Kay handed back the bag and checked her watch. ‘Well, they’re going to be closed now. Grab your jacket though – let’s go and talk to Sophie’s mother to see what she has to say about this. I’ve got some more questions I want to ask her anyway.’
Grace Jamieson led Kay and Gavin to the library of Crossways Hall and announced their arrival to Diane Whittaker, before stepping to one side and gesturing to them to enter the room.
‘Thank you, Grace, that will be all,’ said Diane.
The housekeeper nodded deferentially, and left the room leaving the door open behind her.
‘I’m surprised you have any questions left,’ said Diane, turning back to the bookcase next to her and running her fingers over the spines. ‘I thought you must have exhausted all your avenues of investigation by now.’
Kay ignored the barb. ‘When was Sophie’s engagement to Josh first announced?’
‘As soon as she reached her sixteenth birthday. That’s what we’d all agreed,’ said Diane.
‘No plans to continue her education beyond college?’
‘Good grief, no. What for? Josh will be taking over his father’s business one day and Sophie would have had her hands full coping with a young family and running the house.’
‘Here, you mean?’
‘Of course. Where else?’
Diane turned from the bookcase and Kay peered over the top of her head to where Gavin stared at her, stony faced.
She managed a small smile, to let her colleague know she probably shared the same sentiment about Diane, and a moment later was struck by the fact her own mother would get on well with the irritating woman.
‘Did Sophie share your love of books?
‘Not as much, no. I tried to encourage her as much as possible – she was more interested in clothes shopping and listening to that horrible pop music the girls at her school listened to, but I was starting to instil a better appreciation of the finer arts in her. You’ve got to keep an eye on these girls, you see. They’re too easily led astray.’
‘You didn’t contemplate sending her to boarding school?’
Diane’s lips thinned. ‘She went to boarding school, when she was younger. Unfortunately, my husband’s business hasn’t been doing as well as it could have been these past few years, and so we had to find an alternative. Not an ideal situation, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate.’
Kay made a noncommittal sound at the back of her throat. ‘Was Sophie someone that would keep secrets from you, do you think?’
‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘All teenage girls rebel at some point. Do you know if Sophie had anywhere she might hide stuff she didn’t want you to see? It seems strange that we didn’t find a diary or anything in her room, that’s all.’
Diane frowned, opened her mouth to say something, then clamped it shut.
Kay pulled out the evidence bag containing the safe deposit box key. ‘This was found in Sophie’s possessions by our crime scene team. It’s for a safe deposit box at a bank in Maidstone. You didn’t think to mention anything about a safe deposit box to us all this time?’
‘I didn’t think of it before, with everything else going on. I arranged for her to have a safe deposit box at our bank in Maidstone, so she could keep some of the jewellery left to her by her grandmother there.’
‘Do you have a key?’
‘No. Sophie had the only one. I lost mine years ago, but I didn’t worry about it as Sophie had the other. When I couldn’t find it the other day, I realised your people must’ve taken it when they were in Sophie’s room. I thought I’d simply fetch my mother’s jewellery once your people had returned the key.’
‘We need to see what’s in that box, Mrs Whittaker – as a matter of urgency.’
‘Oh, right. Of course. I’ll need to check my diary first.’
The woman wandered over to a small table beside one of the armchairs and picked up a silver bell. She waggled it between her fingers. A soft ring filled the room before she placed it back on the table surface and clasped her hands in front of her, a benign smile on her face.
The housekeeper appeared at the door. ‘You rang, Lady Griffith?’
‘Yes. Fetch my handbag from my bedroom, please.’
Kay turned away, and concentrated on staring out the patio doors to the terrace beyond. She knew if she caught Gavin’s eye now, she’d burst out laughing at the woman’s snobbery.
The housekeeper returned shortly with the handbag, and Diane moved across to where Kay stood while she rummaged through the contents.
‘Here it is,’ she said triumphantly, and held up a leather diary. ‘When did you want to go?’
‘We’ve spoken to the manager. He’ll meet us there at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.’
Diane’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘Why so soon?’
Kay resisted the urge to sigh. ‘Because, Mrs Whittaker, I’m trying to find out why your daughter was murdered. I thought you might want to accompany me, anyway – to collect your late mother’s jewellery?’
‘Oh. Very well, then.’
‘Great – see you tomorrow. Please make sure your husband is there, too.’
Kay managed to keep her frustration in check until she and Gavin were back in the car.
‘She’s living in a time warp,’ Gavin grumbled. ‘I almost raised my hand in the air to get permission to speak a couple of times.’
Kay laughed. ‘She’s all right, I suppose. Lives in her own little world.’
‘She’s mad.’
‘Ah, see that’s where you’re wrong – people with money like that, we call them “eccentric”, not “mad”.’
Gavin snorted, and turned the car back towards Maidstone. ‘I don’t know whether to feel sorry for her, or be infuriated by her.’
‘Different world, isn’t it? Her whole life has revolved around keeping the house in the family, and now with Sophie gone, she’s got no-one—’
Kay broke off, and held up her hand to stop Gavin from interrupting. ‘Hang on. Who benefits from Diane selling the house?’
‘I can’t imagine the National Trust going to such extreme measures to get
