I could have put her right on that one but I let it pass.
‘It’s like a machine with a thousand moving parts and the trouble is that if a few of them go missing, nobody notices. The machine doesn’t stop. Wine and whisky. Champagne. Fillet steaks. Petty cash. Guests’ property: jewellery, watches, designer sunglasses. Linen and towels. Antique furniture. Putting a thief in here is like giving a drug addict the keys to his local Boots.’
‘When Stefan came here, he’d never been accused of theft,’ Lawrence reminded her. But he didn’t sound convinced.
‘What are you talking about, Daddy? He had been sent to prison for burglary and assault.’
‘It’s not the same … ’
‘You wouldn’t listen to me. You never do.’ Lisa dismissed him and focused her energies on me. ‘I knew something was wrong. Somebody was stealing from us. But whenever I mentioned Stefan’s name, everyone ganged up on me.’
‘You liked him to start with. You spent lots of time with him.’
‘I tried to like him because that was what you all wanted. But the only reason I stayed close to him – and I’ve told you this enough times – was to see what he was up to. And I was right, wasn’t I! What happened in room twelve was horrible, but it showed that I’d been right all along.’
‘How much money was actually stolen from Frank Parris’s room?’ I asked.
‘A hundred and fifty pounds,’ Lawrence said.
‘And you really believe that Stefan would murder someone, hammer them to death, for such a small amount?’
‘I’m sure Stefan didn’t mean to kill anyone. He sneaked into the room in the middle of the night, thinking he could help himself to whatever and get away with it. But the poor man woke up and challenged him and Stefan lashed out on the spur of the moment.’ Lisa sniffed at me. ‘It all came out in the trial.’
It didn’t make any sense to me. If Stefan hadn’t intended to kill Frank Parris, why had he been carrying a hammer? And why go into the room while the occupant was there? But I didn’t say anything. There are some people you just never want to argue with, and Lisa was certainly one of them.
She called the waiter over and ordered another drink. I took the opportunity to order my food. Just a salad and another glass of wine. Lawrence went for a steak.
‘Can you tell me what happened on the night of the murder?’ I asked and even as I uttered the words I felt slightly ridiculous. They sounded so old-fashioned, so clichéd. If I’d seen them in a novel, I’d have edited them out.
Lawrence took me through it. ‘We had thirty friends and relatives staying over the weekend, but as I told you, the hotel was still open to the public and we had paying guests too. Every room was full.
‘Frank Parris had checked in two days before the wedding, on the Thursday. He was staying three nights. I remember him because he was quite difficult from the start. He was tired and he was jet-lagged and he didn’t like his room so he insisted that we move him.’
‘Which room was he in?’
‘We’d given him room sixteen. It’s in the Moonflower Wing, where you are.’
I had passed room 16 on the way to my suite. It was on the other side of the fire door, where the swirly carpet began.
‘He preferred the old part of the hotel,’ Lawrence went on. ‘Fortunately, we were able to move things around so he got what he wanted. That’s very much Aiden’s job, incidentally, to keep people happy. And he’s very good at it.’
‘The person Frank Parris changed with didn’t complain?’
‘As I recall, he was a retired headmaster, travelling on his own. I don’t think he ever knew.’
‘Do you remember his name?’
‘The headmaster? No. But I can easily find out for you if you like.’
‘That would be helpful. Thank you.’
‘We had the wedding on the Saturday and we did warn the guests that there would be a certain amount of disruption. For example, we closed the spa early on the Friday evening so that we could give all the staff a drink, outside beside the swimming pool. We wanted them to feel part of the celebration even if they weren’t actually coming to the wedding itself. The staff drinks started at eight thirty and finished at ten o’clock.’
‘Was Stefan invited?’
‘Yes. He was there. So were Aiden and Cecily. Pauline and myself. Lisa … ’
Lisa’s plus one, or rather his absence, hung in the air.
‘It was a very warm evening. In fact, you may remember that there was quite a heatwave that summer.’
‘It was a horrible, hot, sticky night,’ Lisa said. ‘I couldn’t wait to get home.’
‘Lisa doesn’t live on the estate,’ Lawrence said, adding, ‘although she could. The grounds extend to almost three hundred acres.’
‘Aiden and Cecily have my old place,’ Lisa muttered, sourly.
‘Branlow Cottage,’ I said.
‘I moved into Woodbridge, which suits me very well. I left the drinks a long time before ten o’clock. I drove home and went to bed.’
‘I’m going to leave Derek to tell you the rest,’ Lawrence said. ‘He’s the night manager and he arrived at about the same time. He wasn’t at the party.’
‘He wasn’t invited?’
‘Of course he was invited but Derek doesn’t like to socialise. You’ll understand when you meet him. He was actually behind reception when the murder took place.’
‘When was that?’
‘According to the police, Parris was killed around twelve thirty on Friday night.’
‘Were you here, Lawrence?’
‘No. Pauline and I bought a house in Southwold when we stopped running the hotel. We went home for the night.’
‘But we were all there for the wedding the next day,’ Lisa said. ‘It was such a lovely day … until, of course, there was a murder. Poor Aiden! I’m sure it wasn’t what he was buying into.’
‘Really, Lisa, that’s too much,’ Lawrence protested.
‘All I’m saying is that Cess was his meal ticket. What was he doing before he met her? Nothing! He was an estate agent.’
‘He was doing very well. And he was a great help to us here at the hotel, whatever you may say,’ Lawrence tut-tutted. ‘Anyway, I think it’s hardly appropriate to talk in this way, given how worried we all are about Cecily.’
‘I’m worried about her too!’ Lisa exclaimed and to my surprise I saw tears start in her eyes and I knew she was telling the truth. The waiter had arrived with her second whisky and she snatched it off the tray. ‘Of course I’m worried about her. She’s my sister! And if something’s happened to her – that’s too horrible to think about.’
She gazed into her drink. The three of us sat in silence.
‘What do you remember about the wedding?’ I asked.
‘It was a wedding like any other. We have weddings here all the time. They’re our bread and butter.’ She took a breath. ‘The service was in the rose garden. I was the maid of honour. We had the registrar from Ipswich, then lunch in a marquee on the main lawn. I was sitting next to Aiden’s mother who had come down from Glasgow.’