AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘No he wasn’t. The handrail came away.’
‘They loosened it,’ he insisted.
‘It had been on the maintenance “to do” list for three days. It was a terrible, tragic accident that should never have happened, but they were not responsible.’
He shook his head. ‘There’s nothing you can say or do that will convince me they were innocent. They received no punishment for what they did to my dad.’
Kim opened her mouth to clarify once more that there was no evidence, but she knew she would be wasting her breath. This belief had festered inside him for fifteen years. She was more interested in the consequences of that fact.
‘Did Rufus believe you or did he try and talk some sense into you? He’s very protective, and now three of your sworn enemies are dead. You both have access to fentanyl, and—’
‘Inspector, I don’t know exactly what the hell you’re trying to get at here, but—’
‘Really? You’re an intelligent, educated man. I’d have thought it was perfectly obvious.’
He held her gaze for a good ten seconds, the throbbing vein in his forehead giving her a good indication of the emotion he was suppressing.
‘Please don’t come here again. If you want to ask me any further questions, I’ll be happy to oblige. In the presence of my lawyer,’ he said before turning and heading back up the stairs.
The receptionist offered them a look of disapproval as they headed out of the hospital.
Kim was on the brink of deciding whether to begin the process of a formal interview with Curtis Jones when her phone rang.
‘Go ahead, Penn,’ she answered.
‘Hey, boss. Lenny Baldwin’s tip has turned into a bit of a goldmine. I’m still focussing on the staff at Welton like you asked, and you’re not going to believe what else I found out.’
EIGHTY-TWO
Welton Hall looked no friendlier than it had a couple of days before. It was a hardened juvenile that would be brought here and not feel some trepidation walking through the doors. Maybe even the staff had the odd misgiving too.
‘Josephine Kirk,’ Kim said, showing her ID.
‘I remember who you are. I was here the other day,’ said the girl on the other side of the desk. ‘But I’m not sure Ms Kirk is available.’
Kim understood that not everything could be dropped just because police officers investigating a triple murder turned up on your doorstep. But short of a full-blown riot or a suicide situation beyond those locked doors, Kim was unsure what trumped her presence.
‘Please tell Ms Kirk it’s urgent we speak with her. Now,’ Kim said, stepping away from the desk, leaving no room for argument.
From the corner of her eye, she watched the girl make the call. It was short, and she said nothing to them once it had ended. She simply nodded towards the officer who’d completed the security checks, who beckoned for them to follow.
Kim could easily have found her own way, but she guessed that even police officers weren’t allowed to roam freely around the facility.
The officer knocked on the door of Josephine Kirk’s office and waited for her instruction before pushing the door open.
Kirk was dressed in what appeared to be a self-imposed uniform of white silk shirt and navy slacks. She didn’t stand or offer her hand. Neither did she invite them to take a seat, but they did so anyway.
‘Thank you for seeing us so promptly,’ Bryant said.
‘There was a choice?’ Kirk asked, looking directly at Kim.
‘Not really, but my colleague has better manners than me,’ Kim answered.
Kirk didn’t dispute it.
‘Oh and thank you for sending over the records.’
‘I didn’t think there was a choice with that either.’
