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d everybody, but it was inevitable. Chris and his father had been old friends, university buddies. Had he known about Olivia Fordyce? Probably. What more did Chris know and what was he concealing? “Do you want me to speak to him?”
“No, I got through in the end. I’m tenacious, but his reluctance did put him in the spotlight. My conclusion is that he knew there was something odd in the will and he possibly felt a little guilty because he hadn’t made more of an effort to draw your attention to it.” Jacobson paused. “I’ll leave you to take that up with him, because I think you’ll probably want to. In the meantime I can go over the clause now.”
“Please do.” Rex glanced at Carmen. She was making no effort to hide her curiosity.
“This charity that you mentioned, it’s a small affair. It provides support for people who are suffering from a rare form of cancer. It was named Wilmington’s after the founder. His wife had the condition but he’s passed on now, too, and the charity is run by a small team of volunteers.”
“Right,” Rex responded, his mind working overtime. He’d never heard of the organization and as far as he knew his father died of a heart attack. If the charity had been supporting him in some way, the solicitor would have been aware of that.
“The interesting part is that the chief financial officer for the charity is one of the names you gave me, this Olivia Fordyce.”
So, there was a connection. Was the charity a front? “That’s very interesting indeed. I’ve located the woman in question already. I’ll email you her details.”
“Your suspicions were grounded?” Jacobson asked.
“I think so. Anything else?”
“Not right now, but I’ll keep on it.”
When he ended the call, Carmen was sitting with her arms folded, studying him. “You’re keeping things from me about the house and the staff?”
“I have been, yes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Just because I’ve been pliable in the sex department doesn’t mean I want to be treated like a helpless child. We both own that house.”
Rex took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s not going to be easy.” He really couldn’t afford to have her running around oblivious and vulnerable anymore, especially not now he had concrete suspicions that he could go to the police with.
“What is it?” She looked wary, but undaunted.
“When we had lunch in London, you asked me why my parents split.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t want to tell you because I knew the reason it happened would upset you.”
A frown developed between her eyebrows. “But you’re going to tell me now?”
He nodded. “I have to.”
“So tell me.”
He admired her resilience. He hated to crush it. But this thing had gone too far and it was necessary. “My father had a mistress. It was a full-on thing. He set her up in her own home, the works. It broke my mum apart when she found out.”
“Seriously?” She looked astonished. “I can’t believe it.”
“You had great admiration for him and a good relationship, that’s why I didn’t want to explain before now.”
She stared out of the car window a moment, eyes focusing on a midpoint while she thought about it. “Are you telling me that he had a mistress even after he married my mother...I mean, if he bought the woman a home and everything, was she a permanent fixture?”
Rex rested his hand on her arm, squeezing it gently. “I can’t be entirely sure when it ended, but I don’t think so.”
She rested back against the headrest. “If it’s true, I’m glad my mother never knew.”
It raised all sorts of questions for her, Rex could see that. He looked out of the car. It was getting overcast, and he wanted to get her to the house. He felt increasingly uneasy. Jacobson’s call had set his mind running with questions. “Do you remember when Chris read the will? He mentioned a clause that would come into action if we both passed on.”
She turned back to him. “Vaguely.”
“The estate funds would go to a charity. It wasn’t something I’d ever heard of, so I’ve had someone look into it. I don’t think it’s entirely aboveboard. It turns out my father’s mistress is the finance officer. I can’t be sure yet, but I’ve got a private investigator on it.”
