Page 44 of Mann Hunt
“Charming.”
Charlie continued shooting, playing with shutter speed and aperture settings. He was a quick study when it came to anything with a battery and circuit boards.
Katherine Mann’s house was in Mount Royal, one of Calgary’s wealthiest neighbourhoods. It was a two-storey Georgian-style estate home, located only a few houses down from the Swedish Consulate.
They pulled into the driveway, got out of the van and Declan rang the bell. After a few seconds, Katherine opened the door. Gone were her designer clothes, meticulously groomed hair and impeccably applied makeup. Instead, she wore a loose-fitting tracksuit and looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Katherine said nothing, but stepped aside and ushered them in.
The three sat in the comfortable living room. Without asking, she brought in a French press, three mugs, creamer and a sugar bowl.
“I assume you’ll join me. It’s the only thing keeping me running.”
“Please,” Charlie said. “May I pour?”
“Thanks. You’re a doll,” she said, before settling into a deep comfortable chair. She pulled her legs up, and tucked them beneath her.
“Milk and sugar?” Charlie asked.
“I’d better have milk. And a lot of it. My stomach is probably bleeding by now,” she replied.
Charlie set her cup on the side table nearest her. He poured cups for himself and Declan.
“Is it safe to assume that you’ve heard nothing from Ian?” Declan asked.
“Nothing.”
“Have you contacted anyone—relatives, business partners or friends—to see if they’ve had any news?”
“There are no relatives,” she said. “I’ve messaged most of our friends with no luck. As for business contacts… I…I haven’t had the energy to do that yet. It’s a tricky thing, business. You have to be so careful about what people find out, and when.”
Declan leaned forward. “Why would you say that? Has Ian been involved in any contentious business dealings lately?”
Katherine paused for a moment as she looked at the table. “I forgot the scones.” She got up and headed out of the room.
Declan and Charlie waited for a few minutes before Charlie called out, “Mrs Mann, may I be of some assistance? Mrs Mann?” He made eye contact with Declan, and they both got up at the same time.
They found her in the kitchen, staring at a large ceramic bowl filled with what appeared to be dough. The counter was cluttered with a bag of flour, boxes of baking soda and salt, a bowl of currants and the remains of a pound of butter. She was shaking her head.
“I could swear I baked these this morning,” she said, talking towards the counter before looking up at the two men. “I bake when I’m stressed and… I must have gained two pounds over the past few days. I even left the oven on. I’m losing my fucking mind!”
“I’ll tell you what…” Charlie said, looking around. “Why don’t we head back to the living room and you can bake them later? We’re not going to be that long, anyway.”
Katherine nodded and led the other two back into the living room. Once they were all seated, Declan said, “I was asking about any business dealings that might have gone bad?”
She thought for a moment. “I know that a development group was trying to buy his property downtown, but Ian had his own plans for the building.”
“Do you know the name of the company?”
She paused. “Ian never told me.”
“Did your husband seem particularly worried about this other company?” Declan pushed.
Katherine paused, then said, “Not particularly worried, although he was distracted. He was distracted a lot these last few months. I was pushing him to get back into photography. That’s where he was happiest.”
Declan noticed Charlie staring at a wall covered in a series of framed portraits of a beautiful young woman.
“Are these all by your husband?” Charlie asked. He walked over to examine the photos. “They’re all of you, aren’t they?”
“From a long, long time ago,” Katherine replied, smiling. She joined him.
