Isaac, regardless of Stanley Montgomery’s aspersion that the police were to blame for his wife’s medical condition before her death, had not heard from the man. Wendy had met with him on one occasion, found him to be quiet with little to say. It had been an uncomfortable conversation, and whereas there were still questions to be asked, she hadn’t had the heart to ask them.
In the office at Challis Street, Bridget Halloran continued with the paperwork, ensuring that all reports were in on time, the case for the prosecution was updated.
So far, the murder count stood at one. Nobody wanted Christine Mason added to the total, and Wendy had advised her to be careful. Christine had confided that Archibald Marshall had become extremely upset at her refusal to go with him to one of the vacant rooms upstairs, and as a result he had threatened to withdraw his support for her and to ensure she paid for her crimes.
Wendy’s take on Marshall’s changed attitude had been to advise the woman to maintain two sets of records, one for the hotel, another for evidence that the man had also been guilty of a crime.
It was not unusual, not with arrogant, manipulative men, scheming women – it was not gender specific – the belief that if they could hoodwink their boss, or in Marshall’s case the hotel chain, they could also hoodwink the police.
And with Marshall threatening Christine again, Wendy knew she’d be doubling her efforts to make sure the man did not come out on top.
Homicide Department, the early-morning meeting. The core team were in Detective Chief Inspector Isaac Cook’s office. The mood was sombre.
‘It’s time to wrap up this case,’ Isaac said. The team sat attentive, knowing that this was the make-or-break meeting where the facts were laid out before them, when everyone had to stand up and be counted, to justify their actions so far, the plans going forward.
There were enough facts, more than one possible murderer. People would need to be put under pressure, to breaking point if needed.
Isaac sat in his chair, a grimace on his face. ‘Larry, what’s your status?’ he asked.
Larry, standing up with his back against the office door, paused for a moment before speaking. ‘It’s not that simple,’ he said.
Not the answer that Isaac wanted to hear, but it was an open forum. It was for his detective inspector to continue.
‘Consider who we have. Stanley Montgomery, the father. And then we have Terry Hislop, a man capable of violence, as well as Archibald Marshall.’
‘There’s no proof of violence against Marshall,’ Wendy said.
‘Besotted with Christine Mason? Her messing around with Colin Young? He’s still a candidate.’
‘Who else?’ Isaac asked.
‘Christine for the murder of her lover. We know he was playing around with Amelia Bentham, possibly some others.’
‘We’ve not found any more,’ Larry said. ‘Not since the men and Nancy Bartlett that he was contracted out to by Nick Domett of Gents for Hire.’
‘Conclusive that his escorting days were over?’
‘No. It’s just that we’ve found no more proof. If he was freelancing, picking up a woman, and as we know now, men, at clubs and hotels in London, then we’ve not found any evidence. Even though Nancy Bartlett and Christine Mason have admitted to giving him money, it doesn’t look as though the man was a total bastard,’ Wendy said.
‘What do you mean by that?’ Isaac asked.
Larry answered the question. ‘He could have bled them for a lot more, especially Nancy Bartlett, and Cranwell, the accountant, was seriously embarrassed by his indiscretion. A closet homosexual, Cranwell; he’d not want it bandied around the city, and especially not to his wife.’
‘The other men?’ Isaac asked.
‘I don’t think they would have cared. I’d go for either Cranwell or Nancy Bartlett.’
‘With Cranwell, it’s fear of being outed? With Nancy Bartlett, it’s anger at being dumped?’ Wendy said.
‘That’s about it. Mind you, she never gave the impression that she was a vengeful woman nor was she angry when I interviewed her,’ Larry said.
‘Christine Mason doesn’t give the impression that she’s a cheating wife, either,’ Wendy said.
‘Anyone else?’ Isaac asked.
‘There are more, we just need to prioritise.’
‘Amelia Bentham?’ Bridget said.
‘She made out that the relationship was casual, but she’s at the settling down age, not the one-night stand. It could have been serious from her side,’ Wendy said.
‘And she could have said something to Matilda, the reason that the woman committed suicide.’
‘We’re clutching at straws,’ Isaac said. ‘Where are the solid facts? Wendy, you’ve spent time with Amelia Bentham. What do you think? And none of that “I hope it isn’t her”.’
‘She comes from a stable family background. She’s successful, attractive, and she’s got a lot going for her.’
‘But not ruled out.’
‘No. But we have violent men that we need to exclude first.’
‘The death of Colin Young didn’t require too much strength.’
‘Hitting him hard on the head, ensuring that he fell into the water doesn’t automatically ensure death, though,’ Larry said.
‘We’ve been through this before. The blow was of sufficient force to render the man unconscious, and there was no attempt to rescue him. The water in the Serpentine’s not that deep; cold, though.’
‘The person who hit him panicked, left the area quickly. It would have been half light, misty, and maybe they were frightened, regretting what they did,’ Wendy said.
‘You’re not a defence lawyer for Christine Mason,’ Isaac said. ‘You’re a police officer. If she hit him and he fell into the water and drowned, it’s still murder.’
‘I’m not trying to get her off. I’m just stating facts. Stanley Montgomery’s not the sort of person to leave the man’s death to
