Shroud of Evil by Pauline Rowson Page B

appearance here yesterday, but he said, ‘The body would have sunk.’
    ‘There might have been an air bubble trapped inside the sail cloth that prevented it from sinking.’
    That was possible. Horton said, ‘Is there a connection between Kenton and Lord Eames?’
    Uckfield eyed Horton shrewdly. No doubt it was a question he had been about to ask.
    ‘No.’
    ‘You asked him?’
    ‘Yes, and I gave him a description of Kenton but he doesn’t recognize him.’
    ‘You called Lord Eames before you called me?’
    ‘Of course.’ Danby’s penetrating green eyes studied Horton evenly.
    ‘How did he take the news?’
    ‘He was surprised and shocked, of course. He’s given me full authority to assist all I can. None of the family are here, which is why I am. And the only connection between Jasper Kenton and Lord Eames is me. I know them both, but I didn’t kill Kenton and I didn’t bring his body here and call you.’
    ‘Never thought you had for a moment, Mike,’ Uckfield answered jovially, but judging by Danby’s dubious glance he clearly wasn’t convinced that Uckfield meant it.
    Horton said, ‘Was Kenton involved in any investigation for His Lordship?’ Perhaps that was the reason why Eunice Swallows was guarding her client list so zealously. But what would Eames want Swallows to investigate when Horton believed he had the British Intelligence services at his disposal? He had no proof that Lord Eames was connected with MI5 though. Maybe he’d got that wrong. He added, ‘Could Kenton have been carrying out surveillance work on someone Eames employs, or checking an employee reference?’ But that didn’t explain why his car had been parked at the Admiralty Towers car park, unless that employee had an apartment there or had been visiting someone there and had killed Kenton and brought him over to the island. It seemed unlikely, because why place the body on Eames’ land and draw attention to himself? Unless it was a former employee who’d been sacked as a result of something Kenton had discovered and the employee saw it as a way of getting even.
    But Danby scotched that idea. ‘I handle all the security checks on Lord Eames’ staff right across his estate and all of his businesses.’
    ‘It might have been something other than a security check,’ Horton suggested.
    ‘Like what?’ asked Uckfield.
    ‘Maybe he suspected two of his staff of stealing from him or thought his wife was running around with the gardener.’
    ‘This isn’t Lady Chatterley’s bleeding lover,’ quipped Uckfield.
    ‘No, but it happens,’ said Horton, and Uckfield would know more about illicit affairs than any of them. If it was female, attractive, preferably under the age of forty and up for it, so was Uckfield, despite being married with two daughters.
    ‘I think he would have asked me to help if it was a delicate matter,’ Danby replied a little stiffly.
    Uckfield said, ‘Have you been inside the house to make sure no one’s stolen the family silver? Kenton could have been killed because he’d disturbed the burglars.’
    ‘I doubt that,’ Danby replied somewhat acidly. ‘He wouldn’t have got in. There are sophisticated security systems.’
    ‘Better to be safe than sorry,’ Uckfield added.
    Danby eyed Uckfield suspiciously. As an ex-copper he knew what Uckfield was doing. It was a ploy to get rid of him. But he shrugged and headed back to the pontoon. Horton watched him jump up on to it with ease and make for the solid wooden door built into the wall. There Danby turned his back on them and tapped the security pad. Horton thought of the entrance barrier to the Admiralty Towers car park and again considered the possibility that Kenton might have watched someone key in the number and had then simply replicated it.
    He turned back to the body. Clarke was checking the digital images he’d taken on his camera, Taylor was grubbing around in the shingle and Tremaine was trying to lift fingerprints from the sail cloth.