4

Later that morning, Ianto sat in the living room with Jack and two detectives who had introduced themselves as Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Hyles and Detective Sergeant Jason Simmons. Ros had gone down and both men hoped to get this over with quickly, and quietly.

The DCI was a tall woman with a no-nonsense demeanour and a face that might have been quite attractive, if only she allowed it to show a little emotion. Perhaps that was why she had risen to the rank of DCI— because she didn't allow emotion to get in the way of her duties.

The DS was tall with broad shoulders and looked as though he played prop forward for one of the local rugby teams. A cat jumped onto his knee, and he reached out a hand to tickle the ginger fur behind the cat's ears.

"What's he called?" The DS asked.

"Janet," Ianto replied.

"Let us get to the reason we are here." She shot the sergeant a look, and he gently picked Janet up and placed her back on the carpet. He pulled a notebook out of his pocket, then nodded at his superior. "This morning, you discovered the body of one of your neighbours when you went to the rear of your property to open the establishment for the day?"

"That's…" Ianto cleared his throat and tried again. "That's right."

Ianto hated to think how nervous he would be if he had actually done something wrong. Ianto was stumbling over his words as though he had something to hide, even though he was completely innocent of anything other than thinking Roger McDonald was a boring man who was old before his time. Anyone who spent as much time as he had in the local pub playing dominoes before the age of seventy had issues, as far as Ianto was concerned. Maybe that PTSD thing the therapist mentioned was a real thing after all. A fit, strong soldier scared of a little body…. God. Ianto was not used to being a suspect. Not again.

"How well did you know the victim?"

Ianto licked his lips. "Very well. It's a small town."

"What did you think of him?"

"He was a bit of a sad case." The words were out before Ianto could stop them. Why hadn't he been thinking of one of Roger's attributes instead of his penchant for playing dominoes?

"A sad case?"

"He played dominoes in the local pub."

The sergeant's lips twitched, but he made no comment, only wrote a note. "Anything else?"

"The local police officer seems to think I killed Roger because I have just opened a business that is in direct competition with Roger's. Though, let me tell you, if I had killed Roger, I certainly wouldn't have dumped him on my own back doorstep."

"Is that right?" she asked. "What would you have done with Mr McDonald's body?"

"Oh, that's easy," Ianto said. "I would've rolled him into the town pond. I am ex-military, and it would have been a lot cleaner kill too… and leaving behind your knife. Rookie mistake."

Ianto couldn't say 'thrown' because Roger had been a portly fellow, but he would like to think he would've had the strength to roll him over the edge of the pond.

"More tea, anyone?" Jack asked brightly, giving Ianto 'the look' he usually reserved for him when Jennifer was starting to talk about a wedding again.

Ianto blinked. Perhaps he had answered the detective's question about what he would've done with Roger's body, a little too quickly. Having given no thought before he responded certainly made it seem that he had given the situation more than a fleeting consideration in the past.

"Who do you think killed him?"

"Me?" Ianto squeaked.

"You think you killed him?" The DCI frowned.

"I meant you want me to answer that question?"

"Well, yes," she said, not bothering to hide her irritation with me. "That's why I asked it."

Ianto made sure that he paused what he thought was an adequate amount of time before answering the detective this time. It wouldn't do for her to know that they had all spent the time waiting for her to arrive, discussing the very subject in Dragon's Den.

In fact, Sarah had made copious notes on each of the suspects.

Glancing over at the sergeant, Ianto felt sorry for him. His ability to record our interview was hampered by his pen and paper. Sarah's fingers had flown over the keys of her tablet as she detailed who we thought was responsible for Roger's death.

"It could've been his wife, Elaine. He wasn't very kind to her."

"If wives went around murdering their husbands every time they were a bit mean to them, we'd be knee deep in bodies."

"True," Ianto said. "But some men deserve to die, the way they treat their wives."

"Is that right?" the detective asked but didn't seem to need an answer from me. "Who else?"

"I'd forgotten until our grand opening event on Saturday that Roger has a business partner. Hamish Carter is what I believe is known as a silent partner. We had all quite forgot he existed until he turned up on Saturday."

"The assumption being that he would own the business upon Mr McDonald's demise."

"I suppose that rather depends on the terms of their partnership agreement," Ianto said, "If indeed they have such a legal agreement."

Ianto knew he'd made a good point, by the look the two detectives exchanged.

Roger's death could benefit Elaine, or Hamish, or neither of them. That was dependent on the terms of either his will or other legal documents he either had, or had not, signed. "Anyone else?"

The detective looked at her watch.

"I can't think of anyone," Ianto admitted. Jack looked at him sharply.

"Mr Harkness?" the Detective asked.

"Jack, we really shouldn't repeat town gossip." Ianto said softly.

"You should if it might be pertinent to a police enquiry. Especially when that investigation is for the crime of murder."

"People have suggested Mrs McDonald might be involved in a relationship with Connor Watson. Mr Watson runs the shop next door to The Silver Spoon." Jack admitted.

"People?"

"I will not give you names when it is nothing more than idle gossip. How would that look to my neighbours?" Jack asked, a touch piously.

"Mr Jones?"

"Just snatches of conversation I've overheard in the town pub or the post office. I can't recall who was speaking." Ianto lied, not wanting ot be part of this.

"We may need to speak to you again."

"Of course," Ianto said and relaxed his shoulders.

The DCI pinned him with a glare. "See that you don't leave the town."

"I'll be here in the town, not halfway to some country the UK doesn't have an extradition treaty with, despite what Gwen Cooper might tell you." Ianto frowned.

Jack got up to see the detectives out.

As they left the living room, he turned back to Ianto. "Ianto, you really need to learn when to stop talking."

Pot... kettle?