‘So, she’s already about to make a fortune when she lodges this patent of hers for the new ketamine hydrochloride drug, and she’ll make even more when Damian’s IT company floats as well?’
Kay shook her head as she steered the pool car into a parking bay outside of Marion Blanchett’s laboratory, then turned off the engine. ‘How much money does one woman need?’
‘I suppose it’s addictive for some people,’ Gavin replied, watching out the passenger window as three patrol cars rolled up behind them and blocked the exit. ‘Like drugs. What about Xander, guv?’
‘We’ll deal with him next. I want to speak to Marion first.’
Kay stalked towards the entrance to the building and jabbed her finger at the security panel. She spoke as soon as she heard the receptionist pick up the phone at the other end.
‘It’s Detective Inspector Kay Hunter. Open the door.’
A surprised mumble reached her, and then the door mechanism released.
‘Who’s covering the fire exits at the rear of the building?’ she called over her shoulder.
‘Tim Wallace and another officer,’ said Dave Morrison. ‘And this is the only other exit.’
‘Stay here, then. The rest of you, with me.’
She pushed against the door and led Gavin and the other officers towards the reception desk.
By the time they reached it, it had been abandoned, and Kay craned her neck to peer up at the mezzanine level.
‘Stay here and make sure no-one tries to leave,’ she said to the nearest uniformed constable, and then took the stairs two at a time.
Voices carried through the closed door to the conference room, Marion Blanchett sounding harried while the booming tones of a man shook the frosted glass inlays.
‘Glad I’m not taking the minutes for that meeting,’ said Gavin. ‘I think my hand would fall off trying to keep up with them.’
Kay held up her hand, a faint whirring noise filtering through the angry shouting that had started in the conference room. ‘Do you hear that?’
‘What?’
‘Wait here.’
Kay turned and jogged along the landing to the open door of Marion’s office, then slid to a standstill as she choked out a laugh.
‘It’s a bit late for that, Peter.’
The receptionist hovered beside a paper shredder, his hands cradling a sheaf of official-looking documents while the remains of pages disappeared between the churning metal teeth, his mouth dropping open in shock at her voice.
‘Detective…’
‘Best hold that thought until we get you down to the station to make a formal statement,’ Kay said, beckoning to a female constable. ‘Caution him, and take him out to one of the cars.’
‘Will do, ma’am.’
Kay followed the pair back along the landing and grinned at Gavin when she reached him. ‘You need to get your hearing checked out.’
‘Pardon, guv?’
‘Shall we?’
‘After you.’
She kicked the toe of her boot against the wooden frame of the conference room door and walked in, noting the eight shocked faces that turned in their seats to face her.
Marion Blanchett stood at the head of the table, her blue shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her hands on the table while she leaned over a microphone. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of Kay and Gavin.
‘Do you mind? We’re in the middle of a critical video call with a potential investor.’
‘Marion? What’s going on?’ A man’s voice fizzled through the speakers set on brackets in the wall and Kay turned to see a large screen that had been rolled down from the ceiling.
From another board room with a background of a neon-lit cityscape somewhere in the world, a large man in a rumpled suit glared at her.
‘Who the hell are you?’ he demanded.
‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said, then watched as Barnes walked to the table, reached out and pressed a button on the intercom.
‘Wha––’
The man’s voice was cut off at the same time as the screen went blank, and Marion gasped.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘Tell me about the patent,’ said Kay, circling the table and eyeing each of the executives in turn. ‘How long have you all known that there was something wrong with the new ketamine hydrochloride-based drug you’ve been trying to perfect?’
A flurry of cleared throats met her question, and she watched while the man next to her ran a finger around his shirt collar as his neck turned bright red.
A young girl beside him looked petrified, her pen shaking as she debated whether to flee or not.
Kay ran her eyes over the minutes she’d been taking, and then looked up as two more uniformed officers appeared at the door.
‘Interesting,’ she said. ‘Circling the wagons, were you? Right, take statements from everyone, please.’
She walked around the table to where Marion Blanchett stood, fury in the woman’s eyes as, one by one, each of her executives was led away by an officer. After reciting the formal caution, Kay signalled to Gavin who placed a hand on the woman’s arm and steered her towards the door.
‘How dare you?’ Marion blurted. ‘How fucking dare you?’
Gavin turned to the shocked face of the young administration officer and gave her his sweetest smile.
‘You probably shouldn’t minute that.’