‘I’m getting a stiff neck,’ Brian complained, but he too went back to his desk to start making the calls.
Anna had arrived outside the Rawlinses’ house when Paul called her with the update on the personal ads. She listened, weighing up the information, and told him that she too felt that Alan Rawlins was just using his friends’ names. She would, however, be interested to sit in on the interview with Mr Ardigo to learn how Alan Rawlins behaved. She was certain that Alan used a different name as well when he was in Cornwall, and asked Paul to switch to trying to find out where he stayed. If Alan Rawlins was a keen and capable surfer he would probably have stayed in or around Newquay, as it was the home of British surfing.
Anna also suggested they get back to the car-wash surfer Sal and ask him for some help regarding the possible locations. Better still would be if they asked him to come into the station. She also wanted Paul to contact Joe Smedley, the head mechanic at Metcalf Auto, to ask about holidays taken by Alan Rawlins. At least if they had dates when he might have been in Cornwall, it would narrow down their search.
Anna had to wait a while before Edward Rawlins answered the door. He was wearing an old cardigan with a collarless shirt, creased cord trousers and carpet slippers.
‘Have you any news?’ he asked immediately.
‘No, but we need to talk.’
He nodded and opened the door wider for her to follow him inside. Anna didn’t waste time with pleasantries; instead, she got straight to the point.
‘Mr Rawlins, I believe you went into Alan’s room before you gave me access to it. I also believe that you removed—’
‘I did.’
‘You did what, sir?’
‘I threw them out. They were disgusting.’
‘I know what you found and we didn’t need your permission to remove a black bin liner filled with gay pornography magazines, along with some very explicit homosexual DVDs.’
‘Yes, I admit it.’
‘Were you aware that your son was homosexual?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Was he?’
‘Apparently. Why otherwise have those revolting things locked in a drawer?’
‘What else did you find, Mr Rawlins?’
‘That was enough.’
‘What about bank statements, even cash?’
‘I didn’t find anything else.’
Anna sighed and then approached the subject of the amount of money from the sale of the reconditioned cars.
‘Alan gave me back my initial loan with interest, nothing more. I had no idea of exactly how much he was making when he sold the vehicles.’
‘But you must be aware now. You must have looked through his financial papers?’
‘I didn’t have the time.’
‘So you are saying you were unaware of the amount Alan must have made?’
‘That was his business, his sideline, not mine. Whatever he did with the money was entirely up to him.’
‘But it is a considerable amount, isn’t it? And I have found no tax returns detailing this money that I think came from cash transactions.’
‘I have nothing to say. Whether or not he spent the money or banked it, he never mentioned anything to me.’
‘We are now of the belief that Alan led a double life, possibly owning property in Cornwall. He might also have used a different name.’
‘I have no idea where he stayed. All I know is he went surfing there frequently during the summer. Whether or not he used his own name or someone else’s I’m unable to say.’
‘You have decided to put your wife Kathleen into a care home?’
‘Yes, that is correct.’
‘But when I previously talked to you, you were concerned about the expense. Has that now changed?’
‘Let us say
‘What about the finances?’
‘I have some savings, and I really don’t think this is any of your business.’
‘It is, if you found a substantial amount of cash hidden in your son’s room.’
‘I did not. I also own this house outright so that is how I will fund my wife’s nursing-home expenses.’
He was very tense, sitting on the edge of a chair, his face pinched and angry. He suddenly stood up.
‘I don’t wish to talk to you any more. I have given you every assistance in tracing my son. I am still desperate to know if he is dead or alive.’
‘We are endeavouring to do everything possible to find out the truth, Mr Rawlins.’
‘The truth?’ he snapped and had to dig his hands into his pockets as they were shaking so much.
‘Let me tell you what the truth has so far done to me. I discover that my wife of thirty-five years lied to me, kept secrets from me about my son. The truth is, he is not my child. The boy I doted on and was so proud of has either been murdered or has been involved in some terrible crime. His secrets are as heartbreaking as my wife’s.’
Anna stood up. She was almost the same height as he was. The dapper little man for whom she had felt such compassion appeared to be changing in front of her. His anger was such that he was having difficulty containing it and his voice was strangled in his throat.
‘I want it to be
Anna nodded and went to the door. She hesitated.
‘You know, whatever your son’s sexual preference was or is, it’s not a crime, and perhaps he only wished to keep it secret from you because he didn’t want you to—’
Edward Rawlins interrupted her. ‘Please don’t talk down to me, don’t interpret what I should or shouldn’t feel about what I have discovered. I loved him. He was the light of my life, but it was all lies.’ Tears trickled down his cheeks.
‘Maybe the lies were all to protect you, Mr Rawlins.’
It was awful as he couldn’t stop himself from crying. Taking out a handkerchief he wiped his face, but the tears kept flowing. Anna walked out and he followed her, blowing his nose.
‘Is that you, Alan?’ came a shrill voice from upstairs.
Mr Rawlins ignored his wife as he opened the front door.
‘She doted on him. I used to find it hard sometimes. When he was young it was as if he had taken over her life. She had so little time for me. It was always the two of them giggling and laughing together like two children, and it wasn’t until he became a teenager that he really ever turned to me. She used to get so jealous. If we went to a cricket match together she acted as if I was trying to take him away from her. I suppose in retrospect I should have known.’
‘Thank you for seeing me, Mr Rawlins.’
‘Secrets . . . secrets,’ he hissed as he closed the door behind her.
Anna suspected that Mr Rawlins had found the cash, but it would be hard to prove. She was glad to be away from the pain-wracked angry little man as she headed back to the station. It had not been a successful morning.
Chapter Ten
