‘But you took her.’
‘It was her son. She had a right to see him.’
‘No issue from me,’ Isaac said. ‘What’s important now is to find out more about Garry Solomon. Larry, can you focus on his criminal record, known haunts, known villains that he may have been in contact with. Wendy, it may be best if you work with Bridget and see if you can find Garry Solomon’s widow.’
‘And you, sir?’ Wendy asked.
‘Three flights of stairs and Montague Grenfell again. He knows a lot more than he’s telling us.’
‘Don’t tell him we’re looking for Gertrude Richardson’s will,’ Bridget reminded Isaac.
‘Not at all, and find someone from Fraud to help you with the trust agreements and bank statements.’
***
Isaac saw clearly that Montague Grenfell was still withholding information. The murdered man and the lawyer shared a common ancestor with the father of one, the grandfather of the other. Montague Grenfell came from the legitimate line. Garry Richardson, however, came from the other side of the bed, in that his grandfather had not been legitimate. But as Grenfell had freely admitted, his father and the Richardson sisters’ father had been brought up as brothers.
Isaac understood Grenfell’s reticence, but this was a murder investigation. The time for propriety had passed, and a full and frank admission of all the skeletons in the cupboard was needed.
‘I’ve been totally open with you, DCI Cook,’ Montague Grenfell said when Isaac reminded him of the facts, and that withholding information, especially in a murder enquiry, was a criminal offence.
‘You failed to mention that you had sent money to Michael Solomon and Gertrude Richardson’s son, and you did not reveal that he had probably married in India. Do you deny that fact?’
‘Michael told me, although I had no contact with him.’
‘Garry Richardson’s wife?’
‘Michael assumed it was someone he had met at school, although he never met her.’
‘Were there any children?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Unfortunately, you have not revealed other information which we have subsequently unearthed. Is there any more that you are not telling us?’
‘I have been open with you. I gave you full access to all legal and financial documents relating to Gertrude.’
‘That is true. They appear to be in order.’
‘You will find no errors there.’
‘From what we can ascertain, Gertrude Richardson was a very wealthy woman, and subsequently her son would be. Yet you withheld that information from her.’
‘As I said before, my intentions and those of her sister were totally honourable. I have no reason to reproach myself.’
‘The woman lived in squalor.’
‘Detective Chief Inspector, we’ve been over this before. Where she lived would have been restored to a liveable standard if she had wanted. I offered enough times.’
‘And why did she refuse?’
‘She was an old woman set in her ways. She liked the squalor and the cats defecating in the house. There was no way I, or her sister, could force her to change her ways, nor would we.’
‘And what about the son? Was he entitled to any money?’
‘If he had asked.’
‘He didn’t?’
‘Never. Supposedly, he had returned from India with this woman, now his wife as a result of a wedding in a commune or on a hill top. No idea if it’s legal, but it is probably not relevant under English law.’
‘Children?’ Isaac asked.
‘I have already told you that I don’t know. It is possible. If Garry was anything like his father, then she may have had a child. We looked after Gertrude even if she did not want our help. The son was young enough to look out for himself. Where he went, I never asked or cared.’
‘Did Gertrude realise that her sister wanted to help her?’
‘Impossible to say. Mavis, as you know, is concerned with appearances and breeding. Gertrude was not bothered by any of it. As long as she had her cats and some food, then she wanted no more. It was not Mavis and me who were the issue. It was the old woman.’
‘And her money?’
‘It is in trust until probate is resolved.’
***
There seemed to be two major issues confronting the investigation. Isaac summed them up at the evening’s meeting. So far, they had managed to hold it every night during the investigation, even managed to take one Sunday off. Not that is helped with Jess O’Neill as she was gone and no longer answering his phone calls. He put it down to the fact that she was busy. Isaac, never a fan of television, had watched the programme she produced a couple of times in the last week, and it was clear that its standards had been maintained, although he regarded his opinion as subjective.
‘We need to find out about Garry Solomon’s wife,’ Isaac said. Wendy, as usual, was nominated for the task.
‘But why would someone murder him?’ Larry asked.
‘Unknown,’ Isaac answered. ‘How do we find out why? According to the family lawyer, there was no issue with money if he had come forward and asked.’
‘Then his death is illogical,’ Larry replied.
‘Any ideas?’ Bridget asked.
‘I’m not sure about their lawyer is being totally honest,’ Isaac said. It was dark outside and getting late, but he was in no hurry to get home. Larry was, as his wife was complaining about the hours he was working. Wendy’s problems were more severe as her husband’s hospital bills were way above her salary. She had secured an additional loan against her house, but she knew that it would not be long before she had to sell it.
Bridget revelled in the office environment with its endless challenges, and as long as Wendy was in the office, she was happy to stay. The two women’s night out, invariably an excuse for too much gossip and too many drinks, had been postponed due to Wendy’s visits to her husband. They were
