because she was pretty, ' Katie said hesitantly. 'And Mr McBride likes pretty girls.'
'Yet, she never complained of him making any inappropriate comments or moves towards her,' Jack fired back.
Katie bit her lip. 'You're right. I’ve heard that Mr McBride made some inappropriate comments to a couple of housekeepers and the restaurant manager, but not to Amanda. Which was strange, because I saw him interacting with her a couple of times, and I felt that Amanda was quite cheeky with him. As if she knew she could get away with it...'
'Which would confirm my theory that Amanda was skilled at seizing opportunities. He must have taken a liking to her. Any gossip on that front?'
'Not yet. But I shall be on the lookout,' Katie replied. But who could she check it with? If there was no obvious existing gossip, Katie didn't want to start anything new that was likely to harm Mr McBride.
'And let's not forget the little slip of paper attached to the money.' Jack said, sliding a slice of pie onto his plate.
'The mysterious friend?'
'Yep. I wonder if Ms McBride, the daughter, was aware of some connections between Amanda and her father.'
Katie grabbed her fork and attacked her food. 'When are you talking to Ellen?' she asked.
'As soon as she is back in town and able to come in to talk to me.'
'Have you spoken to Moira McBride?'
'Not yet, it's on my to-do list for tomorrow. I want to talk to her and her husband together.'
'What about that extra payment for Amanda? Did they appear on the company's accounts?'
'No. I thought if anything, we may find them on his personal one.'
'Unless, it's joint account.' Katie added slowly. If she had access to Moira McBride, she'd be on the phone to her right now.
Jack cocked his head and winked at her. 'Don't worry, I'm prepared for that as well. One way or another, I'd like to see his finances. I have a strong feeling, despite what he told me, the money in Amanda's safe came from him.'
'I guess, you can't check his fingerprints?'
'Not at this stage.'
Katie swallowed her last morsel of pie and reached for the teapot.
'I'll see what I can do,' she said pouring steaming brew into her cup. 'Having said that, I don't really know what to look for or where. It seems we have more and more information, yet we know less and less.'
'Agreed,' Jack replied, drumming his fingers on the table. 'And we haven't talked about the two men in the white van, yet.'
Katie sat up. Her heart accelerated. 'Yes, what about them? Did Chris find them?'
'He did. Just as you suspected, in the caravan park by the hotel. But...' Jack paused and took a deep breath, 'they denied any knowledge of the letter and claimed to be in the pub at the time of Amanda's death. They stated they were in the UK on holiday and refused to give us any more information.'
A heavy sensation settled in the pit of Katie's stomach. 'Bummer! What about Mr McBride comment that he'd seen someone looking like Hamish talking to Amanda?'
Jack shrugged. 'Hamish Williams admitted he'd gone to the hotel and spoke to a receptionist asking if they could use the hotel bathroom to shower, as they were not happy with the facilities in the park. She said no. He insists he tried to be polite but was obviously upset and the conversation wasn't entirely pleasant, but he denies threatening her or anything like that. That was the only interaction he had with the said receptionist, he claims. End of story, if I may quote Mr Williams.'
Her stomach dropped a few inches, feeling like a big boulder.
'End of story...' she croaked. 'What can we do now?'
'Let's see what the interview with Mr and Mrs McBride brings. But first, let's cheer ourselves up with my mum's excellent pudding.'
19
When Katie walked into the staffroom on Wednesday morning, it was humming with activity.
Or rather, it was humming with the sound of the buzzer in reception, as well as the angry whispering, which wasn't exactly whispering.
Katie glanced at the security screen - Mr and Mrs McBride! Seeing an excellent opportunity to do some discreet interviewing, she rushed to the reception area.
'Good morning, how can I help?' she said as eagerly as she could, yet still trying to sound professional.
'Apparently your inspector wants to waste more of my precious time,' Mr McBride grumbled, tensing his jaw. His balding head glistened.
His wife put a hand on his shoulder.
'Alistair,' she said calmly, throwing him a look that could freeze a bucket of hot water on the spot. 'I'm sure Inspector Heaton will be respectful of your time. Is he here?' Moira McBride addressed Katie.
'I think he's on his way, but I can give him a call and check for you,' Katie said, carefully considering her words. She was dying of curiosity!
'Would you like tea or coffee?' she offered, trying her favourite trick. Somehow, people were more likely to talk over a cuppa.
Mr McBride opened his mouth but closed it as soon as his wife's hand tightened its grip on his forearm.
'Tea would be nice, thank you, Katie,' she said.
Katie retreated into the staffroom. One glance on the screen monitoring the staff carpark told her Jack had just arrived.
She put the kettle on and rushed back to the reception.
'Inspector Heaton will be here shortly,' she said. 'I'm so upset about Amanda's death. I can't believe she killed herself. She seemed so full of life. Do you know if she had any personal problems?' she blurted.
It might have not been the best opening line, but it was the best she could come up with on short notice.
Alistair McBride shrugged and pressed his large lips together.
Moira's face flinched. 'I thought you two were friends,' she said coolly. 'We only knew her as an employee. Quite a new employee, so not much.'
'Didn't she come as a personal recommendation?' Katie fired, glancing at each one in turn.
'No, she didn't,' Mrs McBride replied sharply.
Her husband blinked and gulped. His face paled.
So, she did and Moira McBride hadn't had a clue about it!
'She must have felt lonely in the new town, having been out of the country for such a long time.' Katie pushed on. She wasn't sure what she wanted them to divulge, but it looked like there might have been a lot to uncover.
Moira McBride gave Katie a
curious look. 'That's a strange comment coming from someone who claims to have been Amanda's friend,' she said, her voice dropping a few more degrees to frosty.
Mr McBride smacked his lips. 'I would do with a cup of tea,' he croaked.
Katie stiffened. The familiar squeak of the entrance door in the staffroom told her Jack was already in and her opportunity for information gathering was over.
'Yes, sure. The kettle must have boiled. I'll go and get the drinks for you.'
She hurried back to the staffroom.
'Mr and Mrs McBride are here for you,' she said in response to Jack's wide grin. The door behind her back was open – they needed to stay professional.
'Thank you, Katie,' he replied, removing his jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair.
'I'll get the tea,' she offered, crossing to the kettle. She grabbed two cups from the shelf.
Her ringtone cut through the silence.
'Your mobile?' Jack asked.
'I'll get it later,' she replied. Who could that be at this time of day? Julia looked perfectly healthy when Katie dropped her off at the school gate this morning.
The phone stopped after a few seconds, but it started ringing again almost immediately.
'I think you need to take it,' Jack said, reaching for the kettle. His hand brushed against hers, sending a tingling up her arm.
'I'll make the tea,' he said and pressed his lips against her cheek. The spot burned. Katie ignored the urge to turn her face and steal a proper kiss from his dreamy mouth.
'Go and answer it. I'll see you later,' he whispered, just as she was walking away to grab her handbag.
By the time she fished out her mobile, it had stopped ringing. The screen lit with the message.
Missed call: Zuza.
Zuza?
Katie pressed the green "Call back" button and headed for her office. By the time the door closed behind her, her friend answered.
'It's Waldi,' Zuza's voice brimmed with tension. 'The stupid man took some pills. I called the ambulance.'
A cold chill shot down Katie's spine. 'Is he alright?'
'He's in hospital. Doctors say he'll be fine.'