Dark Rooms

Chapter Sixteen

Jane was with Mr Hadley for two hours. They had a tense meeting with the head of the care home, Miss Summers, who was adamant that none of her staff would have taken the necklace, but Jane insisted that she would need to question them and might be obliged to file a report of theft because of the pearls’ value.

Hadley was becoming increasingly upset, particularly when Jane suggested to him that Jason Thorpe might have taken the pearls when he visited Helena on the Monday night — or perhaps Helena had given them to him.

‘Absolutely not! She would never have given them willingly to him,’ he insisted, clearly angry.

Jane also noted his reaction as Miss Summers handed her the death certificate, stating that Helena had died as a result of her injuries from a fall.

Jane said she would contact the local Sussex CID as Helena’s death had occurred in their jurisdiction. Although it appeared accidental, Jane thought it best that a full post-mortem was carried out and in the meantime the room should be sealed and examined by Sussex scene of crime officers.

Hadley clenched his fists.

‘Yes, I think it is of utmost importance,’ he said forcefully. He turned to Jane. ‘Thank you. I shall take it upon myself to inform her family.’

Jane returned to the station around three and got straight on the phone to Sussex CID. After a lengthy discussion, they agreed to order a full post-mortem and let her know the results. She knew Carter would go ballistic when he found out, so she was relieved to be told that he was tied up in meetings with the lawyer of one of the young men he had arrested on a burglary charge. She decided to take the window of opportunity that had been presented to her.

‘Come on, Tim,’ she said, walking over to DCI Taylor’s desk, ‘let’s go to Australia House and pick up our visas.’

On the way out, Jane told the duty sergeant that she would be at home if she was needed, anticipating that she would have a weekend off-duty as she was going to be flying to Australia.

By the time she got home, it was after six. Eddie was there working on his own, hanging wallpaper in the sitting room. He had erected a large pasting table and had already covered one wall.

Jane had stopped off at the local off-licence to buy a bottle of wine, holding it up as she walked into the room.

‘Wow! This looks fantastic!’ she exclaimed.

‘Yeah, I think it’s going to be OK,’ Eddie said, ‘but I’m not sure about doing all four walls in the same paper. Maybe one wall should a lighter shade of the green? Up to you.’

‘Listen, I’ve been happy with everything you’ve done so far, so it’s your choice. Is the bathroom plumbed in?’

‘Yup, first thing this morning. The putty should be dry by now, and we’ll have the tiles up tomorrow. Go and have a look in your bedroom. I’ve already papered the walls in there.’

Jane put the bottle of wine down on the kitchen table, took off her coat and hurried up the stairs. The bedroom not only had new paper but also a fresh coat of gloss paint on all the skirting boards and the door. The paint fumes were overwhelming, so she’d probably have to sleep in the spare room, but she was amazed at how fast Eddie and his team worked.

The bathroom was another revelation. Even without the wall tiles or the flooring completed, she felt like a ten-year-old turning on the new taps, and she couldn’t wait to test out the elegant glass-fronted shower.

By the time she returned to the kitchen, Eddie was washing his hands in the sink.

‘I’m going to call it quits for tonight, Jane. I need to get some more paste for tomorrow when the paper for the hall is being delivered. We’re still a long way from being finished, but I’m going to need another £300 to pay the team.’

‘I’ll go to the bank tomorrow,’ she said, taking two wine glasses from the cupboard.

‘Did you have a good day?’ he asked, drying his hands.

‘I’m not sure I would describe it as a good day... a bit of a shocker, really.’

‘How come?’

‘You know this case I’m working on, and the family tree you saw last night? Well, the woman was found dead this morning.’

‘Who was?’

‘Helena Lanark, the woman in the care home.’

‘She was pretty old and suffering from dementia, though, wasn’t she?’

Jane poured the wine. ‘Yes, she was. And the doctor’s report said a fall killed her, but there were a couple of things about the circumstances that made me suspicious, so I got Sussex police involved.’

‘What made you suspicious?’

‘For one, a window was found open in her suite. Secondly, a valuable pearl necklace appears to be missing.’

Eddie chuckled. ‘My God, you really are Miss Marple! My grandmother was about the same age when she snuffed it. What’s so suspicious about a window being found open? You were accusing us of leaving your back door open. I don’t get why you’re so caught up with this? I’d have thought a case about a rich woman in a care home would’ve been a low priority in comparison to other stuff, like tracking down that railway rapist for instance.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Been in all the newspapers... they reckon whoever raped and murdered these girls worked on the railways, so he was moving from station to station...’

Jane shook her head. ‘I don’t believe this...’

‘It’s the truth... well, according to the News of the World anyway.’

‘Thank you for your expertise regarding my career as a police officer,’ Jane said tightly, ‘but I focus on crimes that occurred in my area, in Stockwell.’

Eddie raised an eyebrow. ‘But didn’t the old lady fall off her perch in Hove?’

Jane took a deep breath. ‘Thank you for reminding me about the back door being left open. Did you mention it to the guys?’

