Page 61 of Needs Must
‘To relieve her of certain letters that Ian had written to his brother. You were right to suggest that much, but I was to do it without her knowing that they had been taken. I was then to report back to Ian regarding her whereabouts.’
‘But you have done none of those things,’ Cal reiterated. ‘Why not?’
Aykroyd again allowed a significant pause. This time, no one broke it, and it was eventually the man himself who filled the heavy silence.
‘Mrs Harte will tell you that her husband and I never saw eye to eye. I made myself useful to the boss. Ian merely clung to his coattails, constantly whining about how unfair life was. Jonathan knew it and enjoyed playing us off against one another.’
He glanced at Donna, who nodded. So far he had told the absolute truth, which was a rarity.
‘So we get to the crux of the matter,’ Cal said. ‘The pair of you formed an uneasy alliance. Ian had his brother’s blunt and so was able to use you to do his dirty work. Better the devil you know, and all that.’
‘That about sums it up.’ Aykroyd shrugged. ‘A cove has to eat. I don’t like the man and wouldn’t trust him in a dark alley, but I was happy to take his cash. He was paying very well for the return of those letters – and frankly I was interested to see what was in them. Obviously, something that would condemn him if they fell into the wrong hands.’
‘But you didn’t look for them,’ Donna said. ‘We would have known if our things had been searched.’
‘No, I did not. I’m not saying I had a fit of conscience or nothing, but I saw that the lady had attracted your attention, m’lord, and wasn’t about to have my collar felt just for doing Ian’s bidding.’ He sneered. ‘He’d just love that. Or would if he weren’t so worried about them letters seeing the light of day. He searched your house in Jamaica, Mrs Harte, and turned the air blue when he couldn’t find them. He knew you must have them and intended to confront you, but you left on a ship the next day and he missed his chance. He followed you to England as soon as he could get a passage, but he couldn’t find you.’
‘In the meantime he told the authorities that he suspected Mrs Harte of killing her husband,’ Cal suggested.
‘That he did. An act of vindictiveness, if you ask me.’
‘Or a means of diverting suspicion away from himself,’ Donna added, wrinkling her nose disdainfully. ‘I not only hold letters that Ian believes would condemn him, but I also rejected his vile advances. A man with his level of arrogance and presumption would never permit such a slight to go unavenged. If he couldn’t have me then he would ensure that he ruined my reputation by leaving a shadow of suspicion hanging over my character. He knew those rumours would reach these shores and probably assumed that I would have to eventually turn to him for protection, if only in desperation, when I found that no one wanted to know me.’ She shook her head. ‘How little he understands my character. I would prefer to starve than to submit to his obnoxious demands.’
‘Do you know if he killed Mrs Harte’s husband?’ Cal asked, fixing Aykroyd with a firm, penetrating look. ‘The truth if you please. I would advise against telling me what you think I want to hear.’
‘I wasn’t there, so I don’t know for sure,’ Aykroyd replied without hesitation. ‘But reading between the lines, I have no doubt whatsoever.’
Cal glanced at Donna when she audibly gasped.
‘Ian was furious when his brother cut off his line of credit and refused to relent like he thought he would. He had always done so in the past. The brothers had a close bond, but Ian had crossed the line once too often. Jon ran out of patience and there was no going back. Ian was in debt to some serious people, and I know he prayed that his brother would not recover from his illness. When he appeared to be on the point of doing so, he sent for Ian, who assumed that all would be forgiven.’ Aykroyd spread his hands. ‘Now you know as much as I do.’
‘What do you know about Jonathan’s involvement with a gold mine enterprise?’ Cal asked.
Aykroyd scratched his ear. ‘I know that he had great expectations of making a fortune, but it all went horribly wrong. He’d been duped and lost his investment. He’d borrowed heavily on the back of anticipated profits and was thirsting for revenge against the man who had inveigled him into the scheme. A man whom he was convinced had known all along that it was a hoax.’
‘Did he achieve his revenge?’
Aykroyd met Cal’s gaze and held it. ‘I am absolutely sure of it,’ he said.
‘How can you be so sure?’ Mr Hardy asked. ‘Unless you did his dirty work for him.’
‘Whoa, not me!’ Aykroyd pushed his hands towards Mr Hardy, palms first, as though warding off an attack. ‘I’m not too fussy what I do to earn a crust, I’ll be the first to admit it, but I ain’t never killed anyone and I don’t intend to start down that path.’
‘For clarification,’ Cal said. ‘Who was killed?’
‘The wife of the man who got Jonathan involved in the scheme is my understanding. Bagshott, his name was. I clearly heard Jon and Ian talking about it. Ian was all for taking the man down but Jon said there was a better way to make him suffer.’
‘Murder the woman he adored,’ Donna said softly.
‘Right. But that’s all I heard. I was listening outside the door, but I heard someone approaching so I had to scarper. Anyway, I gather the lady did subsequently die so it’s reasonable to assume that Ian did Jon’s bidding, which is one of the reasons why he felt entitled and resented the fact that Jon cut off his credit. But I can’t actually prove it. And it’s none of my business anyway.’ He paused. ‘What I do know is that you took the lease on the cottage where the murder took place, Mrs Harte. Now that can’t be a coincidence, and it’s one of the reasons why I haven’t reported back to Ian yet. If blame is about to be apportioned for murder, then I want no part of it.’
Chapter Eighteen
Cal nodded, satisfied that Aykroyd had the good sense to know which side to back. He was, as Donna had implied, a man who put his own interests first, which is why Cal was as sure as he could be that he’d been telling them the truth.
‘Well then,’ Cal said, standing and pacing the length of the room. Willow jumped up and followed him. Distracted, Cal picked the dog up and handed him to Donna. ‘How do we progress this matter?’ he asked, thinking aloud.
‘Aykroyd’s version of events won’t be enough to condemn Ian,’ Jules said.
