McQueen's Agency (31 page)

Sabby, who had been sitting in the window seat, suddenly jumped up on Molly’s lap, before flopping down and purring.

Both women were so taken aback and Molly burst into tears again as her hand stroked the cat’s warm fur.

Charlie Johns was on duty when news came in about the fatalities in the boating accident.

‘More inexperienced people messing about in boats,’ he said, as he looked at the list of he people involved but he caught his breath when he saw a name he recognised … Molly McQueen. Now there’s a coincidence he thought. He, however, was a man who didn’t believe in coincidences.

He had gone to see her briefly in hospital but she wasn’t in a fit state to be interviewed, nor was the other survivor, Joe Lamont. That was another strange thing. Molly McQueen had almost drowned along with Joe’s wife, Lena, and her brother Kenneth, but Joe had taken a large dose of barbiturates and had been unconscious when admitted to hospital.

He hoped he would get the entire story from Miss McQueen now that she was back home.

Driving the black police car was Constable Williams and they made their way to Craig Pier and waited in the queue. It was a grey, overcast day with a strong breeze and the river looked turbulent.

‘A bit of a strange case this, Sir,’ Constable Williams said as they waited in the queue.

Charlie agreed. There was something about this McQueen woman he couldn’t fathom. First, she had admitted knowing Harry Hawkins and now she was involved in a boating accident that had resulted in another two deaths. Events certainly seemed to happen around her … and all to do with water.

The weather had worsened during the crossing and by the time they reached Newport, the rain was torrential. The windscreen wipers could hardly cope with the amount of water.

Marigold was in the house with Molly when the two policemen arrived and she showed them into the living room where Molly was sitting in an armchair, a rug over her knees. There was a cosy fire burning in the grate and Marigold was in the kitchen.

Marigold said she would leave them alone but Molly asked if she could stay. Charlie said he had no objections so the older woman went and sat down on the window seat with a very handsome striped cat.

‘Just tell me in your own words how it happened,’ Charlie said.

Molly’s hands were clasped on her lap but she seemed composed. She began by saying she had been employed initially by Lena, Mrs Lamont, because of Lena’s broken arm and how much she had enjoyed the work.

‘How did you get on with the other members of the firm?’

‘I didn’t have too much to do with Joe, Mike or Christie. Most of my work was with Lena and Kenneth, her brother. I liked them both very much. The work wasn’t too hard and they paid well.’

‘But you left your employment suddenly, didn’t you?’

Molly said she had. ‘I got the impression things weren’t going too well with the family. There was a lot of tension in the house and I thought I should give them some notice of my leaving.’

‘Were they worried they wouldn’t cope when you left? You said Lena had a broken arm. Was she annoyed that you were leaving?’

Molly was silent for a moment or two. ‘Actually, I think Kenneth was relieved that I was going. I said I would stay on until they could maybe get someone else or when Lena’s arm was better but he became very cool and curt. He said …’

‘Yes, Miss McQueen? What did he say?’

‘I’ve just remembered something. When Lena was in the water, she kept screaming for Kurt to come and help her.’

‘Do you know who she meant?

Molly said she didn’t.

‘Can you tell us what happened on the day of the accident?’

‘I was asked to go back that Saturday, to help with the monthly party.’ She explained how this event was held, with valued clients coming to view the paintings and furniture. ‘There was a pot of coffee on the stove with a note to help myself, but I had not long had tea with Marigold and, anyway, I don’t like coffee.

‘I went to the sheds and that’s where I found Mike, lying injured under a rack. I went back to the house to phone for an ambulance and then I heard the scream which I thought had come from the boat. I ran to the jetty and into the boat. Lena was screaming and Joe was lying on the deck. I thought he was dead, but I now know he’d been drugged.

‘Kenneth and Christie arrived back in the van and Kenneth jumped onto the boat just as Lena was trying to start the engine. He kept telling her to go back but she wouldn’t listen. She kept accusing me of stealing her key but I never had a house key. There was always someone there when I arrived for work. Well, she wouldn’t believe me and kept saying I had her key. She said she had searched my house and office but I had hidden her key and she couldn’t find it.

