Harm’s Reach. Alex Barclay

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      ‘What’s the current state of play?’ said Ren.

      ‘Well, it had reached a stalemate,’ said Eleanor. ‘Realistically – who is going to sue a little old lady and an abbey devoted to charitable works without bringing down a load of bad publicity on top of them? The abbey’s been here over a hundred years. The ranch, in this incarnation, only four. The Faules can’t rock the boat around here. They need the local community.’

      Ren nodded.

      ‘They’re being very understanding, actually,’ said Eleanor.

       As they try to flood, then burn a little old lady out of her home. What next?

      ‘Really?’ said Ren.

      ‘They drained the land, repaired the pipe and agreed to halt construction works for six months to see if Delores would reconsider. They even offered to buy her a new cabin and install it wherever she wanted on the grounds of the abbey.’

      ‘Well, that’s very generous,’ said Ren. ‘I’m surprised she didn’t take them up on that. Does it really matter exactly where the cabin is? Is it a matter of principle?’

      ‘Principle, sentimentality, fear of change … I don’t know. I tried to reassure her about helping her with the transition, but she was steadfast. She’s a tough cookie for such a lady.’

      ‘It can’t be the warmest place in the winter,’ said Ren.

      ‘It isn’t,’ said Eleanor. ‘I just have to keep reminding myself it’s her home.’

      ‘Were you here earlier today?’ said Ren.

      ‘In the library, no,’ said Eleanor.

      ‘Did you see smoke over at the ranch around lunch time?’ said Ren.

      Eleanor nodded. ‘Yes – actually Kristen called us to let us know that a car had caught fire by the cabin, but that it wasn’t at risk, that we weren’t to be alarmed. And I knew Delores was in the chapel, anyway.’

      ‘Can you please check with the other women if they saw anything?’ said Ren.

      ‘Yes, I can do that.’

      ‘Eleanor, has a woman called Laura Flynn ever been in touch with you?’ said Ren.

      ‘I couldn’t say off the top of my head, but I can check my emails and talk to the others, see if they heard from her. I don’t handle the website – there may have been some contact that way.’

      ‘Do you think we could get a hold of any inquiries people made about the abbey in the past six months?’ said Ren.

      ‘Absolutely,’ said Eleanor. ‘I can have that emailed through to you by tonight.’

      Ren handed her a business card. ‘Thank you. And could we also get a list of anyone who carries out work here at the abbey … landscapers, carpenters, etc.’

      ‘Yes,’ said Eleanor. ‘But we’re pretty self-sufficient, we take care of most of the work …’

      ‘Good for you,’ said Ren.

      Gary came back into the room, but stood just inside the door.

      ‘Ms Jensen, thank you for your time,’ he said.

      ‘That’s my cue,’ said Ren. ‘Thank you again.’

      Ren and Gary walked down the steps of the abbey. She talked him through the rest of her conversation with Eleanor.

      ‘I’d like to find out if anyone saw the car before it went on fire, though. It’s a little too coincidental …’

      ‘Because of the robbery?’ said Gary.

      ‘Yes,’ said Ren, ‘but also I’m wondering about how close it was to Delores Ward’s cabin.’

      Gary nodded. ‘That call I got? It was Eli Baer in New York.’

      Eli Baer was Safe Streets’ favorite contact in the New York office. He was a short, perfectly-groomed nerd who threw himself into all tasks with an intensity and efficiency that had clearly been with him from birth. It was easy to imagine him in kindergarten with a pristine shirt buttoned up to his neck, slim pants that were maybe an inch too short and shiny, shiny shoes.

      ‘This is going to be a big one,’ said Gary. ‘The victim’s employer reported her missing this morning. These are big shots. Let’s just say we’ll be “assisting” JeffCo more. His name is Robert Prince – he’s a multi-millionaire, married to an ex-model. Laura Flynn was their housekeeper. She was six months pregnant. They live in New York, but have been going back and forth to Golden since January.’

      ‘OK,’ said Ren. ‘Why Golden?’

      ‘You can ask Mrs Prince,’ said Gary. ‘She’s there now – at their rental. I’ve mailed you the address. You and Janine can take care of the notification.’

      ‘And what about the victim’s actual family?’ said Ren.

      ‘We’ve got nothing on that yet,’ said Gary. ‘All I know is that Mr Prince was very concerned when he called this in, so whether this housekeeper is family or not, they seem to really care … According to the Princes, the victim was going to stay with a friend in Chicago, but we’ve no confirmation on that yet. No one could get hold of the friend.’

       7

      Janine Hooks had arrived at the scene by the time Ren and Gary got back from the abbey.

      ‘Hey, girl,’ said Janine. She gestured to the body. ‘Well, this is terrible.’

      ‘Ugh.’

      ‘Anything from the abbey?’ said Janine.

      ‘Not yet,’ said Ren. ‘We’re waiting on the director to get back to us on a few things. There’s certainly a nice view of the area close to the vehicle fire. I’m wondering did anyone see anything … I’d like to be armed with something concrete before I talk to the owners.’

      Janine nodded. ‘Oh, yes.’ She took out her notebook. ‘OK … as I was driving here, Logan Teale – who I now sit opposite, nice guy – got more lowdown on our victim: Laura Flynn from Waterford, Ireland, been living in New York for the past five years – just got her citizenship this year. She flew from Denver to Chicago last Thursday on a return ticket, due back last night, but obviously didn’t take the flight. She rented the Hyundai at nine thirty p.m. Thursday at O’Hare. She filled out the form saying the drop-off would be there too. So she was either lying on the form or she made a last-minute decision to come here.’

      ‘So,’ said Gary, ‘she drives from Chicago to here, that’s what – a fourteen-hour drive?’

      ‘I guess so,’ said Janine.

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