‘The sort of things you wouldn’t want a child to see?’
‘I’m the only one who can see over the fence. Mr Aberman had good privacy, but my room upstairs can see right over. Some of them at the party, well, later on, they’re on the grass.’
‘And?’
‘You know.’
‘Indulging in sexual intercourse?’
‘We used to call it screwing, but I suppose you’re the police. You have to use the official term, make it sound dirty.’
‘We use your word, but I thought you’d be offended.’
‘My husband and I, we were broadminded.’
Wendy looked at the old woman, a gentle and kind soul, who had her family photos lined up on a table in the sitting room, a woman who treasured her knick-knacks, a woman who was not offended by the behaviour next door.
‘Tell me about the men digging?’
‘There’s not a lot I can tell you. It was dark, and I couldn’t really see them.’
‘Did they see you?’
‘Not me. I was careful to stay hidden. I get up in that room, the lights off, and I peer through a gap in the curtains. The two men, one was taller than the other, they didn’t say much, only stopped for a rest every fifteen minutes. I could see they both smoked.’
‘After they finished digging the hole?’
‘I fell asleep before then. It was boring.’
‘Did you fall asleep when they had the parties.’
‘Not then. I loved to watch.’
‘Mrs Hawthorne, you’re terrible. A woman your age,’ Wendy said, although it was said with humour.
‘The mind’s willing, even if the body isn’t.’
‘You said the car left in the morning.’
‘It wasn’t there, but it could have left during the night.’
‘Did you hear any noises, any names mentioned?’
‘Nothing, and my hearing’s fine.’
‘No gunshot?’
‘Nothing. Do you think the woman who came here knew there was a body in the garden?’
‘We don’t know.’
‘You could ask her. She gave me a phone number.’
‘She’ll not answer,’ Wendy said.
‘Any reason why?’
‘The woman you know has died. She’s been murdered.’
‘Such a nice person. What a shame.’
‘A shame, as you say.’
***
With the recovered body from Aberman’s back garden with Pathology, the Homicide team gathered at Challis Street. Isaac was about to go through what they had so far when his phone rang.
‘Linda Holden. Can you come to my office?’
‘Is it important?’
‘Yes. I’ve found something,’ the woman said as she ended the phone call.
‘Larry, you better come with me,’ Isaac said. ‘Wendy, can you focus on finding any relatives of Ben Aberman. Bridget, whatever you can.’
‘Aberman was divorced,’ Bridget said. ‘Wendy could try there first. I’ve got an address for the ex-wife, no idea what sort of reception she’ll receive.’
‘I can handle myself,’ Wendy said.
‘You know what we want. We’ll go and see what Linda Holden has, and then we’ll swing by the Dixey Club, see what Knox and Gus have to say for themselves.’
‘You should take Aberman’s neighbour. She’d love it,’ Wendy said.
‘More than me,’ Isaac said.
The two police officers arrived at Linda Holden’s office. The place was almost empty.
‘We’ve had to let most of them go,’ Linda said on their entering.
‘Why’s that?’
‘We survive mainly on benefactors, some wealthy, some through donations on our website, but with all the negative publicity, we’re not bringing in enough money. Another month and we’ll close the door.’
‘Your mother?’ Larry asked.
‘She’s confused as to what’s happened. The Daisy woman, what about her?’
‘Your father met her on an occasional basis. Their relationship was purely commercial.’
‘But not with Helen?’
‘That’s what we’ve always believed. Helen, whatever else she was, was not a common prostitute.’
‘Our father was obsessed with her. He was even considering leaving our mother.’
‘You have proof?’
‘I found some letters from him to her. I don’t know if he sent them, and if he did, then why are they in this office?’
‘Why are you telling us?’ Isaac said.
‘I’m closing this place down. I don’t want any loose ends.’
‘I thought your father’s work was important.’
‘Have you turned on the television lately?’
‘Your father’s no longer seen as the beacon of morality.’
‘That’s why I’m showing you these letters. They may help to explain my father’s behaviour, they may not.’
‘Your brother?’
‘He’s still angry. Although I think he’s over the worst of it. He had been in love with Helen.’
‘He could have killed her and your father?’
‘If my brother had seen these letters, he would have been angry enough to do something.’
The truth is always the best approach,’ Isaac said.
Larry took one of the letters and glanced through it. ‘Not unusual for a man as he’s getting older, the need to relive his youth, but, as you say, it was more than love.’
‘That’s Helen, isn’t it? She has this power over men.’ Linda said.
‘Have you ever heard of a Ben Aberman?’ Isaac said.
‘Should I?’
‘It’s before Helen’s time in prison. The man goes back to when she was performing. He was the owner of the club.’
‘What about him?’
‘We found a body in the back garden of his house. It had a bullet wound in the head.’
‘Do you suspect the same person killed my father and Helen?’ Linda said.
‘There’s a few years between the deaths. Up until the last few weeks, Helen had been paying regular visits to the house,’ Isaac said.
‘Did anyone know Helen? Do you think she killed her husband?’ Linda said.
‘Our primary focus is her death, not who she may have killed. Adamant treated her well. Even his children and they were older than her, treated her with respect.’
‘Then maybe my father had no chance.’
‘Maybe,’ Isaac said. John Holden concerned him, and his sister had been right. The letters which Isaac now had in his pocket
