time, but along comes James Holden. He falls for her, uses his influence, and she’s out in four years.’

‘What sort of woman could contemplate such a thing?’

‘A woman who would have made plans. And once she was out of prison, you gave her a flat, money as well. Did she sleep with you by way of thanks?’

‘No. She was too good a person for that.’

‘Which means you loved her, saw yourself as not worthy. Is that why you killed her? Who was it who phoned you? Daisy? The concierge?’

‘This is all wrong. I’m not guilty of what you have said. As to why our father was with Aberman and Slater, I don’t know,’ Archie Adamant said.

***

‘It’s a good theory,’ Larry said as he and Isaac drove away from Adamant’s house.

‘Can you believe that Gerald Adamant is the Mr Big of the group that took over Aberman’s business and then killed him?’ Isaac said.

‘It’s not impossible. Could Helen maintain this hatred for so long, and then kill Adamant for no return?’

‘Her parents may be able to shed some insight on the woman.’

‘Then we’d better go and visit them,’ Larry said.

‘I’ll go with Wendy. She can talk to the mother,’ Isaac said.

Frank and Betty Mackay were pleased when Isaac and Wendy knocked on their door. ‘We’ve not been far since it happened,’ Frank said. ‘We talk about her all the time. What she had done, where she had been. It’s still hard sometimes, but we battle on.’

‘A cup of tea, Mrs Mackay?’ Wendy said.

‘Please excuse my bad manners. I’ll go and put the kettle on.’

‘I’ll give you a hand.’

In the kitchen of the small house, Wendy took the opportunity to speak to Helen’s mother. ‘Mrs Mackay, we’re confused. We can’t decide whether your daughter is the victim of an unforeseen chain of circumstances or whether she had been manipulating them.’

‘She still died in that hotel room,’ the mother replied. Wendy could see that she was still emotional.

‘That doesn’t make sense, I’ll agree, but before that, even before she started working in the Dixey Club, what was she like?’

‘She was a lovely child, always cared for us. Even then, she was the one the school friends gravitated to. I can’t remember how many times she had them over here, always happy, playing the music too loud.’

It was clear to Wendy that Helen Langdon’s mother wanted to remember the child, not the adult, not the victim of a murderer’s bullet. ‘After Helen left school, where did she go?’ Wendy knew, but she wanted the woman to open up.

‘University, and then to an accountant’s firm in London. We thought she was going to be okay.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Sometimes with Helen, we couldn’t be sure what she was thinking. I’d ask, only to be told, “It’s nothing, Mum, nothing to worry about”.’

‘But you did worry.’

‘Maybe if I had seen it.’

‘Seen what?’

‘A coldness towards people. She would be friendly, loving with us, but she could be remote at times.’

‘Intelligent?’

‘Exceptional. It certainly didn’t come from us. She rarely studied for an exam, just seemed to breeze through.’

‘Photographic memory?’

‘They said it was at the school.’

‘Why did she leave the accountant’s and go and work in Dixey’s?’

‘She never attached much importance to her looks.’

‘She was beautiful,’ Wendy said.

‘It meant nothing to her. She knew she had this ability over people, and she knew how to manipulate them.’

‘Did you have problems with young men when she was in her teens?’

‘We knew she was sleeping with one or two of them. I questioned her once about it. She told me not to worry as she had no intention of falling pregnant or in love.’

‘What did you and your husband do?’

‘Apart from worry? There wasn’t a lot we could do, and she never snuck a boy into the house. In fact, we never saw her with a steady boyfriend. Occasionally she’d meet one, do what she wanted, and come home.’

‘No emotions from her, no sneaking in the door?’

‘With Helen, she’d come in the door, tell us what she had just done, then sit down and watch the television with us. In time, we had to accept it, and she wasn’t coming to any harm. She was the ideal child, never forgot our birthdays, occasionally bought me a box of chocolates.’

‘After she left home?’

‘She’d come home every weekend while she was at university, never brought a friend. And then she was working, doing well. After one year or thereabouts, she was on a stage.’

‘How did you find out?’

‘The usual. She came home, announced she was now a dancer.’

‘Did she elaborate?’

‘No. We were upset, but she said not to worry.’

‘Did you know Ben Aberman?’

‘We never met anyone, not then. We did meet Gerald Adamant and his family.’

‘Did you approve?’

‘Initially, no. The man was much older than Helen, but she was happy. In time, we came to accept it.’

‘Your daughter was arrested for his murder. How did you and your husband react?’

‘We’re shocked. Helen’s never shown any violence before. We drove up to where she was being held. Helen’s in a cell. She said that Gerald went crazy and she had to stop him. Outside, Gerald’s children. They’re upset over their father’s death, over Helen being charged. They can’t believe she’s guilty, neither can we.’

‘Mrs Mackay, would you be surprised if I told you that Helen may have killed him not in self-defence but as a premeditated attack?’

‘I’ll never believe that of Helen.’

In the other room, Isaac spoke with Helen’s father. ‘Is it possible that Helen was not the innocent she portrayed herself to be?’ Isaac said.

‘She never portrayed herself as innocent, just a victim of circumstance.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘This hold she had over people.’

‘Could

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