Silent Harbour

Chapter 4: Arthur

"Detective Westwood, he's ready for you." Chione rises from her seat and proceeds into the interrogation room housing the handcuffed and ever so pissed off Arthur Rochester.

"Mr. Rochester, my name is Detective Chione Westwood. Normally I'd hate to bring in a grieving family member under these circumstances, but the allegations and, to be frank, the whispers I've heard around town were too damning to ignore."

"People should do a better job of shutting their yaps and not sticking their heads into places they don't belong. I don't know what you possibly think you have on me. I did not kill my only nephew."

"I don't recall mentioning anything about murder accusations Mr. Rochester. Need I remind you, you were brought here on a charge of obstruction of justice: for impeding police investigation and denial of your relation to the deceased."

"Those two cops showed up to my house at an ungodly hour and didn't even have the decency to give me a heads up. You expect a man to just accept a couple of overgrown bullies coming onto his property and ransacking it: then, had the audacity to demand the keys to my personal storage unit? How do ya explain that if I'm not a murder suspect?"

"I'd like to personally apologize to you for the mix-up Mr. Rochester. The officers only obtained a warrant to search the farmhouse, not your unit. This was a communication error on our end that I am deeply sorry for. As for their disregard for your personal effects, that is inexcusable. I understand how difficult this all must be for you to deal with all at once, and if you are willing to cooperate with me for the interview today, I will waive all present charges and you will be free to go."

Arthur scowled but remained quiet. She continued.

"That's the downside of living in these rural parts - especially for local law enforcement. We get so many tips but we have to waste a lot of valuable manpower weeding through town gossip to find even just one possible lead, which brings us to you. You're normally a quiet man, Arthur. So imagine my surprise when I heard you starred in a very loud disagreement with your nephew in the centre of town, just days before his death. Do I have it wrong?"

"Just because I had a few choice words with Peter last week, it don't mean I killed him."

"Let's worry about the latter later. Tell me, what were the two of you fighting about that day?"

"Don't act like you don't know. How 'bout you use the brain power you lot claim to have and just consider for a second what happened that day. It don't take a genius to put 2 and 2 together to make 4."

"Alright, I'll bite. It was the day of the monthly town hall meeting. I understand that's when the mayor announced that the development on your old property was finalized."

"Ding ding ding. Would you like a prize? Yes. How'd you feel if you found out with everyone else that the farm belonging to you, passed down through more generations than you have fingers on both hands, was set to be ripped apart? I don't imagine you'd react with any more composure than I did."

"Maybe. But that doesn't explain the argument you had with Peter after the meeting."

"Well who do you think signed the papers and accepted the money to settle the sale?"

"Are you implying Peter committed sales fraud and sold the farm without your permission?"

"He didn't need no permission from me. That deadbeat father of his never got around to putting the deed in my name. When he passed, it defaulted to his son. You'd think Peter would care for my opinion. After all, I was the one who stepped up and showed him what a man should be. I took over the farm. I cleaned up my brother's mess. But I guess Peter was his father's son. Didn't care about nobody but himself, least of all his only living family."