FORGET ME NOT (Mark Kane Mysteries Book One) (19 page)

“As you are aware, Kane, extracting DNA from
hair throws up many obstacles. It can sometimes be done, but not as
often as the media would have us believe. New techniques are being
developed all the time though. DNA analysis is still in its
relative infancy.”

“Yes, I know, and I wasn’t particularly
optimistic; but it would have saved a lot of time and effort if
things had worked out.”

“Let’s get on to the arsenic,” Jill said. “As
you know, arsenic is an element and unlike DNA accumulates in hair,
fingernails and toenails. I’m sure you know all this, so I’ll cut
to the point. Although arsenic occurs naturally in nature, even in
items as apparently innocuous as water and rice, it doesn’t occur
in the concentrations found in Gloria’s hair, and I have no doubt
that the deposits found in Gloria’s hair are from deliberate doses
administered over a fairly protracted period; probably several
weeks, but it could be months. It’s surprisingly rarely picked up
as a cause of routine deaths unless there’s something obviously
unusual about the death. I don’t think the doctor who described the
cause of death could be criticized in the circumstances which
you’ve described, but it’s my opinion that Gloria’s death was not a
result of natural causes. Where that leaves your investigation I
don’t know.”

“Well there are several persons who had the
opportunity to administer the toxin over the period you’ve
described, although at present I only suspect two of them to have
had motive. However, I will have to interview all those who had
opportunity before I can rule any of them out. From a practical
point of view it matters because if the murderer is also a
beneficiary he or she can kiss good-bye to any part of Gloria’s
estate. As in all cases though where a number of people all had
opportunity it may be impossible to confirm which one is
responsible. It’s also conceivably possible that more than one
person was involved, so it’s not very encouraging at this stage.
Still, it’s early days.”

“Well, if there’s anything else that I can
help you with let me know. I had better retain all the samples and
results here in the laboratory. Even if you can’t identify the
person responsible, the cause of death may have to be revised. I
suppose you are very much in the hands of your client at the moment
as to how he wants you to proceed.”

“Yes, I’m going to try to see him over the
weekend. It’s not a meeting I’m looking forward to very much. Poor
old Greg has enough on his plate without this, but obviously it
will have to be dealt with. I sometimes wonder why I chose a job
where I so often have to be the harbinger of bad news.”

“I’m sure you bring good news to some of your
client’s too.”

“I’d like to think so. Thanks Jill. Maybe you
and Peter and I can get together over something less depressing
sometime soon?”

“You have our number. We always enjoy your
company; and Lucy too. How is she by the way?”

“Same old same old,” I said.

I got home and poured myself a generous
drink, then called Lucy to see if she’d arranged the computer
technician. It was ‘in hand’ whatever that meant. I didn’t tell her
about Greg’s invitation. I might’ve had to introduce her to him as
my assistant. I told her that I had a meeting arranged in the
office the following day so could she please make sure it looked
like a tidy and professionally run office. She told me it was a
tidy and professionally run office. There was no problem with her
end of the business she said haughtily.

I went out to the porch, and switched the
overhead light on. I thought I’d just scan through the nursing
agency documents. I assumed that the main nurses lived locally in
or near Boylston so I would try to see them both at once on my next
trip up there.

The file had the personal particulars of each
nurse. Most of the papers related to the principal two nurses. The
day nurse was Sylvia Grafton. I was about to take a sip of my drink
when something jumped out of the page at me. It was the name of the
night nurse, Miss Griffiths.

But it wasn’t her last name that startled me,
it was her first name: it was Josette.

“So you’ve cracked the case, then?”

“That’s something of an exaggeration.”

“Josette is hardly the most common name. It
must be the same one, don’t you think?” Lucy said.

“It may well be, but establishing that Susan
and the night nurse are friends, perhaps more than just friends,
may not be so easy to do. If I go in like a bull in a china shop
they may simply deny any connection, put the name down to
co-incidence. I could have them both tailed first, to see if there
is any connection between them, but that might take some time. I
couldn’t do it on my own, but I suppose Tony and June could
help.”