‘Er... did you ask me to?’

‘Never mind, I’ll talk to them when I next see them. I just got an uneasy feeling, because I was certain I had left the folder closed on the kitchen table, but it was open and my receipts were all over the floor.’

‘Listen, for the next payment, don’t worry about receipts as I am getting a good deal from a bloke — you know, back-of-the-lorry kind of stuff.’

‘What?’

‘Cash in hand.’

Jane frowned. ‘I don’t really agree with any of that, Eddie.’

‘Agree or not, it’s a quarter of the price. How do you think I got that bathroom suite so cheap?’

Jane took a deep breath, feeling her anger building.

‘How about I go and get us some fish and chips, or a kebab?’

He reached over and drew her into his arms. ‘I’ve just been teasing you, darling. You do get very serious at times, you know.’

Jane gave him a tight smile, not wanting to have row with him before she left for Australia. ‘I’ll have a kebab, please.’

Jane made a point of not talking any more about the case that evening. After Eddie had left, she called Arnold Hadley, apologising for the lateness, but saying that she was keen to get an update.

‘Helena was taken to the mortuary,’ he told her. ‘The Sussex police didn’t seem that concerned about her death, though. They said there may be some delay with the autopsy as they already have cases allocated for Friday, and then it’s the weekend.’

Jane hesitated. ‘Have you informed Jason Thorpe, or his mother, yet?’

Hadley hesitated. ‘No, due to the time difference I haven’t contacted them yet. I will obviously have to let them know as soon as possible as they will probably wish to arrange the funeral.’

Jane chewed her lip. ‘Mr Hadley, I will be in Australia to question Beatrice on Saturday, so I could give them the news then, if you prefer?’

She could sense his relief over the phone. ‘Under the circumstances I think that would be better.’

‘Did the local police make any progress regarding the necklace?’

‘No, they questioned all the staff and the young girl who had seen her the previous evening recalled that Helena hadn’t been wearing it, which wasn’t unusual.’

‘What time was that?’ Jane asked.

‘At half past nine.’

‘But the carer didn’t notice the window was open?’

‘I’m afraid I didn’t ask.’

‘So, from half past nine until her breakfast was served the following morning, nobody checked on Miss Lanark?’

‘Apparently not, as they were short-staffed. But I think this may have been quite usual.’

Jane sighed with annoyance. ‘Have you taken all of her personal belongings from the care home?’ she asked.

‘Yes, I took them in case Beatrice wants any of them.’

‘Mr Hadley, is there anything else you can tell me about the pearls?’

‘I believe the pearls had belonged to Helena’s mother and were part of a rather elaborate set. Each daughter was given a strand, but only Helena’s had the gold-and-diamond clasp.’

‘Do you know the value of her strand, Mr Hadley?’

‘Possibly £2,000 or £3,000 as they were matching-in-size, South Sea pearls.’

‘Did you tell the local police?’

‘To be honest, they seemed uninterested in the whole thing. They said in any case it would be hard to prove anyone stole them without a witness.’

‘Did you take them, Mr Hadley?’ Jane said evenly.

‘No I did not!’ he said, sounding affronted. ‘How could you imagine such a thing? There is always the possibility that Helena gave the pearls to Jason when he last visited, I suppose. Or he may have thought it was his right to take them... but he’ll soon learn how wrong he was.’

He paused as if he had said too much, and then coughed nervously.

‘Perhaps when you are in Australia you can ask Jason about the pearls?’

Jane didn’t respond to that. Then she said, ‘Thank you for your time, Mr Hadley. I’ll await the outcome of the post-mortem and will be in touch.’

Jane replaced the receiver. She was surprised that Mr Hadley had even suggested that Helena Lanark could have given Jason Thorpe the necklace, given how vehemently he had previously denied the possibility. She also wondered why he didn’t want to contact Jason regarding Helena’s death.

Jane made herself a cup of tea and then went upstairs to look over her bedroom. The furniture was still piled in the centre of the room, but it was coming along well

Jane walked back down to the kitchen, and found a pile of dirty cups and mugs in the sink. By the time she had finished cleaning up, she was beginning to feel weary, and decided to make a few notes before heading to bed.

First, she jotted down a reminder to go to the bank to withdraw more money for Eddie. But she quickly found she couldn’t really concentrate on anything else to do with the house. She was worried about deliberately not informing DCI Carter of Helena Lanark’s death so he couldn’t use it as an excuse to cancel her Australia trip, knowing that her decision could have repercussions. But in the end she managed to convince herself that if the post-mortem revealed Helena’s death was suspicious, that would make it even more urgent that she go — not so much to talk to Beatrice, but to interview a potential murder suspect — Jason Thorpe.

The following morning, after a quick breakfast in the canteen, Jane returned to her office and summoned in DC Taylor to discuss their travel arrangements. They agreed to meet at the British Airways check-in desk at 6.30 that evening.

On her way home Jane stopped off at her bank to withdraw £300 for Eddie. She arrived home at lunchtime, and the team were hanging the wallpaper in the hallway, which looked exactly as Eddie had described it. She was told that Eddie had just gone out for a few minutes to collect some more paste.

