‘Is that a fact?’ Isaac asked. ‘You failed to tell me about Gertrude’s son before. You could be omitting some information now.’
‘I failed to mention her son before because it was not relevant.’
‘You suspected it may be him in the fireplace. Am I correct in that assumption?’
‘From the information you had given me about the body, it seemed likely but highly improbable.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘He disappeared when he was in his teens. No one had heard from him since, except for a postcard to Gertrude to say he was in India.’
‘Is it confirmed that he was in India?’ Isaac asked.
‘I remember seeing it. There was an Indian stamp on it. Gertrude was delighted when she received it.’
‘And you felt that your suspicions about the body did not warrant informing the police?’
‘There were no suspicions. He had disappeared many years before the body was placed in the fireplace. The fact that the age appeared to be about the same as Garry seemed circumstantial. I know that he was in Australia for a short period.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I am the family lawyer. It’s my business to know.’
‘But how? And more importantly, why?’
‘If both of the sisters die, then Garry Solomon would have inherited their money and assets.’
‘What about their husbands?’
‘Mavis was smart enough to make sure that wouldn’t happen. She married for love, but she was still a realist. She knew the family wealth would make them an attractive target for smooth-talking Romeos.’
‘But Gertrude lost all her money to this type of man?’ Isaac said.
‘She lost plenty, but not all.’
‘You’d better explain that statement.’
Montague Grenfell went to make another cup of tea.
The lawyer returned and sat upright on his chair. ‘I suppose I should confess something here,’ he said.
‘If you’re about to confess to the murder, then I should caution you.’
‘Nothing like that,’ Grenfell replied.
‘When Gertrude was in her twenties, she fell madly in love with an Italian she had met on holiday in Italy. Both Mavis and I were aware of Gertrude and her momentary fantasies, falling for the wrong kind of man only to realise very quickly that it was more lust than love. Gertrude at that time had access to half of the Richardson family fortune. In the moment of greatest love, the man could ask for anything and she would agree. This Italian gave her a story about his ailing mother back home. Gertrude, an easy target then, not the embittered woman that she became, fell for the story. He had letters and photos, even arranged for her to phone his mother. The outcome of this was that Gertrude arranged a transfer of twenty thousand pounds to his account. Remember, this is the 1950s, so in today’s money that would be over two hundred thousand pounds.’
‘A lot of money,’ Isaac said.
‘As you say, a lot of money.’
‘And the Italian?’
‘After it had been made clear that no more would be forthcoming, he soon disappeared.’
‘And what of Gertrude?’
‘Broken-hearted for a few weeks. Some years later, she found someone else.’
‘Another scoundrel?’
‘Not this time, but he had issues.’
‘What sort of problems?’
‘He couldn’t keep it in his pants.’
‘Unfaithful?’
‘Eventually bigamy.’
‘Michael Solomon?’ Isaac asked.
‘Yes.’
‘You mentioned a confession.’
‘It was clear that Gertrude, given the opportunity, would have given all of her money to one man or another.’
‘You said that Michael Solomon was a friend of yours,’ Isaac reminded Grenfell.
‘He was, but I did not want to see Gertrude lose all her money to him.’
‘But he was a good businessman?’
‘Eventually, but he would take some risks, go into substantial debt. Gertrude had to be protected.’
‘What did you do?’
‘Mavis knew the details, and we hatched a plan. The best protection for her sister was to ensure that she had no noticeable wealth. Then any smooth-tongued man that came hunting for a wealthy woman would not find it with Gertrude.’
‘I was under the assumption that she had lost all her money, and that Mavis had covered the debts.’
‘Not all of it. Gertrude still had sufficient, although she was never interested in asking or checking. To her, money was there for spending. I doubt if she looked at a bank account once in her life.’
‘Mavis?’ Isaac asked.
‘Total opposite. Mavis could tell you her bank balance down to the last pound.’
‘But the hatred between the sisters?’
‘There was no hatred from Mavis. She loved her sister. The problem was with Gertrude. She blamed Mavis for her life, her parlous state, even the health of her cats, the condition of the mansion. And especially for her son leaving.’
‘Are you saying that her hatred was invalid?’
‘If Garry had not seen his father with Mavis on the bed, then maybe he would not have disappeared, but that’s past history. As I said, Michael Solomon was a friend, even if he could waste money, Gertrude’s money, at times. Garry, for whatever reason, was not as the father. Mavis always saw him as common, but it was not that.’
‘What was it?’ Isaac asked.
‘Being shuffled off to a boarding school at an early age may have been part of the problem. The belief that he was unloved, especially by his mother. But mainly because he was not a good person. His character, even from an early age, was disruptive, argumentative, and by the time he was nineteen, he was already getting into trouble with the police. He had been to three boarding schools, all very expensive and exclusive, and he had been expelled from the first two for stealing from the other boys. He was destined to turn out bad, and his father knew that.’
‘His mother?’
‘She made excuses, but she was not a good mother. Always interested in the pursuit of her own pleasures, and she was promiscuous,
