Page 97 of Murder in the Family

JJ NORTON

I don’t think it’s either/or. I think it’s both.

BILL SERAFINI

Agreed.

LAILA FURNESS

But don’t we have to re-evaluate all our previous lines of enquiry in the light of this? Reconsider all the existing suspects, even those we thought we’d eliminated?

ALAN CANNING

First and most notably, Caroline. Did she know about this bogus identity?

Maybe she found out – maybe that’s what all this was about. Because if that isn’t a motive, I don’t know what is.

JJ NORTON

To divorce him, yes, but to have him murdered?

BILL SERAFINI

A deception like that? I’ve seen plenty of people killed for less.

HUGO FRASER

(shaking his head)

I’m not buying it. If you ask me, we should follow the money.

LAILA FURNESS

In the sense that—?

HUGO FRASER

In the sense that when Fulton stole the real Luke Ryder’s passport he couldn’t possibly have known there was a family fortune just waiting to be claimed.

There’s a pause while they take this in.

MITCHELL CLARKE

Actually, I think you could be onto something there. For someone like him, that would have been like winning the bloody lottery. All he had to do was rock up and schmooze the old lady and bingo – ker-ching.

JJ NORTON

You really think he could have fooled Florence Ryder?

HUGO FRASER

Quite possibly, if you ask me. Remember, she’d nevermethim – never even seen a photo as far as I can work out. And if Fulton really had stolen the real Luke’s personal effects I’m sure a practised conman like him could have pieced together more than enough to fool her.

But the point is, money is a zero-sum game, especially when it comes to inheritance: ‘Luke’s’ gain would have been someone else’s loss.

JJ NORTON

(nodding)

---