She ended the conference, nodded at Kinsella then said, “Superintendent I will leave you to continue with the case keep me updated.” She made no mention of Richards.
Arriving back in her office she picked up the telephone and updated Jack the Hat as to her difficulty. He had not replied for a moment and so she came back, “I would like you to now to act as a reviewer of the evidence. I will instruct Doris Scott-Ling to ensure you have the necessary paperwork.
There was a low reply, “I see Maam, yes, I see, very well. I await your pleasure.”
She sighed with relief. She was not convinced Kinsella was up to the mark and depending on what transpired there could yet be fallout from all this. She would be proved correct, in the fullness of time.
That evening, on the television news were items relating the press conference and all that has been said. The evening newspapers and the daily papers the next day came up the mark. A mass of wild allegations, demands to know what the police intended to do about them. There were calls for public enquiries into the policing and nursing care to ensure such a thing as this never happened again.
Jack Richards had read them all in his study but as Anne brought him drinks he had not commented. To him it was what he anticipated.
He had cast doubts as to if he should become involved. Still he thought, having completed reading the last item but putting the articles and his notes into a folder he sat back to contemplate. At his age contemplating was almost a pastime, especially when he opened his eyes to see that two hours had disappeared.
It was not long before the telephone in the office of Kinsella and Doris was ringing. Information room were passing on details of those who had responded to the plea for information.
By the end of two days there were three such reports which appeared to be of substance and so the investigating duo was ready to act.
Doris had noted the names and addresses. She had made contact and arranged to visit them the following day. Tomorrow would indeed be very busy, she though as she sat back all arrangements finally completed.
Kinsella meanwhile had sat smiling, this set back on the commencement of her command course for two weeks would prove to be boon to her. It was looking ever more likely to prove be a serial case. Whilst Doris had been making the ground arrangements she had been fully taken up on the technical side, dissecting her lecture notes and detailed items of similar cases that she had read about in novels and on the serial plays on the television. She was she believed a wealth of information. Sources she would never admit to, of course.
When the police motorcyclist arrived as he had been instructed, before Doris could explain the change of plan Kinsella had looked up and said he would not be required. She was rather abrupt but there again he was only a “wooden top,” riding a two wheeled machine to hell, no different than the leathernecks who passed her riding like lunatics, overtaking on double white lines as she drove her car at a very safe speed to and from Manchester.
Kinsella and Doris finally arrived at the very nice bungalow in the village of Upton just a few miles from Chester city centre. Approached through large well maintained gardens along a tarmac drive, the air was crisp but fresh as they stepped from their car. Outside, the birds were singing, only the distant sound of traffic disturbed the solace of the place. In the distance the spire of the village church could be seen between the tree tops.
What deadly occurrence had taken place here those months ago, thought Doris as she lifted out the briefcase and then with her boss headed to the front door?
As they approached it opened as if by magic and within stood a couple in late middle age, both appeared grim. Good heavens thought Scott-Ling, what a mission to commence the day.
“Good morning folks, I am Superintendent Kinsella and with me is Detective Inspector Scott-Ling. Thank you for seeing us.”
“Please do come in,” said the man, “I am George Rosman this is my wife Alice.” He was a small tubby fellow with a red face and large beard; he could have passed for Santa in different circumstances.
The visitors came and walked inside as Rosman continued his greeting introduction, “Oh do come, this is a dreadful affair, oh dear so very upsetting. They were such a nice, pleasant couple, when I read the press items and heard the news I could hardly believe it all.”
The lady of the house was for some reason wearing all black, even to her shoes.
The new arrivals complied with the invitation to enter. They sat and looked around the room, it was typical middle class. A very nice settee, white in colour, red velvet curtains and carpet. The oak dresser at the side of the room was typical of the décor of years ago.
Once seated Kinsella wasted no time getting down to the reason for the visit, this would be a long day if all went according to plan.
“Sir, Madam,” she commenced. “Thank you for contacting us, I think you are aware as to the reason the police have come to see you. The death of Iris Carter caused me to consider if her case was only one of others, a series we refer to it in police circles. I believe you reported that your mother Madeline Rosman died and she left money to these beneficiaries in similar circumstances. Pray, if you might relate to us the circumstances, my Inspector will take what you say down in writing.”
“It is really dreadful, in fact so distressed am I that I have returned to mourning, a mark of respect you see. I am an avid churchgoer as Iris was, we knew her from the various inter church services both families attended those years ago,” said Alice.
George, becoming irritated, said, “Ok, Alice, the officers do not want to know all that I am sure, come my dear you recall things so much better than I do, tell the officers what happened when your mother died.”
