“The CEO was not available when I called and did not get back to me by deadline, or present his side. So their comment was simply ‘no comment.’ Of course, he called me angrily as soon as he read the article,” Adele said.
“And what did he say then?”
“Apart from threatening to sue the Tamarack News as well as Emily in her capacity as journalist, he said that there is no way the hotel will fail and that we had our facts completely wrong. He said that the community was sabotaging the hotel but that once they realized its success, they would have to stop and he’d demand an apology. He also said they had insurance in place for the second wing, so that no matter what happened, they would be covered. The insurance kicks in if the build is delayed or sabotaged or put on hold due to unforeseen events.”
“Is that so?” May asked, her ears pricking up at this.
“Yes. I found him very arrogant. I told him insurance can’t pay for the ongoing operational costs and he then told me to go to hell. He wanted me to print an apology but I refused, as he hadn’t complied with the request for information in the first place, and we stood by our research.”
“Thank you so much for this information,” May said.
She ended the call, feeling excited.
Owen had clearly also picked up on the most important piece of information, and the one that would get them on the next step.
“We need to find out the details of this insurance policy,” Owen said.
May nodded. “It sounds like that could be a game changer in terms of who might have committed the murder. After all, having an architect tragically dead on site would certainly be an unforeseen delay. And it might allow the CEO of a failing hotel to cash in on something he’d realized might not be as lucrative as he’d hoped.”
“I’ll contact the hotel and ask how I can get hold of him,” Owen said. “I remember his name. Bert Reed. And they said he was in Minnesota. We need to speak to Mr. Reed and find out exactly how he stood to benefit.”