‘When she was a child, I could.’
‘Dixey’s?’
‘I went once, tried to plead with her to come home.’
‘Did you see her on the stage?’
‘No, I left before then. She said she was fine, life was good.’
‘Did you believe her?’
‘Helen had no issues with what she was doing.’
‘Do you believe she was capable of love?’
‘With her parents, yes. With the men, no.’
‘Gerald Adamant?’
‘We hoped she was, but we could never be certain.’
‘We have serious doubts about their relationship, although we believe she was in love with James Holden.’
‘The proof?’
‘His wife said it was love. She had seen them together in Holden’s office, at the Holden house.’
‘Is that why they were in that room when they were shot?’
‘We believe so.’
‘I read about Aberman,’ Helen’s father said. He had initially cheered up on talking about his daughter, but now he was sad again.
‘Did you meet him?’
‘I met a man when I entered the club, a big man, gruff voice.’
‘That’s probably Gus, the doorman and bouncer. He’s charged with being an accessory to Aberman’s murder.’
‘Is Helen involved? She always had an unusual outlook on life, a detachment. She had no concept of what was moral and what was not. She had her set of values, and that was that.’
‘Did you talk to her about it?’
‘When she was younger. Not that she ever caused any trouble, and her school marks were excellent. And then, there was the university and the accountant’s, and then…’
‘She was in a strip club,’ Isaac said.
‘She threw all that she had away for nothing. Did she kill Aberman?’
‘Do you believe she could?’
‘Helen was capable of anything, good or bad. To her, there was no difference.’
‘It must be painful for you to be so honest.’
‘The truth is best served by my openness. My wife will try to cover for her, but what good will it do? If Helen is guilty, it will come out eventually.’
‘Helen did not kill Ben Aberman; however, Gerald Adamant’s death is suspicious.’
‘Whatever the truth, we’ll have to deal with it,’ Frank Mackay said.
Isaac could see a devastated man who had learnt to deal with the reality of his daughter. He had seen through her, but others continued to believe in her.
Chapter 22
Isaac and Wendy arrived back at Challis Street. As they entered the building, Superintendent Seth Caddick was waiting.
‘It’s a good job I caught you. In my office, five minutes,’ Caddick said to Isaac.
‘What now?’ Isaac whispered to Wendy as the man walked away.
‘He was smiling, it can only be good news,’ Wendy said.’
‘Good for who?’
Isaac walked up the stairs to the third floor, part of his keep fit regime to avoid taking the lift as much as possible.
‘You’ve been questioning Archie Adamant, accusing him of being involved,’ Caddick said as Isaac settled himself on the hard chair opposite the man’s desk.
‘We’re reopening the case into his father’s death. I was attempting to make him open up.’
‘And did he?’
‘Not really. There are hidden layers to this case, and Adamant knows some of them.’
‘And you feel that upsetting Adamant is one way of achieving this?’
‘I do. Adamant and anyone else who is not totally open.’
‘He’s made a complaint.’
‘It’s a murder enquiry. I’m not going easy on him just because his father was murdered.’
‘I’m not expecting you to.’
‘Then why am I here?’
‘There’s an audit of Homicide.’
Isaac knew it to be the expected audit of the superintendent, not the department.
‘We’re ready,’ Isaac said.
‘Not with all these murders unsolved.’
‘The investigations are proceeding satisfactorily.’
‘You’ve solved one murder. That leaves five. What about Gerald Adamant’s death? Is it murder?’
‘It’s a theory at this time.’
Isaac sensed a change in his superintendent, a change he did not like. The man wanted a favour; he wasn’t sure if he could give it, not sure how to avoid it.
‘What do you need from me to solve Holden’s murder?’ Caddick said.
‘No more than we have at present. Why are you asking?’
‘Commissioner Davies has thrown me to the wolves. An unfavourable audit of Homicide will reflect badly on me.’
‘It will reflect badly on us all, but where’s the problem? Our record is sound, our reporting is up to date, and we, as a team, are conscious of budgetary constraints. What do you have to worry about?’
‘Goddard was a good man, knew what he was doing,’ Caddick said.
‘That’s not what you said before.’
‘I understand your animosity. I’m an ambitious man, the same as you.’
‘We have little in common,’ Isaac said.
‘If I receive a negative mark, it will reflect on you and your department.’
‘You’ll make sure it does.’
‘Not me, not this time. I’m offering a truce, the chance to protect each other.’
‘I will do my duty as a detective chief inspector. What more can I do?’
‘Davies is attempting to consolidate Homicide departments, get rid of Challis Street.’
‘The man never gives up.’
‘He’s a survivor, so am I, so is Goddard, and so are you. Any attempt to reduce staffing levels, the number of Homicide departments, will affect you as much as me.’
‘Not Davies,’ Isaac said.
‘I know it,’ Caddick replied. ‘We need each other. Goddard’s not coming back, so we’d better come to an arrangement. If I don’t present us well enough to the auditors, it’s my head and your department.’
***
Ben Aberman’s former wife finally had possession of the house in Bray. Before she moved in, she had the place painted inside and out. Her husband was not so keen, as he had to commute the extra distance to London each day. ‘I’ve longed for this day for so long,’ she said as he attempted to carry her over the threshold,
