‘He may have, but I met him not far from here. Fell for him straight away. Married him within six months, gave birth to Daniel three months later.’
‘Tell us about him,’ Wendy asked. The woman seemed relieved to have someone to talk to, although the baby crying in the other room was distracting.
‘Let it cry. It will stop in a minute. Born with the mother’s drug addiction. I’ve only got warm milk, not what it wants.’
‘And your husband allowed your children to grow up like this?’
‘Not much he could do, and besides, he was no better.’
‘Drugs?’
‘With him, it was alcohol and other women, although he always denied it. I could see the smirk on his face, the lipstick on his collar. They may have screwed him, but I was the one who had to clean up after them.’
‘The children weren’t disciplined?’
‘By me, but then he’d come home drunk and forgive them. And then once they reached adolescence, they’re out there following in his footsteps.’
‘What did he die of?’ Larry asked.
‘I wake up at six in the morning, and he’s lying next to me, dead. Gave me quite a shock. Besides, he was nearly ninety.’
‘Are you saying he was still chasing women at that age?’
‘He gave up on the women in his seventies.’
‘Any violence?’
‘Michael? Not at all, although I could have hit him sometimes for his behaviour. As I told you, he was a charmer. I always forgave him.’
It was evident to Wendy and Larry that pursuing Michael Solomon had come to a conclusion. However, they both realised that he could still be the murderer.
***
Bridget, meanwhile, had been ensconced in the office, working through the list of buyers that the manager of the tailor’s in Savile Row had supplied. Of the seven that she had focussed on, two were confirmed alive and well. With five left, she started to phone around. She found two more who had answered their phones: one, a successful businessman, the other, a musician. There were three left that she had been unable to confirm; they would need to be handled by Wendy and Larry.
Isaac busied himself in the office, although he wanted to be out on the street. His senior, Detective Chief Superintendent Goddard, was keeping his distance, other than to phone at regular intervals for an update. Apparently, Trevor and Sue Baxter had been complaining about not being able to return to their house, even after the crime scene investigators had concluded their examination. It was still a crime scene, Isaac had tried to explain when they had confronted him at the police station, and as such, the crime scene tape across the front and the uniformed policeman were to stay. He thought they had understood, but there they were on the television complaining and no doubt getting paid, as Sue Baxter continued to come up with little titbits for the media.
Not true, Isaac thought every time she made an unsubstantiated complaint or comment.
Gordon Windsor had phoned to detail the pathologist’s final report. It was murder, and a minor blow to the head had occurred before asphyxiation. A second more severe blow had taken place after, although the suffocation had probably killed the man, who would have almost certainly been unconscious. Also, a small tattoo in the shape of a dragon had been found on the right forearm. It appeared to have been skilfully executed.
It was clear that the body needed to be identified. Chasing after missing husbands, delving into the two sisters’ relationship was fine, but if they were proven not to be involved, then it was not relevant.
Isaac called the team together for a hastily convened meeting. It was going to be a fateful evening for him, both personally and professionally. He had finally received an ultimatum from Jess O’Neill. She was to make one special effort to put on a romantic meal that night; his non-attendance would signal an end to the relationship. He would have preferred it to have ended on a pleasant note, but he was a senior police officer with a major crime. He could not just leave when it suited him.
***
It was seven in the evening before everyone was assembled back at Challis Street. Isaac had ordered pizzas for everyone. ‘We need a name for this body. John Doe is no longer sufficient.’
‘We found Gertrude’s husband,’ Larry said.
‘What did you find out?’ Isaac asked.
‘He’s been dead for eight years.’
‘We’ll discuss this later. For now, we need to identify this body.’
‘I’ve given three names to Larry and Wendy,’ Bridget said.
‘Fine. When can you start on checking?’ Isaac asked.
Wendy knew the answer required, but her husband had taken a turn for the worse. She would need to visit with him first, and then talk to the doctor about additional care, new medicine, and no doubt, an extra cost. She could not see how she could bear the cost without selling the house. ‘Tomorrow morning,’ she replied. ‘Pressing family issue.’
There was no more for her to say, as Isaac was well aware of the situation and sympathised.
‘I’ll make a couple of phone calls tonight,’ Larry said. ‘Are we assuming the one we can’t find is the body?’
‘It’s a fair assumption,’ Isaac said. He was anxious to leave soon and to see if he could patch it up with Jess before it was too late.
‘It’s probably best if we call it an early night. There are only three to find, and it would be best to make personal contact rather than over a phone.’
‘That sounds fine,’ Wendy said. ‘I’ll attempt to be here early.’
‘I’ll stay another hour,’ Bridget said. ‘Tidy up some paperwork.’
‘I’ll stay with Bridget,’ Larry said.
‘I’ll walk you out,’ Isaac said to Wendy. ‘I’ve got some personal business to deal with.’
***
Wendy drove straight
