· According to Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley's statements of Tuesday, June 14 (following Jane Kingsley's accident), they were informed by telephone of their daughter's canceled wedding on Saturday, June 11. This is supported by the evidence of Colonel Eric Clancey who stated, also at the time of the accident, that Jane Kingsley told him about her changed wedding plans on June 11.
· The evidence of Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley (taken after the accident) is that Jane spent the week from Saturday, June 4, to Friday, June 10, at Hellingdon Hall. She appeared to be in good spirits, made no mention of the row with Leo, and discussed preparations for the wedding as if it were going ahead.
· Jane Kingsley's own evidence in an interview conducted 28.6.94 is that she cannot remember anything since June 4. She admits to knowing about Harris's affair with Landy, though claims she only learned about it after Landy's death. She claims not to remember being told about Wallader & Harris but this is disputed by the Wallader parents' testimony which states Leo told her on the afternoon of Monday, May 30 (i.e., prior to memory loss from June 4). DI Maddocks is convinced she remembers more than she says, and this would seem to be borne out by the above.
· Miss Kingsley admits she believes her father could have ordered Landy's death but does not believe he did so. She can offer no evidence in support, other than her own conviction that he would not have allowed her to find the body. There is some merit in this argument if Kingsley is fond of her.
· A possibly related incident occurred at the Nightingale Clinic during the night of Monday, June 27. Dr. Protheroe, the clinic' s director, was attacked by an intruder with a sledgehammer. Miss Kingsley has been a patient of his for some ten days, and in addition Dr. Protheroe was visited by Kingsley's solicitor during the afternoon of June 27.
· Protheroe escaped relatively unscathed; however, the weapon was found later in an outbuilding at the Nightingale by a member of the security staff who states it belongs to the clinic. This is supported by preliminary forensic tests which have found no blood/hair/tissue on the hammer head but some paint from Protheroe's car, which was badly damaged during the assault. This would suggest his assailant was well acquainted with the layout of the clinic grounds and points to a past or present patient, or possibly a visitor. Protheroe described his attacker as male, 5'10" or 5'11" and of medium build. The assailant was dressed in black and wearing a ski mask or similar.
· Miss Kingsley is 5' 10" and of slim build. However, (1) the attack was at night, (2) DI Haddocks is of the opinion that Protheroe is doing his utmost, for whatever reason, to protect his patient, (3) Miss Kingsley could have worn padding. One pointer that may be worth considering, assuming the incident to be related to the Landy/Wallader/Harris murders, is that Miss Kingsley is unquestionably weak following her accident and Protheroe had little trouble fighting off the attack. Dr. Clarke does not rule out a woman being capable of the attacks on Wallader & Harris. In addition, the heel marks on the bank near where the bodies were found do seem to imply that a woman was present at the scene.
· Re: the Xandy murder. Miss Kingsley's alibi for the afternoon and early evening of February 1, 1984, was supplied by Miss Harris. In light of the new evidence that Harris and Landy were having an affair, and that Miss Kingsley may have known about it, this alibi is not as straightforward as it appeared at the time. Worth a second look. NB: Harris's diary says nothing on the subject, indeed does not mention Landy's murder at all.
IN CONCLUSION:
1. Meg Harris clearly made a bid to win back both men after they had made serious commitments to Jane Kingsley. We only have Kingsley's word that she knew nothing about this and/or did not bear a grudge.
2. It appears Wallader & Harris did not reveal their proposed marriage plans until shortly before they were due to leave for the relative safety of France.
3. Jane Kingsley, too, saw fit to keep the secret.
4. Their killer probably drove them to Ardingly Woods in his/her own car.
5. On the most likely date of Wallader/Harris's deaths, Kingsley drove her car at a concrete stanchion only some twenty miles from Ardingly Woods.
6. Shortly after Kingsley's admission to the Nightingale Clinic, Dr. Protheroe was attacked with a weapon similar to Landy/Wallader/Harris.
The investigating team is concentrating its efforts on uncovering the movements of Wallader/Kingsley/Harris between May 30 and June 13. All relevant parties will be requestioned with a view to establishing a timetable of events.
Yours,
Frank
City Worries About Franchise Holdings
There was a sharp drop in the value of Franchise Holdings (FH) Ltd. shares yesterday, following the identification of one of the bodies found in Ardingly Woods last Thursday as Leo Wallader. Until recently, Wallader, a 35-year-old stockbroker, was engaged to Adam Kingsley's daughter, Jane, and the market has reacted to press speculation linking this murder to the murder of Kingsley's son-in-law, Russell Landy, ten years ago.
Concerns have been expressed for some time about who will succeed Adam Kingsley to the chairmanship, and it is these concerns that are fueling the present crisis. Adam Kingsley has a reputation for hands-on management and without his driving force, there are doubts about the future of Franchise Holdings.
A spokesman for the Company said this afternoon that investors are being panicked by irresponsible press coverage. "There is no question of Adam Kingsley stepping down," he said. "Our investors have done well by us and will continue to do well for many years to come."
However, City analysts are more skeptical. "Franchise Holdings is a one-man band," said a source. "If Kingsley goes, the collapse in confidence will be catastrophic. Frankly, it will be a miracle if he can weather the present storm. The fear is that any investigation into Kingsley's affairs will uncover financial irregularities. The funding on some of his early acquisitions has never been adequately explained. It would be different if there was an obvious successor."
Kingsley's sons. Miles, 26, and Fergus, 24, were expelled from public school for possession of drugs, and have been cautioned in the past for vandalism and theft. They are regulars at the various London casinos and at race meetings. Adam Kingsley's daughter, Jane, who owns and manages a successful photographic studio in South London, was married to Russell Landy for three years before his murder. Police have reopened the file since the death of her fiance.
Daily Mail-29th June
*18*
WEDNESDAY, 29TH JUNE, CANNING ROAD POLICE STATION, SALISBURY-9:00 A.M.
WPC Blake noted the thunderclouds on DC Hadden's face as he pushed past her and shouldered his way through the double doors. "What's up with Hadden?" she asked the Sergeant as she leaned her elbows on the front desk.
"Politics," he grunted, preoccupied with some notes he was writing. "He reckons the DC1 has given away the best case he's ever had."
"Who to?"
"Hampshire police. He handed over a prime piece of evidence last night on the Ardingly Woods murders and Hadden's furious about it, claims he's the one who cracked the case and now no one's going to credit him with it."
"What was the evidence?"
"The sledgehammer that was used to attack the doctor up at the Nightingale on Monday night," the Sergeant told her.