“Janice, please hold my calls while I’m meeting with Inspector Dawson, would you?” Calmy-Rey said.
“Of course, sir.” Her accent spoke of Ghanaian sophistication.
Calmy-Rey opened the last door, which was solid mahogany, and ushered him in. Dawson was sure he had never seen an office as large as this. In the foreground, a set of armchairs surrounded a coffee table. Calmy-Rey’s large polished desk was to the left, positioned at an angle. Beyond that was an executive meeting table with room for eight, a flat-screen TV on the wall facing a sectional black leather sofa, and farther still in the background another door. A floor-to-ceiling window offered a panorama of the city and the Atlantic Ocean.
“Do make yourselves comfortable,” Calmy-Rey said, gesturing to a couple of the armchairs. He couldn’t be more different from the tall, aloof man Dawson had pictured. He was friendly, and his voice was warm.
“Can I offer you anything to drink? A soft drink? Water?”
“Oh, no, we’re fine,” Dawson said. “Thank you, sir.”
Calmy-Rey took his seat in the facing chair, inclining himself not away, but toward them. Perhaps he had learned that with years of practice. Regardless, Dawson found it an appealing gesture that seemed genuine.
“I can’t tell you how glad I was when Jason told me you were here from Accra to help with the investigation into Charles’s death,” Calmy-Rey said. “It deeply and personally affected all of us at Malgam. Not only in Ghana. It had a strong ripple effect in our offices in London and all over the world where Malgam has activity. For me, Charles wasn’t simply an employee. I considered him a good friend, and so was Fiona.”
“Were you in Ghana when you heard the news of his death?” Dawson asked.
“No, I was on holiday in Crete. Once I heard what had happened, I flew into Accra the following day. It was important to give moral support at a time like that.”
“I’m sure that was appreciated,” Dawson said, wondering for a moment what life on Crete was like.
“It was my duty as CEO.”
“Did you spend time with Mr. Smith-Aidoo outside of the workplace?”
“As much as time allowed.” Calmy-Rey’s eyes became softer. “He was outgoing, charming, wonderfully funny… just so likeable and good to be around.”
“But evidently someone didn’t like him,” Dawson observed.
Calmy-Rey nodded, his gaze dropping contemplatively. “It’s a tragedy. Charles’s career could not have been on a better track.” He paused, and it seemed to Dawson that he was carefully choosing his next words. “Em… I think the state of family was where the trouble was-issues with his sister, Eileen, and his brother, Brian. The only day I ever saw Charles even remotely upset was after he’d had an argument with Brian.”
