Gina knocked at the door of Kerry Powell’s house and the woman eventually answered. She leaned against the doorframe, barely able to stand. ‘What the hell is it now?’ A scab had formed in the corner of Kerry’s mouth and her cheeks burned a deep crimson colour. She wasn’t the beautiful bride Gina remembered seeing only a few days ago, the young woman standing in front of her looked as though her world had been ripped apart.
‘We need to speak to you. May we come in?’
Jacob waited beside her and the whole station was on standby. At the moment, Gina wanted to do as little as possible to unnerve Kerry Powell.
‘Don’t you think I’ve been through enough?’ A fresh tear rolled down, refreshing the old tear tracks on her face, mingling with what looked like sleep in her eyes and yesterday’s make-up. ‘My friends are dead. My husband just happens to be the father of my dead friend’s baby. What the hell? My dad is livid.’ She kicked the door open and held onto the staircase as she headed towards the kitchen.
In Gina’s book that was an invite. Jacob closed the hefty door behind them. Several suitcases lined the hallway. Shirts stuck out the gaps, jamming the zips, and coats had been flung over the top. A carrier bag of shoes had toppled over.
‘He’s a gonna,’ she said as she swigged wine straight from the bottle.
‘Is your husband in?’
She shook her head and stared out of the bi-fold doors. ‘I told him to go. He’s meant to be back in a couple of hours for his bags. I never want to see him again.’ She leaned back on the stool and slammed the wine onto the kitchen island. The stool creaked and Gina wondered for one moment if Kerry and the stool would tip backwards but her slight frame was secure, for now.
‘Kerry, I need to ask you about TAR Holdings Ltd.’
She grabbed the kitchen roll and blew her nose. ‘What has that got to do with anything?’
‘The company is registered in your name.’
‘No it’s not.’
Gina placed the paperwork on the island and Kerry squinted as she read. ‘My head hurts. I don’t get it.’
‘What don’t you get?’
‘I don’t know.’ She placed her folded arms on the worktop and lay her head on them.
Gina gave her a slight shake. ‘Kerry, stay with us.’ The woman was as drunk as she could be and Gina thought for a moment she’d started to snore. ‘We tried to call you, to say we were coming.’
With one eye closed, Kerry sat back up. ‘Have you found my phone?’
Gina shook her head. ‘No, sorry. Have you lost it?’
‘I haven’t had it since yesterday. I must have left it at my parents.’
Gina glanced at Jacob.
‘Have you spoken to your parents today?’
‘No. Should I have? Do I look like I want to speak to anyone? I just want the world to go away and I’m sick of my mother fussing. I wish people would stop hassling me.’
‘Hassling you.’
‘I’m glad I haven’t got my phone. Between Ed and Cass, I can’t deal with it all.’
‘Cass?’
‘She kept messaging me but I just need to be alone. I know she means well but I can’t face things yet, not after what Ed has done to me. It’s not her fault. I should have messaged her back, but what can I say? I couldn’t find my phone.’
Sitting on the stool next to Kerry, Gina placed an elbow on the worktop and faced her. ‘Kerry, we have a company registered in your name that you say you know nothing about. Does the TAR stand for Trevor Alison Reed?’
A laugh escaped Kerry’s lips as she grabbed the wine bottle once more and took a huge swig of the liquid. Gina gently took the bottle and placed it on the worktop.
‘Kerry, we need to know what’s going on here. Payments were made monthly to Holly Long’s bank account and these large amounts came from an account that has been traced back to TAR Holdings Limited. Why would TAR Holdings Limited, registered in Grand Cayman, be paying Holly a regular income? We need to know.’
Kerry’s laughter turned hysterical. ‘I want the answer to that question too. Ed came home yesterday and before making his sleazy confession, he asked me the very same thing. Just what the bloody hell is going on here?’
‘We have also found something else out. It’s not only the company you own, you own every asset too. You own this house, your parents’ house and a whole smattering of rental properties, businesses and restaurants, including Reed Corporation. You own every car, every office – the whole lot, it’s yours. It has been for years.’
‘The lot?’ In an instant, it was as if Kerry had sobered up slightly. ‘Does Ed know this?’
Gina shrugged. ‘Did you or anyone tell him?’
‘I’ve only just found out. How could I have told him? I might get away with just giving him half of this house.’ Kerry grabbed the wine bottle and hurled it at the oven, glass shattering everywhere. ‘My father told me to get a prenup but I just laughed. We fell out over it. Am I going to have to share everything with that cheating prick? Everything my parents worked so hard to build up? I suppose I’ll have to speak to Dad when—’ The woman’s face paled as she stood. ‘Excuse me.’ She half ran and staggered out of the room and Gina heard her retching as she ran along the hallway.
The distribution of her family’s wealth was the least of her problems but Kerry couldn’t see that yet. Gina had confirmed everything they needed to know. She gave Jacob the nod to get everyone on standby and in position. Jacob showed her the message from Wyre that had been emailed to both of their phones.
The warrant has come through. Give me a call when you get a moment. I have something, it may or may not help.
She called Wyre. ‘What have you got?’
‘We bailed Robin Dawkins and he called us when he arrived home. He said he can’t get hold of Cassandra Wilson, his partner. She’s not answering her phone and that’s not like her. He called her work and they told him that she hasn’t been in today. He’s concerned. I don’t know if this is anything to worry about or if it has anything to do with the case but given that she’s cropped up a few times, I thought I best mention it.’
‘You were right to. Alert everyone. Leave now and we’ll meet you at the house.’
Gina slid off the stool and hurried to the door. As they left, she spotted PC Kapoor pulling up on the drive. ‘Stay with her. She’s in the bathroom at the moment and I don’t want her left alone.’ Kapoor nodded and Jacob followed. ‘We have to go – now!’
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Gina crept around Trevor and Alison Reed’s large house, hitching her black trousers up her waist. Her shirt had rolled up under her stab vest. Passing the kitchen window, she peered in. ‘I can’t see anything unusual. I can’t see the Reeds either.’
Jacob followed her closely. PC Smith nodded as he received news that Wyre and O’Connor were covering the front door.
Silently, Gina stepped around the planters and stopped at the back door before trying the handle. ‘It’s open.’