Buster’s influence, I think. And for another, we always ended up quarrelling, and it wore me out.’
‘What did you quarrel about?’
She hesitated just perceptibly. ‘Alec, usually. He thought he wasn’t good enough for me. He always wanted me to admit I’d made a mistake and that he’d been right, that I should have listened to Daddy’s advice, that sort of thing. I know I oughtn’t to have risen to it, but my father had ways of getting to you. He had a vicious tongue.’
‘How did your husband get on with him?’
‘He didn’t mind him so much. Well, he hadn’t had to put up with him all his life, had he? He didn’t like my father criticising the way we brought Marcus up – that’s our son – but he was better at holding his tongue than I was.’
‘You have only the one child?’
‘Yes. We’d have liked more, but—’ She shrugged. ‘We’re very short of family altogether. It’s like a chronic condition. Alec always wanted a large family, but all he has is me and Marcus, and a godson he’s rather fond of. I suppose that’s why he’s tended to spoil Marcus. He gives in to him much too easily. He’s so soft with him he would never even let me punish him,and of course a child soon learns he can play one parent off against the other.’ She stopped, and stared thoughtfully at the carpet, pursuing a private thought.
After a moment Slider said, ‘When was the last time you saw your father? Can you remember?’
‘Oh yes. It was three weeks ago, on my birthday. We went there for dinner. I did speak to him on the phone last week about the concert – it’s a pet cause of mine, the St Augustine’s Restoration Fund. I was rather surprised he agreed to do it. To be frank, I think Buster persuaded him in the hope that it would bring us closer together. He always cherished the hope that we’d be reconciled into one big happy family.’
‘But it was kind of your father to do it. It shows he cared for you.’
‘Does it? I expect he just wanted people to think what a wonderful person he was, to do it for charity.’
Slider felt a first twinge of indignation on Radek’s behalf, that his gesture was being so undervalued. But perhaps it was a case of too little, too late. After all, he didn’t know how Radek had treated his daughter all his life. ‘And your husband?’ he asked. ‘When was the last time he saw your father?’
‘It would be the same time, of course. Alec didn’t go visiting without me. What a funny question.’
‘Oh, I thought they might meet in town or something. Your husband’s office is in town, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, in Bedford Street, just off the Strand. But Alec and my father weren’t friendly like that. I’ve told you, Alec doesn’t like music. They had nothing to say to each other.’
‘I understand,’ Slider said. ‘Now, you’ve said you have no idea of anyone who might want to kill your father?’
‘None at all. The idea’s ludicrous. Oh, lots of people disliked him, but it takes more than that, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, usually,’ Slider said. ‘Did he have any interests or activities outside of music?’
‘Never, to my knowledge. Music was his whole life. It left no time for anything else.’
‘Did he have any close friends that you knew of?’
‘He didn’t have any friends of any sort.’
‘What about the people he’d helped? You said he liked them to keep up with him.’
‘Yes, but that wasn’t friendship. He liked them to keep telling everyone he had been a forming influence on them. Sometimes he got invited to their special concerts, or to the parties afterwards, and sometimes he went. Sometimes he invited them in the same way, if they were hot enough property. But he didn’t entertain at home, and I’ve never known him go to a private dinner or party. He always said he hadn’t time to waste on purely social events.’
The Famous Writer appeared in the door. ‘I say, I wonder could you move your car?’ she said to Slider, in
‘What did you quarrel about?’
She hesitated just perceptibly. ‘Alec, usually. He thought he wasn’t good enough for me. He always wanted me to admit I’d made a mistake and that he’d been right, that I should have listened to Daddy’s advice, that sort of thing. I know I oughtn’t to have risen to it, but my father had ways of getting to you. He had a vicious tongue.’
‘How did your husband get on with him?’
‘He didn’t mind him so much. Well, he hadn’t had to put up with him all his life, had he? He didn’t like my father criticising the way we brought Marcus up – that’s our son – but he was better at holding his tongue than I was.’
‘You have only the one child?’
‘Yes. We’d have liked more, but—’ She shrugged. ‘We’re very short of family altogether. It’s like a chronic condition. Alec always wanted a large family, but all he has is me and Marcus, and a godson he’s rather fond of. I suppose that’s why he’s tended to spoil Marcus. He gives in to him much too easily. He’s so soft with him he would never even let me punish him,and of course a child soon learns he can play one parent off against the other.’ She stopped, and stared thoughtfully at the carpet, pursuing a private thought.
After a moment Slider said, ‘When was the last time you saw your father? Can you remember?’
‘Oh yes. It was three weeks ago, on my birthday. We went there for dinner. I did speak to him on the phone last week about the concert – it’s a pet cause of mine, the St Augustine’s Restoration Fund. I was rather surprised he agreed to do it. To be frank, I think Buster persuaded him in the hope that it would bring us closer together. He always cherished the hope that we’d be reconciled into one big happy family.’
‘But it was kind of your father to do it. It shows he cared for you.’
‘Does it? I expect he just wanted people to think what a wonderful person he was, to do it for charity.’
Slider felt a first twinge of indignation on Radek’s behalf, that his gesture was being so undervalued. But perhaps it was a case of too little, too late. After all, he didn’t know how Radek had treated his daughter all his life. ‘And your husband?’ he asked. ‘When was the last time he saw your father?’
‘It would be the same time, of course. Alec didn’t go visiting without me. What a funny question.’
‘Oh, I thought they might meet in town or something. Your husband’s office is in town, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, in Bedford Street, just off the Strand. But Alec and my father weren’t friendly like that. I’ve told you, Alec doesn’t like music. They had nothing to say to each other.’
‘I understand,’ Slider said. ‘Now, you’ve said you have no idea of anyone who might want to kill your father?’
‘None at all. The idea’s ludicrous. Oh, lots of people disliked him, but it takes more than that, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, usually,’ Slider said. ‘Did he have any interests or activities outside of music?’
‘Never, to my knowledge. Music was his whole life. It left no time for anything else.’
‘Did he have any close friends that you knew of?’
‘He didn’t have any friends of any sort.’
‘What about the people he’d helped? You said he liked them to keep up with him.’
‘Yes, but that wasn’t friendship. He liked them to keep telling everyone he had been a forming influence on them. Sometimes he got invited to their special concerts, or to the parties afterwards, and sometimes he went. Sometimes he invited them in the same way, if they were hot enough property. But he didn’t entertain at home, and I’ve never known him go to a private dinner or party. He always said he hadn’t time to waste on purely social events.’
The Famous Writer appeared in the door. ‘I say, I wonder could you move your car?’ she said to Slider, in
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