As Sean often said, Ricky wasn’t fit for anything but working in his brother’s shadow. Despite all the money lavished on his education, Ricky had done nothing at school. He’d skipped off more times than he’d attended. He had no idea about the business or the family finances. He didn’t even know if the house was still mortgaged. If it was, how was he supposed to pay for that? He’d looked at the recent bank statements from the business. The accounts were in the black — just. Ricky knew that Sean used to salt money away, but he’d no idea where. It could be buried in the garden for all he knew. Sean would never tell him. He reckoned Ricky was rubbish with money and always kept him short.
With little else to do for the next couple of hours, Ricky turned the house upside down, but found nothing of any real value. Sean had told him they had money — so where the hell was it? Sean couldn’t tell him now, but there was someone who might know. Ricky picked up the phone and rang Adrian Hampson, his brother’s solicitor. They had met frequently over the years. Whenever Adrian came to the house the two of them would be closeted away for hours. Sean always refused to tell Ricky what they’d discussed. Hampson had to know something. He was the last resort.
“I’m very sorry, Ricky. I haven’t seen Sean in a while. I had no idea he was so ill.”
“He wasn’t. Some bastard took a knife to him.”
He heard the solicitor cough.
“The police are investigating, I take it?”
“God knows! No one cares. No one liked Sean, did they? He was hard on folk, used his fists too much.”
“So how can I help?”
“It’s very simple. With Sean dead, I need money to keep this place and the business going. We are moneylenders after all,” Ricky added with a humourless laugh. “Sean said there was plenty. Well, it’s not in the bank, so where is it?”
“I have a copy of Sean’s will in the office. I’ll have a look at it and get back to you.”
But Ricky couldn’t wait. He was fast running out of patience. “Haven’t you been listening? I need money now. I’m the only family Sean had, so it’s all bound to come to me. What do I tell the punters who want a loan? I haven’t got a penny! Do you imagine Sean wanted the business to go bust within days of his death? Because that’s what’ll happen if I don’t get the funds to carry on.”
Silence.
Eventually the solicitor said, “Okay, I understand your predicament. And you are right. As I recall, under the terms of Sean’s will you are the sole beneficiary. Do you have a death certificate yet?”
“No. He only died today. Try somewhere called the Duggan if you need to ask what happened. I can’t wait for days while things get sorted. I need money straight away. For reasons best known to himself, Sean kept me practically penniless, and he told me nowt about how much we had.”
“Typical Sean. But rest assured, there is money.”
Ricky was getting angry. “So where is it? I need you to come here! Today. I want to know where the money is and how I get my hands on it.”
“Calm down. Plans were made. I have a letter for you. Sean left it with me many years ago. I was instructed to give it to you in the event of his death. If everything is as you describe, then under the circumstances there should not be a problem.”
“Make it quick,” Ricky instructed. “None of the usual drawn-out stuff you solicitors are fond of. If I don’t get some money soon, there will be nothing left of the business. Want to be responsible for that one?”
“The letter I have in safekeeping will hold all the information you need, I’m sure.”
“When can I get hold of this letter?”
“Actually there is a letter and a small suitcase. I will drop both off at your house this evening.”
Ricky smiled. Sean could have been secreting his money away for years. That had to be what was the letter was about. It’d tell him where it was. He ended the call to Hampson and sat in Sean’s armchair. He leaned back, into the comforting smell of Sean’s aftershave. It made him feel safe. But he’d have to face up to it. Sean wasn’t coming home again. Ricky was going to have to learn how to cope on his own, and fast. Getting his hands on the money was just the first step.
Chapter 21
Ruth walked through the front door and threw her bag onto a chair. Jake leapt to his feet, as if he’d been waiting for her. “I’ve sorted tea,” he said. “Day go alright? Not too stressful?”
“Bloody awful just about sums it up. We’ve got a murder, a stabbing that’s now turned into a second murder, and a cold case on the go.” She followed him into the kitchen. “What have you done with Harry? You haven’t forgotten to pick him up, have you?”
Jake shook his head. “No, he’s with Mrs Potter next door. I wanted to talk to you.”
Jake was smiling, which made Ruth both angry and suspicious. Gone was the moody bloke with the attitude. In his place was this jolly soul who had everything organised. There was not a school exercise book to be seen.
Ruth sighed inwardly. It had been good while it lasted, now for the fireworks. “Calladine told me something today. You went into the estate agents this morning. You want a valuation done on our house.” She stood with her arms folded and glared at him. He seemed to be searching for words. This could be bad.
“Come and sit down,” he said eventually.
Ruth followed him to the sofa and sat down beside him. She’d no idea what was coming, and it made her nervous. He took a glossy brochure from the table and started to fiddle with it.
“I don’t want to move, Jake. If that’s about a new estate going up somewhere, I’m not interested.”
“It isn’t,” he said simply. “It’s about a private school in Dorset.” He handed her the leaflet and pointed to the photo on the front. “You must agree, it’s a beautiful place.”
Indeed it was. A huge stone building surrounded by grass and trees. She flipped through the pages. The school had a swimming pool, a state-of-the-art gym, everything all those bright young things aiming for university would possibly need to get them there.
