‘Malcolm Grenfell, I put it to you again. You murdered Garry Solomon,’ Isaac said.
Lady Penrith rose from her chair, her face ablaze with anger. Wendy took a firm hold of her and sat her down. ‘You must remain calm,’ she said.
‘Why would I do that?’ Lord Penrith replied.
‘Because he came between you and the title.’
Penrith let out a nervous laugh. ‘Thirty years ago, are you joking? Do you think I was interested in the title of Lord Penrith? I had two older brothers and my chance of ever claiming the title was remote. And why? What has Garry Solomon got to do with my title?’
‘We have found proof that Archibald Grenfell, your grandfather, was married two times, not one as previously thought.’
‘Rubbish,’ Penrith said.
‘He was married to your grandmother, as well as the mother of Frederick Richardson, the father of Gertrude and Mavis. Frederick Richardson was legitimate, and as such, had a claim on the title.’
‘What proof?’
‘I am putting it to you that you murdered Garry Solomon to hide the truth. To conceal the fact that Garry Solomon may have had a claim on this house, and possibly the title.’
‘Even if that was true, he was younger than me.’
‘He threatened you. Told you that he would ensure you never gained the title. Both Albert and Montague were in their fifties, so they were unlikely to have any male heirs. The title was yours if you waited long enough, and suddenly there was another person who could threaten your succession.’
‘Is this true, Malcolm?’ Emma Hampshire screamed.
‘It’s rubbish. He can’t prove a word of it.’
‘Garry Solomon was involved with ruthless men. He could have had you killed and then waited for Albert and Montague to die. Even assisted their deaths as well. The title may be contentious, but the Grenfell wealth never was. As the oldest surviving male relative he would have had a clear right to it.’
‘He suspected the truth, but he never had any proof.’
‘Suspected what? That your grandfather had married a maid, Bronwyn Richardson. That is why Frederick, Gertrude and Mavis’s father, was given the surname of Richardson. To hide the truth, the shame that Archibald Grenfell had married for love, and outside of his class.’
‘Albert told me.’
‘Bronwyn Richardson?’ Isaac asked.
‘She died in childbirth. Albert knew the full story.’
‘Why did Albert tell you?’
‘We had an argument. I told him that I wanted to marry Emma, or Emily as she was known then. He said I could not.’
‘Why?’
‘Bad form taking the wife of a relative. That was Albert, always worried about the family name, even when nobody knew.’
‘Is that when you decided to murder your wife’s first husband?’
Kevin Solomon and Lady Penrith sat mute, unable to comprehend.
‘Why would I kill Garry and then hide his body where it might be found?’
‘There are two motives for the death of Garry Solomon,’ Isaac continued. ‘The first is so you would be able to claim Emily for yourself, but I am not sure that is the most important reason.’
‘Why?’ Lady Penrith asked.
‘He wanted you, that is clear,’ Isaac said, ‘but why did he hide the body?’
‘You have an answer?’ Lord Penrith said, almost sneeringly.
‘You killed Garry Solomon and placed him in the fireplace. You concealed the fireplace and admitted it to Albert.’
‘Why would I tell Albert?’
‘You needed him to protect you. If your plan went wrong and the body was found, the blame would have come back to you. Albert was crucial. You knew that Albert would not allow the good name of Grenfell and the title of Lord Penrith to be sullied by something as common as murder, especially one committed by his half-brother.’
‘It’s a good story, but there is no substance,’ Penrith said.
‘George Sullivan installed the grille at Bellevue Street, oblivious to what was inside the room. He even admitted that if he had known, he would still have installed the grille based on the bond between him and Albert.’
‘You’re talking in riddles, Chief Inspector.’
‘You knew that in time it would be found. You planned for such an eventuality.’
‘But why?’
‘You did not think it would be thirty years, maybe just a few. You were aware that after Mavis Richardson found her husband in bed with Gertrude, there was a plan to sell the house. Montague Grenfell had documents attesting to the fact.’
‘Why didn’t they sell it?’ Penrith asked.
‘Montague talked them out of it.’
‘Why?’
‘I believe you said it yourself. Montague knew everything. He was aware of what you had done and what was in the fireplace. Albert had told him.’
‘Then why after thirty years did he agree to sell it?’
‘Montague had been fiddling the books. We found proof of it, and it cost him his life. The cash was running short. He must have thought that after thirty years nothing would have remained in the fireplace. He had discounted the accumulated coal dust and pigeon droppings, and they had mummified the remains.’
‘If the body had been found sooner?’ Penrith asked.
‘There was proof of George Sullivan installing the grille, and his relationship with your brother was well known. The blame for the murder would have pointed to Albert.’
‘There was no proof.’
‘Montague knew that if Albert was in jail, even condemned to hang, he could still lay claim to the title and the wealth. You had confided in him, knowing full well that he would be complicit. Documents from Garry Solomon to Albert threatening to reveal the fact that his grandfather should have been entitled to the title were with Montague. At the appropriate time, Montague would have ensured that they were found in Albert’s possession. The motive was there, George Sullivan was there, and Albert’s military expertise in assassination would have been
