The Burlington Manor Affair

Jacobson nodded. “The manor is the best place to start the investigation. Have you any suspicions about the staff there?”

“Nothing significant, but only three of them are well-known to me. The rest of them have been employed over the years that I’ve been away from the place. I figure that if someone had tampered with the stair carpet—and it looked that way to me—it had to be someone who knew Carmen’s movements when she returned to the property. Apparently she always uses the back staircase shortly after her arrival. There are gardens and a lake beyond the house and she takes a walk there.”

It still bugged Rex that he hadn’t known that about her. He wanted to know more about Carmen, everything there was to know, in fact.

“We need someone to talk to your staff. As you suggested on the phone, we could send a couple of men in under the guise of looking at renovation work.”

“Absolutely. I can arrange that to begin by tomorrow morning.”

“Two of my men have a particular knack—they can ingratiate themselves into a situation to find out what they want to know.” Jacobson smiled. The man enjoyed his work. It was a good sign. Rex wanted to get to the bottom of this and fast.

“I need to visit the property next weekend as usual. I want to be sure the place is safe.”

“You also mentioned your solicitor.”

“I’ll speak to him this afternoon, give permission for you to access the paperwork. There was a clause in my father’s will that stated what should happen to the estate should both myself and the other part-owner be deceased. To be honest I didn’t take much notice of it at the time, seeing as we were both sitting there in fine health. However, since this happened I want to be absolutely sure what’s going on with that clause. More than my own safety, I’m very concerned for the other co-owner. At the present time I haven’t alerted her to my fears, but I’m keeping her close by my side until we get to the bottom of this.”

And for a long time after, if I have my way.

* * *

THAT AFTERNOON REX stood on the wide marble steps that led up to the apartments where his father’s mistress lived. Once he had her first name, the rest was easy. Nate’s father hadn’t wanted to bad-mouth this Olivia woman, or Charles, but when Rex explained why he wanted to know, that situation changed.

Olivia Fordyce was her name.

According to Nate’s father, Charles had bought his mistress a home of her own years ago. It was in her name, and that’s why there had been no mention of it in the property listed in Charles’s will.

Rex went up to the intercom on the right-hand side of the massive front door to the building. Her name was proudly displayed. He pressed the buzzer. Several moments later the intercom crackled into life.

“Yes. Who is it?” The voice was female.

Behind him, he heard the closed-circuit camera whir as it moved in his direction. He kept his back to it.

“Rex Carruthers. I’d like to have a word with you...about my father.”

He had to force the last part out.

The intercom crackled, then went silent.

At first he thought she wasn’t going to let him in. Then the camera began to whir again. Rex turned to face it. Staring at the small mounted camera above his head, he forced a smile. It wasn’t an easy task.

The intercom crackled again. “Second floor, top of the stairs.”

The door buzzed. Rex pushed it open. Crossing the hallway he made his way up the stairs. On the second-floor landing a door flanked by potted plants opened as he approached.

The woman standing there put up her hand as if to stop him. “Oh, please just let me admire you from a distance.”

The comment, so blithely delivered and so odd, drew Rex to a halt, as she had no doubt intended. Olivia Fordyce looked sprightly, slender, possibly in her early fifties. She was elegant and refined and she had a beady look in her eyes that he didn’t like.

“Oh, yes, you do look like Charles now that you’ve filled out, how lovely.” She offered him her hand.

Rex had known he would find this difficult, but he hadn’t expected his feelings of distaste to be quite so sudden and strong. He didn’t want to shake her hand. He didn’t like the way she spoke about him, as if she knew all about him. Moreover, this was the woman who’d caused his parents to break up. But he had to speak to her, so he resorted to politeness, giving her cold hand a small and perfunctory shake.

“Do come in.”

He followed her inside, into a grand sitting room that overlooked the park. Prestige London property, for sure. When Rex was a small boy his father had owned a London house, but he’d sold it. Had he done so to fund this bit on the side?

“What can I do for you, Rex?”