Read Online Broken Fall: A D.I. Harland novella by Fergus McNeill - Free Book Online
Authors: Fergus McNeill
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and took out his phone. He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose between finger and thumb as he listened to the ringtone. After a moment, there was a click.
‘DS Linwood speaking.’
‘Hello, Jack.’
‘Oh hello, sir. How did you get on with the daughter?’
Harland sighed.
‘She’s either very genuine or very devious,’ he replied. ‘Listen, are you almost done with Albie’s accounts?’
‘I’ve gone through what’s here,’ Linwood replied. ‘Most of it, anyway.’
‘Any surprises?’
‘Nothing significant, no.’
‘In that case, box everything up and get back over to CID. I want you to do some digging on Richard – finances, business, that sort of thing.’
‘But he didn’t stand to inherit,’ Linwood pointed out.
‘I know.’ Harland rubbed his eyes, wearily. ‘It’d be so much simpler if he did.’
‘All right. Well, I’ll see what I can turn up then. Are you coming back in?’
Harland glanced at the dashboard clock.
‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘I think I’ll carry on down to Weston, take a look through the restaurant CCTV footage.’
‘You think Jenny’s alibi might have a few holes in it?’
Harland shook his head, even though Linwood couldn’t see him.
‘I think she had an awful lot to gain,’ he said.
THURSDAY
Chapter 9
Harland put the phone down and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.
Another dead end.
He stared at the image on the screen in front of him, then swivelled in his chair, gazing blankly across the desks in the open-plan office. Bristol CID was quiet just now. He got up and walked across to the window to stare out at the trains crawling in and out of Temple Meads station.
There was a noise behind him and he turned to see the corridor door swinging open. Linwood appeared, walking briskly towards their cluster of desks.
‘Hi Jack,’ Harland greeted him. ‘How did you get on?’
‘Well, you were right about Richard.’ Linwood took his jacket off and draped it over the back of a chair. ‘He’s not nearly as flush as he makes out.’
‘Yes?’
‘It’s gonna take time to work up a full financial profile, but the numbers paint a pretty grim picture.’ Linwood sat down and leaned back, hands behind his head. ‘I dug out the accounts for his company and it looks like things have been bad for the last few years.’
‘The staff agency is in trouble?’
‘He seems to be keeping it afloat, but only just.’
‘Interesting,’ Harland mused. ‘What about that posh waterfront apartment?’
‘Rented,’ Linwood replied. ‘And that must be a pretty hefty outgoing every month.’
‘Definitely.’ He’d seen similar properties being advertised in the paper and wondered how anyone could ever afford them. ‘So when things got bad, Richard sold his place in Clifton, used some of the proceeds to prop up the business, and now he’s living on the rest … but he can’t do that forever.’
‘What about the wife?’ Linwood suggested. ‘Maybe her income helps balance things out a bit?’
Harland shook his head as he settled down to perch on the edge of his desk.
‘No, she does voluntary work, remember?’
‘Oh yeah, you said. Opera society or something?’
‘Choral society,’ Harland corrected him, then paused. ‘They’re not bad, actually. There was a young composer there yesterday and his stuff was really stunning.’
‘Fair enough.’ Linwood shrugged. ‘So she’s a music lover.’
Harland smiled to himself.
‘I think her interest in him may not be entirely musical,’ he murmured.
‘What?’ Linwood looked up, then grinned. ‘Ah, you think they’re doing the old Durex duet?’
‘Something like that.’ He thought back to the man’s scruffy clothing. ‘He certainly didn’t seem like a member of her social circle.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t want to share him.’ Linwood winked, lecherously.
‘You’re disgusting.’ Harland smiled.
‘The heart wants what the heart wants,’ the little man
‘DS Linwood speaking.’
‘Hello, Jack.’
‘Oh hello, sir. How did you get on with the daughter?’
Harland sighed.
‘She’s either very genuine or very devious,’ he replied. ‘Listen, are you almost done with Albie’s accounts?’
‘I’ve gone through what’s here,’ Linwood replied. ‘Most of it, anyway.’
‘Any surprises?’
‘Nothing significant, no.’
‘In that case, box everything up and get back over to CID. I want you to do some digging on Richard – finances, business, that sort of thing.’
‘But he didn’t stand to inherit,’ Linwood pointed out.
‘I know.’ Harland rubbed his eyes, wearily. ‘It’d be so much simpler if he did.’
‘All right. Well, I’ll see what I can turn up then. Are you coming back in?’
Harland glanced at the dashboard clock.
‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘I think I’ll carry on down to Weston, take a look through the restaurant CCTV footage.’
‘You think Jenny’s alibi might have a few holes in it?’
Harland shook his head, even though Linwood couldn’t see him.
‘I think she had an awful lot to gain,’ he said.
THURSDAY
Chapter 9
Harland put the phone down and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.
Another dead end.
He stared at the image on the screen in front of him, then swivelled in his chair, gazing blankly across the desks in the open-plan office. Bristol CID was quiet just now. He got up and walked across to the window to stare out at the trains crawling in and out of Temple Meads station.
There was a noise behind him and he turned to see the corridor door swinging open. Linwood appeared, walking briskly towards their cluster of desks.
‘Hi Jack,’ Harland greeted him. ‘How did you get on?’
‘Well, you were right about Richard.’ Linwood took his jacket off and draped it over the back of a chair. ‘He’s not nearly as flush as he makes out.’
‘Yes?’
‘It’s gonna take time to work up a full financial profile, but the numbers paint a pretty grim picture.’ Linwood sat down and leaned back, hands behind his head. ‘I dug out the accounts for his company and it looks like things have been bad for the last few years.’
‘The staff agency is in trouble?’
‘He seems to be keeping it afloat, but only just.’
‘Interesting,’ Harland mused. ‘What about that posh waterfront apartment?’
‘Rented,’ Linwood replied. ‘And that must be a pretty hefty outgoing every month.’
‘Definitely.’ He’d seen similar properties being advertised in the paper and wondered how anyone could ever afford them. ‘So when things got bad, Richard sold his place in Clifton, used some of the proceeds to prop up the business, and now he’s living on the rest … but he can’t do that forever.’
‘What about the wife?’ Linwood suggested. ‘Maybe her income helps balance things out a bit?’
Harland shook his head as he settled down to perch on the edge of his desk.
‘No, she does voluntary work, remember?’
‘Oh yeah, you said. Opera society or something?’
‘Choral society,’ Harland corrected him, then paused. ‘They’re not bad, actually. There was a young composer there yesterday and his stuff was really stunning.’
‘Fair enough.’ Linwood shrugged. ‘So she’s a music lover.’
Harland smiled to himself.
‘I think her interest in him may not be entirely musical,’ he murmured.
‘What?’ Linwood looked up, then grinned. ‘Ah, you think they’re doing the old Durex duet?’
‘Something like that.’ He thought back to the man’s scruffy clothing. ‘He certainly didn’t seem like a member of her social circle.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t want to share him.’ Linwood winked, lecherously.
‘You’re disgusting.’ Harland smiled.
‘The heart wants what the heart wants,’ the little man
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