Of Night and Dark Obscurity

by Nicola Italia

  “That is quite admirable,” he told her. “But dangerous.”

  “I’m careful. I’ve made friends that look out for me. I can’t just sit by and watch. I need to do this,” she said passionately.

  His eyes were on hers and he nodded. “I see that.”

  The waiter came by and asked if they would like dessert. “We have Egg Custard, Lemon Tart, Bread and Butter Pudding and Trifle,” he stated.

  “What would you like?” Val asked her.

  Caroline looked down at her hands. “You pick. But not trifle.”

  “The pudding then,” he told the waiter.

  He looked across the table at her and when she looked back at him, he saw her eyes were filled with tears. “I’m sorry. Trifle was Irene’s favorite.”

  He put his hand over hers in a comforting gesture. “It’s very new. The pain. It will get less. Some days are better than others.”

  “You speak from experience?” She asked him softly.

  “I do.”

  She didn’t press him for any information. She sat quietly and when the pudding was delivered it looked delicious.

  “Sometimes I think finding joy in things is a mockery to her death,” she told him.

  “No. Never think that. She would want you to be happy. She would want you to live. She wouldn’t want you to mourn her forever. Only our Queen can do that,” Val said and Caroline smiled.

  “I think you’re right about Irene,” she nodded. “She would relish good things happening. She was so full of life herself.”

  After Val paid for the meal, they hired a hansom cab to take them home. They spoke little, but as they neared her home he said, “I have tickets for an upcoming Chopin concert. It’s to be at the Royal Albert Hall. I’d like you to join me.”

  Caroline looked across from him in the cab. “I-I couldn’t.”

  He frowned. “Why not?”

  “I shouldn’t have gone to dinner with you. I shouldn’t be alone with you now,” she said awkwardly.

  “We’ve done nothing wrong. And if it would make you feel more at ease, I can obtain another ticket and your grandmother can come to the concert as well. Then you will have a chaperone.”

  “Thank you, Inspector. Truly. But I must decline your offer,” she told him politely.

  When she stepped out of the cab he was at a loss as to what he had done to offend her. She looked back once to thank him again before she disappeared inside the townhouse.

  Entering the foyer, she placed her small beaded purse on the table.

  “Caro? Is that you?” Her grandmother called out.

  Caroline entered the front parlor and kissed her grandmother’s cheek.

  “You look flushed.” She noted.

  “It’s cold outside.”

  “Where have you been? I was worried.”

  “I’m sorry. I was walking in the Crystal Palace Park and lost track of time. I stopped at a café for tea,” she stumbled over the lie.

  “I see,” her grandmother spoke.

  “I have exciting news! I saw one of the buildings Father’s estate agent sent him. It’s perfect for my plan. And not only that, the estate agent may want to invest in my project!” She said happily.

  “That’s wonderful news, darling,” Malvina told her.

  “Are you all right Gran? You look tired.”

  “I haven’t been sleeping that well,” she admitted. “Not since—“

  “I’ll have Cook heat up some milk or do you prefer brandy?” Caroline asked.

  “Milk tonight. The brandy left a bitter taste in my mouth last time I had it before bed.”

  “I’ll bring it up to you when it’s ready,” Caroline told her.

  Malvina patted her hand and sighed. “You are such a good girl.”

  Caroline watched her grandmother take the stairs slowly and looked to the fire. She closed her eyes thinking about the afternoon. She had been excited to see the Inspector at the park. It was a favorite place of hers and reminded her of the innocent times as a child, when she and Irene had romped the green lawns and under the trees.

  But when he had invited her to supper with him, she had wanted to join him, if only to forget about the sorrow of the death. She had never dined out with a man, or been alone with a man, even though she had visited him at his home, which was shocking. Her state of mind had been the reason for that.

  But she knew that he was taking pity on her. She knew that as the sister to the recent victim he had a job to do and looked upon her as part of the job. They didn’t discuss the case and she was relieved, but she could see it in his eyes. When he invited her to the concert, she had decided that she would not see him again. She did not want to be pitied and looked upon as someone he must be kind to. No. That would not do.

  She wasn’t interested in that sort of thing anyways. She had plans and dreams to renovate the slums of London and that was her passion. It would have to be enough. She went into the kitchen and placed the glass of warm milk on the tray. She hoped it would help her grandmother sleep.

  ✽✽✽

  Val took the cab to his room and paid the driver. When he entered his room through the private entrance, he realized his room was cramped and tight. He liked the convenience of meals and a housekeeper but he also wanted something larger. When this case was over, he must look about for a different lodging. He was getting older and this room was too small.

  He removed his coat and hat and thought of the afternoon and evening. It had been in a word, delightful. He had left the office needing time to think and clear his mind and went to the park to sketch. He had not expected to see Caroline Derry there as well and had spontaneously invited her to supper. He had spent much of the dinner watching her face, which was sweet to behold, and her lips, which he ached to kiss.

