He breathed in. “When I heard what people were saying, that a snakebite had killed him, I thought at first the snake hadn’t been as harmless as I thought. I challenged the person who’d got it for me, and I wasn’t happy.”

The row with Chris in the pub, I thought. Chris had supplied a snake that was supposed to be harmless, but Derek was afraid he’d produced a venomous one instead. He must have known how much Chris hated Bob.

“You may not believe me, but I didn’t intend to kill him. At least not consciously. I just wanted him to answer for his actions, for once in his life.” He met Molloy’s gaze. “Guess that makes me guilty of manslaughter.”

“Your leg, Mr Jameson. How did that happen?”

Derek raised his hand to shield his eyes against the light. Actual sun was breaking through the clouds. “When I was fourteen, I landed on a nail when Bob pushed me off a roof. He persuaded me not to tell anyone, said it would get better on its own and that we’d get in trouble if I told.” He shook his head. “What he meant was, he’d get into trouble. So, I kept it to myself until it had gone so far that I ended up getting sepsis and losing part of my leg.

“He never even said sorry. Instead, he turned it to his advantage. He mentioned my accident in every interview he did. My poor brother, I took care of him. He got so much mileage out of it that you’d think he’d planned it. Same with our mother’s dementia.” He looked up. “And Jude, you know about Jude?”

“Sue?” I said.

He nodded. “Playing the big fella as if it was perfectly normal to have a kid with another woman. He knew years ago apparently, but it came out only recently.” His tone was incredulous. “Introduced her to Amanda, knowing that she was tied to him financially and would have to just tolerate it. Jude just had to put up with it, too, for the good of his daughter.” He clicked his fingers. “Again, no consequences for Bob.”

Derek closed one eye as if he had a headache and massaged his temple with his fingers. “And now he was going to do a runner with millions. Those homes were going to be investigated but Bob wouldn’t be here. He’d be gone. Ordinary people would be punished, and Bob would escape scot-free as usual.

“I knew that my wife wasn’t being cared for when she was in one of Bob’s homes, but at least I was able to move her.” He smiled sadly. “Everything we have will go to taking care of her now. Others aren’t so lucky.”