Devil in the Detail by A.J. Cross (love letters to the dead .TXT) 📗

He turned to Jones and Kumar standing nearby. ‘And you two Cheshire cats can make yourselves useful by letting the rest of the team know that tomorrow morning’s briefing is delayed to three o’clock, then start talking to the locals back at the scene, like I’ve told you.’ He went to Traynor. ‘I want to talk to everybody who knew the Lawrences. In the morning, I’ll start with Mike Lawrence’s family members. Hopefully I’ll be back at headquarters around one o’clock. I’ll see you then.’

Traynor was looking distracted. ‘That, you will.’

TWENTY-ONE

Tuesday 18 December. 8.45 a.m.

Watts brought the BMW to a halt and looked through the open gates to his left. ‘Let’s hope Brendan Lawrence has got something useful to tell us.’

Judd was skimming her notes. ‘You asked me to phone his sisters. I managed to contact Oona. She described Brendan and Mike Lawrence as very different personalities: Mike much quieter than his brother, Brendan a natural businessman.’

‘Based on?’

‘According to her, he always wanted to be his own boss and he works long hours. She wasn’t sure but she thought Mike might have invested money in Brendan’s business.’

‘I’ve rung him four times, left messages and got no response. When I rang his father, he said Brendan is under a lot of work pressure.’

Judd pulled a face. ‘Join the club.’

Watts released his seatbelt. ‘Let’s get it done.’

They headed for the entrance to the builders’ compound, went inside, Watts pointing. ‘Watch yourself on that pile of wood.’

They continued on to a large, brick-built office, its windows slick with condensation. Watts grasped the door handle, pushed open the door. The man sitting at a desk looked up. As before, the similarity between him and his younger brother was striking.

‘What do you want? I’m busy.’ Watts flipped his ID and Lawrence’s face changed. ‘Ah, I’ve been meaning to return your call—’

‘That’s all right, Mr Lawrence. Assuming you’ve got a few minutes to spare, we can talk now. This is PC Judd who’s part of the investigation into your brother’s murder.’

He stood, then came towards Watts, his hand outstretched. ‘I do apologize for not getting back to you.’ He smiled, took Judd’s hand and held on to it. ‘People assume that building companies are dormant in the winter. It isn’t the case.’ Watts’ eyes drifted over him, a memory surfacing of Mike Lawrence sitting inside his car, quietly dying. They took the seats Lawrence was indicating.

‘Mr Lawrence, we’re doing all we can to investigate the shooting of your brother and his wife, which is why we’re here.’

Lawrence gave them a startled look. ‘I thought it was more or less sorted. That it was an attack on their car by some low-life that went wrong.’

‘We’re investigating a number of possibilities. We’re talking to all family members, friends, colleagues and other associates of both your brother and sister-in-law to see if they can shed any light on it.’

‘I don’t have a clue what happened if it wasn’t what we’ve read in the press.’ He gave Judd a fleeting glance. ‘I don’t think I can be of much help.’ Seeing a frown arriving on Watts’ face, he said, ‘I think I need to put you in the picture about Mike and me. We weren’t close.’ He hurried on. ‘I’m as upset as everyone else about what’s happened. What I mean is we were very different people. Did you know he went to art college? I went straight into the building industry and when I decided I’d learned enough, I started up on my own.’ He sat back, eyeing Watts. ‘I employ fifteen full-time workers, plus seasonal help, all of it producing a healthy turnover.’

‘A costly business,’ observed Watts. ‘Equipment doesn’t come cheap.’

‘You’re right about that, but we’re doing well.’

‘Get some help from the family, did you?’

Lawrence frowned. ‘Is that relevant to your investigation?’ Watts waited. ‘A few hundred from my dad to get me started but that was about it.’

Watts nodded. ‘I know how it is, being born into a big family. Money’s scarce.’

Lawrence’s face was registering impatience. ‘I understand you’ve got a job to do but so have I. As I’ve said, I doubt I can be of any—’

‘Did your brother Mike invest in your company?’

Lawrence stared at him. ‘Hardly. He was still at college when I set up this place.’

‘How about later?’

Lawrence’s eyes settled briefly on Watts, moved away. ‘No.’ He stood, pulled back his sleeve to expose a large wristwatch.

Watts ignored the hint. ‘You’re saying that your brother never invested in your business as a going concern, once it was established?’ Watts watched a lot of thinking going on behind Lawrence’s eyes.

‘I don’t see the relevance of your questions.’

‘Don’t let that worry you, Mr Lawrence, just give me an answer.’

‘I approached Mike for a loan a couple of years back. The usual cashflow problem that besets building firms. I presented it as an investment. He refused, as was his right, of course. It didn’t cause any friction between us, although I’d rather you didn’t tell my parents or anybody else in the family about it. They’ve got enough to think about, right now, and anyway, it’s all history. Mike and I are … were always civil to each other. It wasn’t money, it was more to do with the difference in our personalities which created a distance between us.’

He gave a quick laugh. ‘I’m the boss of a lot of hairy ar—’ He glanced in Judd’s direction. ‘I chase profits, keep my lads in work. My brother spent his working hours drawing nice, coloured pictures of rooms for clients with money to burn.’ His eyes went to his desk and a photograph of a blonde woman. He looked up. ‘I’m explaining the differences between me and Mike. I’m not being critical.’

‘I get it,’ said Watts. ‘What about Molly, your sister-in-law?’

‘What about her?’

‘How’d you get on with her?’

‘Fine. She’s a nice woman, although I haven’t had that much to do with her since she married Mike.’

‘Knew her before, did you?’

‘What? No. I’m just saying