by M A Comley
“Yes, we’d heard. So she had every reason to be happy if she loved her husband as much as we’ve been led to believe. What about the clients you deal with, anything there?”
He appeared momentarily puzzled by the question. “No, I wouldn’t think so anyway. We’re just a voice over the phone, how can anyone take umbrage with any of us?”
“It’s something we need to investigate. You say she had a happy working and family life, but people don’t get murdered just for the fun of it. Or maybe this is one such incident,” Katy corrected herself, recollecting her own train of thought about this incident being a possible one-off.
“Shit! The thought of a madman walking the streets carrying a gun and taking pot shots at people just to get his kicks seems scary to me.”
“Let’s hope that isn’t the case. However, so far, we haven’t got any other clues to go on that would lead us to believe otherwise.”
“I can’t tell you anything else. She was a lovely person with no known enemies as far as I know.”
“That’s great. Okay, then we won’t hold you up any longer. Would you like to send the next person in, please?”
“Sorry I couldn’t be much help. I hope you find the person responsible and deal with the bastard appropriately.”
“That’s the plan. Nice to meet you, Steve.”
He left the room.
Charlie stared down at her notes, or lack of them. “We’re getting nowhere fast. Everyone seems to think she was a nice woman; she must have been to have paid Ben’s rent for him when he was in dire straits. Not sure I know many people who would have volunteered to have done the same.”
“Nope, me neither. Hopefully, the others will be able to throw a different light on things. If not, then we’ve got a fucking mammoth task ahead of us.”
“Don’t lose hope. We’ve got the forensic results to come back yet.”
Katy smiled. “Thanks for the nudge, Charlie. You’re right, we shouldn’t give up hope just yet.”
As it happened, Ben Thompson was the next work colleague to enter the room. “I’m Ben Thompson.”
Katy nodded and introduced herself and Charlie. “You’re only too aware of why we’re here today, I presume?”
“Yes, to ask questions about what sort of person Grace was, am I right?” His green eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
“What can you tell us about Grace?”
“She was one of the kindest people I know. She bailed me out big time lately. Got me out of a financial hole and ended up keeping the roof over my head.”
“Can you tell us about that?” Katy asked, already aware of what he was referring to, but she needed to ensure both his and Steve’s stories matched up.
“My car broke down and needed a new engine. I didn’t have the funds to cope with that and to meet my usual expenses. Grace saw I was down one day and called me into her office. I explained the situation and she…right there and then…offered to bail me out with enough money to keep my landlord off my back.”
“That was kind of her.”
“She was that type of lady. I was gobsmacked to be honest, she had a family of her own after all, and yet she didn’t hesitate about coming to my aid.”
“There aren’t many people around like that, are there?”
“No, I guess there aren’t. I paid her back, though. As soon as my bonus hit my bank account mid-month, it was the first thing I did. I couldn’t stand the thought of having that debt over my head.”
“Glad to hear it. I think I would be inclined to think along the same lines as you if it came down to it. Okay, we’ve already established she was a nice lady; did she get along with everyone here?”
“Oh yes, I believe so. If she didn’t then she hid it well. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t a pushover to work for. She had very high standards and expected us to adhere to them or there would be trouble.”
“Trouble? In what form would that present itself?”
“She wasn’t afraid to issue a warning here and there if necessary. We took it from her, she used to be one of us and recently got promoted. Had an outsider come in and ordered us around like she had…well, they wouldn’t have had the same impact, let’s say that.”
“I see. So no one took umbrage to her dishing out disciplinaries and the like then?”
“No. It was down to them to do their jobs properly in the first place, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed. Did Grace ever have any problems with the punters—sorry, clients—she dealt with?”
“Not really. It was all phone-based, so it’s easy to hang up on people if they start mouthing off, right?” He chuckled and straightened his face almost immediately.
“What about at home time? Did most of the staff leave together?”
“Yes, she rarely stayed behind because of getting home for the kids. If she had a long day ahead of her it usually began early as opposed to finishing late.”
“And where do you tend to park?”
“There’s an underground car park we use. I can’t believe she’s gone. She rarely goes out at lunchtime.”
“We weren’t aware of that. Such a shame she met her family today.”
“A travesty, that’s what it is. An absolute travesty for her to lose her life in such an evil way. My heart goes out to Toby and the kids. And just before Christmas, too. How sickening is that?”
“I agree. All right, if there’s nothing else you can help us with, you’re free to go.”
“Can I take a card? If I think of anything later, maybe I could call you?”
Katy slid a card across the table. “I was about to suggest the same. Thanks for speaking with us.”
“No problem. I hope Grace and her family get the justice they deserve and you find the evil shit who did this to her.”
“So do we. We have to keep the faith and believe we will.”
“Good luck. I wouldn’t want your job if it was the last career going.”
Katy smiled. “There are times we all feel the same about our chosen careers.”
He left the room.
