Shot of Silence (Justice Again Book 3) by M Comley (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

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