Skinner’s round

He looked back at her. 'When will you get it through your head, lady, that you're high-powered too? You're a Superintendent of Police, and in the new structure that's one grade below me.

`That said, all I can see here are chiefs and warrant officers. Where are the CID foot-soldiers?'

On their way, boss,' said Mcllhe

`Has anyone been told what's happened?'

`Williamson, the steward, found the body. He ran into the manager's office, blurted it out, then collapsed in a faint. Mr Bryan, the manager, used to be one of us. He verified Williamson's story, then he phoned us. But other than that, he's kept the detail to himself.

`He told the people waiting in the bar that Mr White had been taken ill. When we got here, Mr Martin told them that he had died, but that's all they know.'

`How about the Marquis?'

`Mr Martin told him the same when he called him.'

`We'd better not keep them waiting much longer then.'

He glanced at the door of the Jacuzzi cubicle. 'I saw an ambulance outside. That means the body's still here?'

Higgins nodded. 'Yes sir. We thought you'd want to see it.'

Ski

He looked across at Mcllhe

`Sir.' The bulky Sergeant moved towards the door.

Ski

The afternoon was su

From the rough on the far side of the first fairway, a conical hill rose sharply. Its flanks were wooded but the summit was clear, giving it a strange, tonsured look. Ski

The local legend has it that the witches were burned at the bit on the top, and that nothing's grown there since. If you go up there, on top you'll find the vestiges of some tree-stumps and bugger-all else.'

`Had you heard of it before it was made into a golf course, sir?'

Ski

I'd forgotten all about it until the Marquis a

On the whole the locals take a dim view of the Marquis's venture. And the golfers tend to look down their noses at his course. It's parkland, y'see, not links, so they look on it as a bit of an Ugly Duckling. But I've played it, and I can tell them, it's a swan all right; I found it a really good course, very mature and ready for play.'

The Superintendent looked up in surprise. 'I thought it wasn't open yet?'

It isn't, officially, but the Murano people have played here, and Michael White took a few of us out one Sunday last month.'

`So you knew White, sir.'

`Sure. Not that well, not as well as the Chief, but we knocked into each other every so often.

He was a member of the New Club, and a real man about town.'

`How did you find him? What sort of a man was he?' Ski

`That's OK. You should be. I knew the man, I have insight. Michael White was a very successful man. He made his money in the retail trade, with a chain of mid-price, good quality clothing stores, for Cl, C2, customers and he got it exactly right. Sold out around ten years ago, in his early forties, for a right few million quid. He invested successfully in sure-thing property developments until the slump started, but he's done nothing much since then.. other than play golf.

`When the Marquis came up with his project, he didn't have the cash to fund it himself, so he gave Michael first refusal. Golf was his great passion, so, probably for the only time in his life, he took a business decision on emotional grounds and said "yes".

As a man, Michael White was friendly, generous, ethical, honest, in love with his wife, and well-respected; and no, I ca

Higgins hesitated. 'Couldn't theft have been the motive, sir?'

`Sarah says that's unlikely, the way it was done, and I'm with her. The watch and wallet were nicked as a red herring. Christ, his golf clubs were worth more, and they'd have been a hell of a lot easier to steal!'

He shook his head. 'No, Alison. Michael White was assassinated, executed, killed out of malice; choose your description, but it was premeditated murder.'

He slapped his hands together. 'Now, do we know who we've got in the bar?'

`Yes sir, Mr Bryan, the manager, gave me a list.' She produced two pieces of A4 paper from the right-hand pocket of her jacket, unfolded them, and sca

Six of them, including the Marquis. According to this the other five are all his guests.' She read quickly from the list.

`Bill Masur, Chief Executive Officer, Greenfields Management, Mike Morton, President, Sports Stars Corporation, Andres Cortes, Tiger.. that's what it says here… Nakamura, Paul Wyman, and the Marquis himself. Mr Highfield from the PGA is here too, but Andy Martin took him off to discuss policing for the tournament.'

`He's assuming it's still on,' Ski

`That's quite a list. SSC is the biggest sports and entertainment management company in the world. It's American based, but it goes everywhere. Until fairly recently it had no challengers, but Greenfields has been making big strides in the last few years. Masur's an Aussie, and typically aggressive, by reputation.

`The other three are all golfers. Cortes is Spanish. He's the leading money-wi

`Did Bryan give you a list of staff present?' Higgins nodded, and waved her second piece of paper.

`Yes, sir. Three of them in the clubhouse. Joe Bryan himself, Tommy Williamson, the steward, and Laurence Be