‘I noticed her plaster cast was off and thought she had been back to the hospital but then I saw the horrific wound on her arm. It had gone all septic and I realised she had been cleaning it with Dettol. She said she wished she had killed the dog that did it.’ Charlie interrupted sharply, ‘What dog?’

‘She didn’t say. She just said some dog had bitten her and she wished she had killed it at the time. Then she told Kenneth that she was planning to kill Joe and me and that the bodies would never be found. Then they could go away and start new life away from Nelly.’

Charlie asked about Nelly.

‘She’s a rich widow, who announced her engagement to Kenneth one night at a party. I think the family were shocked, especially Kenneth. The only one who seemed amused was Joe.’

Charlie then took her through the time in the water but she was becoming distressed. Marigold went and sat beside her.

‘I think that’s all, Miss McQueen. Thank you for all your help.’

When the two men were back in the car, Charlie asked the Constable what he thought. Dave Williams was pleased to be asked for his input and he gave it some thought. ‘Well, Sir, I think the girl is telling the truth. It’s a strange story if you ask me but that’s why I think it’s true.’

Charlie said, ‘I agree. Now let’s go and interview Joe Lamont.’

The car swished through deep puddles and they almost missed the opening to Cliff Top House. It was Charlie who noticed the small sign and the driver had to reverse the car.

‘Not a very wide drive, is it sir?’

Charlie said it wasn’t. The view wasn’t good today because of the wet weather but the house was impressive.

‘Must be lots of money to be made in the antique business,’ said Charlie, stepping out of the car and dodging the puddles in the courtyard.

Joe came out of the kitchen door and said to come in. The kitchen was warm but there was no welcoming cup of tea here. They sat on the wooden chairs around a large table.

Charlie asked about the boating accident.

Joe leaned back in his seat and lit a cigarette. ‘It was an accident. Lena and I had had a row that morning and she was upset. She went onto the boat to get away from the house, as she often did when we fell out over some trivial matter.’

‘What happened to your workman, Mike? Did he pull the rack on top of himself?’

‘He must have. I think he stretched too far and the rack tumbled on top of him.’

Charlie changed tactics. ‘How did you manage to get on board when you had taken all those sleeping pills?’

Joe didn’t hesitate. ‘I took them before I went to see Lena. Then I must have passed out.’

‘Do you normally take such a large dose of barbiturates? The hospital had to pump out your stomach or else you could have died. Was that intentional? Were you trying to kill yourself?’

Joe tried to laugh. ‘No, not at all. I must have taken more than I meant to. It was an accident.’

‘Seems there were a lot of accidents that day. What if I tell you that I have a witness who tells me your wife was planning to put you and the witness overboard and pretend the two bodies were your wife and her brother? And that she was planning to run away to start a new life with her brother … away from someone called Nelly?’

Joe’s face went white. However, he recovered quite well.

‘If that witness is Molly McQueen then she’s a liar. I never liked her. Lena thought she had stolen her key, she couldn’t find it. Lena was really upset at that.’

Charlie stood up. ‘Thank you for your time, Sir. We’ll be in touch.’

Outside, he asked PC Williams what his impressions were.

‘Well, he’s certainly not grieving for his wife or her brother.’

Charlie had thought the same thing.

‘Now let’s go and see Christie, the man who raised the alarm. He’ll be in the sheds, which I think are over there.’

Christie had been waiting all morning for the police to arrive. When he saw them approaching the sheds, he went out.

Before Charlie could speak, Christie handed him a sheet of paper. ‘I think you should read this letter first,’ he said.

Charlie and PC Williams sat in two luxurious armchairs in Nelly Marten’s lounge. The first floor flat in Magdelen Road had a large window with a panoramic view of the river and the Tay Bridge.

The room was furnished with good taste. The expensive furniture and curtains and the paintings on the wall spoke of wealth.

Nelly sat opposite them and Charlie thought she was one of the plainest women he had ever met. She was wearing a black dress, which did nothing for her complexion and her dark hair, which was sprinkled with grey, had a coarse look. The one and only bright spot about her was the red necklace she wore. It sparkled in the light and Charlie thought something so vulgar must be a cheap piece of jewellery.

She seemed composed but her eyes looked red, as if she had been crying. ‘What can I do for you?’

Charlie handed her the letter. She put on her spectacles and began to read it. Afterwards, she placed it on the low coffee table in front of her.

