it blur as his eyes lost focus. He took another sip, starting to feel woozy. Pissing in a sink in the ladies. A new low for him. Why was he doing it?
Oh, he knew all right.
Buxton set a pint down on the table and chucked a bag of Kettle Chips across to Cullen. "There's your bird."
Cullen focused on the front door, seeing Sharon shaking off her umbrella. She gave the universal signal for 'pint'. He held up his full pint and shook his head.
Angela waddled over, settling on the seat next to Buxton. "Evening, gents. Sharon caught me in the meeting room. Don't mind if I crash your party?"
Cullen smiled. "By all means. Thought you'd have been away back to your love nest in Garleton ahead of a busy Christmas."
"I wish." Angela gripped the edge of the table. "Bill's stuck in a meeting with Turnbull and Cargill. He's going to pick me up when he's finished. Didn't fancy getting the train home and Stuart Murray's already left, so I thought I'd come for a Coke with you lot."
"It's good to catch up without Crystal listening in to everything." Buxton took a gulp of his pint.
"He's doing my head in." Angela scowled back over the road, the police station just visible.
Cullen nodded at her. "Did you finish your homework for Crystal?"
"Aye." Angela lifted up a thick financial report and dropped it to the table. "Their company accounts for the last year on record. 2011/12. Didn't want to leave it lying around."
"Great, now I've got to do something with it." Cullen flicked through, heading straight for the director's remuneration section. "Have you read it?"
"Aye. They show a decent profit. Looks like they took well over a hundred grand out of the company in dividends and salary, plus they each made massive pension contributions."
Cullen took a sip of lager as he scanned down the page. Young took ninety thousand in dividends, McCoull seventy-eight. "Hang on. Says here they're not taking the same amount out of the business."
Angela grabbed the report back. "There's other dividends of twelve grand."
"That doesn't make sense, though." Cullen took a sip. "Neither of them could've taken that without disclosing it."
"You're saying there's a third shareholder?" Buxton was frowning.
"I think so. Hang on." Cullen got out his phone and went into the calculator app, battering the screen. "The way that stacks up, there's a fifty per cent ownership to Young and only forty to McCoull."
"What about the other ten?"
"I don't know."
Angela frowned. "You only have to disclose shareholders above twenty-five per cent, I think."
Cullen focused on Buxton. "I've got a shitty feeling Evelyn McCoull is the other shareholder."
Chapter 17
"Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it." Cullen ended the call and crunched on the mint, savouring the burn. He breathed into his hand and smelled it for alcohol. Clear. "Give us that Lynx, would you?"
"Sure." Buxton tossed the can over.
Cullen caught it and sprayed himself, twice round for good measure. "That was the woman from Companies House Angela's been dealing with. Evelyn does own ten per cent."
Buxton stared down the corridor. "Why the fuck didn't she mention this before?"
"Let's find out. I just need to catch Crystal again."
"Want me to start the interview?"
"Please." Cullen dialled Methven's number again as he watched Buxton enter the room. Nelson and Evelyn sat in conference on the opposite side of the table, the lawyer doing most of the talking.
The call rang through to voicemail. Cullen turned away as he started speaking. "Sir, it's Cullen. We've got a lead on the McCoull case. Give me a call back, please." He pocketed the phone, popped another mint in his mouth and entered the room, sitting next to Buxton, gesturing for him to lead.
Buxton nodded. "Mrs McCoull, we've discov-"
"Why is my client still here?" Nelson pushed his glasses back up his face.
Cullen tapped at his watch. "Mr Nelson, we've got until ten o'clock until we have to release your client from detention."
"She's not done
Oh, he knew all right.
Buxton set a pint down on the table and chucked a bag of Kettle Chips across to Cullen. "There's your bird."
Cullen focused on the front door, seeing Sharon shaking off her umbrella. She gave the universal signal for 'pint'. He held up his full pint and shook his head.
Angela waddled over, settling on the seat next to Buxton. "Evening, gents. Sharon caught me in the meeting room. Don't mind if I crash your party?"
Cullen smiled. "By all means. Thought you'd have been away back to your love nest in Garleton ahead of a busy Christmas."
"I wish." Angela gripped the edge of the table. "Bill's stuck in a meeting with Turnbull and Cargill. He's going to pick me up when he's finished. Didn't fancy getting the train home and Stuart Murray's already left, so I thought I'd come for a Coke with you lot."
"It's good to catch up without Crystal listening in to everything." Buxton took a gulp of his pint.
"He's doing my head in." Angela scowled back over the road, the police station just visible.
Cullen nodded at her. "Did you finish your homework for Crystal?"
"Aye." Angela lifted up a thick financial report and dropped it to the table. "Their company accounts for the last year on record. 2011/12. Didn't want to leave it lying around."
"Great, now I've got to do something with it." Cullen flicked through, heading straight for the director's remuneration section. "Have you read it?"
"Aye. They show a decent profit. Looks like they took well over a hundred grand out of the company in dividends and salary, plus they each made massive pension contributions."
Cullen took a sip of lager as he scanned down the page. Young took ninety thousand in dividends, McCoull seventy-eight. "Hang on. Says here they're not taking the same amount out of the business."
Angela grabbed the report back. "There's other dividends of twelve grand."
"That doesn't make sense, though." Cullen took a sip. "Neither of them could've taken that without disclosing it."
"You're saying there's a third shareholder?" Buxton was frowning.
"I think so. Hang on." Cullen got out his phone and went into the calculator app, battering the screen. "The way that stacks up, there's a fifty per cent ownership to Young and only forty to McCoull."
"What about the other ten?"
"I don't know."
Angela frowned. "You only have to disclose shareholders above twenty-five per cent, I think."
Cullen focused on Buxton. "I've got a shitty feeling Evelyn McCoull is the other shareholder."
Chapter 17
"Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it." Cullen ended the call and crunched on the mint, savouring the burn. He breathed into his hand and smelled it for alcohol. Clear. "Give us that Lynx, would you?"
"Sure." Buxton tossed the can over.
Cullen caught it and sprayed himself, twice round for good measure. "That was the woman from Companies House Angela's been dealing with. Evelyn does own ten per cent."
Buxton stared down the corridor. "Why the fuck didn't she mention this before?"
"Let's find out. I just need to catch Crystal again."
"Want me to start the interview?"
"Please." Cullen dialled Methven's number again as he watched Buxton enter the room. Nelson and Evelyn sat in conference on the opposite side of the table, the lawyer doing most of the talking.
The call rang through to voicemail. Cullen turned away as he started speaking. "Sir, it's Cullen. We've got a lead on the McCoull case. Give me a call back, please." He pocketed the phone, popped another mint in his mouth and entered the room, sitting next to Buxton, gesturing for him to lead.
Buxton nodded. "Mrs McCoull, we've discov-"
"Why is my client still here?" Nelson pushed his glasses back up his face.
Cullen tapped at his watch. "Mr Nelson, we've got until ten o'clock until we have to release your client from detention."
"She's not done
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