Charlie turned to Katy. “Really? Or were you saying that for his benefit?”
“You’re new to the job, hon, there are bound to be days when you feel the same way. It’s natural.”
“Maybe. At the moment, my enthusiasm for the job is super high. I suppose there’s a chance that will dwindle over time.”
“It will, take my word for it.”
Their conversation ended when a young tearful woman entered the room.
Katy welcomed her with a warm smile and gestured for her to take a seat. “Hello there, and you are?”
“Andrea Gregory. I was Grace’s second-in-command if you like. You know, girls sticking together in a perceived man’s world.”
“Is it? Still? A tad old-fashioned scenario, isn’t it?”
“Some men refuse to accept change. Not around here, I hasten to add. But out there, there are some clients who refuse to deal with a woman where their money is concerned. Maybe they think a woman is more likely to drop them in it with their wives, who knows? Sorry to be all doom and gloom, that comes from having too much time on my hands. I’ve been trying to think if anyone Grace has dealt with lately would have it in them to make an attempt on her life…you know…kill her. You’re sure to ask me that, right?”
“You’re correct. Did you manage to come up with anything?”
“No, not really. Not in the last three months or so. Back in June, there was a shitty incident with an investor who lost thousands. He rang Grace shouting the odds at her. She took it all on board like we’re supposed to, the customer being right and all that, until she’d had enough and refused to take any more from him. He went on and on at her until she produced an email in which she advised him not to be too foolhardy with his money. That shut him up for a few minutes, then he demanded to be transferred to Colin and put in a complaint about her. Colin ignored the man to an extent, sort of. He listened to him, took down his details, revisited the a
ccount and correspondence Grace had with him over the previous months and saw nothing wrong. The man was smarting, livid because he’d lost so much money and was reaching out for someone to blame other than his own stupidity.” Her head dipped after she’d finished. “Why? I’m not saying it was him, but some madman did this to her. Who and why?”
“That’s what we’re doing our best to comprehend. Do you have a name for this person and his address?”
“I can get it for you.”
“If you would.”
Andrea tore out of the room and returned a few moments later with a name and address written on a piece of paper which she placed in Charlie’s outstretched hand.
Charlie wrote the details in her notebook and handed back the sheet of paper. “Thanks, I’ve got that now.”
“You’re welcome. I’m in no way apportioning blame here. All I was doing was trying to figure out if there was someone who had any cause for complaint and he was the only one who came to mind.”
Katy leaned over to read what Charlie had entered into the book. “Gordon Brightman. Hmm…he lives in a posh area. Can I ask how much he lost?”
“I’m not sure if I can divulge that information. Maybe I should check with Colin first, sorry.”
“Don’t be. I can get a warrant if necessary, this is a murder inquiry after all.”
Andrea peered over her shoulder and back to Katy. “It was over a million.”
Katy whistled. “But you told us it was a few thousand.”
“I know. I was stretching the truth a little.”
“Wow, no wonder he was livid.”
Andrea shrugged. “Toying with the stock market can be a risky business, take my word for it. What I didn’t tell you was he’d made a killing on the market the year before. That’s why he came back for more and used a larger sum. It doesn’t always work out that way, the markets can be volatile at the best of times.”
“Surely people know that. I steer clear of it for that very reason, not that I have much spare cash to splurge. Everyone knows their money is at risk, don’t they?”
“They should do. I suppose with some people if they have success their greed gene starts crying out for more. I didn’t like the man. He sounded a bolshy bugger over the phone, if you get my drift. I was in the office when he began yelling at Grace; it was awful. No one should be allowed to get away with speaking to someone like that in business, or everyday life come to that, either. Disgusting little man.”
“Can I ask what Colin did about the complaint?”
“He went back to the man and told him to take it higher, to the ombudsman, if necessary, because as far as he could see Grace had done nothing wrong.”
“And did Mr Brightman do that?”
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Colin. Although these types of complaints can take months to come through, so I’m led to believe, not that we’ve had to deal with that many, not during my time here. Some people need to get a life. If you had the money, would you take a punt with a million quid? I know I wouldn’t.”
Katy sighed. “If I had that sort of money, I would be using it wisely, like buying a boat and taking my family around the Med and farther afield. I’d leave all the criminals in the UK far behind me. Ah, a girl can dream.”
The three of them chuckled.
“Exactly, you wouldn’t gamble it trying to make more money for you, would you?” Andrea stated.
“No, I don’t think I would, but people have different needs and desires in this life. Has he been in touch since, to invest more money?”
“No. He told Grace, in an unkind manner, where she could stick her advice and that he would be taking his portfolio of investments elsewhere. We haven’t heard from him since that call.”
“We’ll chase it up once we leave here. So are you telling us that you were close to Grace?”
“Very. We confided in each other a lot, being the only women on the team.”
“Perhaps she confided about her personal life, did she?”