‘Did you write that letter?’ asked Charlie.

Nelly sighed and gazed out of the window. ‘It would be stupid of me to deny it, wouldn’t it? But I’m really sorry I did. It’s brought nothing but grief. I thought it would bring Kenneth to me but it’s led to his death.’ She took a small hankie from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.

‘Can you tell us the background to its contents?’ Charlie settled back in his chair. He had an idea the story would take some time. ‘You mention Lizzy and Benjamin. Who are they?’

Nelly gave a deep sigh.

‘The story goes back years and years, when Lena and I were children. She was my sister. I think I always resented her because she was beautiful with blonde hair and she took after our mother, while I inherited my father’s looks.

‘In 1925, our mother died. She was Scottish but my father was born in Holland, and was a distant cousin of my late husband, Hans Marten. They were in business together, along with a Jewish family called Rosenberg, who were diamond and jewel merchants, as well as antique dealers. Their business was in Rotterdam.

‘In 1930, my father remarried another Scottish woman; a widow with a sixteen-year-old son. That son was called Joe Lamont and, because of our Scottish connections, we were all educated in Edinburgh.

‘Then Hitler came to power and the Jewish people became afraid because they had heard about the restrictions on their businesses and on travel. Mr Rosenberg decided to sell out his share of the business to Hans, just as a temporary measure until Hitler and his cohorts fell from power.

‘The Rosenbergs had a son called Benjamin; a lovely gentle lad who was a writer and a poet. Lena had gone to work for them as a secretary where she fell in love with Ben. He didn’t want anything to do with her. In fact, he told me once that she repulsed him. She must have overheard because she looked shattered that day.

‘Then Ben went off to university where he met Lizzy, another dreamy, gentle soul and they were married in 1939. Lena was incandescent with rage and she said she would sort him out somehow.

‘Kenneth, or to give him his real name, Kurt Deitrich, also worked with the firm and had always been in love with Lena. I think she got engaged to him to spite Ben. She knew I was in love with him but Lena never loved anyone but herself. Although Kurt had a German name he was a Dutch citizen as his great grandfather had settled in the Netherlands.

‘At the end of 1939, the Jews were being rounded up and Hans and my father made a plan to get the Rosenbergs away to Britain. The Rosenbergs owned a seaside house on the French/Belgian border and they managed to get there. By now Lizzy was expecting a baby but she was a delicate creature and was ill most of the time.

‘By this time, I was married to Hans. He was much older than me but we had a fairly happy marriage until he died just after the war ended. Joe’s mother had also died in 1939.

‘Hans knew a ship’s captain. They were great friends and went on regular fishing trips together. He asked him if he could get the Rosenberg family to Britain and he agreed. It was decided that Joe and Kenneth would go and take them over on the ship but Lena announced that she wanted to go as well.

‘So they all set off from Rotterdam one night and made their way to the town where the family were staying. Hans had emptied their house of all the valuables because he didn’t want the Nazis to confiscate everything. They owned some fabulous jewels and diamonds as well as beautiful antique furniture and paintings. Their house was a real treasure trove.

‘The jewels were all in a strongbox and Lena demanded that she should look after it. I was wary of her motives so, before she left, I took out the most valuable things and just left some of the diamonds and other less valuable jewellery.’

Her hand went to her neck and she stroked the red glass necklace.

‘Well, it all went wrong. The British army had landed in France and were in retreat and all hell broke loose. Kenneth and Joe reached the town all right but when they got there a neighbour told them the Rosenbergs had been rounded up by the Germans and taken away. She said they hadn’t come back.

‘Kenneth tried to make some enquiries in the town but time was against them so they had to come over to Britain on their own. Joe said the best plan was to pretend to get married to Lena and pass Kenneth off as Lena’s brother. It was just a marriage of convenience because Kenneth and Lena had been living together as a cohabiting couple. Kenneth and Joe tried to find out what happened to the Rosenbergs after the war and it turned out that Lizzy had died on route to the concentration camp. Mr and Mrs Rosenberg were separated from Ben and he was put into a work party. He never saw his parents again and died a couple of years later. Kenneth found a survivor from Auschwitz, who had worked with Ben. He told him the whole tragic story but said he died of a broken heart.’