‘Perfectly.’
‘In your own time,’ Larry said as the man sat quietly, unsure what to say, having to speak words that he did not want to utter.
‘I met Colin Young on two occasions. I have a flat near to the office. It’s only small, and my wife never visits.’
‘Where is your wife?’
‘She’s in Sevenoaks, not far on the train, but if I’ve been working late, then I’ll stay in London for the night. It’s a weakness, but sometimes…’
‘I’m not here to pass judgement or to offer an opinion. I need the facts, nothing else.’
‘Very well. Sometimes...’
‘Please, Mr Cranwell, the sooner you talk, the sooner I’ll be out of here.’
‘It’s just difficult, you must understand.’
‘The facts.’
‘I remember him well, anyone would.’
‘Beautiful?’
‘You met him?’
‘Never, but that word’s been used by others.’
‘Men?’
‘You’re the first. Women mainly.’
‘He would come over to the flat. Two hours later he would leave, set your clock by him. There’s no more to tell.’
‘We had him as heterosexual.’
‘He was unemotional during the two hours. To him, it was mechanical.’
‘To you?’
‘I felt something, but afterwards, I was ashamed. I’m afraid I got drunk with a bottle of whisky after each time.’
‘Yet you continued with him.’
‘Only two times.’
‘What about him? The sort of man to form enemies?’
‘The sort of man to fall in love with.’
‘Did you?’
‘No. But with rejected love comes anger and then hatred then violence.’
‘Are you a violent man?’
‘I’m just a weak man, nothing more.’
As Larry left, the door behind him being closed quickly, the PA looked up from her laptop. ‘Mr Cranwell?’ she said. Larry hoped she had not been standing close to the door when the man had unburdened himself.
***
‘My wife has taken a turn for the worse,’ Stanley Montgomery said on the phone to Isaac.
‘Serious?’ Isaac’s reply wasn’t what the unpleasant Montgomery wanted to hear.
‘If you hadn’t interfered, I could have dealt with it, but now she’s in the hospital, refusing to eat. They’ve put her on an intravenous drip, not that it’s going to help, not in the long run.’
‘If there’s anything we can do.’ Isaac knew it was the right thing to say, but what did it mean? Neither he nor the Homicide Department could change the fact that the woman’s son had been murdered and her daughter had committed suicide.
‘I’m holding you personally responsible, and I’ll be making a public statement in due course. I’m also investigating legal action against the police in the handling of this matter.’
‘That’s your prerogative, Mr Montgomery. Tragic as it is, it is still a murder investigation. The truth must be revealed, the murderer brought to justice. You have been inconvenienced, as has your wife. I’m sorry about that, but that’s how it is. Take legal advice if you must, talk to the press, but you will achieve little, only more sorrow for yourself and your poor wife.’
‘Smooth words, Cook, but what do they mean? My wife is who I care about, not you and your precious police force. My daughter is dead because of you.’
‘Because of us?’
‘Yes, because of you.’
‘How? We never knew of her, not even your son’s true identity. If she died, it is because you told her about Barry, which means that you have lied to us. Did you kill your son?’
‘I did not. We will talk again in the courts. My wife is dying of a broken heart, and I need to be with her.’
‘Mr Montgomery, her death is on your account, not mine,’ Isaac said in a rare bout of anger.
Afterwards, he sat down and reflected on what had been said, and whether the father was a murderer. But first, he needed to go to the hospital where Mrs Montgomery was. He wasn’t sure if it would help; it just seemed the right thing to do.
***
Christine Mason reacted with alarm when Wendy outlined what needed to happen next.
‘But you can’t. My husband, my career.’
‘I’m sorry, but there’s no alternative. We need to bring in your manager. He’s been blackmailing you, treating you as his personal plaything.’
‘I will go to jail,’ Christine said. The two women were sitting at the bar in the hotel, the manager hovering, but out of hearing range. They both kept to a fruit juice, although Wendy would have preferred something stiffer. She knew that she had promised to try and keep Christine out of the investigation as much as possible, but embezzlement, blackmail, a young lover, an offensive hotel manager who took his payment in money and sexual services, kept bringing the investigation back to her.
Wendy still hoped that she was innocent, just a hapless person whose weakness for affection and physical contact had brought her centre stage once again.
‘I hope not,’ Wendy said. ‘You’ve cooperated with the police. That’ll go in your favour.’
‘My job?’
‘The truth must prevail. I can’t stop this. Either you work with me on this, or it’ll be a black mark.’
‘My husband?’
‘He needs to be interviewed. We have all the pieces of the jigsaw in front of us. It is now time to complete that puzzle. Others will be hurt, and we know that Colin’s mother is close to death.’
‘From what? Was she a good woman?’
‘Malnutrition, a weak heart, years of being brow-beaten.’
‘She has suffered as well. I am sorry for her.’
‘Will you cooperate?’
‘If I must,’ Christine said, her face downcast.
Chapter 19
Larry wasn’t prepared for the next person on Domett’s list. Cranwell had been polite, even if ashamed of what he had done, but it wouldn’t stop him spending time and money with another man in the future. After him, there had been two other men. One was a retired police officer in his
