Page 53 of The Burnt
Sawchuck frowned. “Not enough to go on. You say he came back?”
“Yeah.”
Sawchuck picked up a folder and flipped through some pages. “I’ve had no report of anyone matching that description calling on her. Are you sure about that?”
“That’s what she said. Maybe your watchdog took a nap.”
“Hmm. I’ll look into it. What else can you tell me about her?” Sawchuck asked.
“She knows how to handle a gun. She pointed one at me when we first met.”
“Oh?”
Declan cocked his head. “What kind of gun did you say Archie was shot with?”
“I didn’t. But it was a nine-millimetre handgun. Why?”
“Katherine’s is a shotgun.”
Sawchuck nodded. “Okay, I’ll make a note of it. Anything else?”
“You might find it interesting that she’s the executor of Archie’s will.”
Sawchuck looked up from the file. “Now that is interesting.”
“And she doesn’t know a Milo that was associated with either Freddy or Archie,” Declan added.
“She told you all of this?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Sawchuck asked.
“I only found out yesterday.”
Sawchuck stared at Declan. “Anything else?”
Declan considered telling him about the licence number of the car that she had photographed, but he decided to hold ontothat for the time being until he knew if it was important or not. “That’s it.”
Gary sighed. “So, you have a woman who is familiar with firearms, denies all knowledge of who might have wanted to kill her shady neighbour, sees mysterious men lurking about that none of our officers have seenandwho is the executor of the deceased’s estate… Do you think it might just be possible that she’s lying to you? Because to me—and let’s ignore all of my years of policing—to me she’s starting to look like a prime suspect.”
“Do you really think she could have done it?”
Sawchuck looked intently at Declan, “I don’t think she’d have the physical strength to inflict the beating Archie took before he was shot. And she had no gunpowder residue on her hands…and yes, we tested. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t involved. So I just want to be clear, that if you have any other insights, you should share them with us. Got it?”
Declan nodded.
“Now, get out of here before you get us both into trouble.”
Declan rose from his seat and headed to his van. If Sawchuck’s men were telling the truth, it was possible that Katherine O’Grady was playing Declan for a fool. But why?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Charlie enjoyed his drive out to Banff in The Beast. It had been a long time since he’d taken the muscle car out on the highway and felt the power of its engine. He pulled up to the intercom in front of Simon’s property and pressed the button. Within moments, the big steel gate slowly swung open.
As Charlie parked in front of the house, the door opened. A tall woman, who appeared to be in her mid-fifties, poked her nose out. “Mr Watts, I presume?”
“Yes. Is it okay if I park here?” Charlie asked.
