‘How was Kay when you were out with her earlier?’
Laura checked her rear-view mirror and turned into a narrow lane, then glanced over at Barnes.
He shrugged. ‘Okay, in the circumstances, I suppose. I’m not sure I would be as stoical about it all.’
‘Me neither.’
She glanced at the satnav and braked as a high stone wall appeared on the left-hand side.
‘Jesus, this place is huge.’
‘I guess that inheritance Mr Groves received was bigger than we thought,’ said Barnes.
Laura shook her head and turned into a wide gravel driveway set between two stone posts, ornate iron gates wide open.
An expansive lawn stretched down to a copse of trees to her right, and she blinked before turning her attention back to the driveway as a large Georgian manor house came into view, nestled amongst flanking rhododendron shrubs.
Ivy twisted its way around the front window and over a portico sheltering the front door from the elements. A barn-sized garage to the right of the building was open, a top-of-the-range four-by-four parked outside and the bonnet of a sports car poking out from the gloomy interior.
Laura parked the pool car next to the four-by-four and followed Barnes to the front door.
A security panel with a speaker was fixed to the side of the door, and when her colleague pressed the button underneath, she heard a bell ringing from within the depths of the house.
A woman answered, her tone harried. ‘Who is it?’
Barnes made the introductions, and was promptly told to wait while she located Sebastian Groves.
‘She could’ve invited us in,’ said Laura.
She turned at the sound of footsteps on gravel, to see a man in his early twenties round the corner of the house, a black Springer Spaniel at his heels.
‘Charlotte said you were the police,’ he said, a perplexed expression on his features. ‘Is this about Felicity?’
‘And Gary Lovell,’ said Barnes.
Laura watched as Sebastian’s brows shot upwards.
‘Gary?’
‘Has nobody told you?’ Now it was Barnes’s turn to look surprised. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Groves, Gary was found dead on Saturday morning from a suspected overdose. We were hoping to speak to you about the breakfast club you all belong to.’
‘Of course.’ He looked down at the dog at his heels and then gave them a smile. ‘Would you mind if we spoke out here? Looking at the state of this one, Charlotte isn’t going to be impressed if we walk all over the floors she’s just spent the last two hours polishing.’
‘Here is fine. How long have you known Felicity and Gary?’ said Barnes as Laura opened a new page in her notebook.
‘Felicity, probably about a year – I can’t remember when she joined us precisely. Gary, a bit longer.’
‘Did you socialise with them outside of your regular Friday morning meetings?’
‘God, no.’ Sebastian snorted, then caught himself and had the decency to look a little ashamed. ‘I mean… what I mean to say is, they’re not exactly the sort of people I hang around with. Not on a social level, anyway, of course. I only see them at the breakfast club, and it’s only because Damian invited me along in the first place because he knew I was interested in investing in a new start-up.’
‘Why meet in a hotel? What’s wrong with the local chamber of commerce or something like that?’ said Barnes, frowning.
Sebastian chuckled. ‘Well, let’s just say that the people who attend are a little more dynamic in their business than some of the older members we’d encounter in more established groups – younger generation, you see? We see ourselves as the driving force behind trends rather than being followers.’
‘I see.’
‘Did either Felicity or Gary give you any cause for concern?’ said Laura. ‘Had either of them seemed depressed over the past few weeks?’
‘Not that I noticed. If anything, Felicity was always a giggle. A bit common, but she meant well. I didn’t really talk to Gary a lot – after all, I’m an investor, and he wasn’t running the sort of business I have any interest in, so we didn’t talk much.’
‘How do you get on with the rest of the group?’ said Barnes.
‘All right, I suppose. Damian has some interesting ideas, and the other man…’ Sebastian broke off, stared into space, then clicked his fingers. ‘That’s it, Tom – the motorbike chap. Him. He can be a bit on the quiet side. I don’t really have much to do with Helene – I can’t really make money out of art because it’s not something I’m interested in and I don’t really like what she designs. Felicity had something going for her. It was all enthusiasm and lack of direction, but she was good at content marketing.’
‘Did you ever ask her to do some interior designing here?’ said Laura, peering up at the windows.
‘Goodness. Of course not. Her taste were somewhat, ahem, avant-garde for a place like this. Mama and Papa would’ve turned in their graves if I let her loose here.’
Laura cringed inwardly as he brayed with laughter.
‘Mr Groves, I’m struggling to understand what you hope to gain from this group.’ Barnes took a moment to look around him, then jerked his chin towards the sports car in the garage. ‘I mean, did you ever worry that they might take advantage of you and your money?’
Sebastian sighed. ‘I suppose I find them entertaining. It gives me something to do – I mean I don’t have to work or anything, so it’s kind of fun to have a hobby, isn’t it? Besides, when I do find something to invest in I always make sure I get the better end of the deal, so once they start making money, so do I. It’s only a matter of time before Damian or someone else breaks out. I suppose you’ve heard about his rumoured buyer?’ He looked down his nose. ‘I was hoping that I could invest in his business, but even I can’t afford those sort of prices. Not from what I’ve heard on the inside anyway.’
‘Have you ever attended the new nightclub in Maidstone?’ said Laura.
His mouth dropped open. ‘I should hope not. What sort of man do you to take me for? It’s really not the sort of establishment where one wants to be seen.’
‘Did you have any idea that both Felicity and Gary had drug dependency issues?’ said Barnes.
Sebastian placed his hand on his chest, his expression sorrowful. ‘Not at all. If I had, I would have wanted to help them. This has all been quite a shock. I’m sure you can understand. Now if you’ll excuse me, the roadster’s due for its MOT at four o’clock. Was there anything else?’
Laura snapped her notebook shut as Barnes forced a smile and handed over a business card.
‘That’s all for now, Mr Groves. Perhaps you could call me if you do recollect anything that could help with our enquiries.’
‘Of course, detective. Will do.’
Turning on her heel, Laura marched across the gravel and waited by the pool car for Barnes to catch up.
She watched as Sebastian called his dog, who had been sniffing around the front tyre a little too enthusiastically for her liking, and disappeared into the confines of the garage.
Barnes wore a thunderous expression when he reached her.
‘In my day, we’d have called him a brat,’ he scowled, and opened the passenger door.
Laura grinned. ‘I think he’s a wan––’
‘Get in the car, Hanway.’