“Did you see a copy of this will?” Kyle asked.
Bella nodded. “It took some time for me to get the information straight. By that time, the dementia had advanced and Mum could barely remember what she had for breakfast, much less what provisions she’d made for her passing. Eventually, my husband and I got to the bottom of it. This Lisa Prentiss made a will online—one of those do-it-yourself programs—and had mum sign it before witnesses, no doubt her friends. Mum basically left everything to Lisa: her savings, the house, and everything in it. That’s when I contacted a lawyer and filed charges with the police. The woman was clearly trying to defraud an elderly person who was no longer in full possession of her faculties.”
“And then what happened?” I asked, leaning forward in my eagerness to find out, my tea forgotten.
“She claimed that Mum had expressed a desire to leave everything to her, which was Mum’s right, of course. But once Lisa realized I was going to fight this will all the way, she backed off, apologized, and said she wouldn’t accept a penny of Mum’s money. I agreed not to pursue the case against her and dropped the charges.”
“Did she return the jewelry?” I asked.
“No. She said Mum gave her those pieces as a gift and she had no intention of giving them back.”
“And your lawyer was happy to let her get away with it?” Kyle asked.
“He did some digging and informed me that the agency Lisa said she worked for was registered to her husband’s half-brother, Alexander McKenna, and had no legal connection to Social Services. He thought it was a front for fraudulent activity. Mum likely wasn’t the only person they’d tried to swindle. I was lucky that Mum still wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t tell me what was going on, but there are some elderly people who are mentally incapacitated and alone and make for easy targets.”
“Thank you for your candor, Bella,” Kyle said, setting down his teacup. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“Have I? I’m glad.” She looked embarrassed, then jumped up and grabbed a book off a shelf. “Would you mind autographing this for me? Mum would never forgive me if I didn’t ask.”
“Of course. I’d be happy to,” Kyle said, smiling warmly. He accepted a pen from Bella and wrote something in the flyleaf before handing the book back. “And thank you for the tea,” he said graciously.
“Oh, you’re most welcome,” she replied, looking a bit starstruck. “Good luck with your case.”
Bella walked us to the door, and we said our goodbyes before walking down the path and getting into Kyle’s car.
“Well, well,” Kyle said as he pulled away from the curb. “That was certainly illuminating.”
“What are you thinking?” I asked, although I could guess easily enough.
“I’m thinking that the Prentisses have struck gold,” Kyle said. “They’ve tried to defraud a few lonely old people and maybe got a few pieces of jewelry and the odd monetary bequest, but with Lockwood Hall, they really hit it big.”
“We have absolutely no proof of that,” I argued.
“No, we don’t, but as you pointed out, Lisa Prentiss does not figure in any of the Lockwood genealogical data, and the late Jeffrey Lockwood was said to have rather advanced Alzheimer’s. Perhaps he was an easy target who had no family to look after his interests.”
“There is a distant relative in New Zealand,” I said.
“Exactly. Too far removed to realize what was happening.”
I looked at Kyle askance. “Do you mean to pursue this?”
Kyle looked thoughtful. “I’m just interested is all. It’s quite a racket. An excellent case for DI Shaw.”
“So, your interest in this is purely professional?”
“No. I wanted to make sure you’re safe. You seem to have uncovered something that makes you a threat. Or at least the Prentisses believe you have.”
I nodded but didn’t fully buy Kyle’s answer. Something told me he wasn’t being completely honest with me. What Bella had told us bothered him more than he cared to admit, but aside from being an upstanding citizen and feeling outrage on behalf of vulnerable old people, I wasn’t sure why he took this so personally.
“Shall we get something to eat?” Kyle asked. “I’m famished.”
“All right.” I wasn’t all that hungry, but I wasn’t ready to return to the house and looked forward to spending some time with Kyle. I hoped he’d share with me what was on his mind.
Chapter 50
Kyle seemed to cheer up a little as our plates of curry and a basket of warm naan bread were placed before us. He took a sip of wine, his gaze thoughtful. I was glad we’d chosen this out-of-the-way Indian restaurant rather than going to a busy pub. There were a few other couples, but their presence didn’t take away from the restaurant’s intimate atmosphere. Soft sitar music played in the background, and the aroma of foreign spices permeated the air, making me feel like I was on holiday.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“Mrs. Carter.”
“And who is Mrs. Carter? Someone else you think the Prentisses might have defrauded?”
“No. Mrs. Carter was our neighbor when I was growing up. She seemed very old to me at