  In the cab ride home, he had remembered the concert tickets and had asked her to join him. He should not have. It had been impulsive. He had wanted to see her again. He wanted to touch her hand, hold her tightly and tell her it would all be all right. But more than that he wanted to be with her. He wanted to look at her from across the table, see her face, look into her eyes and just sit with her.

  But he had not realized that as much as he felt in her presence, she did not reciprocate his feelings. He should not have been so selfish. She was still reeling from her sister’s death and he had a job to do. He had been surprised by the feelings as well. He had been engaged to Aida and her death had left a hole within him. But there was something strong yet protective that he felt with Caroline. He knew there was a part of him that wanted to protect her, but he also wanted her.

  He shook his head. He must not allow his feelings to interfere again. He must not be swayed. He must find the killer. That was his path. Nothing else mattered.

  ✽✽✽

  The rain had begun to come down again as he made his way to the tavern. It was an out of the way tavern frequented by men of the lower classes. No one would ever know or recognize them here.

  He settled into the dark back room of the tavern ordering himself an ale. He knew the others would be along soon. He tried to remember all the rules that they followed. He wanted to be accepted. It meant everything to him and their patronage would ensure his business’ survival. That was what really mattered in this life. Success. Money. Everything else was unimportant. Prestige and acknowledgement were what he craved above all else.

  As he took a chair inside the dark paneled wood room, he tried to remember their names. They each had a pseudonym that was to be used at all times. He was to be known as Mr. Cypress.

  Another man arrived after him and he greeted him politely. “Mr. Sage.”

  The man nodded to him in turn, “Mr. Cypress.”

  Mr. Sage sat across from him and ordered a whiskey, glancing only briefly about as he removed his hat and gloves.

  “Cold evening isn’t it,” Mr. Cypress said.

  “Indeed. Quite cold.” Mr. Sage returned.

  Mr. Cypress’ ale arrived and he took it to h
is lips eagerly just as a third man entered.

  “Greetings Mr. Basil,” said Mr. Sage smiling.

  “Mr. Sage,” Basil said shaking his hand and nodding to Mr. Cypress. “I understand you had a productive and fruitful time of it.”

  The man’s whiskey arrived and he nodded. “You are correct. I’ll wait until Mr. Willow arrives to describe it in exquisite detail.”

  Two of the men took out their cigarette cases while Mr. Basil removed a pipe from his jacket. The three men sat in the darkened room surrounded by smoke and alcohol while the minutes ticked by. The gas lights on the wall sconces illuminated the room as Mr. Cypress waited for the fourth man to join them.

  He had been anxious and delighted to be asked to join the group. He was not sure what to expect, only that his value and standing in the community would increase with the help of these men and their group.

  Suddenly a fourth man joined them. He acknowledged everyone in the room and they in turn greeted him as Mr. Willow. He ordered a whiskey and took a plush chair facing the other men. The other men in the room seemed to give him deferential treatment and looked upon him with respect as the founding member.

  “I couldn’t get away until now,” he explained and they nodded.

  Mr. Basil spoke to the other men. “I understand our Mr. Sage has some news to share.”

  All the men turned to look at him.

  “Should we wait for Mr. Cedar?” Someone asked.

  “No no. He’s late and it’s his own fault. So, Mr. Sage. You’ve news?” Mr. Basil asked.

  “I do indeed. It was most exciting,” he said smiling widely.

  “Then please share.” Mr. Basil said.

  “Well I suppose I should begin at the beginning,” he said as the men all looked at him with eager eyes.

  ✽✽✽

  Felix and Val sat across from the girl named Nell Lewis who was a friend of Irene’s. She had sent them a cryptic note at the police office asking them to come visit her. They obliged and as the tea was being poured, she sat with her hands in her lap twisting a handkerchief.

  “Miss Lewis. You sent us a note to come pay you a visit. We are here at your request,” Val said to the young woman, glancing over at her mother who was also in the room with them.

  “Yes, I did.” She said looking about the room. “I did have something to tell you. I mean I do have something to tell you.”

  Val nodded and then seemed to assess the situation. “Would you like your mother to leave us for a few minutes?”

  The older woman who was sitting in the corner of the room blushed hotly. “I dare not, Sir!”

  Nell said nothing and Val stood up. “Madam. This is a murder investigation. Please wait outside in the hallway until we are done.”

  The older woman glanced angrily at the detectives and then left the room. Nell appeared relieved.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Val nodded to her. “I understand. Now why don’t you tell us why we’re here?” He said, bringing out his little notebook with pencil in hand.

  She took a deep breath. “It was several months ago. I mentioned the man that I thought Irene might be seeing. The married one. Well I thought he was married. It was very secretive, maybe he wasn’t married. I don’t know,” her words were spilling out.

  “Yes. I recall the subject.”

  “There was a supper party. I didn’t think much of it. There were lots of gentlemen at the party. It was thrown by my father’s business associate. Irene attended as well,” Nell began.

  Val nodded for her to continue.

  “It was a lovely spring evening. Irene was so well regarded. Everyone liked to be around her. She just had that way about her. The older I got the more I envied her. But she was just that way. Lively and pretty. At this particular party I remembered there was a man who paid a lot of attention to her. I completely forgot about it until I saw him again a few days ago at a card party my mother gave,” she recalled.

