The Orlando File (Book One) Read online

  The next person Kerrin wanted to see was Henry Robert's widow. When his wife had found him hanging from the tree, Henry had still been alive. Unconscious, but alive. He had been taken to hospital within minutes, but he died two days later, apparently from a massive heart attack. According to Kerrin's sister, Henry Roberts had been the first of the team to die. The others had followed in quick succession.

  The Roberts’ house lay just outside Orlando, in one of the most exclusive suburbs of the city. As Kerrin drove along the road he watched the house numbers and marvelled at the mansions set far back from the road. Large iron gates, and impressive driveways sweeping into the distance, winding their way through immaculately maintained lawns.

  Whoever the Roberts were, they certainly knew how to live in style. Or did.

  192 Sunshine Meadows was towards the end of the road, set back in the woods, and in one of the best locations of them all.

  He stopped the car outside the main gates, and got out, walking up to the intercom on the gatepost. He pressed the button on the wall, and watched how a security camera above the gates swivelled round towards him, the lens zooming out and focusing on him as he waited.

  He smiled at the camera, then leant towards the intercom and introduced himself to the voice at the other end.

  "Please come in," the woman's voice said monotonically.

  When the gates swung open, he drove up the driveway, parking in front of the house. He had only made it halfway up the steps to the front door, when two large Dobermans bounded towards him from the garden, forcing Kerrin to retreat quickly to the safety of his car.

  A woman appeared in the doorway, at the top of the small flight of marble steps. She blew a whistle, and the two dogs immediately lay flat on the ground, panting loudly, but still eyeing Kerrin with interest.

  "It's okay, they're harmless. They're just playing!" she smiled. "Come inside Mr Graham."

  The lady showed him into an impressive study lined with books, with two large green sofas surrounding a long mahogany coffee table in front of an impressive open stone fireplace. As soon as they had sat down, a maid appeared, enquiring what they would like to drink.

  "Coffee please. White, no sugar." Kerrin volunteered.

  The woman in front of him was in her late fifties, and was dressed in a long, flowing black dress. Although the black showed she was officially in mourning, Kerrin couldn't help but notice the Gucci motif emblazoned on the belt hanging loosely around her waist.

  "Well, Mr Graham, I am sorry to hear of your loss. Martin was a kind man. Your sister must be devastated. I'm afraid that when you called I was rather shocked to hear of his death. I had heard that he had disappeared, but had rather hoped he had left the city and was still alive somewhere."

  "Thank you Mrs Roberts. And I'm sorry about your husband. Martin spoke very highly of him to my sister."

  "Can you tell me please, Mr Graham- how was it that Martin died?"

  He explained the details, letting the circumstances of Martin's death sink in, and watching to see her reaction. Her face showed little sign of emotion. If first impressions counted for anything, Kerrin could see that she was a powerful woman, perhaps the driving force behind an obviously very successful man. Henry Roberts had been the Chief Financial Officer of Gen8tyx. According to Kerrin's sister, a shrewd man, quiet, but very clever.

  "And do you believe it was an accident Mr Graham, or do you also believe that there was something more sinister behind it all?" the woman probed. Who was questioning whom, Kerrin briefly wondered.

  "That's why I'm here. To try and find out what was going on at Gen8tyx. Frankly, Mrs Roberts, I was hoping that I could ask you some questions about your husband…"

  "Naturally. Please go ahead. I shall help you in any way I can. But I think that I should tell you straight away that I do not share the paranoia that Mrs Gilbert or Mrs Calvert do. My husband died in tragic and horrible circumstances. He tried to take his own life. But then he died naturally. A massive heart attack. Whatever drove him to such desperate measures, I don't know…," her voice faltered for a second, the slightest trace of emotion rippling through her otherwise placid persona.

  "I know this may be hard, Mrs Roberts, but do you have any idea why he may have committed suicide, if it was indeed suicide?"

  " None…well, nothing that important. Nothing that should drive a man to such extremes."

  Kerrin noticed the hesitation.

  "It may not have seemed important to you, however, if your husband was depressed, perhaps…"

  "My husband was not depressed, quiet yes, but not depressed. Why is it that everyone automatically assumes that just because a person is quiet that they are sad?"

  Kerrin was surprised by how quickly she sprang to defend her husband, particularly as no insult or personal attack was intended. He would have to be more careful in how he chose his words.

  "I'm deeply sorry, Mrs Roberts. I did not intend to infer…"

  "Oh, no, please, forgive me. It's just that, well…"

  "I understand." Kerrin interrupted. "As I said, it's a difficult time for us all."

  Thankfully just then the maid arrived with the coffee, politely serving Kerrin first before pouring Mrs Roberts a cup of steaming Earl Grey Tea into a large willow patterned, china cup and saucer.

