warehouse, please? We’ll be as quick as we can.’
Manson shrugged, ‘Okay, but it’s been done already.’ He walked back over to open up the side door to the warehouse.
‘We’re struggling to come up with a reason Eddie was killed, especially in that manner. It’s the kind of death we’d associate with someone having trodden on the wrong
toes, crossed someone they shouldn’t. Is that at all possible in this case, do you think?’
Manson shook his head. ‘I can’t think of anyone that Eddie had fallen out with.’
‘And you and Eddie got on well? You must have after working together for how many years?’
‘Fifteen.’
‘Exactly. That’s longer than most marriages last. You must have known each other inside out. You still got on like a house on fire?’
‘We had no problems. We usually agreed on most things.’
‘No dodgy clients pissed off with the service? Anyone come to mind?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t think of anyone, but then I wasn’t always with Eddie. He lived in Spain and I lived here.’
‘But, whoever it was, they chose to kill him here.’
Manson seemed to be thinking things through. He rubbed his face with his hands. His eyes were rimmed. He was having difficulty standing still.
Carter looked past him into the warehouse.
‘Would you feel better if we stepped inside?’
Manson was watching Willis as she examined the contents of some boxes.
‘What are you working on right now? Do you make anything here?’
‘No, we hold some things for shipping out to the building sites. We’re working on the same projects as we’ve been working on this last eight months. We’re building one
villa on the Costa del Sol and updating an existing one for a client out there.’
‘Both of them are going smoothly enough?’
‘Yes, on target.’
‘Paid for?’
‘No, not yet, it doesn’t work like that in this business. At this stage, we have a lot of money outlaid on them. Were waiting for interim payments on both.’
‘Who are the clients?’
‘I’m not being funny, Inspector, but this is my livelihood. I’m the one who’s going to lose everything if they decide to pull out, or just not pay because Eddie’s
not here any more. Without Eddie, my livelihood could all disappear and I have my own money in this business.’
‘Why would it just disappear? It’s obviously a good business and you must have built a good reputation. Now surely you’re the brains behind all this. How much do you
own?’
‘I have a five per cent share in the business. I wasn’t the brains in the outfit. Eddie had all the charisma and the contacts. All I did was work out the logistics.’
‘You’re being modest, I’m sure. Has something happened to make you think Eddie’s death is going to make a big difference to this business?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I was not the figurehead. It’s always tricky, precarious. I don’t know what will happen to the business now.’
‘And you liked Eddie Butcher? I mean you thought he was a good boss?’
‘Yeah, he was okay. You know, he didn’t mess you about. He expected a good job done but he left you to get on with it.’
‘That’s good. I really hate that, someone looking over your shoulder, pointing out the bleeding obvious. Micromanagement, eh? But sometimes it was short of money. We’ve been
looking at the accounts for the last few years. What’s been going on? Is it the world recession? I didn’t think that actually affected the super-wealthy.’
‘It’s touched people all the way to the top, I think, but Eddie and I liked to keep a modest cash flow going. We didn’t work more than we felt like and we made what we needed.
Sometimes there are millions in the account and other times we are a million overdrawn. That’s the nature of a luxury business. It never bothered Eddie. I learned to be the same.’
‘It’s a whole new world to me.’ Carter laughed. ‘I worry about going a few hundred quid
Manson shrugged, ‘Okay, but it’s been done already.’ He walked back over to open up the side door to the warehouse.
‘We’re struggling to come up with a reason Eddie was killed, especially in that manner. It’s the kind of death we’d associate with someone having trodden on the wrong
toes, crossed someone they shouldn’t. Is that at all possible in this case, do you think?’
Manson shook his head. ‘I can’t think of anyone that Eddie had fallen out with.’
‘And you and Eddie got on well? You must have after working together for how many years?’
‘Fifteen.’
‘Exactly. That’s longer than most marriages last. You must have known each other inside out. You still got on like a house on fire?’
‘We had no problems. We usually agreed on most things.’
‘No dodgy clients pissed off with the service? Anyone come to mind?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t think of anyone, but then I wasn’t always with Eddie. He lived in Spain and I lived here.’
‘But, whoever it was, they chose to kill him here.’
Manson seemed to be thinking things through. He rubbed his face with his hands. His eyes were rimmed. He was having difficulty standing still.
Carter looked past him into the warehouse.
‘Would you feel better if we stepped inside?’
Manson was watching Willis as she examined the contents of some boxes.
‘What are you working on right now? Do you make anything here?’
‘No, we hold some things for shipping out to the building sites. We’re working on the same projects as we’ve been working on this last eight months. We’re building one
villa on the Costa del Sol and updating an existing one for a client out there.’
‘Both of them are going smoothly enough?’
‘Yes, on target.’
‘Paid for?’
‘No, not yet, it doesn’t work like that in this business. At this stage, we have a lot of money outlaid on them. Were waiting for interim payments on both.’
‘Who are the clients?’
‘I’m not being funny, Inspector, but this is my livelihood. I’m the one who’s going to lose everything if they decide to pull out, or just not pay because Eddie’s
not here any more. Without Eddie, my livelihood could all disappear and I have my own money in this business.’
‘Why would it just disappear? It’s obviously a good business and you must have built a good reputation. Now surely you’re the brains behind all this. How much do you
own?’
‘I have a five per cent share in the business. I wasn’t the brains in the outfit. Eddie had all the charisma and the contacts. All I did was work out the logistics.’
‘You’re being modest, I’m sure. Has something happened to make you think Eddie’s death is going to make a big difference to this business?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I was not the figurehead. It’s always tricky, precarious. I don’t know what will happen to the business now.’
‘And you liked Eddie Butcher? I mean you thought he was a good boss?’
‘Yeah, he was okay. You know, he didn’t mess you about. He expected a good job done but he left you to get on with it.’
‘That’s good. I really hate that, someone looking over your shoulder, pointing out the bleeding obvious. Micromanagement, eh? But sometimes it was short of money. We’ve been
looking at the accounts for the last few years. What’s been going on? Is it the world recession? I didn’t think that actually affected the super-wealthy.’
‘It’s touched people all the way to the top, I think, but Eddie and I liked to keep a modest cash flow going. We didn’t work more than we felt like and we made what we needed.
Sometimes there are millions in the account and other times we are a million overdrawn. That’s the nature of a luxury business. It never bothered Eddie. I learned to be the same.’
‘It’s a whole new world to me.’ Carter laughed. ‘I worry about going a few hundred quid
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