  “What caused you to single him out in particular?” Val asked.

  Nell looked away from his gaze and then glanced up at Felix who was standing near the front window. “It was something that happened that evening. I had been out in the garden and heard two people arguing behind a hedge. I didn’t hear all of it and I recognized Irene’s voice but not the man’s.”

  “What were they arguing about?” Val asked the young woman.

  “It was something to do with sitting for him. Which didn’t make any sense. He said she had promised and that it was almost done. And she said she didn’t want to anymore and that her future husband would deem it unseemly.”

  “And then?”

  “Then the man got very mad. He said she wouldn’t marry anyone but him and she had laughed at him,” Nell told them. “Then she went back into the house and he had stayed staring after her. I didn’t recall his name or face until I saw him again at the card party.”

  “Who is he?”

  “His name is Simon Eastoft. He’s a solicitor in London.”

  ✽✽✽

  Val and Felix placed their hats on as they exited the home of Nell Lewis.

  “What do you make of that?” Felix asked his boss.

  Val shrugged. “It could be many things. It sounds like Mr. Eastoft was an admirer of Irene’s and something was going on between them. There could have been more than that and she was ending it and he was angry. We won’t know until we speak to him.”

  “But if she was killed by one man, then she may not be a victim of the strangler,” Felix said. “Maybe it was just meant to look a certain way.”

  “All we have right now are a lot of questions. We need to question this man Simon and we also need to question the servants.”

  “Has Miss Derry been more forthcoming? She might tell you more than—“

  “There is nothing between myself and Miss Derry, Sergeant,” Val said shortly.

  Felix remained quiet.

  “Nothing.” He repeated.

  Val entered the hansom cab first as Felix followed. He gave directions to the Derry townhouse and his heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Caroline again.

  Chapter 7

  Malvina met the two detectives in the foyer and ushered them into the front parlor.

  “My son isn’t home at the moment. He’s lecturing at the medical college. Can I help you with anything?” She said smiling.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Derry. We would like to speak to the servants who might have had the most contact with Miss Irene,” Val said.

  “We don’t keep that many servants. We have a maid, a footman, a Cook and a kitchen maid who does odds and ends for the Cook. That’s it.”

  “Then we’ll speak to the Cook, maid and footman. Can you make them available to us now?” He asked.

  “I’ll send the maid in straightaway.” Malvina said.

  She left them alone in the parlor only to return with their maid. She was a young girl with bright red hair and small brown eyes. She glanced at the two men suspiciously and then jumped when they told her to take a seat.

  Val procured his pencil and notebook while Felix took over the questioning.

  “What’s your name then?”

  “Thea. My name is Dorothea but everyone calls me Thea,” she said in a strong cockney accent.

  “Well then Thea. Your young miss, Miss Irene. Tell us what she was like to work for,” Felix asked.

  Thea glanced from one man to the other. “Nice enough I suppose.”

  “Did you like her?”

  “Like her?” Thea wondered at the question. “I worked for her family.”

  “And they treated you well?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “No beatings?” He asked knowing the treatment of servants.

  “No.” She said too strongly to be lying. “Never.”

  “Miss Irene had callers?”

  The girl nodded.

  “Anyone in particular?”

  Thea thought for a moment. “There was one. I can’t rem
ember his name. South or West something.”

  “Eastoft,” Val asked.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “That’s him.”

  “Did Miss Irene mention anything about him? Or did you see anything?” Felix continued.

  “No Sir. She kept to herself about these things. I think she knew her Grandmother would disapprove. Mrs. Derry is very strict. The sisters were not allowed certain freedoms.”

  “Such as?” Val asked.

  “There was a picnic once. I remember Miss Irene had wanted to attend and even Miss Caroline. But Mrs. Derry said no.”

  “Do you recall why?”

  Thea nodded. “Several young men were going to attend. I think one was sweet on Miss Caroline.”

  Val looked up sharply. “Indeed?”

  “Yes. Mrs. Derry didn’t like it and so they were told not to go to the picnic.”

  Val wrote the word sweetheart in his notebook and underlined it. He stared at the word for a few seconds before he realized both Felix and Thea were looking at him.

  “Carry on,” he told his sergeant.

  “I know there were notes between Miss Irene and Mr. Eastoft but other than that,” she shrugged.

  “Did you read these notes?” Felix asked.

  She shook her head. “No Sir. Miss Irene sealed them.”

  “Of course.”

  “But you should talk to Wilmot. He delivered the messages. He might know more than me,” she added.

  “Wilmot?” Felix asked.

  “The footman.” She supplied.

  “Very well. If he’s available, send him to us.” Felix directed.

  They were soon joined by a good-looking young man no more than twenty-five. He had a swagger about him and Val was sure he never lacked for female companionship.

  “Thea said you’re asking about Miss Irene.” He told them. “What do you want to know?”

  “How long have you worked with the Derry’s?”

  “Seven maybe eight years.”

  “How do they treat you?”