Chapter 25
‘Mr Lovett, please sit down. I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances; I’ve always wanted to come and stay here,’ Kelly said.
Paul Burlington was nowhere to be found so she decided to speak to the conference and banqueting manager, who was next on her list. Emma had gone to locate Jamie’s business partner in the meantime.
‘I’m assuming you don’t want a cup of your own coffee?’
She smiled and saw him visibly relax. He was nervous. Lee Lovett looked stressed, as he might. A man had died horribly on his watch. The general manager seemed to expect a lot of him in his absence, she’d gathered.
Lee Lovett sat down and examined the folds on the tablecloth, then he peered underneath at the carpet. He seemed to be looking for signs of vacuuming that met his expectations. It seemingly did because he was happy for a moment, until a shadow returned to his brow and he looked at Kelly.
He wrung his hands and Kelly remembered in the video that Jamie’s blood was all over this young manager. It was the kind of traumatic event that haunts dreams.
She would know.
Blood smelt like iron, like the earth. Like the lake.
It was fresh, alive and viscous – everchanging.
It felt oily and warm. She watched him and he confirmed he didn’t want coffee.
They chatted about how long he’d worked at Heron Hall and what he knew about the guests and generally about Hampton-Dent. Which wasn’t much.
‘It’s all mumbo-jumbo,’ he chuckled.
He was charming and good-natured.
She wondered how he was treated by the elite.
Was it Elon Musk who took potential employees for lunch to see how they treated service staff?
It was an excellent judge of character. She recalled summer jobs in hotels and how vile a few of the guests were to her.
On the whole, they were generous and engaging but some could be tricky and rude, as if they were superior to those attending them.
‘Have tips been good?’ she asked.
He looked caught off guard which was exactly what she wanted.
‘Yes, actually. Very good. Some of the guests are very wealthy.’
‘I know.’ She paused. ‘It can be overwhelming. You were the one who held everything together, by all accounts. We have specially trained officers you can speak to about the things you saw. I know it can wreak havoc on your mind.’
He stared at her.
‘I bet you’ve seen plenty,’ he said.
She nodded.
‘Do you get used to it?’
‘No.’ She answered honestly. His transparency was disarming and she could see why Sandy Cooper might show interest in him.
Doctor Cooper was a rebel; that much was clear from the fact she wandered around at the edge of the lake puffing on cigarettes at a health conference.
But she doubted somebody like Sandy Cooper would be serious about this gentle man in front of her, and Kelly felt a pang of maternal protection towards him.
Doctor Cooper would eat him for breakfast and by her own admission, she already had.
She had no idea how many times these two had snuck away from the conference to jump into bed.
‘What did the coroner say?’ he asked her suddenly.
‘He’ll reserve his findings until he’s completed his report.’ She remained tight-lipped.
‘Of course. I was in shock. I said some things perhaps I shouldn’t.’
‘Don’t worry, your statements on the night will be investigated in context. Witnesses say all sorts of things in the moment.’
She knew he referred to his initial statement to the first uniforms on the scene when he told them he didn’t believe Jamie Robbins jumped, which was what got their attention in the first place.
‘Some witnesses have reported a noise before Mr Robbins hit the floor, like a shout or a cry.’
‘Yes, I think he did shout. It was like a wail, as if he was scared. I suppose I would be if I fell like that.’
‘And you saw no one upstairs with him?’
‘No.’
‘Anyone acting strangely?’
He hesitated before he said no this time.
‘And you took Ms Cooper to the Rydal Caves that morning?’
He coloured and looked down at his hands. ‘Erm, yes. It’s the biggest attraction around here.’
‘I know; I’m from Penrith.’
‘Oh.’
‘And, after the caves, you returned with her to her room?’
Lee looked uncomfortable. Considering he was happy to bed hop with guests, he wasn’t used to explaining himself.
‘Yes. We took the back stairs via the kitchen.’
‘The back stairs?’
‘Yes, this is an old building. I know the renovations make it look modern, but the original house stands at the core of the central building and there is a network of stairs and corridors behind the walls.’
‘Can you show me?’
‘Of course.’
Lee stood up and looked relieved to be getting out of the conference room. He led her towards reception then behind the main desk and through a curtain which led to a storeroom. At the back, he took her through a door, and they stepped into a cool and dark concrete corridor. He pointed either way.
‘That goes to the pool. That goes to the stairs and bedrooms.’
‘Let’s go this way.’ She indicated the stairs. They passed old fridges, cupboards, storage boxes, piles of clothes and laundry bins, as well as other doors leading to various rooms. Lee opened each one for her. Finally, they came to some stairs, and he led the way.
They went up to the first floor and he showed her the way out to the guest area then they carried on to the second floor and he took her out onto the landing.
She stared at the atrium lip, where Jamie Robbins had gone over.
Then she retraced her steps behind the wall, down the stairs and turned towards the garden at the bottom, instead of the reception. It led to a fire exit.
‘This isn’t alarmed,’ she said.
‘No, it never has been,’ Lee confirmed.
She went outside and saw that the door led to the staff carpark.
‘Do you have CCTV covering this area?’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ he said.
‘Would you know if somebody random, who wasn’t on your staff and whom you didn’t know, parked up here in your staff carpark, came in through this entrance, spent time in the hotel and left? Is there any way of knowing who comes and goes through here?’
He didn’t answer straight away. She could tell that he was figuring out if he could put a square peg in a round hole. In the end he admitted what she suspected.
‘No.’
‘That’s what I feared. Is there CCTV at the front?’
‘Yes, but I don’t think it works. It’s one of those fake ones, I think.’
‘That’s not helpful, is it?’
‘We don’t get trouble here; it’s just a decoy.’
‘Maybe you should rethink that.’
‘You don’t think it was suicide, do you?’ Lee asked her. ‘You know he tried to tell me something before he died.’
She stopped walking and looked at him. They’d gone outside and she was peering under cars and kicking leaves, hoping to find evidence of somebody loitering out here.
‘What did he tell you?’
‘I don’t know. I said he tried. I couldn’t understand him. He whispered something to me; it was two words, like a name, but it could also have been something else.’
‘Did he move his mouth?’
‘Yes, he was staring right at me. God it was horrible. This gurgle came out of his throat and he said two words, but I just can’t get them fully formed in my head. I’m sorry, I had no idea what he was saying. Then he stopped moving.’
Lee looked down at his hands. He looked utterly helpless. Kelly put a hand on his shoulder.
‘I’m sorry you had to go through that. It must have been awful for you. You did all you could. I’ve been told you kept everyone calm. Come on, let’s go back inside. Did you get to know any other delegates?’
‘Is that a euphemism, Detective?’
She smiled. ‘It wasn’t actually, but if you did, this is the time to tell me.’
‘I didn’t sleep with anyone else, but I think I got a good impression of their characters over the four days.
They put on this pally facade as if they love life and preach wellness and kindness but in reality, they’re all after the killer deal.
They’d stab anyone in the back to get the next bestselling product. ’
The detective stared at him. ‘Thank you for your insight. And your honesty. It’s valuable.’
‘I’ll take you back inside,’ he said.
‘Do you know where Paul Burlington might be? He was Jamie Robbins’ partner.’
‘Yes, I think I saw him outside with Melvin earlier.’
‘Melvin Stone?’
Lee nodded. ‘The old chap who lives across the lake?’
‘You know him?’
‘Kind of, he’s got dementia; he wanders around a lot.’
Great, thought Kelly, there goes another witness.