“Yes and no. All I know is that she adored her husband and her kids.” Her words came out strained, and a few tears flowed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You haven’t. The killer did that when he took her life. Are none of us safe these days? She was so looking forward to spending time with her family Christmas shopping, it was a rarity for her to have a full lunch hour. She could usually be found at her desk, munching on a sandwich while she continued to work. I was so pleased to see her away from her desk and happy at the thought of her going out for lunch…and then this happened.”
“It’s very sad. So this was a novelty, you say, her going out for lunch?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Katy nodded as the cogs started churning. Therefore, the crime couldn’t have been premeditated unless the killer targeting Grace was unaware of what her routine was. “Okay, that’s given us another line of enquiry to rattle down. Can you think of anything else untoward that has happened over the past few months?”
“No, not really. Grace and I were truly excited about her obtaining her promotion. She was about to set a few things in motion to change certain criteria that would be less restrictive to a woman’s ability in the workplace.”
Katy inclined her head. “Things that might have stirred up a hornet’s nest, perhaps?”
“Undoubtedly. It’s a shame she hadn’t instigated anything before her death.” Her head dipped again.
“Were any of the other team members privy to the plans she wanted to introduce?”
“No. It was privileged information between the two of us. I would never have let on to anyone, not before she’d implemented them.”
“So people weren’t likely to take umbrage at something they didn’t know about?”
“No. Truly, they weren’t anything major, just slight tweaks which might have stepped on a few toes, nothing more than that. Even if they felt they had been put in place, I couldn’t see anyone going out of their way…”
Shouts and cries for help broke out in the hallway.
Katy raced out there to find the other team members darting around like headless chickens. “What is it? What’s going on?”
Ben and Steve were standing outside Colin’s office, just pointing, their mouths hung open in stunned silence.
3
Katy pushed past them and into the room. “Shit!” she murmured. “Charlie, get in here,” she bellowed.
She made her way over to the man stretched out on the floor beside his desk. Blood pooling into the grey carpet surrounding him from two wounds; one to his head and the other to his chest. Katy felt for a pulse even though she could tell he was dead by the way his glazed eyes stared at her.
“Fuck!” Charlie cried from the doorway.
“Get them back, put them in another office and call for backup. No, forget that, I’ll do it. Just get them out of here.”
“Come on, guys, you don’t want to see this.” Charlie ushered the two men away from the door.
“What’s going on?” Andrea asked.
“It’s Colin. He’s been shot,” Ben advised her, his voice trembling.
“Come on, stay back. Is there a room we can use that has no windows?” Charlie asked.
“Yes, at the end of the hall,” Andrea replied.
Charlie motioned for one of the men to lead the way.
Once they had all moved from the doorway, Katy fished out her mobile and called the station. “Hi, Mick, it’s DI Foster. I need another set of officers at Zedex, there’s been a shooting.”
“Shit! Want me to call an ambulance?”
“Nope, it would be a waste of time. I’ll ring them in a moment after I’ve called the pathologist. Just get a team over here pronto. Are your guys still at the scene down below?”
“Yes, they were just packing up. I can reappoint them to you now.”
“No, leave them in situ. What the fuck is going on? How does someone take a pot shot at someone when ther
e’s a police presence at the scene already?”
“They’re either brave or stupid. I’ll get this actioned immediately, ma’am.”
“Thanks.” She ended the call and moved over to the window, back against the wall, edging alongside it to peer out, cautious that the killer might still be out there, ready to take another shot at any time. A few rooftops on the opposite side of the street were visible as well as possibly a couple of hundred windows to choose from where the shooter could have taken a shot from.
“Don’t get too close,” Charlie warned from the doorway.
“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me. Are the staff all right?”
Charlie walked into the office and kept to the edge of the room to join her. “They’re shaken up. How could this happen with us here?”
“You tell me. Uniformed police down below as well. I need to ring Patti, get her and Forensics back here.”
Katy stepped away from the window, and Charlie swapped places with her.
Katy tugged on her arm. “Not too close. The last thing I need right now is to train up yet another partner.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll be careful.” Charlie turned back to survey the area.
“Hi, Patti, it’s me, and no, I’m not going to start pestering you. You need to get back here.”
“What? We’ve only just got back to base. Why? Did we miss something?”
“There’s been another murder. Grace’s boss has been shot.”
“What the fuck? Okay, I’ll gather the team and be there within twenty to thirty minutes.” Patti hung up before Katy could say anything else.
“She’s on her way.”
“All I can see is a lot of windows as possible vantage points from which to take the shot,” Charlie said as Katy joined her.
“Don’t forget the roofs as well. Any one of those could have been used. I get the feeling the killer has been within spitting distance of us all along, waiting to pounce again, to seize another opportunity, but why?”
“Two executives from the same firm, there has to be more to it.” Charlie shook her head.
“Yeah, we need to get the team out here. Start asking probing questions, shake a few trees if we have to.”
