David approached the reception desk, where two young women were on duty, gave his name and asked to see Chief Inspector Hubbard, telling the girl that he had an appointment.
‘If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here,’ she said, pointing towards a row of chairs along the left-hand wall.
He sat down and watched as the receptionist spoke into the telephone. After a few moments she hung up and called across to him, ‘He’ll be with you in a few minutes.’
David thanked her then sat quietly watching the lifts. His only experience of English policemen was from the movies, where they were usually portrayed as rather stupid and pompous. He reckoned Hubbard would have him wait exactly ten minutes before making an appearance, just to stamp his authority and to show that he was a busy man. To David’s surprise though, a young woman appeared out of one of the elevators exactly six minutes later and made her way across to him.
‘Mr Wiseman?’ she asked.
David leapt to his feet and said, ‘Yes ma’am, that’s me.’
‘If you’d like to follow me, Chief Inspector Hubbard will see you now.’ She led him across the entrance hall back to the lifts, flashing her pass as she went. They rode the lift up to the sixth floor in silence then she guided him along a corridor and past several offices before coming to a halt outside a door marked with Hubbard’s name and rank. She knocked, and after receiving an answer, walked in and announced, ‘Mr Wiseman, sir.’
Hubbard was seated behind his desk but stood up and held his hand out as soon as David walked in. He was a big, hard looking man of about fifty, with short blond hair and the crisp manner of a Marine Corps officer. David had met his type many times before in the FBI, and forgetting his preconceptions, felt immediately confident about getting some action from this man.
‘Nice to meet you, Mr Wiseman,’ Hubbard said, shaking his hand. ‘So sorry to keep you waiting. Please have a seat.’
‘It was very nice of you to see me at such short notice,’ David replied, sitting in a chair directly in front of the desk.
Hubbard sat down and picked his pen up, ready to make notes. ‘Now, I believe you’re with the FBI, is that right?’
‘Yes, sir, I’m an analyst, but my visit here is strictly personal.’
‘I see,’ Hubbard said, making a note. ‘Something about a suspicious death, isn’t it?’
David pulled his notebook out and spent the next half-hour giving Hubbard a detailed and professional account of all he’d learnt about his aunt’s death. Hubbard took copious notes during the narrative and occasionally stopped David to ask a question or to confirm the spelling of a name.
When he’d finally finished, Hubbard sat back in his chair and said, ‘It’s a very interesting story Mr Wiseman, but there is very little in the way of proof.’
‘What about the death certificate?’ David asked. ‘What possible reason could Webley have had for changing it if he wasn’t trying to hide something?’
‘We don’t have any proof that the death certificate was altered, do we?’ Hubbard pointed out. ‘The only evidence is the memory of an old woman who claims to remember exactly what was written in a foreign language on a certificate she saw only briefly, twenty-five years ago.’
‘I believe her,’ David said obstinately, ‘and if Vogler und Zimmer still have their records from that time, it should be easy enough to prove.’
‘Maybe so, but assuming we did find a discrepancy in the death certificate, what do you expect us to do about it?’
‘Exhume her body of course, and check for poison.’
‘We can’t go around digging people up on that kind of evidence!’ Hubbard exclaimed. ‘Webley is a knight of the realm, a respectable citizen who has never been in any trouble to the best of my knowledge. He’d cause one hell of a stink if we opened up his family vault and started poking around at his deceased wife!’
‘There must be something you can do,’ David said. ‘I’m convinced Webley murdered my aunt and stole all her money by forging her will.’
‘Look, I respect your instinct,’ Hubbard said firmly, ‘but all I can do to start off with is to ask Vogler und Zimmer if they still have the copy of her death certificate in their archives. If they have, I’ll get them to fax it to me then I’ll get a copy of the original from the Family Records Office here in London and compare them. If I then think there was a deliberate attempt to mislead the Baroness’s lawyer, I’ll get one of my men to discreetly investigate her will. If that turns out to look suspicious, then we may have grounds to proceed further.’
‘That’s a hell of a lot of ifs,’ Davis said angrily. ‘How soon will you be able to get started?’
‘I’ll have someone phone Vogler und Zimmer this afternoon,’ Hubbard promised, standing up to signal the end of the meeting. ‘If you care to leave your number, I’ll let you know how we get on.’
David was very disappointed by the reception Hubbard had given his story. He gave Hubbard his cell phone number then said, ‘There was one other thing I wanted to discuss with you, if you have a few more minutes.’
Hubbard sighed, then sat back down in his chair signaling David to carry on.
‘Have you seen the stories in the papers over the past couple of days about Lady Webley?’ David asked.
‘Yes, killed in a climbing accident in the Alps, wasn’t she?’
‘Walking, I think it was. Anyhow, don’t you think it’s kind of convenient for her husband that she has a fatal accident so soon after inheriting a corporation worth five hundred million dollars?’
‘Are you trying to imply that Webley murdered her too?’ Hubbard asked with amazement. ‘You really have got it in for him, haven’t you?’
David ignored his remark and carried on. ‘I don’t think he killed her personally, he’s much too smart for that, besides, he’s got a watertight alibi. I do think he arranged it though. How else could he have told them exactly where to look for her body? Don’t you think it would be worth just asking to see a copy of the French police report, bearing in mind what I’ve told you about my aunt?’
‘Mr Wiseman,’ Hubbard said slowly, ‘I cannot go around persecuting innocent people and wasting police time on the sort of evidence you have given me. If there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Lady Webley, I’m sure the French police would have brought it to our attention. Now, if you don’t mind, I am extremely busy.’
David got up slowly from his chair. ‘I know I’m right,’ he said, looking Hubbard directly in the eye. ‘He can’t be allowed to get away with murder just because he has a title.’
‘I couldn’t agree with you more,’ Hubbard said, standing. ‘Believe me, if there’s a case to answer, I’ll make sure it’s properly dealt with.’
They shook hands then Hubbard had him shown down to the entrance lobby, where he wandered dejectedly out through the doors and onto the street to look for a taxi.
Back in his office, Hubbard assigned a young female detective constable to telephone Vogler und Zimmer in Lucerne. The news was good. With typical Swiss efficiency, they had all the records going back to the beginning of the original Herr Vogler’s practice and would fax the death certificate over within the hour. Hubbard then dispatched the same DC across London to the Family Records Center in Myddelton Street, with a priority request for a copy of the original death certificate as filed by Doctor Mason.