“They have offered me a job. Head of English. My salary would be another fifty per cent on top of what I earn now, and that’s just to start with.”
Ruth was gobsmacked. This was the last thing she’d expected. She looked at him wide-eyed, filled with a mixture of shock and amazement. He must have seen the vacancy, applied, even been interviewed, and she’d had no idea.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” She shook the brochure in front of his face. “You went behind my back. You expect us all to move away so that you can further your career. What about my career, Jake? Doesn’t that count for anything? You’ve got some nerve! This is a huge step. You should have said something, at least run the idea past me first.”
“I thought you’d be pleased. It’s a real opportunity, a step up. We can buy another house, a better one. Initially we can have one of the cottages in the grounds. Look at the back pages. The school is slap bang in the middle of beautiful countryside. It would be great for Harry.”
Ruth’s head was spinning. She was exhausted enough already. There was no way she could give any of this serious thought just now. Her immediate instinct was to put her foot down. “No! It’s not happening. Me and Harry are staying put.” She brought her face close to his. “I have a job too, Jake. Or perhaps you don’t think what I do is of any importance?”
“Of course I take your work seriously, but you can transfer. Someone with your skills and record, any police force would be glad of you.”
“It’s not that simple.” She took his hand and looked into his eyes. “I like it where I am. I belong here, in Leesdon. I work with people I understand and like. That doesn’t just happen anywhere, Jake.”
He said nothing. His eyes remained glued to the brochure on his lap. Ruth nudged him but got no response. Surely he hadn’t expected a different reaction from her? She began to wonder if he knew her at all. Did he even know how much her job meant to her? Plus the fact that Ruth had never lived any
where else, or wanted to. It was a wrench too far.
* * *
Adrian Hampson handed Ricky a large manila envelope and a small suitcase. “My instructions were precise. I was to give you these items and then leave. Not how these things are usually done, but your brother was an odd one. Obviously there are things here Sean doesn’t want me to see.”
The solicitor brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his expensive suit and smiled at the young man. “I’m well aware that Sean didn’t always stay on the right side of the law, so that,” he nodded at the suitcase, “could contain anything. If there is something you don’t understand, then contact me.”
Ricky was puzzled. Why hadn’t his brother explained how things would work once he was out of the game? Money was money, right? So why all the mystery? “I just hope there’s some dosh at the end of all this. I’ve got bills to pay.”
“I’m sure Sean will have left you amply looked after. Anything you need, Ricky, just ring me. My condolences on your loss.” Adrian Hampson was already backing away. He handed Ricky a document to sign, then let himself out.
The envelope looked new. Hampson had obviously taken it from Sean and put it straight into the safe. The suitcase, however, was another matter. It was old, dating perhaps from the forties or fifties, and covered in a layer of grime. It was made of leather, and had an ivory handle. More to the point, it was locked. Ricky shook the envelope. It rattled. The key must be inside.
Ricky ripped open the envelope, put the paperwork aside and took out a small key. Moments later he was gazing at the contents of the suitcase. It made no sense. Inside, were hundreds of photographs. Some were very old, in black and white. Some were more recent, showing Ricky as a child. He picked up a few and took a closer look. There he was, a small boy playing with other children. There were also a number of documents that looked about the same age as the suitcase. Ricky took one and peered at it. It was the deeds to a house in Leesdon. He shuffled through the rest. There had to be at least another eight or nine sets of deeds in the suitcase. Sean must have been buying property for years. Why hadn’t he said anything? He read through them quickly, and saw that they were all in good areas. These documents represented a small fortune in property.
Chapter 22
Wednesday
Bernie Logan and Dolly Appleton were brought into the station first thing. Bernie didn’t seem bothered. Left to wait in the interview room with only a uniformed officer for company, he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and began to mouth off at the poor copper assigned to watch him.
Dolly, on the other hand, was as nervous as a kitten. In another room down the corridor she was given tea, but her hand shook so much she spilled it. She put the cup in the saucer, tea undrunk.
“You seem troubled, Dolly,” said Ruth.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’ve done nothing wrong. You know about my Flora. I’ve not slept for days worrying about what happened to her. How do you imagine I feel about being dragged in here at the crack of dawn? Folk will think I’ve done something awful.”
Ruth gave a faint smile. “Tell me about your relationship with Sean Hopwood.”
“I hated him, like most folk I know. But I didn’t kill him,” Dolly said vehemently.
“You owed him money and you couldn’t pay. What did he have to say about that?”
Dolly started to speak but Ruth was only half listening. She couldn’t concentrate. Her mind kept drifting back to the row she’d had with Jake last night. He refused to see her side of things. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to go with him. All he could see was the opportunity to enhance his own career. Even after hours of arguing, followed by a night spent in separate beds, nothing was sorted.
Dolly droned on. “Me and most of the estate hated the man, love. He sends that brother of his round knocking on doors. Don’t pay up and Sean comes back once it’s dark. We know the score, so we don’t answer.”
Ruth shook herself. She needed to listen. “He didn’t just knock this time though, did he, Dolly? He tried to burn you out.”
