Chapter 41
The wet street litter was still cornered in the small concrete garden. With Boyd by her side Lottie knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a reply.
Liam Scanlan looked more tired than she felt. Even his skin wasn’t as good as it had been the other day. A burst of pimples crept down the side of his nose.
‘Liam, we have some questions about the Healys’ finances.’
‘I’m not sure I can discuss any of that with you.’ He pushed his spectacles up his nose and winced as they glided over a spot. ‘Don’t you need a warrant?’
‘Can you help us or not?’ She folded her arms, thinking how her tolerance levels were dipping down the scale dangerously close to zero.
He scratched at his clean-shaven chin. ‘It’s been hectic here the last few days. People panicking about their tax returns. Cameron dealt with all that, and you lot took our computer equipment.’
‘You got the main computer back after our tech team examined the files.’
‘I don’t know which way to turn. I’m too busy.’
‘So am I. I need to find a triple murderer before he strikes again.’ She sounded like a TV cop. ‘To do that, I need your help. Now.’
‘Okay. Okay.’ He threw his arms about wildly. ‘What do you need?’
‘Was Cameron Healy solvent?’ Boyd asked.
‘Money was a bit tight, but like I told you, he was thinking of expanding the business.’
‘What about Caroline? Did she contribute to his business?’
‘No.’
‘Did she bleed him dry?’ Lottie interjected.
‘What are you talking about?’ He pushed his spectacles back up his sweaty nose. ‘They were doing fine. The house took a lot of their capital, and then the expenses for furniture and fittings.’
‘Didn’t look all that expensive to me,’ Lottie said. ‘Did they have a separate bank account for the house?’
‘Cam transferred money from his business account to a new house construction account with a different bank. He wanted to keep it distinct from his day-to-day expenses account and the business account. He said it was necessary, but I thought it was all very complicated.’
‘And yet you work in an accountant’s office.’
‘Mainly paperwork. I don’t have much to do with actual money.’
‘Show me this house account.’
He looked at her dubiously. ‘I suppose it can’t do any harm.’ He tapped his computer, checked for a password, clicked again and the printer whirred. ‘I can email it to you too.’
‘Do that. Thanks.’ She glanced down at the pages he handed her, then passed them to Boyd. Now wasn’t the time to dissect figures. The tech team had downloaded everything anyway.
‘Any more secret accounts?’
‘What?’ He flapped his hands over the desk. ‘God almighty. They’ve just died and you’re here asking—’
‘Did you hear any rumours about either of them having an affair?’ Lottie ploughed on.
‘No. They were a loving couple.’
‘To the outside world maybe. Who designed their house?’
‘Cam mentioned Thomas Clarke Architects, but I can’t recall coming across an invoice in that name. Will I call Mr Clarke?’
Lottie exchanged a glance with Boyd. Why was Liam fudging the truth? ‘No thanks, Liam. We’ll talk to him ourselves.’