‘Oh, by the way, did he mention to any of you to take more care about checking the back door is locked?’ Jane asked. ‘The other night when I came home it had been left open.’

There were a few blank looks and shrugs, as Eddie appeared at the kitchen door with the paste, having come in the back way.

‘There’s no need to worry,’ he said. ‘From now on I will personally make sure everything is locked up before I leave.’

‘Thank you, Eddie. Let me give this to you now.’

She opened her wallet and handed him the envelope, which he stuffed into the back pocket of his jeans.

‘That’s not what I call very safe,’ she said. ‘Put it in the folder.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ll do it later. How come you’re home so early?’

‘You know I’m leaving for Australia tonight?’ she said.

‘Crikey, they organise things fast — I didn’t realise it was tonight. Where are you leaving from?’

‘Heathrow. It’s a half past nine flight, so I need to be there by 6.30.’

‘OK, I’ll get the lads out of here by five so that you can have the house to yourself. Then once you’ve changed and packed, I can take you to the airport in your car, then bring it back here.’

‘Would you do that for me?’

He smiled. ‘Come here, you... I reckon the sooner you leave, the faster you’ll be home and I’ll use every minute you’re away to get things ship-shape for when you get back.’

Eddie gave her a hug and a kiss, before taking the paste out to the guys. Jane was making herself a sandwich in the kitchen so didn’t hear Eddie tell them he had a van load of gear he needed shifting onto a site his dad was working on.

Jane went up to her bedroom to get packed and ready. As Eddie had promised, the guys downed tools at five, giving her plenty of time to use her new shower and pack a small overnight bag. February in Australia would be blisteringly hot, so she packed a light pair of trousers, a couple of T-shirts, a cotton jacket and a pair of slingback shoes.

She washed and blow-dried her hair, then double-checked she had all the toiletries she needed, finally putting on a smart grey suit and white shirt, with comfortable black court shoes to travel in. Eddie whistled when she came down the stairs.

‘My, my, you certainly look the business. Is that all the luggage you’re taking?’

‘I’m only there for a couple of nights, Eddie.’

‘Well, I hope they’ve booked you into Business Class... it’s a hell of a long flight for such a short trip.’

Jane laughed as he took her overnight bag and put it in the boot. ‘You must be joking. I’ll be in Economy holding the hand of the young DC who is accompanying me. The furthest he’s flown before is Jersey.’

Eddie dropped Jane off at Terminal 3 Departures and cupped her face in his hands. ‘You stay safe, darling. Let me know when you want me to collect you. Love you.’

Jane smiled and kissed him back. She felt she should have said ‘I love you’ back, but the moment had gone.

Jane headed into the airport and spotted DC Taylor standing by the check-in counter wearing a thick tweed jacket with cord trousers, obviously unaware that it would be almost peak summer in Australia. Instead of a case he had a rucksack.

‘I’m travelling light,’ he said, smiling.

‘I can see,’ Jane replied.

‘I made those inquiries with the Stockwell planning department about the sale of the property. I got copies of everything from them and the legal papers that Arnold Hadley drew up.’

Jane nodded. ‘Good. I’ll have a read of them on the plane.’

Tim’s face fell. ‘I’m sorry, but I left them in an envelope on my desk. I could ring the station and see if someone can drop them off...’

‘Don’t bother,’ Jane sighed, ‘how much did Jason get for the house?’

‘Six hundred thousand pounds, which the planning department reckon was well below the market value.’

‘Why would he sell it below value?’

‘The planning bloke suggested Thorpe could have got a big cash kickback from the developer because he dropped the price — or even shares in the company. I then checked at Companies House. Jason Thorpe bought £100,000 worth of shares in the development company.’

‘Did all the £600,000 from the sale go into Helena Lanark’s account?’ Jane asked.

Tim nodded. ‘On paper it looks above board. Only Thorpe and the developer would know about any backhanders, of course.’

Jane looked thoughtful. ‘I wonder if Arnold Hadley knew what Jason was up to and also got a backhander?’

‘The planning department said the legal documents were all correct. But obviously Hadley would have been paid by Thorpe for the legal advice.’

‘Proving that any fraud took place could be difficult,’ Jane said. ‘For now I’m more interested in meeting Beatrice and interviewing her about the baby’s death. We’ll have about two hours after check-in before we have to go through Departures, so if you want to do any duty-free shopping, that’s the time.’

He frowned. ‘Well, if I go duty-free shopping now, I’ll have to carry it with me, right? Wouldn’t it be better to do it at the other end when we come back?’

‘Whatever works for you, Tim. I’m going to get a bottle of vodka as I’ll probably need a few drinks to get over the jet lag. And I suspect they will have a better perfume selection here than in Sydney.’

‘I’ve got no one to buy anything like that for. My mum likes nice soap, but she gets allergies from perfumes and makeup — brings her out in a shocking rash.’

Jane sighed. She reckoned it was going to be a really long flight.