  "Mr Graham, I think I wouldn't be breaking any confidences if I said that something was going on at Gen8tyx that Henry wasn't happy about. It caused him a great deal of stress. I tried to talk to him about it, but he said he couldn't discuss it. He would just come home and lock himself away in his study as soon as dinner was finished, and then speak for hours on the phone."

  "Have you any idea who he may have been talking to? It might be relevant…"

  "No, I'm sorry. I think a lot of the calls were long distance. They got quite heated sometimes. I even heard him shouting once, and Henry never shouted."

  "Did he say anything at all about what was going on?"

  "As I said, nothing…," she paused, as if wondering whether or not to mention it. "One night, quite late, about 11 o'clock, Mr Sonderheim came over. He stayed for about three hours, and when he left Henry came into my room and sat on my bed…we normally sleep in different rooms…he sat and looked at me for a while, held my hand, and promised that 'it would soon all be over', that we'd spend more time together, and that 'things would be better'. He said he had got a plan, a way to make sure it would all be okay. But he looked so sad. He kissed me gently, then left. A week later he was dead."

  "Had it got something to do with the move to California?"

  "I think so. At first we even thought about moving, but then something happened, and Henry said that we were staying put. He was going to retire after all."

  "Wasn't Henry the financial genius behind Gen8tyx? I would have thought that they would really miss him?"

  "Perhaps, but for some reason, I think Henry discovered that he was not really going to be needed in California after all. I suspect that is why he decided not to move."

  Kerrin was beginning to warm towards Mrs Roberts. She was obviously a woman used to high standards and an expensive lifestyle, but in spite of the thick skinned exterior, Kerrin could see that she was suffering inside. He could guess that she was going to miss her husband very much.

  "Why don't you think it was murder, like the others?" he asked, referring to Mrs Calvert, and Isabella.

  "Of course, I have discussed it with them. Actually, they were both here two days ago for coffee. It was good to talk to somebody else who was grieving too, but Henry never had any enemies. No one would have wanted to kill him…he was so, so sweet! He has…or at least, he used to have high blood pressure. The strain of it all must have killed him."

  "Am I correct in understanding that it was you who found Henry after he tried to hang himself?" he asked as delicately as he could.

  "Yes. I did." She looked away, staring out of the window. Without looking back she said, "I think I would like another cup of tea. Can I offer y
ou some more coffee, Mr Graham?", she asked, her voice trembling.

  Without waiting for an answer she got up and left, not returning until a few minutes later. She had obviously taken a moment to regain her composure. The corners of her eyes were still a little red from the crying.

  "I'm sorry, Mr Graham. If I may be honest…this is all rather painful for me. You asked if I found my husband hanging from a tree? Well, yes, I did. How or why he got there I do not understand."

  "When was this?"

  "Two and a half weeks ago. It was at night, quite late. There had been a phone call. I was in bed already, reading, when Henry popped his head round the door and said he was going back to the office…"

  "…An hour or two later, I heard the dogs barking wildly in the garden. They didn't stop. I went to investigate and found them underneath the branch of a tree near the main gate. Daniel, -the maid's husband-, cut him down immediately. Thankfully he was still breathing. The ambulance turned up almost instantly and he was taken to the Mount Royal."

  "Did you get a chance to talk to him afterwards,…before he died?"

  "No, not at all. I sat beside his bed for two days. I slept in the hospital in a room opposite his, but he was in a coma, and he never came to. He died in his sleep."

  "I'm sorry. I know this is hard. But I need to ask these questions…to try and understand what happened and why?"

  The maid arrived and re-filled their cups. Kerrin was grateful for the extra coffee. He wanted to stay alert.

  "May I ask you one more question, Mrs Roberts. Perhaps a rather personal one?"

  "If you must."

  "I was wondering if you have any financial problems?"

  "To be quite honest, Henry handled all the money, well, you'd expect that wouldn't you, being an accountant! But I can tell you honestly that I am not aware of any financial problems. If there were any, Henry would have told me. Anyway, I'm sure that the money Henry made in his severance from Gen8tyx was sufficient enough to tide us over for quite a while. I got the impression that he'd done rather well out of it all. All else said, Gen8tyx seems to have looked after all of us very well indeed. I know that only last week, rather a substantial amount was deposited in his account."

  "May I ask how much?"

  "No. I'm afraid you may not. I hope you will understand if I defer from sharing such private details with you, without wanting to seem rude?"

  Kerrin took the hint. The interview was coming to an end.

  --------------------

  Shortly afterwards, as he drove out of the main gates onto the road, a lady hidden behind the trees lining the street took a photograph of his car.

  It was late. The man had been in there for over an hour.

  The woman looked at her watch and swore. 9.30 p.m. She should have been relieved thirty minutes ago. She was tired and hungry.

  She hated the waiting. It was the worst part of her job.

  Her replacement had better get there soon.

  She wanted to go home.

  Chapter 11

  Day Nine

  See View Heights

  Orlando