The duo sat waiting, Doris pen in hand, a recorder secretly taping in her pocket, nothing could be missed, that was a trick she had picked up from Jack the Hat.
Alice came in, “Well there is really nothing much to tell that is the awful thing. Until all this was in the news what happened, well it was just nothing.”
“Pray if you might relate the details we will decide the relevance later,” replied Kinsella now getting a little irritable.
“Now, then,” commenced Alice. “Madeline, mother as we referred to her, was eighty six; she had been in failing health for some time. Amongst other things she was a diabetic. Tragedy struck; well it was some time before she died. She lost her leg and of course lost much but not all of her sight. Nurse Gittins visited her daily you see mum and her got on so well together. The highlight of her day was the visit of the nurse, mother always told everyone. She was such a kind, generous nurse and more like a friend really. The garden was rather overgrown and so as her husband, one of our local police officers, had retired, Kyle Gittins arranged for him to come and do some work in the garden. There were of course care workers coming in but they were distant you see, very distant and changed every day. Oh, well some were foreign and could hardly converse with her, not what was needed but what can one do?”
“We were not surprised when we were told by the care call centre that when the young lady arrived she had found mum dead, peacefully of course. The doctor arrived and had no hesitation in confirming mother’s death as a heart attack. It was always expected. We held the funeral and the burial was in the church yard, or garden of rest we prefer to call it, just up the road, you must have past it.”
Kinsella, looking at her watch, said, “What of the reason then for your call?”
“It was what we heard on the news and read in the papers, you see. After the funeral when the, “Will,” was read, we learned we had of course been left this bungalow and all mum’s estate it was not so great as we had anticipated, you know with the sale of land over £200,00 was fine but land is so expensive these days but notwithstanding this, to hear that Nurse Kyle and Ron had each been left £10,000 it was a little surprising. Though after all, they were so kind to dear mother and it was only due to Kyle mother left such a sum of money for us.”
“I see,” Kinsella ca
me in, “Your mother appears quite wealthy was she or her husband in business, you know, to acquire this money.”
“Dear me no, Superintendent, land,” Exclaimed George, adding, “it was the land next door, it has been bought by Tosco Supermarket, they intend to build a large store here. We ourselves are putting this place up for sale, it will be noisy and traffic coming and going; we had hoped they would buy this as well. It was the money from the sale of the land she had, nearly three hundred thousand pounds. Mother was so generous, but there again she had no use for the money. I seem to recall it was Kyle Gittins who had said to her that she might as well sell the land to provide an income for us. I work in town you see, just deliver parcels in my car for various companies. The money and this bungalow has been a saviour. It is much better here than when we lived in the council house. Thinking back on it, Kyle was I think very persistent getting mother to sell the land. I thought it was all for our good but looking back and what has come to light, I can see she had another thing in mind, money for herself and that bloody bent copper, the bastards. I do believe since they got mum’s cash she and her husband have bought a place overseas and intended to retire there.”
Kinsella replied, “Well, the thing is we now have to check, if there was anything sinister surrounding the death of your mother, Mrs Madeline Rosman. I regret to have to tell you that the police will be making an application to have your mother exhumed and a post-mortem done. After this has been carried out we will know more.”
There was momentary silence and then Alice broke down into tears, “Oh dear how awful digging up poor mother, oh my Lord,” she gave the sign of the cross.
The detectives said nothing. Doris gave the statement to George; he signed it without reading it.
The investigators stood and left informing the couple they would be informed as to developments. They left to visit the next informant.
It was half an hour later that Kinsella pulled up outside the small but very nice cottage in Christleton. There was a very large Jaguar car parked outside. When they stopped a man got out and was sitting waiting with held out hand.
“Good morning sir,” Kinsella introduced herself and Doris, the waiting man confirmed he was Peter Lambert son of the late General Algernon Lambert.
Confirming he was just off to overseas where he and his wife had a house and estate left by father of course. He had been visiting the United Kingdom after visiting the family solicitors. They still dealt with the family affairs as they had done for many years. The cottage here where father lived since he had retired was now rented out. Confirming the tenants were aware of proceedings today there was little to be said.
“I was taken aback to hear of Nurse Kyle and her husband killing off their clients. Yes, indeed, they were so kind to father. I will show around the garden. It is rather overgrown now since the tenants moved in, no interest you see. Come I will show you,” commented Peter.
They walked through the gate and eventually arrived in the rear garden.
