Dying for a Garden Party

by V L McBeath

  “It must be difficult,” Eliza said.

  “Only when I see them, which isn’t very often. I had hoped that by inviting them here this weekend we could put our differences behind us, but clearly that’s not going to happen now.”

  Sergeant Cooper flicked through his notebook. “Mr James Hartley was the one in the office when you were there, is that right?”

  “Yes, he came in when I was talking to Edward and I left the two of them together.”

  “So he was the last known person to have seen Mr Hartley alive.”

  Mrs Hartley nodded. “I would say so.”

  “Right, good, we’ll speak to him first. Can you ask him to come in, please?”

  With Mrs Hartley out of the room, the sergeant turned to Eliza.

  “Do we start by telling him we have witnesses placing him in the office immediately prior to his father’s death or do we just ask him where he was?”

  “I would just ask him to start with,” Eliza said. “He won’t realise that we saw him and so it will be interesting to see if he tells us the truth.”

  “Yes, very good. Leave it to me.”

  Seconds later, James Hartley strolled into the room, but stopped when he saw Eliza and Connie. “What are they doing here?”

  Before Sergeant Cooper could answer, Eliza was on her feet, her hand extended towards James.

  “Let me introduce myself. I’m Mrs Thomson, and this is my friend Mrs Appleton. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years we’ve come into contact with a number of murders and have been able to help the police with their enquiries. We hope to be able to help Sergeant Cooper here, if you don’t mind. At least until New Scotland Yard get word of the case.”

  “You?” James stared between Eliza and Connie.

  “Yes, us. Please don’t underestimate us.” Eliza held his gaze until he sat down opposite the sergeant. Eliza took her seat on his right-hand side.

  “Thank you.” Sergeant Cooper placed his notebook on the table in front of him. “Now, can I confirm you are James Hartley, the eldest son of Mr Edward Hartley, the deceased?”

  When James agreed the sergeant continued. “Can you tell us where you were between quarter past two and a quarter to three this afternoon?”

  “I was in the billiard room with my mother and brother.”

  “The billiard room.” The sergeant wrote slowly in his notebook. “Can you tell me where this billiard room is in relation to the office?”

  “It’s about as far away as you can get. The office is on the first-floor at the front right-hand corner of the house and the billiard room is on the ground floor at the back on the left-hand side.”

  “And you were there for the full half an hour?”

  “Yes, why?” A frown crossed James’ face.

  “We have three witnesses who can confirm that at half past two you were in the office with your father.”

  James’ jaw dropped. “Yes, of course. I’d forgotten. I popped in for a quick word with him but didn’t stay long, a couple of minutes at the most. I was back downstairs in no time.”

  “Can you tell us what the conversation was about?”

  “No, I can’t. It was a private conversation that has no bearing on his death.”

  Sergeant Cooper looked up from his notebook. “No bearing. You’re sure?”

  Eliza interrupted the conversation with a slight cough. “Actually, Sergeant, I would say we need to verify that. The thing is, as it stands we have reason to believe Mr Hartley was the last person to see his father alive. If they argued when he was in the office, then the conversation will have a significant bearing on the death.”

  “Of course we didn’t argue. I spoke to him about Mother’s allowance, if you must know. He agreed to increase it and that was all that was said.”

  “He agreed just like that?” Eliza raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, he did. He was a very generous man.”

  “Did you know he kept a handgun in his desk?” Sergeant Cooper asked.

  “A handgun? No, I’d no idea. I knew he kept a couple of shotguns downstairs but not a handgun.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt again,” Eliza said. “But if you were only in the office for a couple of minutes, could you tell us what you did for the remaining time you were out of the billiard room?”

  “I didn’t do anything other than walk up here and speak to Father.”

  Eliza smiled. “I realise the house is a little like a rabbit warren. Can you tell us which way you walked?”

  “The way any normal member of the family would walk, down the corridor to the kitchen and then into the front hall and up the main staircase.”

  “And you walked back the same way?”

  “Of course.”

  “And could anyone confirm that?”

  “How would I know?” James’ face was suddenly crimson. “I suppose I may have passed some staff on the way, but I didn’t notice. My mother and brother will confirm I wasn’t gone for long.”

  “The thing is, Mr Hartley, it would only take a couple of seconds to fire a gun and we know you were in the office minutes before the shot was fired.”

