‘Why would Jason Thorpe lie to me? He created a lot of problems for me at work, accusing me of taking this album without permission. He lied about how he came to have my address, he said that his mother was unwell... which was why I contacted you, Mr Hadley, to ask about Beatrice’s health.’
Mr Hadley leaned forward, shaking his head as he tore open a packet of sugar for his coffee. ‘I have no idea.’
Jane opened the album and turned several of the thick heavy pages. ‘There were also a number of photographs missing from their mounts.’
Hadley looked thoughtful. ‘Perhaps they were pictures of Beatrice’s mother with the young Russian piano teacher? It did create rather a scandal at the time. I believe their father was convinced they were having an affair. That’s all I can think of.’ He took a sip of his coffee.
‘So, you’ve seen this album before?’ Jane asked.
Hadley nodded. ‘Oh, yes, on many occasions. It was very precious to Helena.’
Jane closed the album and bent down to open her briefcase. ‘I felt a bit guilty about this, but it had been placed in the back of the album and the clips securing the envelope had come loose...’
She took out the envelope, the contents of which she and Eddie had been looking at the previous night. ‘It’s the Lanark family tree. I would guess it had probably been started by their father. Perhaps you’ll be able to tell if the later additions were made by Helena?’
Jane handed Hadley the loose pages. She noticed that when he reached out to take them from her, his hand was shaking.
‘I believe Miss Lanark did mention this, but I still can’t think why her nephew would be so eager to get his hands on it.’
Jane watched as he looked through the pages, running a bony finger down the various births and marriages. ‘Poor Matthew, he was born with hydrocephalus and is wheelchair-bound. He’s a very sickly man with several long-term complications, both mentally and physically.’
‘So, would Matthew not be Beatrice’s heir?’ Jane asked.
‘No, no... he’s incapable. He requires full-time care and Jason has become the main provider — in a manner of speaking.’
Jane noticed his slight grimace at the mention of Jason’s name. She asked Hadley again if he thought the recent additions to the family tree had been written by Helena.
‘I believe so...’ He carefully put the loose pages back into the envelope. ‘I think you should see her before the undertakers arrive. I’ve brought a suitcase to gather all her belongings.’
Jane put the envelope back into her briefcase as Hadley drained his coffee cup and stood up.
Jane had become accustomed to viewing dead bodies, but she felt oddly perturbed when they entered Helena’s bedroom. The bed had been stripped of its canopy and pillows, and a white sheet had been laid over Helena’s body. Apart from that, the room appeared to be exactly as Jane had previously seen it. Hadley walked over to the side of the bed, his entire body seeming to tremble as he slowly pulled the sheet back from Helena Lanark’s head and shoulders. Jane was shocked at the extent of the dark bruises around both her eyes, across the bridge of her nose and on one cheek.
Jane gently touched Hadley’s arm. ‘Would you excuse me a moment?’ She moved him aside and examined Helena’s face more closely. ‘Do you know if there are bruises on any other parts of her body?’
‘I’ve only been told about the facial injuries... and that was all that was on the doctor’s report I was shown.’
‘If you could leave the room for a moment, I’d like to take a further look...’
Hadley bowed his head and hurriedly left the bedroom. Jane eased back the sheet completely to examine the porcelain-white, almost skeletal body. Helena Lanark had clearly been seriously underweight. There were also additional bruises on her right hip and thigh. As Jane replaced the sheet, she noticed two small round discolorations on the side of her neck.
Returning to the sitting room, Jane asked if Hadley had spoken to the doctor, but he explained that the doctor had already left by the time he had arrived at the care home.
There was a light knock on the door and a young female staff member asked shyly if Mr Hadley would like some more coffee. He shook his head, thanking the girl, as Jane stepped forward.
‘Excuse me, are you the carer who found Miss Lanark’s body?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘What is your name?’
‘I am Maya Lim. Yesterday morning when I brought her breakfast, I found her lying on the floor.’
‘We’ve been told she was lying face down... is that correct?’
‘Yes, ma’am. She was face down, but on one side. I called matron straightaway.’
‘Were you on duty on Monday night?’
‘Yes, ma’am, I was.’
‘And do you recall if Miss Lanark had a guest?’
‘Yes, ma’am. He brought flowers. I was sent to get a vase.’
‘And where was Miss Lanark?’
‘She was in her wheelchair sitting by the desk. I was then not on duty anymore until yesterday morning.’
‘Thank you very much, Maya, you’ve been very helpful. Just one more thing... when you came in yesterday morning, did you notice if anything in the room was different?’
The girl hesitated, at first shaking her head. Then she nodded. ‘Oh, yes... I notice the window.’
Jane turned to look at the bay window. ‘What about it?’
‘It was open.’
‘Was that unusual?’ Jane asked.
Maya frowned. ‘Yes, it is not normal. Particularly when our guests are very frail.’
‘Did you tell anyone about the window being open?’
‘No, I just closed it.’
‘I’m sorry, Maya, I just need to go through that with you again — is that all right? You say you brought Miss Lanark her breakfast tray. But then you saw the window was open. Is that right?’
‘I carry the tray to the desk because Miss Lanark was usually dressed in her bedroom and in her wheelchair, ready to have breakfast out here. I then notice the window, so I close it before I go into Miss Lanark’s bedroom.’
‘And she wasn’t dressed?’
‘No, she was in her nightdress and one of her blue cashmere shawls was over her head.’
‘So, what did you do?’
‘Well, she was on the floor, and I was very concerned, so I eased the shawl away from her. Then when I saw her face, I ran to get help.’
‘Thank you, Maya,’ Jane said. The young carer nodded and left.
Jane turned to Hadley.
‘Have you checked if there is anything missing, Mr Hadley? Any jewellery, for instance?’
‘I’m sure that’s very unlikely,’ he said. ‘This is a very reputable home.’
‘Nevertheless, Mr Hadley, I do think you should check.’
Hadley went back into the bedroom. Jane heard him opening drawers before he returned, carrying a velvet jewellery box.
He opened the box. ‘I only really recall Helena wearing...’ He stopped.
‘A pearl necklace?’ Jane asked.
‘Yes, yes... a pearl necklace. It had belonged to her mother.’ He put the box down. There were some gold chains, an amber brooch, and a few rings, but no pearls.
‘I think we need to speak to Miss Summers,’ Jane said.
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.