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Chesham.’
    â€˜Is he fit to be interviewed?’
    â€˜Oh yes; he’s ninety-three, but he’s a strong old bird, in fine fettle. All three of his children have, over the years, invited him to live with them, but he won’t hear of it.’
    Rona took down the address and phone number of the home, and then the addresses of both Tristan Harvey and Phoebe Henshaw. ‘Were they a close family?’ she asked.
    â€˜Well, Theo was much younger, but as they grew older they’d more in common. They used to meet several times a year, and always in December, when he gave a post-publication party and handed out copies of his latest book.’
    â€˜My father always had it for Christmas,’ Rona commented.
    â€˜That’s nice.’ Meriel looked down at her hands, twisting in her lap.
    â€˜Did the younger members of the family come to these parties?’
    â€˜Yes, everyone was invited. Tristan has a son who’s married and a daughter who isn’t, and Phoebe has a married daughter. They always came, plus husbands, wives or partners. Theo’s three sons were invited each year, but never turned up. I think that hurt him.’
    Rona hoped they’d co-operate with her; their view of Theo Harvey was likely to differ from other people’s, and would help to give a more rounded portrait.
    â€˜By the way,’ Meriel said suddenly, ‘I don’t know if it’s relevant, but we had a burglary soon after Theo’s death.’
    â€˜Oh?’
    â€˜Not much was taken, as far as I could judge, but his study was ransacked. We were – at his funeral at the time.’
    Rona’s dormant apprehension stirred. ‘What did the police make of it?’
    â€˜They sniffed around a bit and decided the burglar must have been disturbed. Since so little was missing, they more or less wrote it off.’
    â€˜In spite of the open verdict on your husband’s death?’
    â€˜I did mention that, but they seemed to discount it. They told me there are people who read the death columns, then break in to the deceased’s house when they know the relatives will be at the funeral. Can you credit that?’
    Rona avoided the question. ‘What exactly was taken?’
    â€˜A silver cigarette case from the table over there, and some costume jewellery from my bedroom. They overlooked far more valuable things.’
    Token items? Rona wondered. She shook herself. Watson, indeed. Nevertheless: ‘You say the study was ransacked; was nothing taken from there?’
    â€˜Not that I could see. They didn’t find the safe, which is what the police thought they were looking for.’
    Conversation returned to the family, and Rona enquired about Harvey’s first wife.
    â€˜She was only thirty-seven when Theo left her,’ Meriel said, ‘but she’s never remarried. Probably didn’t want to miss out on the alimony.’
    â€˜How old are her sons?’
    â€˜Lord, now you’re asking. Let me see: Jonathan, the youngest, had his twenty-first a couple of years before Theo died, which would make him about twenty-four. I know there’s three years between them all, so Luke must be twenty-seven and Gavin thirty. He was married last year.’
    â€˜Do you know where they live?’
    â€˜It’ll be in Theo’s address book; I can get it for you.’
    â€˜Thanks. I’d also like to contact anyone apart from the family who knew your husband when he was young.’
    Meriel smiled. ‘Do call him Theo, it’s so much easier than having to say “your husband” every time. And I’m Meriel; we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, so we might as well use first-names.
    â€˜As far as old friends are concerned, I can’t really help. Theo always maintained he hated his school days, and it gave him great pleasure to refuse invitations to officiate at prize-givings once he’d become famous. I don’t know