“Father was found dead there by the gardener Ron Gittins, As it happens this fellow had arrived it seemed for his weekly session in the garden, clearing weeds he said at the time. The nurse was also visiting to treat Dad for an ulcer on his leg. He suffered with a bad heart and other bits and pieces. He was after all nearly ninety. Yes it was here the nurse came after she had no response at the house. Father was lying by the garden shed when Ron and his wife arrived, so I was told. His pewter beer mug still on the table, he made home made beer kept in an old barrel. He was no doubt having a pint as they say and then just keeled over. The doctor arrived and in view of Dad’s age and infirmity the GP signed a certificate that, father died, or at least we thought he had, died from a heart attack.”
“I see,” said Doris, “do you mind if I take a look in the shed?”
“By all means do.” Replied Peter.
There was no lock on the door and thus Doris opened it and when viewing inside she smiled.
“Well sir, I am declaring this place a crime scene I will get our experts to visit.” “Really, what luck, after all this time good heavens officer, what on earth do you expect to find?”
“Well sir,” said Doris, “it is routine, just routine.”
Kinsella looked and exclaimed, “Inspector do you think this is necessary?”
“Oh I do madam,” she answered, now speaking on the telephone to police headquarters.
With that there was a call. It was a lady standing by the house, “I say, please do come to the house I have made a drink.”
The threesome arrived and Peter introduced the tenant as Mrs Gosling. They were invited inside and once the free drink arrived Doris then took the brief statement as to the circumstances surrounding the death of Algernon.
It was nothing really and all hearsay. Father found dead by the gardener, doctor called, death certificate issued. Funeral and burial and finally the will and revelation that father had left the money to his so called friends, but none to anyone else save his son, together with the business interests. The sum left to Kyle and Ron was large but small in relevance to other money that was involved, it had not been a major factor to Peter the only son and heir.
He confirmed as anticipated that his father had sold land not long before his death and this had brought in a tidy sum of around a quarter of a million pounds.
“I will be returning overseas later today, if you might contact the family solicitor Mr Jordan Rochester. I will leave him instructions to fully cooperate with you. As I have just said in my statement. I was rather surprised to see father had left these two so called care people and friends such a vast sum of money £20,000, between them. But he was generous, and they were so kind but now hearing of the other deaths it is very worrying that such people are let loose on the weak and innocent. I hope they get what they deserve. I will of course be seeking to recover the money via Rochester.”
The detectives made no comments but Doris thought it was a long road yet to travel to get the guilty verdicts, at the moment it was still the one case. Kinsella on the other hand could see everything dropping into place, as far as she was concerned the exhumations and post-mortems were a done thing.
A vehicle arrived and Doris left, it was as anticipated the crime scene van. She directed the civilian operatives what they were to look for in and around the shed.
The two detectives then shook hands with Peter Lambert and having informed him of the exhumation, he had not appeared too worried and stated that the family lawyer would deal with it on behalf of the family. There would of course, he added, be a formal re-internment of father, as a matter of respect.
It was now forward to the next house, a busy day indeed. It would soon be a busy night, but that trauma was yet to come.
Arriving in the village of Tarvin the satellite navigation indicated they had arrived at their destination. It was once again another very nice Cheshire dwelling in yet another picturesque spot.
The handsome young lady who answered the door identified herself as Denise Pemberton, daughter of the deceased Noah of the same name.
Warrant cards shown, the investigators were invited in and set about relating the purpose of their mission.
Denise was ready and waiting. She explained that she was to have been married to an army officer who, sadly had been killed in action whilst serving overseas. The army had requested, politely of course that she should vacate the married quarters the couple had been allocated after they had married.
As a result she was homeless and so she had moved in with her father, he suffering with cancer of the prostate.
She related how the local nurse had been visiting Dad for some months she was always so kind even brought dad the odd shopping items. Her husband Ron was also a wonderful help. Kyle had suggested that he could be of great help for since retiring from the police he past the time growing flowers and vegetables in his garden even exhibiting at shows. She said how Ron would be only too pleased to help out Dad who was no longer able to maintain eithe
r the garden or the odd maintenance job even a little decorating.
“Yes,” she sighed, “how dad had praised the couple, I was rather surprised when Dad had gone as far as leaving them £10,000 each in his will. When I read the newspapers to see they had been arrested for murder of the old folks in their care I could just not believe it, they appeared to be so helpful and kind.”
“They always do,” replied Kinsella, “I recall at university, visiting lecturers pointed out that all con artists, as we call them in the police, they are always clean, tidy and with a very friendly personality. Who would after all trust some dirty old tramp coming to the door. No, this nice uniform of a nurse and the supposed trustworthiness of a police officer was the ideal cover. Now Madam, if you might relate the events surrounding the death your father, we will then get on and ensure these two villains receive their just desserts.”
The Judas Murders Page 13