Tony and June Scipio were highly skilled
surveillance operatives that I often used in connection with
insurance work or cases of errant husbands or wives, or sometimes
both. They were a husband and wife team themselves, and would be
able to operate without any supervision or assistance from me.

“Susan isn’t stupid,” I said. “If she is
involved in some relationship with Josette I would expect them to
be watching their backs and keeping a low profile; although I may
be being over-cautious since neither are aware that I’m on to the
arsenic poisoning. But if they really are an item they may have
simply met by chance whilst Gloria was being looked after. In that
case their relationship might be something quite innocent.”

Lucy was on the edge of her seat, both
figuratively and literally.

“There’s another more sinister possibility
though,” Lucy said. “It’s been puzzling me how Susan came into
Gloria’s life after she became unwell. Until now I’d just put that
down to chance − like you said about her just being nearby − but
I’m beginning to wonder. Suppose Josette already knew Susan somehow
before Gloria became unwell? If they both prefer the company of
their own sex it’s quite possible. Then Josette discovers that
Gloria is sick, losing her marbles. Somehow Josette knows about
Gloria’s adopted child. They devise a scheme whereby Susan assumes
the identity of Gloria’s long-lost daughter, and Gloria is duped by
the deception. Susan manages to get Gloria to make her a bequest
and then the pair of them devise a plan to finish her off, before
the deception is discovered.”

“Sounds like a good plot for a book,” I
said.

“You’re just poo-pooing the idea because you
didn’t think of it first.”

“I’m not rejecting the possibility out of
hand; it’s just that there are a number of problems with your
theory. For a start, how would Josette have known about Gloria’s
illness before she contacted Susan? The nurses weren’t employed to
look after Gloria until several months after Susan appeared on the
scene. And how would Josette possibly have known about Gloria’s
adopted daughter?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps in the early stages of
her dementia she sort of rambled on about it to someone or
something.”

A bit like Lucy was rambling on about it now,
I thought, but I kept quiet about that.

“As I understand it, the nurses hadn’t been
employed at the time Susan first showed up, because Gloria’s
condition didn’t require them at that point. I prefer the theory
that Susan turning up was unconnected with Josette, but that they
perhaps started a relationship afterwards and hatched the idea of
speeding along Gloria’s death together; in which case it doesn’t
throw any new light on whether Susan is genuinely Gloria’s daughter
or not.”

“Either way it’s just conjecture. My idea’s
just as good as yours,” she said huffily.

“I think the way to find out whether there
may be some kind of sinister plot would be to see how transparent
Susan is about her relationship with Josette − assuming the name
isn’t merely coincidental. If Susan has nothing to hide then there
would be no reason for her to be circumspect about the
relationship. Similarly if my theory is right, and the connection
relates to Gloria’s death rather than Susan’s bona fides, then the
fact that neither Susan nor Josette are aware that I know what
killed Gloria may result in them admitting the relationship in any
event. It’s not as if there’s anything inherently improper about
such a relationship after all.”

“So you’re just going to ask her?”

“Well, with a degree of subtlety, I hope.
Whether to broach the subject with Josette first or with Susan is
something I’ll have to decide.”

“So Susan might be a fraud, or she might be a
murderer or she might be both?”

“Or neither.”

“So tomorrow it’s Paul Philips’ turn to be
grilled.”

“It’s an interview, Lucy, not a
barbecue.”

“Want me to wear anything special? You know,
to create a good impression?”

“I want you to act like my secretary if
that’s not too much to ask.”

“You don’t want me to sit in on the meeting?
In case I get some good ideas?”

“No.”

“It may be your loss.”

“I’ll risk it.”

“How about a bottle of Champagne to christen
the conference room?”

“Now you’re talking.”

We were sitting on the front porch now; me
with Jack Daniels and Lucy with a tomato juice.

