‘Why?’
‘They’re investigating a crime in their country. We’re not the most important, although they’ve been helpful up to a point.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘A murder in England is not their priority. The current government is attempting to cut down on corporate crime, scamming of tourists. The normal thing that gets the country a bad reputation, keeps the tourists away, as well as the genuine investors. The police, no doubt, are feeling the heat. The only person I’ve been in contact with is a junior officer, good English, and she’s tried her best.’
‘Should we ask Chief Superintendent Goddard to speak to his counterpart in Spain?’ Wendy said.
‘’It won’t help,’ Bridget said. ‘You soon hit bureaucracy, and the wheels will grind slowly.’
‘Bridget’s right,’ Isaac said. ‘Any indication as to how much Ralph might have borrowed?’
‘There was a cash injection into one bank account of four hundred thousand pounds. It may not be money that Lawrence borrowed, but it seems possible. The money had been transmitted by an offshore bank, and the bank’s not telling whose account, but I’ve been on to Fraud, and they reckon it’s probably an English account holder.’
‘Okay, enough said. We need to find whoever gave our man Ralph a few days in the hospital. Bridget, keep checking, Wendy, you can come with me to see Caroline Dickson.’
‘I’ll get down on the street. Start checking out who’s lending big,’ Larry said.
‘We’re dealing with someone who’s not averse to violence, and a police officer may not scare him. Easy enough to take him out, never to be found again,’ Isaac said.
‘I’ll find out a few names first, and then we’ll discuss it. After that, we can figure out what to do.’
***
Caroline Dickson agreed to an interview at her house.
‘Mrs Dickson, I need to caution you,’ Isaac said. ‘There is vital information that you are withholding from us, we know that now.’
‘I’ve been totally honest with you, so has my husband,’ Caroline said.
‘Your brother is in trouble, and you know it. He told you something in the hospital.’
‘He’s borrowed money he can’t pay back.’
‘Are you going to help?’
‘I don’t know. It’s a lot of money, and these people can’t be trusted.’
‘If they can do that to him,’ Isaac said, ‘they are capable of more, even murder.’
‘Ralph’s frightened, and he told me not to tell you. It complicates matters.’
‘Not for us, it doesn’t. Your father’s murder, could it be related?’
So far nobody in the Lawrence family knew of Molly Dempster’s remarkable confession. The revelation that Ralph was her son may well have provoked an interesting reaction from Caroline, but now was not the time and place. Ralph was in the hospital not because of who his mother was, but because of his father. Isaac could see Gilbert’s death as related, but it was a long shot.
‘My father’s death, why?’ Caroline said. ‘He was old, not in good health, and he would not have lived forever.’
‘Five, ten years, long enough for someone to have become nervous, become desperate. Now we know your brother didn’t kill him, proof from the Spanish police on that one, and we’ve ruled out Molly Dempster.’
‘Molly’s a saint, always has been. She brought us up as if we were her own children,’ Caroline said, showing more affection for the woman than she did for her brother.
Wendy looked over at Isaac, saw an imperceptible shake of his head. Both the police officers knew that the woman had said something closer to the truth than she would ever know. It was clear that at some stage Ralph would have to be told. He was illegitimate, the bastard son of a wealthy man and the family housekeeper. Further scandal for a family that had had its fair share. And how would Caroline take the news? Would she distance herself from her half-brother? Neither shared an unbreakable bond; maybe when they were younger, but they had spent many years apart, and Caroline led a decent life with a man she loved, whereas Ralph had become disreputable, a disgrace to his father and to her. Caroline’s children were upstanding members of society, Ralph’s son was struggling to find his way, full of the weaknesses that had blighted his biological father.
‘Molly had lived above the garage, and then spent the remainder of her time looking after your father, only once venturing into the main house. Doesn’t that sound strange to you?’ Isaac said.
‘That was Molly. She was just a good person. You’ll never find either Ralph or myself say a bad word against her. And as for killing our father, not possible. Even if she suspected what was upstairs, it would not have changed her. She was devoted to my parents, even loved them.’
‘Explain love,’ Wendy said.
‘A deep friendship. Once, my mother, I was in my teens by then, told me that if something happened to her, I was to ensure that Molly was looked after.’
‘What did you take that to mean?’
‘I was in my teens, the silly teens, too much alcohol, too many late nights, and no doubt too many unsuitable men. She was trying to tell me something, but I wasn’t listening that closely, trying to get out of the house. Molly came in, and that was the end of the conversation.’
‘You’re older now. What do you think she meant?’
‘The love that Molly felt for my mother was sisterly. For my father it was romantic. We always knew, Ralph and me. Sometimes we’d tease her, not that she said or did anything, only smile. Our mother wanted Molly to be with our father if she was not there.’
‘Did your mother sense an early death?’
‘Sometimes she would have these episodes where she would need to be confined to the house. No doubt she
