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?’