The three reserved spaces outside the door were occupied with a new BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes.
‘Company appears to be doing okay,’ Bryant said as they passed the collection of vehicles.
‘Top brass are always the last to suffer anyway,’ Kim said, pushing open the heavy glass entrance door.
The reception area was pleasant and unfussy. The chairs appeared comfortable, but there were no flowers or magazines to soften the space. The walls were filled with framed montages of what she assumed were high-profile projects at varying stages of construction.
She frowned as a woman appeared at the desk.
Bryant stepped forward.
‘May we speak with Jenson Butler please?’ He held up his ID. The woman picked up her glasses from the desk and peered at it closely.
‘We spoke with him briefly at Hawne Park,’ Bryant clarified.
‘Oh dear, that’s where the bones were found, isn’t it? Are they human?’
‘If we could speak with Mr Butler,’ Bryant pushed, pleasantly but firmly displaying one of his many interpersonal skills. He could temper two emotions to the correct degree to get the desired result. It was a skill that had not been bestowed upon Kim. She would ask once and then shout. There was very little scope in between.
Bryant moved away from the desk to offer privacy as the woman picked up the phone. He took a moment to peruse the gallery, and the same frown that had made its way onto her face appeared to be mirrored on his.
It was definitely something they’d address when they spoke to the man.
‘He’ll be just a couple of minutes,’ the woman said after ending the call.
Bryant gravitated back to the desk. ‘Have you been here long?’ he asked, leaning on the counter as though it was his local bar.
‘Twenty-nine years,’ she said with pride in her voice.
‘Really? You must have left school exceptionally early.’
Kim was pleased to be facing the other way to hide the smile that tugged at her lips. The man was a charmer, and she could understand why. Those words out of the mouth of another man might have come off smarmy, but not Bryant. He delivered the words matter-of-factly without the schmooze, which added an authenticity to his words.
‘Oh, thank you. Yes, I was quite young when I started here. It was nothing like it is today. Billy Butler, Jenson’s dad, started the business with a digger, a loader and a couple of guys. He grew the business to a team of eight, but it was Mr Butler Junior who took the business forward to where it is now.’
‘And where is that?’ Kim asked, turning.
‘We employ over three hundred staff and work in every county in the UK. We’ve built some high-profile buildings all around the country and—’
‘Thanks for the PR speech, Barbara,’ Jenson Butler said, appearing behind her. ‘But I don’t think the officers are interested in our portfolio.’
‘Sorry, Mr Butler. I was just—’
‘Would you like to follow me?’ he asked, pointing to a door to the right of the desk.
Kim couldn’t help noticing the use of the formal salutation from Barbara when addressing her boss. The woman had been with them for almost thirty years. Was she not almost part of the family?
‘Yeah, I remember when you didn’t have to feel guilty for printing off a piece of paper,’ Barbara mumbled as Kim passed.
Kim knew that many companies were going paperless in their efforts to be green and environmental. Others were doing it just because it was being forced on them by accreditation bodies. No policy, no membership.
And this company clearly wanted membership at the cool table, Kim thought as she entered what she assumed was the meeting room. The table was the biggest single sheet of glass she’d ever seen. At the centre was a switchboard-type phone, and a pull-down projector hung from the ceiling. There was no piece of paper in sight. It looked good until she factored in the level of engineering needed to produce that table and the transport to get it here. Clearly some of the policies were for show and certification.
‘You rushed off earlier, Mr Butler,’ Kim noted as she took a seat. ‘I trust the emergency is now resolved.’
‘What emerg— Oh, yes, of course. My apologies.’
Kim was sure that no emergency had required him to leave site. He just hadn’t wanted to hang around.
‘Although, I’m glad of the opportunity to pay you a visit. Barbara was just giving us a little history of the business.’
A flash of annoyance flitted across his face.
‘It was all complimentary,’ Kim assured him. She didn’t want to get the woman into trouble. ‘She was only commenting on how you had grown the business from what your father built.’
‘Aah, yes. Much of the time Barbara wishes for those old days back when she called my father by his first name, and they would have quick coffee chats together throughout the day. We require a different level of professionalism these days,’ he said stiffly.
‘I’m surprised she’s still around,’ Kim observed.
‘She’s a caveat,’ he said regretfully.
‘A what?’
‘A caveat in the contract my father drew up before allowing me to take over the business.’
‘Oh, so you inherited her?’ Kim asked.
‘For as long as she wants to work or her death, whichever comes soonest.’
Had there been any trace of humour in his words she might have found that funny, but his tone only demonstrated his annoyance in not having any control.
Good job, Butler Senior, Kim thought.
‘So, those bones at—’
‘Before we begin,’ he said, holding up his hand, ‘do I need my lawyer here?’
‘For what?’
‘Well, we did uncover the bones. I didn’t know if—’
‘Mr Butler, have you done something wrong?’ she asked.
‘Not that I’m aware of.’
‘Then I think we’re good. I’d like to know a bit more about the business if you don’t mind.’
‘I’m sure Barbara gave a suitable summary of our history but, in a nutshell, my father worked off the back of word-of-mouth recommendations: small house extensions, minor commercial repairs and refits. Worked consistently within a twenty-mile radius without placing one advert for thirty years.’
‘And you joined the company…?’
‘After university and a few years out in the real world putting my business degree to good use. I came on board when my father decided he wanted to slow down. That had always been the plan.’
‘You took the company in a different direction?’
‘Absolutely. We stick to my father’s principles but upscale it and apply it to bigger projects.’
‘And you worked at the Hawne Park site many years ago?’
He nodded. ‘I can get you the exact date but it was August ’99.’
Exactly what the residents’ committee chairman had said.
‘Are you sure?’ Kim asked.
‘Of course I’m sure.’
If that was true, Harte had either kept Melody for three years instead of the one year he’d kept the others or he’d had the body located somewhere else.
Butler took out his phone and began texting. His fingers were quick and nimble.