‘Can you tell me about the first time you wanted to enter the room?’ Larry asked. He had moved with Sue Baxter to the modern kitchen at the rear of the house.
‘It was sealed with a metal grille. It took us some time to get it off.’
‘Was there any explanation given why?’
‘None.’
‘Did it concern you?’
‘We thought it strange, but the house was in our price range, and the location was excellent.’
‘When you first entered the room, any sense of foreboding?’
‘None at all. We just thought it was a lovely room.’
‘No smell?’
‘It was musty. We opened the windows, and it soon freshened up. I dusted the room; ran a wet mop over the floorboards.’
‘No suspicion as to why the fireplace was covered?’
‘Why?’
‘It seems unusual.’
‘All the bedrooms had covered fireplaces. It had been sublet for years.’
‘We’re at a loss as to why someone would have expected the fireplace to have remained untouched for thirty years,’ Larry admitted. ‘It seems crucial to know. To us, it seems illogical.’
‘We wondered as well,’ Sue Baxter said.
‘Any thoughts?’
‘You’re the police officer, what do you think?’
‘Did you keep the grille?’
‘It’s down in the basement.’
‘I’ll get someone over to look at it. Make sure it remains untouched,’ Larry said.
Chapter 17
Lord Penrith, as Wendy and Isaac found out on their arrival at his home, a decaying remnant of Georgian architecture, was beyond caring about his younger brother or anyone else.
‘His mind has gone,’ Katrina Smith, the pretty young nurse who had shown them into his lordship’s bedroom, said. The man was propped up in bed, a television in the corner showing a melodrama.
‘Anyone else in the house?’ Isaac asked.
‘There’s a cook and a handyman. Apart from that, no one.’
‘Who employed you?’
‘Montague Grenfell. I met him in London, but apart from that he has not been near. I have a bank account to draw from as needed. Each month, I send him an itemised list of my costs, and he ensures to put my salary into my account. To be honest, it’s a cushy number, although it will not last for much longer.’
‘Why do you say that?’ Wendy asked.
‘His lordship is dying. He could go anytime.’
‘And when he does, what do you do?’
‘I’m to phone the local police and the local undertaker. After that, I am to phone the family doctor and Montague Grenfell, the new Lord Penrith.’
‘Except that he won’t be,’ Isaac said.
‘Why’s that?’ Katrina Smith asked.
‘Unfortunately, Montague Grenfell has died.’
‘He seemed a nice man.’
‘What will you do now?’ Wendy asked.
‘Hopefully, someone will pay the bills, but anyway, I’ll stay for now. I’ve grown fond of Lord Penrith, even if he doesn’t remember me one day to the next.’
‘There’s another brother,’ Isaac said.
‘Malcolm.’
‘Have you seen him?’
‘The proverbial black sheep of the family. Every aristocratic family has one of them, as well as a ghost or two in the stately home,’ Katrina Smith said. Isaac had to admit he liked her humour, even under trying circumstances.
‘Have you seen any?’ Wendy asked.
‘Late at night when the wind blows it can be eerie, but no.’
‘You don’t believe in the possibility?’
‘A healthy sceptic. If there are any here, I’ve not seen them.’
‘What about Malcolm? Any ideas as to where he may be?’
‘Montague Grenfell would have known, but I’ve no idea.’
‘You said he was the black sheep of the family?’ Wendy asked.
‘Montague Grenfell mentioned him when we met in London. He asked me to phone him if Malcolm turned up. Apart from that, he told me nothing.’
It was ten in the evening when Isaac and Wendy left Lord Penrith’s residence. There seemed little reason to spend the night in Leicestershire. They arrived back in London just after midnight.
Wendy had noticed Katrina Smith handling Isaac’s business card, and saying she would give him a call the next time she was in London. She saw Isaac smile in return. Wendy knew Isaac would not be on his own for much longer.
***
Gordon Windsor was on the phone early the next morning. ‘The door frame to Grenfell’s office has scuff marks from his clothing, indicative of his being manhandled through it. And then, there are marks where he had attempted to force his shoe hard against the wall at the top of the stairs. We also found two sets of shoeprints that show a conflict situation.’
‘The evidence is convincing enough to hold up in a court of law?’ Isaac asked.
‘The final report will state that he had been forced to the top of the stairs, and almost certainly pushed down them.’
‘The broken neck killed him?’
‘Yes. There was a clear break above the fifth cervical vertebra. If he had not died instantly, he would have died soon after from asphyxiation.’
Isaac phoned DCS Goddard. He was over within minutes.
‘What are you going to do about this?’ Goddard asked. ‘The Penriths are an important family in this country. History goes back for centuries. There’s bound to be media scrutiny.’
‘Lord Penrith is close to death, and now his brother has been murdered’ Isaac said.
‘What has the media been told?’
‘We have made no official statement.’
‘Who could have killed Grenfell?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘Well, you’d better find out soon.’
Goddard left soon after. The two men were firm friends, but sometimes Isaac’s senior could rile him. As Isaac saw it, he had a competent team, everyone was giving
