Free Design for Murder by Roy Lewis Page B

suspected all this might have nothing to do with the trust; it was merely the prurient inquisitiveness of an ageing lawyer.
    Strudmore put the tips of his fingers together and stared again at the ceiling. ‘In a spare hour I once caused a check to be made of the local press at the time. Just as a matter of curiosity. I can’t be sure it was the same person, but it seems there was a prison sentence involved. It was a sad business, really, because George died in 1973 and little more is heard of the unfortunate Sally Chalmers.’
    ‘You say, “unfortunate”?’
    Strudmore nodded. ‘George Chivers was a wealthy man. He had made a will in 1958. It seems, however, that he never effected any changes to the will to take account of his liaison with Miss Chalmers.’
    ‘I see.’
    Strudmore appeared slightly disturbed and shook his head. ‘Yes. Used and cast aside, I fear. Way of the world. Originally, there was a letter in the file, written by Miss Chalmers. I can’t imagine what it was about. There is a reply, a sort of final letter that tells us little. You will see it for yourself. But the rest, I’m afraid it was the supporting correspondence ensuing that was later weeded out.’ Strudmore’s glance wavered and dropped from the ceiling, and in a slightly flustered tone, as though he realized he had been wandering, went on, ‘However, I’m rambling. All this is strictly speaking nothing to do with Miss Owen and the trust fund.’
    Eric sipped his coffee, relieved that perhaps they were now approaching the core of the matter.
    ‘After the death of George Chivers, most of his moneywent to his widow Flora, with legacies to the two children Peter and Anne. George’s son Peter took over the running of the family business but soon began to diversify into property development. He displayed a business acumen which was certainly the equal of his father’s. When his mother Flora passed on, her estate was divided equally between Peter and his sister Anne. However, a large part of the estate had already been tied up in a family trust, set up by George in favour of his grandchildren, and while Peter was by now running his own property business successfully, trouble arose because of the activities of Anne’s husband.’
    Eric was getting a little lost. ‘Peter’s sister Anne had married?’
    Strudmore nodded. ‘The daughter of George Chivers, Anne, married a solicitor. James Owen.’
    ‘That would be Sharon’s father.’
    ‘Correct,’ Strudmore enunciated primly. He eyed Eric carefully for a few moments. ‘It would have been better, in my view, if the trust had been handled independently of family, but that did not happen. James Owen, whose own legal practice had never been particularly flourishing, took it upon himself to administer the Chivers Trust personally. Possibly at the suggestion of his wife Anne. Not a good idea. I fear he was not very … shall we say, efficient.’
    There was something in his tone that suggested more than lack of efficiency. ‘How do you mean?’ Eric asked, his curiosity at last being aroused.
    ‘You’ll be aware, naturally, that in any trust business of any consequence there are restrictions relating to the use of investments … wider range and narrower range. Investments were made by James Owen. But when James Owen died suddenly of a heart attack three years ago it was discovered that he had paid little regard to these legalrestrictions. As a consequence, quite a lot of money would seem to have been dissipated. Which brings us to the crux of the problem.’
    ‘Family dispute,’ Eric sighed, and finished his coffee.
    Strudmore nodded. ‘My own take on the situation is that the two siblings, Peter and Anne, had never been particularly close. Perhaps because of their upbringing, with their father always away from home. Or Flora’s … rather cool character, perhaps? Who can tell? However, the families were not really in touch with each other, quite distant even though they both lived