Jason tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray. ‘My aunt, who actually owned the house, had always refused for it to be sold. I was able to persuade her that it would be financially beneficial to divide the house into flats, with the income from the rents sufficient to keep it in a reasonable condition. As it transpired, because it had been left empty for many years, it was not in the end that cost effective. Once the house had been divided up there was still considerable maintenance and repairs to be done. When these became too costly, I suggested to my aunt and her lawyer that it would be financially better to sell.’
‘So, it was your aunt who had always owned the property?’
‘Yes, she had been left it by her father.’
‘And it was your aunt who agreed for you to convert it into flats?’
‘Yes. I was obviously paid a certain amount to manage it and to hire a reliable maintenance man who would deal with all the problems.’
Jane noticed his hesitancy as he stubbed out his cigarette.
‘So after leaving the house empty, when did your aunt agree that it should be sold?’
‘My aunt became ill, and gave me power of attorney, so I acted in her best interests. By that time the house was in a bad state of disrepair; in fact, it was becoming quite dangerous.’
Jane made some notes as Jason Thorpe sat back in his chair. He was wearing strong aftershave which she was beginning to find rather overpowering.
‘Do you need me for anything further?’ he said. ‘I’m only here for a fleeting visit and I’ve got lots of meetings scheduled. Plus, I still need to see Mr Hadley.’
‘I won’t keep you much longer,’ Jane said, ‘but I do have a couple more important questions.’
Jason frowned. ‘I assure you that Mr Hadley can verify everything I have just told you. He has been my aunt’s lawyer for many years.’
Jane ignored him. ‘Mr Thorpe, did you insist that the basement should never be rented out?’
He blinked rapidly. ‘That was my aunt’s decision.’
‘Were you aware of a tunnel which led from the basement to the old shelter?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I had absolutely no idea about that. To be perfectly honest, I was only ever at the property for short periods of time, and I can’t really recall ever even seeing the shelter. My aunt was rather obsessive about her refusal to allow the basement to be used, as well as no tenant being allowed into the garden.’ He smiled. ‘As her nephew, I just did as I was told.’
Jane lowered her eyes as if concentrating on her notes. She was fully aware that Mr Thorpe had to have known there was a shelter in the garden as it was on all the council plans. However, she decided not to press the matter and was relieved when Barbara knocked and brought in two cups of tea, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and a teaspoon.
‘I’m sorry it’s taken so long, ma’am, but it’s lunchtime in the canteen.’
Jane didn’t thank her as she took the tray, placing it on her desk. Barbara gave Jason Thorpe a very obvious once-over.
‘If you need anything else, ma’am, just call.’
‘I will,’ Jane snapped, as Barbara left.
‘Mr Thorpe, I now have to tell you about a very distressing detail which you may not yet be privy to.’
She handed him his teacup and he waved his hand as she offered him sugar. He sipped the rather milky liquid with a look of distaste and Jane suspected that it was already tepid.
‘In the shelter we also discovered two slabs of concrete tied together with a leather strap. The slabs may have, at one time, surrounded some kind of water pipe,’ she stated.
Mr Thorpe appeared not to pay much attention as he put his teacup back down on the tray. Jane continued.
‘Mr Thorpe, wrapped in a blanket and a waterproof cloth, we discovered the mummified corpse of a baby.’
Jason’s jaw dropped open. ‘What?’
‘It has been estimated to have been in the shelter for possibly twenty-five to thirty years.’
‘Dear God! I don’t believe this...’
‘We have further disturbing information, I’m afraid. Apparently, the baby, possibly a newborn, had been buried alive.’
Jason seemed to be genuinely shocked. He leaned forward.
‘Surely you don’t think that any member of my family could have had anything to do with this dreadful thing?’
‘You must understand our situation, Mr Thorpe. We need to question your aunt as soon as possible in order to eliminate that possibility. We will also need your help in listing which family members lived at the property twenty to thirty years ago. But the first person I will need to talk to is your aunt, Helena Lanark.’
Jason stood up abruptly. ‘You’ll have to excuse me, but I really need to talk to my lawyer. I’m perfectly willing to assist you in every possible way, but my aunt is in a fragile state, not only physically but mentally, and I am deeply concerned about how this might affect her.’
Jane made a note and looked up. ‘I do understand your concerns, of course, Mr Thorpe. How long has your aunt been in a fragile state?’
‘For some considerable time.’
‘Is this when she gave you power of attorney over her property and finances?’ Jane asked.
It was as if she had hit a sore point. Jason Thorpe’s mouth turned down and he suddenly looked tense.
‘Detective, I really don’t like what you’re inferring. As I’ve just said, I’m perfectly willing to have a further discussion with you, but it is imperative that I now pass on to my lawyer all you have just told me.’
Jane stood up. There was no way she could actually stop Jason Thorpe from leaving the station. He wasn’t under suspicion, or even assisting police inquiries. However, his reaction had indicated to Jane that perhaps this wealthy young man had not acted entirely in his aunt’s best interests regarding the disposal of the house.
DS Hunt and DC Tim Taylor had already spent over an hour working through the Lanarks’ family tree. Jane had also requested that they contact births, deaths and marriages, and if needs be they should go in person to double check the facts. Meanwhile, Jane had contacted Mr Hadley and had been told that he was ‘unavoidably detained’, but that he would return her call as soon as possible.
DS Lawrence was becoming exceedingly irritated by the mortuary assistant’s attitude. The young man claimed that the two concrete slabs the infant’s corpse had been wedged between were no longer at the mortuary, and told Lawrence that he thought they had been removed a few days ago.
‘Are you serious?’ Lawrence said incredulously. ‘Have you checked with SOCO to see if they have retrieved them?’
‘I don’t know,’ the assistant said dismissively. ‘They were just two concrete slabs!’
Lawrence sighed, asking if he could be given access to the infant’s remains, which he knew had been delivered back to the mortuary from the pathology lab. They were held in a fridge in a very large plastic container that had been taped down to make it airtight. Lawrence looked down at his list.
‘Apparently there was a leather belt, as well. Do you know where this is now?’
The assistant shrugged. ‘No, I’ve got no idea. It may have been left over at the mortuary. I think you should ask the pathologist or the forensic expert, Miss Saddell. They would have arranged for it to be taken over there when it came in.’
Lawrence shook his head in frustration, surprised that Jane had not made sure the leather belt was retained for examination, given its potential forensic significance.
Lawrence signed out the large plastic container and carried it to his car, placing it carefully in the boot. He had not yet examined a mummified corpse, and if necessary, he was prepared to spend his own free time doing so and bringing in an anthropologist to help with his findings.