“Sidney’s decided to stay.”

“Why, would nobody else have him?”

“He’s picked up an important new client. He
thinks the address attracted him. He’ll probably need the
conference room more often from now on.”

“Lucy, if he brings his client to the office
it’s going to be a bit of an anti-climax. We’ve got no
windows.”

“He’s going to tell his client that it’s
because of security. And in the interests of privacy.”

“Good luck to him.”

“You could tap their phones.”

“Who, Sidney and his client?”

Lucy sighed heavily. “Susan and Josette; in
case they discuss the plot.”

“That is something that crossed my mind. It’s
illegal of course.”

“That hasn’t stopped you before.”

“When’s the technician going to copy the hard
drive?”

“Tuesday; it’s all arranged.”

“Maybe you’d like to go with him to the
Philips’ house. You might learn some of the tricks of the trade,
and Greg says he’d like to meet you.”

“You think I can be spared from the
office?”

“You’ve got a cell phone. I’m going to be a
bit busy.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll tell Greg a white lie, pretend that
you’re my assistant or something so he won’t think it’s a two bit
operation.”

“Or because it’s true.”

“In your dreams,” I said.

Paul Philips turned up at the office just
before eleven. He was looking somewhat preoccupied and a little
disheveled. He didn’t share his father’s effortless sartorial
elegance, or at least not then.

I showed him into the meeting room. Lucy had
placed a pile of files and folders on the conference table that had
nothing to do with the case; nothing to do with me either in fact,
but they created some sort of impression that the investigation was
generating a lot of paperwork.

“Thanks for seeing me Mr. Kane. My brother
told me you’re doing your best to iron out the problems with
Gloria’s estate and speed things along. I spoke to him this morning
as a matter of fact.”

I briefed Paul on the progress so far, or
rather lack of it. I made no mention of his mother’s cause of
death, and I didn’t mention the possible connection between Susan
and Josette either.

“I understand that you were close to your
mother and visited her frequently during the last few months before
she passed away.”

“Yes, I managed to call in two or three times
a week, mostly at weekends, but sometimes I’d have lunch with Greg.
I’ve actually been out of work for the past few months, well since
the beginning of the year actually. It was heartbreaking to see her
like that. I had to steel myself to go really. I’d usually talk to
her about growing up and vacations we’d enjoyed together and things
like that, but she had no idea who I was and not much of what she
said made sense. I owed it to her and to Greg too. It was much
worse for him of course, day in and day out. We all had an enormous
sense of relief when she died, for her as much as for us. It meant
that we could move forward again. But then we had the shock about
the will.”

As he spoke I had a fleeting idea that
perhaps Gloria’s death had been a family affair. Had the father and
sons agreed together to end Gloria’s life prematurely? Had the
motive simply been desperation on the part of a united family?

I told Paul about my concerns as to Susan’s
true identity and the possibility that Gloria may not have been of
sound mind when she signed the will.

“As yet nobody has contested the will,” I
said. “I understand that Simon would be content for the estate to
be distributed according to the terms set out in the will, but your
father and Gloria’s attorney have a duty to ensure that everything
is properly investigated.”

“I won’t pretend that I’m not anxious for
everything to be expedited. Frankly I’m in a bit of a fix
financially. Can I talk to you off the record?”

“On or off the record I won’t divulge
anything that you don’t want me to. I don’t have any obligations
towards the proper administration of the estate; I’m just carrying
out investigations according to your father’s wishes.”

“So I can speak to you in confidence? My
brother says you’re trustworthy.”

“If I wasn’t I’d soon be out of a job. Feel
free to tell me anything which particularly affects the
investigation as far as you are personally involved.”

Paul sat thinking for a while. He looked
around him and made motions with his hands as if he was washing
them.

“I need this sorted out as quickly as
possible. I’m in a real jam at the moment. The fact is that I owe
quite a bit of money. I don’t think I can hold the creditors off
for much longer.”