Back Dead Horse Gap Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. Prologue
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Acknowledgements

‘The remains have been formally identified,’ Ryder said, ‘which means Art’s body can be released. You can go ahead and hold the funeral now.’

Dan nodded. ‘That’s good news. We have the service organised and have been sorting through photographs. We may not have been close to Art for a long time, but we all have happy memories of him as a child.’ He glanced at the others. ‘That’s how we’re choosing to remember him anyway.’

‘I’m sure,’ Ryder said quietly.

Beside him, Flowers reached for his notepad and pen.

‘We’ll start with some general questions,’ Ryder said, ‘and then we’d like to get a clearer picture of your movements on the night of the accident.’

The Lorrimers exchanged glances. As usual, it was Dan who spoke first.

‘You’ll get full cooperation from us, Sergeant,’ he said, his voice calm and direct. ‘We have nothing to hide.’

‘Thank you. What assets did Art have?’ asked Ryder.

Dan’s eyebrows shot up. ‘I don’t know what his assets were. There’s a life policy, but that gets paid to the company.’

‘How much is it worth?’ asked Flowers.

‘Just shy of two million dollars.’

The room grew quiet. Ryder looked at each of the siblings. Dan held his gaze. Ethan’s eyes were fixed to a spot on the tabletop. Heidi fiddled with an earring.

‘That’s some serious money,’ Flowers said.

Dan frowned. ‘The company has similar policies on all our lives.’

‘What about other assets?’ asked Ryder.

Ethan looked up. ‘He had the Cessna. I assume that was insured.’

Ryder nodded. ‘He also had a fishing boat, but the house was rented.’ The words of Art’s former partner came to mind. He once said something about family money. ‘Your parents are both deceased. Who owns this property?’

Heidi put her hands in her lap and looked at Dan.

‘The company holds it on behalf of the trust,’ he said.

‘Do you have a copy of the trust deed here?’ asked Ryder.

Dan shook his head. ‘It’s at our lawyer’s office.’

‘And the insurance policies?’

‘In our safety deposit box,’ Dan said sharply. ‘Are we under suspicion for Art’s murder, Detective?’

‘Everyone’s under suspicion until they’re not,’ Flowers said, his voice firm. ‘We’re looking at every possible motive.’

‘And you think one of us murdered Art for his share of the property and the insurance money?’ Dan asked, shaking his head. ‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Money is a powerful motive,’ said Ryder. ‘Will you give us permission to speak to your lawyer? It shouldn’t be a problem if you have nothing to hide.’

Dan looked enquiringly at his brother and sister. ‘I’m fine with that, but I don’t speak for all of us.’

Heidi rolled her eyes.

‘What’s that for?’ Dan snapped.

Ethan ignored the other two and looked at Ryder. ‘I have no problem with it.’