‘Very funny. Come on – who else?’
Gavin leaned forward and turned down the radio. ‘It’s of no use to Blake Hamilton – he was only interested in Sophie’s social position Why would he buy a house that’s in desperate need of some work when he’s got a much better one of his own?’
‘Exactly.’ Kay peered out the window, the scent of honeysuckle reaching her through the gap where she’d wound it down to let in fresh air. ‘We’ll have to get some details from the council regarding property valuation. That place must be worth a fortune with the land it takes up.’
Forty-Four
The next morning, Kay and Gavin stood on the pavement outside the Whittakers’ bank, waiting for the front doors to open.
There was no sign of Sophie’s parents yet, and Kay wondered what was going on between the two of them. It had been evident at the funeral that all was not well with their relationship, and despite knowing the strain they had been under since Sophie’s death, she couldn’t help wonder if the rot had set in well before.
The sound of bolts being drawn back across the heavy-set wooden door roused her from her thoughts, and she turned as a member of staff swung it open and secured it against the far wall before smiling at them.
‘Morning. Would you like to come in?’
‘Thanks.’
Kay admired the art deco ceilings as she moved into the cool space of the building. The original panelling had been retained too, with the cashiers’ windows set to one side, four in total.
A secured door at the end of room displayed a “Staff Only” sign, warning of dire consequences if any member of the public tried to pass.
She checked her watch.
‘Nine on the dot.’
‘How long do you think Lady Griffith will keep us waiting?’
‘God knows.’
The member of staff who had ushered them through the front door returned, a quizzical look crossing her features.
‘Can I help you with something?’
Kay fished out her warrant card. ‘We’re waiting for someone to join us.’
‘Oh.’ Flustered, the staff member went to walk away, then rocked back on her heel. ‘Would you like tea or coffee while you’re waiting?’
‘That’d be great, thanks.’
Half an hour later, the two coffees dispatched, Kay was beginning to wonder where the hell the Whittakers had got to, when Gavin murmured under his breath.
‘About bloody time.’
Diane and Matthew Whittaker walked towards them, Diane a little ahead of her husband as if she wanted to reach the detectives first.
‘Detective Hunter, sorry to keep you waiting,’ she said. ‘Have you been here long?’
Kay’s eyes rested upon the empty coffee cups before she raised an eyebrow. ‘Shall we get on with it?’
She caught the attention of the staff member who had provided the hot drinks and asked her to fetch the manager.
‘Is everything okay?’
‘Yes. Please tell him that Lady Griffith needs to speak to him.’
Kay turned on her heel and faced Sophie’s mother. ‘I’m presuming we’ll be taken to a private room to open the safe deposit box?’
‘Y-yes. That’s normally what happens.’ She forced a smile. ‘Couldn’t have one’s private things in view of the staff, after all.’
The secure door at the end of the room opened, and a short man with carefully coiffed black hair hurried towards them, his expression a mix of delight and terror.
He wrung his hands as he approached.
‘Lady Griffith, Mr Whittaker. Terrible news about Sophie. Terrible.’
‘Thank you, Mr Parsons.’ Diane introduced Kay and Gavin. ‘We’d like to open Sophie’s safe deposit box, please.’
‘Of course. You have the key?’
‘I do,’ said Kay.
‘As the counter-signatory to the safe deposit box, Lady Griffith, I must ask if you’re happy for the detectives and your husband to accompany you?’
Diane opened her mouth to speak, but Kay held up her hand.
‘She is.’
Diane clamped her mouth shut, glared at her, and then seemed to recover. ‘Of course, that’s fine.’
‘Well, if you’d like to follow me.’
He led them through the secure door, which opened out into a carpeted corridor with three offices leading off from it, before swiping his access card and holding a second secure door open while they filed through.
He gestured to a table and six chairs. ‘If you’d like to wait here, I’ll retrieve the box for you.’
An awkward silence filled the room when he disappeared, and Kay let it do so. She had no wish to make unnecessary conversation, and it was sometimes better to simply observe other people rather than try to draw them out with words.
Matthew Whittaker appeared confused, as if he didn’t know why his wife had summoned him to their bank, whereas Diane wore a defiant look upon her face and twisted the wedding band on her finger.
Relief washed over her features as the bank manager reappeared, a long black metal box in his hands.
He elbowed the door shut and then set the box upon the table, and stood there, apparently unsure whether to defer to Kay or to Diane.
Kay saved him the bother.
‘We’ll let you know when we’re finished, Mr Parsons.’
He bowed his head slightly, and Kay realised it was more in deference to Diane than her.
She waited until he’d disappeared from the room, before reaching into her jacket pocket and extracting three pairs of gloves, holding one set out to Diane and passing the other to Matthew.
He wiggled his fingers into them, his face pale. ‘I didn’t know she had anything to hide.’
Kay paused, the key in her hand. ‘You didn’t know about this safe deposit box?’
He shook his head, and glanced at his wife. ‘They didn’t tell me.’
Diane flapped her hand. ‘You didn’t need to know. I simply wanted to ensure Sophie had somewhere to keep her heirlooms.’ She shot a thin smile at Kay. ‘We don’t have those ugly “safe” things in the house. It’d spoil the decor, for a start.’
‘Put your gloves on please, Lady Griffith.’
Bewildered, the woman stared at the gloves in her grasp. ‘W-why?’
‘We need to preserve the contents of this for evidence. Our CSI won’t be pleased if we contaminate everything
