Then Eddie bent down to pick up the remnant he’d stubbed out, and toppled over.
‘Jusht collecting the evidence, shir, to put into the bin.’
They walked back to the hotel arm in arm, both laughing uncontrollably.
The following morning, after a lazy breakfast in bed, they strolled on the beach for a couple of hours, then had lunch in the hotel restaurant before returning to London. Jane was feeling so relaxed that she actually laughed when he pointed out that they had almost spent an entire day together without her mentioning her case!
When they arrived back at her house, Eddie said he would go and put his beloved MG back under wraps in his garage and that he would see her in the morning before she went to work.
‘Don’t forget we’re having dinner with my parents tomorrow,’ Jane said. ‘You know, it would be nice to go in the MG.’
‘I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be in my best suit, but I’ll need the van tomorrow.’
She waved him off and let herself in, going straight up to her bedroom. The sea air had exhausted her, so she had a long, relaxing bath and was just about to get into bed when her phone rang.
‘Inspector Tennison?’
‘Speaking...’ She didn’t recognise the voice.
‘It’s DS Alan Simpson, Sussex police. I just wanted to give you an update. I spent the afternoon at the care home questioning the staff about the missing pearls. I also I had a chat with Miss Thompson and she told me that one of the young carers had broken down in tears and admitted she had taken the necklace. She said it was on the table by the bed, and she made out that she’d just taken it to give to Miss Thompson.’
Simpson explained that the girl was going to be sacked and there were no plans to take the matter any further.
Before finishing the call, Jane gave DC Simpson Arnold Hadley’s contact number so that he could arrange to return the necklace to him.
Jane’s good mood had gone. She was now annoyed at herself for wasting so much time on her theory that Jason Thorpe took the necklace. She flopped back onto her pillow and closed her eyes, but her mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Beatrice had said that the strand which had been given to Marjorie had been buried with her, but Marjorie had been cremated, so had that all been a lie? Jane tossed and turned, thinking about Beatrice’s repeated stories of how cruel Helena had been to her, ignoring her letters begging for financial help. Yet according to Hadley, Jane had been paying Beatrice considerable sums for years, enough to enable her to purchase a substantial waterfront property in a sought-after area of Sydney. None of it added up!
Unable to sleep, Jane went down to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. Her mind kept going over and over the facts again. Why had Jason come to her house and demanded the photograph album, lying about his mother being frail and needing it, and lying that he was just about to depart for Australia when he had actually visited Helena in the care home? Why did Jason then leave the album there with Helena? Did he leave the window open so he could return later that night, but changed his mind? But if he had intended to steal the pearls, why hadn’t he just taken them? Was it Jason who had been searching through Helena’s desk and bedroom?
One thing she was certain of was that Jason did not know the truth about the sisters’ complicity in burying the baby. And he had clearly been shocked when Beatrice had mentioned her father’s abuse.
Back in her bedroom, Jane searched through her dressing table drawers for a packet of cigarettes, smoking one as she finished her tea. She thought about smoking the joint the previous night, and what a stupid risk it had been on her part. She would certainly never do it again.
She could not stop wondering why Jason Thorpe had spun so many lies about the photo album and why he had really been so keen to get hold of it. Jane had found the family tree — could that be what he was searching for? Or was it a copy of Helena’s will?
Jane sighed and turned off her bedside light. She would contact Hadley’s legal firm in the morning.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As Jane was having breakfast with Eddie the following morning, they discussed the stair carpet and curtains. He was going to be at the house all day doing some final touch-ups, so he suggested they spend Saturday measuring up and ordering the last furnishings, as the decoration work was nearly finished.
‘I slept like a log after all that sea air, did you?’ he said.
Jane smiled. ‘I was tired, but my brain kept going over everything Hadley told me. I concluded that Jason Thorpe might have been looking for Helena’s will and maybe thought it was kept in her family album.’
Eddie rolled his eyes, smiled and shook his head. ‘You’re like a dog with a bone!’
Jane arrived at the station by eight and wrote up her report about her visit to Hadley. She waited until ten before calling Hadley, McKenzie & March, the legal firm that Hadley had worked for. When she asked about Helena Lanark’s will, she was put through to a man called Kevin McKenzie, who recalled her coming to their offices to execute it. Jane asked what date that would have been, and he responded that it had been some time in the 1970s, but due to client confidentiality he was unable to give any further details, except to say that it was Helena’s second will.
When Jane asked when the first will had been written, she was told that it was in 1975. On inquiring whether this was the time Jason Thorpe had been given power of attorney, she was hesitantly informed that it was.
Jane then asked McKenzie if at this time he had known that Arnold Hadley was married to Helena Lanark. At first, he declined to answer the question on grounds of client confidentiality, until Jane informed him Hadley had already told her they were married. McKenzie replied curtly that Arnold had told him they were married as it would be unethical for him to be a co-signatory on Helena’s second will.
‘Did Helena Lanark ever call you to make amendments to her new will?’ Jane asked.
‘She did, but she had become very unwell and required a wheelchair, so I made a private visit to her home in Brighton.’
‘Was Arnold Hadley present when the private meetings took place?’
There was an indignant intake of breath. ‘Arnold was not present, but here at our offices, as he was still a practicing solicitor.’
‘So, he was not necessarily privy to any changes made by Miss Lanark.’
‘Certainly not through me. Whether or not Miss Lanark informed him of her wishes would obviously have been her business.’
After ending the call, Jane contacted the Public Registry Office in Devon, who had no record of a marriage between Helena Lanark and Arnold Hadley. However, Deaths and Marriages in Brighton were able to confirm that they held a marriage certificate dated 1971.
Jane took some time in trying to unravel Hadley’s finances and was surprised to discover that his mother had left her son £20,000. She then contacted several estate agents in Brighton, finally establishing that the house had been sold for £25,000 in 1971. It appeared that Arnold Hadley had told her the truth. However, Jane was still no closer to discovering the extent of Helena’s wealth, or the precise date on which Helena had been admitted to the care home.
After further investigation, she was able to ascertain that Helena had been transferred to the care home in July 1976 so, as Hadley had stated, they had only had a few years living together in Brighton. Finally, she checked with the developers regarding the Stockwell property. The owner of the company informed her that due to various problems prior to the sale, they had intended to withdraw their offer. However, when Jason Thorpe reduced the price they changed their minds, purchased the property and offered him share options in the company, all of which was legally documented. Jane still suspected Jason Thorpe might have benefitted financially but now knew proving it would be a lengthy, if not impossible, task.