Read Online An End to a Silence: A mystery novel (The Montana Trilogy Book 1) by W.H. Clark - Free Book Online

few moments he is asleep and he dreams and in his dream the boy
is alive again.

25
    Ward had
called ahead to the office of James Kenny but he wasn’t there. The customarily
obstructive personal assistant eventually yielded and told Ward that Kenny was
on-site at the planned development of the new science and technology wing at
the Meriwether Elementary School.
    When they
pulled up at the school Ward knew straight away which one was Kenny. He had the
calm demeanor of a man who was so in control he probably thought he could
affect the weather. And despite his short stature, he towered over the men he
was with and they were clearly intimidated by his presence.
    Ward made
no move to get out of the car. He stared at the man called James Kenny,
property developer, multimillionaire. “Why do I get a prickly feeling about
this guy?”
    “Let’s go
say hello.”
    The man
with the plans saw Newton and Ward, and this set him in a quandary of whether
to acknowledge them or to keep telling Kenny what he wanted to hear, what he
was paying this man to tell him. Kenny noticed his discomfort and glanced over
to Newton and Ward and then back at the man and the two others he was with.
    “We’ll
pick this up in five minutes,” he said, approaching the oncoming detectives
with handshake ready and outstretched. “Detective Newton and…” He grasped
Newton’s huge hand and squeezed it so that Newton wanted to say ‘stop’.
    “This is
Detective Ward,” Newton said.
    Kenny
grabbed at Ward’s hand and Ward tried to make sure he got a good thrust into
the handshake to avoid what he’d noticed Newton had suffered but he wasn’t
quick enough. He felt his metacarpals crunch.
    “You’re
here to see me about the old guy.” It wasn’t a question but seemed like an
order, as if he was driving a meeting to an early conclusion because he had to
be at another one as soon as possible. He could’ve said, “Get on with it, you
sons of bitches,” for all the strength of his delivery.
    So Ward
slowed it down purposely and said, “The school getting some work done?”
    Kenny
momentarily seemed to be shaken down a rank or two by Ward’s question but he
quickly snapped back in charge, like a sergeant major snapping his heels
together. He might as well have demanded a salute, Ward thought.
    “So let’s
talk about the old guy,” Kenny said. “Homicide? That’s unfortunate.” And Ward
thought his choice of phrase was also unfortunate. But he didn’t bite and he
let Newton have a poke.
    Newton
said, “Would we be able to ask you a few questions, Mr. Kenny? You want to do
it here or go somewhere warmer?”
    “Here is
fine. This won’t take long, I’m sure. And I’m used to the outdoors. All part of
the job.”
    “Okay,”
Newton said. “I wondered if you could tell us about the security procedures you
have in place at the nursing home.”
    “Ask a
specific question, detective,” said Kenny.
    “Okay,
well, let’s start with the security cameras that aren’t working,” he said, and then
he realized he hadn’t asked a question. “Let me rephrase that. Were you aware
that your cameras aren’t working?”
    “Being
fixed today. Next question.”
    “What
procedures do you have in place for controlling access into and out of the
home?”
    “You know
the answer to that, detective. Next question.”
    Newton
rubbed his back. “And the control of medication?”
    “We have
a small pharmacy which is secured at all times. All drugs are locked up.”
    “Who has
access to the pharmacy?”
    “The
on-call doctor and the residential nurses.”
    “And who
keeps the key?”
    “The key
is locked in the safe.”
    “And who
has the key to the safe?”
    “The
manager of the facility has the key to the safe.”
    “Yeah,
we’ve spoken to him,” Ward said. “We’ve asked for a full inventory to be taken
of all the drugs you got locked up there. Make sure none are missing.”
    “So
that’s what killed the old man?