Ger O’Loughlin seemed a likely culprit, but why? The man had been close to death when Wendy had met him; although by his own admission he had been a strong man in his earlier years, his motive seemed weak. There appeared to be no financial gain to him. He had married Mavis Richardson, divorced her, or she had divorced him. She was a wealthy woman, but he had gained no benefit.
Isaac pondered who could have killed the man. At the time of his death, Garry Solomon was no longer involved with his criminal friends, and he was living with Barbara Ecclestone. He had money in his pocket, and besides, if he had been killed by persons other than his immediate family, they would have taken him out into the countryside, weighed him down with concrete and thrown him in the river.
Isaac realised that the motive was the key element. So far, that remained a mystery, although why Garry Solomon had remained detached from his mother was a concern. It had been his father that he had seen in bed with his aunt, yet for some reason he had maintained infrequent contact with the father, but not the mother.
It was clear that the mother, Gertrude Richardson, had been eccentric, even in her younger years. It hardly seemed a reason to maintain a hatred towards her; there had to be something more.
At the evening meeting in the office, he raised his concerns. ‘I’ve had our boss over here grilling me,’ he said.
‘Not happy?’ Larry asked.
‘What do you think?’ Wendy said. Her mood fluctuated with her husband’s condition. Today she was not in a cheerful frame of mind.
‘Detective Chief Superintendent Goddard is concerned that we are going nowhere with this case.’
‘He’s right,’ Larry said.
‘What do we do?’ Isaac was not a man who sat in isolation issuing commands and demanding answers. He knew that a team discussion was often the best way to come up with a resolution.
‘Find the motive,’ Larry’s reply.
‘Easier said than done,’ Isaac said.
‘Are we certain that it’s a family member?’ Wendy asked.
‘Who else knew about Bellevue Street, and why has the body been undisturbed for so many years?’ Isaac replied.
‘Records indicate occupancy of the house since 1987 when the body was incarcerated in the fireplace,’ Bridget said.
‘Detailed records?’ Isaac asked.
‘Not totally. The house had been divided up for most of the time as low-cost accommodation, each bedroom equipped with a fold-down bed and a basic kitchen.’
‘What about the room where the body was found?’
‘No information on that.’
‘Who would know?’ Isaac asked.
‘The family lawyer,’ Larry said.
‘I don’t think he will be too pleased to see me after the last time we met.’
‘It doesn’t concern you, does it, sir?’ Wendy asked.
‘Not at all. Tomorrow morning, I will go out there with Larry.’
Again, the answers gravitate towards Montague Grenfell, Isaac thought.
‘Wendy, Bridget, focus on Montague Grenfell: family history, background, personal relationships, financial information. Whatever you can find.’
Both of the women nodded their affirmation.
Chapter 16
The next day at nine in the morning, Larry and Isaac drove out to Montague Grenfell’s office. Isaac prepared to march briskly up the stairs to his office. He managed the first two flights before stopping abruptly. There, at the base of the third flight of stairs, a man’s crumpled body, the head at an awkward angle. Larry quickly dialled 999 for an ambulance, although he could see it was a formality.
‘Another body for you,’ Isaac said on the phone to Gordon Windsor.
‘Identity?’
‘Montague Grenfell.’
‘I’ll be there within fifteen minutes,’ Windsor said.
‘This changes everything,’ Larry said after Isaac had ended his phone call. Larry called the local police station. They were sending around a uniformed police officer to be stationed outside, and a local detective to secure the scene.
‘It depends on if it was murder or not,’ Isaac said.
‘Any doubt on your part?’
‘The man had one leg. It’s possible he slipped.’
‘Or was pushed.’
‘Let’s wait for Gordon Windsor. He’ll be able to tell us.’
‘We need to meet Bridget and Wendy to discuss this,’ Larry said.
‘Agreed, but first we need to meet Mavis Richardson. She needs to be told, once Gordon Windsor has brought us up to speed.’
Isaac phoned his boss. ‘It’s just become a lot more complicated. Garry Solomon was an old murder; this one is recent, and they are both related.’
His boss’s reaction: ‘Wrap this up soon. Grenfell was well connected. There are bound to be more questions, and the media will be sticking their collective noses in again.’
Fifteen minutes later, Gordon Windsor arrived. He donned his overalls, gloves, and mask before approaching the body.
‘Broken neck,’ he said, even before kneeling down to examine the body.
‘Are you sure?’ Isaac asked.
‘Judging by the angle of the neck, I would say that I am correct.’
‘Is it the cause of death?’
‘Probably, but I will need to conduct my examination, and then the autopsy will confirm if it was or not. Whatever the cause, he died here.’
‘Was he pushed?’ Larry asked.
‘Give my team sixty minutes, and it should become clearer.’
Isaac and Larry, realising that there was no more to be gained from their presence, left the scene.
Grenfell’s family needed to be informed. Bridget would be able to supply the contact details. It was known that Montague Grenfell had no children and his wife was dead.
Mavis Richardson was excited when she first met Isaac, although deflated when told the reason for his visit.
‘Were you close?’ Isaac asked.
‘I trusted him implicitly,’ she replied. She had sat down in a corner chair, showing every year of her advanced age. It was the first time that Larry had seen her like this.