Dolly started weeping. “Far too fond of fire that bloody animal was. He deserved all he got.”
“What do you mean — too fond of fire?”
“Nothing, slip of the tongue.”
“No it wasn’t. What were you getting at? Does this have anything to do with Annie Chadwick’s hand?” Suddenly Ruth made the connection.
Dolly burst into tears. “He was an animal.”
“I’ve seen the burn. Are you saying that Hopwood did that?”
Dolly nodded and bit her lip. Ruth could see she wanted to say more.
“Hopwood can’t hurt you anymore, Dolly. Tell me what you know.”
Dolly spoke between sobs. “He held her hand over the flame on the gas hob. He hurt her bad. Her husband says she’ll not get the full use of her fingers back.”
So the Chadwicks were clients of the Hopwoods too. “Why didn’t they report it?” Ruth was astonished. The poor woman must have been in agony. If she’d come to them they would have arrested Hopwood straight away.
“They were frightened. We all were. Stand up against him, argue the toss and you know what happens. There’s only one way to stop a man like Hopwood. I’m glad someone else did for him. Saved us the bother.”
“What do you mean, Dolly? Saved you the bother?”
At this, Dolly began to cry in earnest. She wailed, “I said I wouldn’t be any good! I can’t pretend anymore. We all wanted him dead. Every last one of us! Logan, the Chadwicks and the others. We would have done it too, if someone hadn’t got there first.”
Ruth frowned. “Let me get this right, Dolly. You are telling me that you and other customers of Hopwood’s were plotting kill him?”
Dolly nodded, her eyes on the floor.
“Did you attack him, Dolly?”
She shook her head.
“Do you know who did?”
Dolly’s eyes darted around the room, as if she were looking for an escape route. “It couldn’t have been one of us. We didn’t have the time. We hadn’t decided how to do it either. If you don’t believe me, ask Frank.”
“Frank Chadwick?”
Dolly sighed. “We had a meeting, early yesterday morning. We discussed ways of getting rid of Hopwood, but we didn’t have time to do anything. Nothing was decided. So someone else must have got there first.” She looked at Ruth. “I didn’t kill Sean Hopwood, and I don’t know who did. It could have been anyone off that estate. We all hated him.”
“That’s some admission you’ve just made, Dolly. You’re telling me that you and others off the Hobfield met to discuss bumping off Sean Hopwood?” Ruth couldn’t believe it. “You, the Chadwicks, Logan and others, you say?”
“I don’t know them all,” Dolly said. “Well, maybe by sight.”
“You will have to give me their names. You see, Dolly, it’s all very well for you to tell me that none of you did it, but you can’t be sure, can you?”
“A nurse from the health centre, the one who runs the diabetic clinic. He was there. He’ll tell you who the others were.”
This complicated things even further. They would have no option but to take Dolly and the Chadwicks to task for even considering murder, even if the intended victim was a violent bully. It didn’t seem fair, but Ruth had no choice but to tell Calladine about it.
“And Flora?” Ruth asked.
Dolly shook her head. “She had nothing to do with Hopwood.”
“She knew Ricky,” said Ruth.
“My Flora knew all the lads. At one time she was keen on that Kyle Logan. He’s another waste of space. Too fond of using his fists.”
Ruth stood up. “Okay, Dolly, that’ll do for now.”
Ruth passed Rocco in the corridor. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Is Tom with Logan?” Ruth said.
“Yes, the boss and Nigel Hallam have him in there.” Rocco nodded at the interview room door.
Ruth knocked and wen
t in. “Can I have a word?”
* * *
Calladine followed her out into the corridor.
“I’ve just interviewed Dolly Appleton and she told me that several of Hopwood’s clients met Tuesday morning to discuss doing him in.” She waited for Calladine to say something.
“Who exactly?”
“Dolly, Bernie Logan, Frank Chadwick, a nurse, John Barnett, from the health centre and a couple of others. Dolly assures me that they simply talked about it. Nothing was settled and it was only later that she heard Hopwood had been killed.”
Calladine scratched his head. “Unlikely set of killers. Apart from Logan, that is.”
“Even so, he’s not stupid. He would know very well where suspicion is likely to fall. Mind you, it does scupper their alibis. Bernie was at this meeting, so both of them were lying to us.”
“We’ll be speaking to them again.”
Ruth leant back against the wall. “I need some time out of the station. My mind keeps wandering. I keep losing concentration. I was daydreaming in there with Dolly, until she woke me up with her revelation. To be honest, Tom, I’m a mess. I’ve hardly slept and I can’t get what Jake’s up to out of my head.”
“So you spoke to him then. What has he done?”
“No half measures this time.” Ruth gave a humourless laugh. “He’s gone and got some poncy job down south. He wants us all to move. No discussion, no warning. He even went to the interview without saying a thing to me.”
Calladine felt his stomach lurch. “You’re not thinking of going with him?” The prospect of doing this job without Ruth at his side was unbearable. What was he saying? Of course she’d have to consider it. They were a couple, they had a child, and she loved Jake.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go . . .”
There it was, he could hear it in her voice. She might not want this, but for the sake of her relationship with Jake, she was already giving it some thought.
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