‘Whoever did this, they’ll be back,’ Isaac said. ‘These people are professionals. Your only protection is with us.’
Ralph stirred in his bed, attempted to sit up, grimaced in pain, and lay down again. ‘It was an accident. My fault for being on that roof. It wasn’t that high, maybe fifteen feet, and I thought I’d be fine.’
Caroline Dickson came close to her brother and whispered in his ear.
‘What did you just say, Mrs Dickson?’ Isaac said, having noticed the sister leaning in near the brother, but not able to hear what was said.
‘I just gave him my love. He’s my brother, I care.’
‘Mrs Dickson, let me remind you. If you and your brother, even Michael here, are concealing the truth, for whatever reason, it could have serious repercussions.’
‘We’ve broken no law,’ Michael said.
‘The law you can deal with. Whoever did this is not held back by rules or regulations or the law. They believe they’re invincible, and they’ll be back. Maybe not today or next week, not even for a few months, but mark my words – these are dangerous men who could have killed Mr Lawrence but chose not to for a reason. And we all know why, don’t we?’
‘Do we?’ Caroline said.
‘They want something. This is a warning, and none of you here is capable of standing up to whoever it is. If they can’t get it through Ralph, they’ll get it another way.’
***
The inevitable presence of Chief Superintendent Richard Goddard in Isaac’s office, not that anyone could blame him, certainly not in Homicide. The savage beating of Gilbert Lawrence’s son was a development, the first for some time.
‘Are you sure he was meant to live?’ Goddard asked. He was sitting across from Isaac. In one corner, a potted plant that Bridget and Wendy had given Isaac some time ago after another of his failed romances. On the wall, a picture of Isaac when he had graduated from university, his face beaming, proudly holding his certificate.
‘We don’t know who it was,’ Isaac said. ‘But we’re sure he didn’t fall off that roof. Why would someone risk bringing attention to themselves? It’s not as if Ralph Lawrence received any money from his father. He’s currently renting a two-bedroom flat, nothing special, and his son’s there as well.’
‘His sister did, and what about his ex-wife? Plenty of money there.’
‘We’re investigating all scenarios. Nothing’s certain, but we believe Ralph’s owing money to someone, and he’s having trouble paying.’
‘Evidence?’
‘None, just a hunch. We’ve seen it before. There’s no point killing the borrower. A few days in the hospital, a few broken bones, and the borrower’s more compliant, may even commit a crime to pay it back.’
‘Loan shark?’
‘Gangsters, loan sharks, even one of the man’s dubious friends. It wouldn’t be the first time Ralph Lawrence has found himself in hot water. He may have meted out similar treatment to others when he had been flush with money.’
‘Whatever, whoever, don’t take long on this one. Questions are being asked.’
‘They always are,’ Isaac said. As much as Isaac respected his senior, it was as if the man was playing the same old record. There was always a budgetary issue, the key performance indicators were down, he needed the current murder solving, or there was pressure from above.
Although the pressure, as both of the men knew, was through the office of Commissioner Alwyn Davies, the head of the London Metropolitan Police, a man who did not rule by consensus and professional leadership but by adroit political manoeuvring and intimidation. Goddard and Isaac were very much in the man’s line of sight, having crossed swords with Davies on more than one occasion, and the commissioner wasn’t a man to forget. To both of the men, how Davies survived was of concern, but as Goddard had said before, get on and do your job, I’ll deal with the commissioner.
With the superintendent out of the office, Isaac called in the team. It was still early in the morning, the best time Isaac always thought to formulate the actions for the day.
Wendy Gladstone was first in, closely followed by Bridget Halloran, the office supremo, and then Larry Hill, Isaac’s detective inspector.
‘Find out who gave Ralph Lawrence a good beating, is that it?’ Larry said.
‘Critical, but his sister knows something. We need to talk to her first.’
‘Before we plan the day’s activities, let’s recap on yesterday. Bridget, what do you have?’
‘More details from Spain as to what Lawrence was up to. The man’s associate was released from prison two weeks after Ralph Lawrence returned to England. He cleared out any bank accounts and disappeared, left a string of debts behind him.’
‘Debts someone wants to be paid?’
‘The company had leased a couple of vehicles through a local company, and the premises they operated from were owned by a local businessman. Apart from that, and the tradesmen who fixed up the office, there doesn’t appear to be anyone with any criminal connections.’
‘It depends on whether Lawrence’s colleague borrowed from loan sharks,’ Isaac said.
‘There’s no way to find out, and besides, that’s a Spanish problem. If Lawrence is beaten up here, and there were signs that his wrists had been bound and he was missing one shoe when found, then he almost certainly borrowed in England. Any idea how much?’
‘Not yet. It’s not a loan that would have been registered.’
‘Any luck with bank accounts?’
‘We know that the scam in Spain had almost two million
