“Yes, go right in.” She pushed the intercom button, “Chandra is back, but not alone.”
We walked forever until we reached a door marked ‘Gareth Chambers’. Chandra tapped on the door but didn’t wait to be invited into the office. Felicia, the very decorative Executive Assistant waved us through. “Ah, Chandra, mission accomplished?”
“Yes, we have information that we feel needs to be acted upon.”
“First things first, introduce me to the other participant in the ‘we’ scenario.”
“Gareth, this is Stefan Baptiste, and before you embarrass yourself by launching into your version of French, he’s as Ocker as they come, doesn’t speak a word of French. This is the hero that rescued me from being raped by that oaf Wayne yesterday.”
“I’m obliged, Stefan. Chandra has been regaling us with your heroics since she got to work this morning. How do you fit into this picture?”
“I am an Interior Design Consultant. Our firm was hired to carry out renovations on the Tomlinson property prior to its sale by the grieving widow.”
“So, you’ve lost a commission then.”
“It would seem so.”
“That’s not the interesting part of the story,” Chandra said. “While we were discussing this turn of events with Stefan’s business partner, Sydney, he tossed a thought into the mix. It seems that, in a previous incarnation, Jacinta Tomlinson was a Pharmacist. He suggested that we should suggest to the police that they take a closer look at the deaths of her husband, and her previous husbands, on the basis of an absence of drugs in their systems. If she was, in her professional capacity, responsible for administering the drugs needed to keep her husbands alive but, was instead administering placebos, this would hasten their demise and there would be no trace of drugs in their system. She would have murdered them by denying them the drugs they needed to survive,”
“That’s all well and good, but how can we prove this? We can’t ask for an exhumation order based on conjecture.”
“What’s the time?” I looked at my watch. “I have time before she gets home, I could have a poke around to see what I can find.”
“Two heads are better than one, or four eyes are better than two. I’m coming with you.” Chandra said.
“Keep your minds on the job.” We were ordered.
“Whatever does he think we’re going to be doing?”
Chandra asked sarcastically out loud as we headed for the door.
“I haven’t a clue.” I replied.
We had conducted a fruitless search and were just about to leave when a truck pulled up. A guy approached the door. “Are you the Interior Designer?” He asked.
“Yes, and who are you?”
“We have been asked to clear the contents of the basement.”
“I wasn’t even aware that there was a basement, although I’m sure that I would have found it eventually.”
“Apparently the entrance is in the garage and you have a key for it among the keys that she gave you.”
I opened the garage doors and found the door to the basement in the back corner. One of the keys fitted the lock so the door was opened. I hit the light switch that was beside the door, and we all walked down the stairs. There was a pile of packing boxes in the centre of the room, some storage cupboards and a workbench.
“I’ll just go and get my mate and we’ll make a start.” He left.
“Quick, let’s have a look.” Chandra took a nail file from her purse and it was sufficient to slice the packaging tape on one of the boxes. “Look at this.” The box contained laboratory equipment.
“I wonder what’s in the other boxes? If there is equipment for the manufacturing of pills or capsules, then we need to make sure that they are not removed.”
“Leave that to me.” The workmen came down the stairs, but before they could remove any boxes, Chandra stepped in. “I have to inform you that you cannot remove these boxes.” She took an official-looking document from her bag. I assumed that it was the one she was carrying when she arrived this morning. “I have here, a document that places a moratorium on the removal of any furnishings or articles from these premises.”
“What are you talking about? We have our orders to remove all of the contents of this basement.”
“I have to inform you that those orders were issued by a person not authorised to do so. This house and the entirety of its contents, apart from the personal belongings of Mrs Tomlinson, are the property of the new owners.”
“That’s news to us, we were under the impression that this house has not yet been sold.”
“Then I suggest that you contact Mrs Tomlinson and clarify the situation.”
“Guess who’s going to have a hissy fit? That document doesn’t say anything about her not removing any property, does it?”
“No, but it soon will.” She took out her phone and was soon talking to her boss. “How soon can you get the police here? We’ve found something interesting that seems to confirm Sydney’s theory. There’s a basement and some guys rocked up to remove the contents. We need to prevent that.” She placed her hand over the phone mike, “He’s calling the cops.” Back to the phone, “Ten minutes, that should be quick enough. If she calls we will tell her some bullshit story that’ll have her on the phone to her lawyer. You need to get someone over here with some authentic papers just in case she arrives.”
“Are you just a Paralegal?”
“Yes, but my boss is also my father.”
“Oh.” I left it at that.
“Is that going to cause a problem?”
“No. I was just deafened by the sound of this all coming together. I thought that you and he were pretty familiar, now I know why.”
“You didn’t think…”
“No, of course not.”
“I’ll have you know that I’m positively puritanic when it comes to relationships, one at a time and no close relatives.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” I kissed her and things were just beginning to get interesting when a car pulled up out front, marginally ahead of the car containing Jacinta. Gareth was in the first car, why he came in person was something that I would have to ask him.
A welcoming committee of now three was waiting for her when she got out of her car. “What the fuck is this all about?” Whatever happened to that dignified person that I have been dealing with for years?
“What is happening is that we have a document stating that you are not the rightful owner of this property.”
“What bullshit is this?” She was getting a tad upset.
“Your late husband changed his Will and left this property and its contents to the National Trust. We had hoped to serve you with the papers this morning but you had left. Our representative spoke with your Interior Designer, informing him that he was not to interfere in any way with this building, pursuant to the provisions of its Heritage Listed status.”
“We’ll see about that!” She frantically worked the keypad of her phone. “Get you arse over his this instant, we have a problem, it seems as if the bastard has left the house and its contents to the National Trust. How the fuck did that manage to get past your search?” She didn’t wait for a reply.
She had just reached her car when a police car pulled in front of her. “Mrs Tomlinson?”
“Yes.”
“I have here a warrant to search this property.” He handed her the warrant.