Chapter Twenty-One

Theo woke later than usual and, after arranging to meet Dorland at Mrs. Hathaway’s home, stepped into the shower. The hot water helped him think. The revelation that Maddock Tipring’s uncle worked for MI5 threw the case into a whole different direction. It could explain why he wasn’t finding a motive or suspects. He would still have to follow up his original line of enquiry but he wasn’t faced with a dead end.

He didn’t know what to expect from Heather Hathaway, the next nurse on his list. Dorland had confirmed that Heather had really been away at the time of Mr. Tipring’s death, so the most he hoped for from her was a motive as to why anyone would want to kill her previous employer.

The nurse lived in Tulse Hill, a top floor flat just south of Brockwell Park. One thing Theo liked about interviewing witnesses was that he was able to see London, all of it. And some of it was extremely lovely.

Dorland arrived before him and was standing outside the address, sipping coffee.

Theo rang the bell. A woman looked out from her window on the top floor and Theo waved. They heard a click and quickly Dorland grabbed the door to let them inside. The six flights of stairs left them breathless and the nurse stood waiting at the top of the stairs with a pitying look on her face.

“Try that flight with groceries,” the nurse said, motioning them into her small, sparsely furnished apartment. Two suitcases lay open and a small pile of clothing lay on the floor. The nurse was in her late thirties and wore a beautiful Chinese silk robe on top of her flannel bunny pajama suit. Her hair was pulled back in a bun. “I just returned yesterday from China, sorry for the mess. I never thought you would show up for another few days at least.”

“We want to ask you some questions about Mr. Tipring,” replied Theo.

“Yes, as soon as I arrived home my friend rang me and said he had died. Murdered. I had worked for him for six years, as you probably know. My landlord also mentioned you had stopped by.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for your loss,” replied Theo. “We were hoping you could give us a reason why anyone would want to kill him?”

She shook her head. “He was a bit odd, in an older person sort of way, but I wouldn’t say anyone had a reason to kill him.”

“We talked to Mr. Tipring’s solicitor,” Dorland said. “He was going to give most of his money to different charitable organizations, but to his nurses, he left some money. Were you aware of that?”

“I doubt that he planned to leave me any, not with how we ended our relationship. Would you like some tea?” Both officers shook their heads and Dorland lifted up his coffee cup in explanation. She sat down in a rocking chair beside the front window and offered them the sofa.

“What happened between Mr. Tipring and yourself?”

“I really don’t know. Sometimes I sit and think about what happened and well, I didn’t do what he said I did.” She stopped and looked at them. “Mr. Tipring had some jewelry, some earrings. I don’t know if you saw the box when you entered his house but, he really loved them. I believe they belonged to his mother. Whatever the reason. Well, I took holidays and some temporary nurses were called in from the agency to take over. I returned three weeks later and everything was fine. Then one day, about a week after I had returned, he comes into the kitchen when I’m preparing his lunch and starts accusing me of stealing one set of earrings from the box. I told him it wasn’t me but he thinks he remembers seeing them after I had returned. I don’t know. I doubt he knew when they went missing. Anyways, right there, right on the spot, he fired me. And because I’m accused of stealing, I never received severance pay and the agency dropped me.”

“Did they ever find out who stole the earrings?” Dorland asked.

“I’m not sure. I got a job at a tour company with my cousin. It’s where I work now.”

“That must have made you angry.”

“If you think that I had a motive, maybe the first week. But I got the job with my cousin two weeks later, it pays better, the hours are better, and I get large discounts and opportunities to travel the world. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I met a man overseas in France and in three months, we’re going to be married. If anything, I should thank Mr. Tipring. No, I didn’t murder him. And as for the money, I doubt it will amount to much and I don’t really need it.”

“So as far as you know, the person who stole the jewelry must have been one of the sub nurses?”

“It’s really difficult to say. I can’t accuse anyone of doing it. I never had a chance to look into it. The earrings may have just fallen to the bottom of the case and are there now. He dismissed me and I left. If a pair of earrings is missing, I can’t explain what happened to them.”

“Do you know if any of the earrings were worth anything?”

Heather laughed. “Worth something? No, they were probably worth a few dollars combined. Sentimentality, nothing more. There were no pearls or diamonds that were real, cheap gold. Some were starting to rust, and gold does not rust. A nurse would have no reason to steal those earrings. They were worthless to anyone but him. No one would risk getting into trouble over those.”

“Do you know anything about his art?” asked Dorland.

“No, not really. He did them for his own enjoyment; he never sold any. Although, he did give two away. I know he gave one to his hometown, where he grew up. I used to drive him there once a year to see it; it was one of the few places he ever traveled to. Funny that, the man must be one of the vainest personages on earth, only leaving the city to see tile work he did himself. And I don’t know where the other went.”

“I heard that he used to name them,” said Dorland.

“Yeah, I forget what he used to call them. Unusual man, though. I think of him often.”

“When you worked there, did he receive any visitors? Did he talk of his past, his family, his job?” asked Theo.

“Not that I remember. He hated his neighbors, read the paper religiously, and preferred his tea a certain way. No one came to visit him, not regularly, and he was content in his own little world. I wish I could remember more, and I will try to, but it’s all I have.”

“Did he ever mention working for the government?” asked Theo.

Dorland looked sharply at him.

“The government?” replied Heather. “No, he was an electrician.”

“What about family? Do you know if anyone worked for the government?”

She opened her mouth to speak but paused before replying, “I don’t know what you’re looking for. Patients often open up to their nurses. Sometimes you can’t get them to shut up, but not our Mr. Tipring. No, he kept the world to himself. Oh sure, he made chit chat, but if I think about it, I didn’t know anything about him really. What a way to live.”

“I would like to talk to the nurses that filled in for you while you were on holiday. Do you still have the number for the nursing agency?”

She wrote it down for them.

After leaving the flat, Theo said, “If one of those girls did steal the jewelry and Tipring found out whom, the culprit may have wanted to silence him.”

“Over a pair of earrings? First, why would anyone want to steal a cheap pair of earrings and second, why would anyone kill for them? If he did accuse one of the nurses, she could easily argue that the man was crazy and explain they were worth nothing.”

“I think we should find out if the old man was crazy or not,” Theo suggested.

“How do you plan to do that?”

“We should find out if the man has really had a pair of earrings stolen or not. We fetch the box of earrings and compare them to the pictures the solicitor has in his office. I’ll ring him and find out if we can come in. Follow me to Mr. Tipring’s house.” Theo made the call to the solicitor and agreed to meet him at one that afternoon.