  “Well, whoever did it must have watched me leave, because I wouldn’t kill my own father. I didn’t even hear the gunshot. I must have been back in the billiard room by the time it was fired.”

  “Which would explain why you didn’t return to the scene of the crime?” Eliza studied James as he got to his feet and leaned over the table towards her.

  “You should be questioning that wife of his. She knew I was in the office and could have easily waited for me to leave before she slipped back into the room. It would give her great pleasure if I was blamed for something she did.”

  “Why do you say that?” Eliza tried to keep her face neutral as her heart pounded.

  “Because ever since she married Father, she’s tried to stop us from seeing him. She only married him for the money and wants to make sure she gets it all to herself so she can run off with that fancy man of hers. With me out of the way, she’d only need to deal with Robert.”

  “She has another man?” Connie’s voice was breathless. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. That’s why Father wouldn’t let her go up to London on her own. He wasn’t going to let her see him.”

  “Well, that certainly puts a new angle on things, Mr Hartley,” Sergeant Cooper said. “We will, of course, speak to your stepmother about this.”

  “She’ll deny it, you wait and see. She’ll tell you I’ve made it up … but I haven’t. The sooner that woman hangs the better.”

  “All right, thank you, Mr Hartley. I think perhaps we’ll leave it there for now. I don’t know when you plan on going back to London, but can I ask that you stay here for the time being? We may need to speak to you again.”

  “Damn right I’m staying. I’m not leaving her in this house until we’ve had the will read and she’s escorted off the premises. That’ll wipe the smile off her face.”

  Chapter Seven

  Eliza and Sergeant Cooper exchanged glances before turning back to James.

  “You expect her to be excluded from the will?” Sergeant Cooper said. “Do you have a copy?”

  “No, of course I don’t. I imagine Father kept it in the safe.”

  “And do you know if Mrs Hartley has access to the safe?”

  A pained expression crossed James’ face. “I can’t speak for her, but I imagine that son of hers does. He worked for Father and had access to all his business details. I bet he’s told his mother all about it too.”

  “All right, we’ll speak to him later and see what he can tell us.” Sergeant Cooper stood up. “I think that’s all for now, but can I ask you not to go back into the drawing room? I’d rather you didn’t talk to the other members of the family until we’ve spoken to everyone.”

  “With all due respect, Sergeant, my wife is in there and if you want to interview her, I expect to be present.”

  “Yes, of course. I’l
l call her in now.” Sergeant Cooper was about to leave the room when he stopped. “Forgive me, but it’s rather confusing with everyone being called Mr or Mrs Hartley. Can you give me your wife’s full name?”

  “Mrs Millicent Hartley.”

  “Right, good. We’ll speak to her now and then you can both go downstairs.”

  Sergeant Cooper briefed Constable Jenkins about the procedure and escorted Millicent back to the dining room where she hurried towards her husband.

  “What’s going on?”

  Eliza could see the fear in her eyes.

  “It’s all right, dear. They just want to ask you a few questions. Tell the sergeant the truth and then we can go downstairs.”

  Sergeant Cooper gave Millicent Hartley his best smile. “It’s nothing to worry about, madam. Can I just ask where you were between quarter past two and quarter to three this afternoon?”

  Mrs Hartley’s face coloured as she glanced at her husband. “If you must know, Vanessa and I, that’s my sister-in-law, Mrs Vanessa Hartley, were in the garden for the party. Nobody else from the family had bothered to turn up and so we found a quiet spot in the marquee and helped ourselves to a couple of drinks.”

  “And you were there during the time in question?”

  “Yes, Officer.”

  “I thought you’d been behaving oddly.” James stared at his wife. “How many drinks did you get through?”

  “N-not many. We were waiting for you, but you didn’t arrive.”

  “Do you have any witnesses?” Sergeant Cooper asked.

  Millicent said nothing as she glanced down at her hands.

  “In actual fact she does,” Eliza said. “Mrs Royal told us that both Mrs Millicent Hartley and Mrs Vanessa Hartley were in the marquee when she popped in for some water. She didn’t know their names, of course, but she gave a good description of both of them. Lady Harrington-Smyth also confirmed it when she and His Lordship stepped in there to get out of the sun. The timings Lady Harrington-Smyth gave us would exclude them from the enquiry.”

  “You were mixing with the villagers?” James glared at his wife.

  “No, we were alone in there for quite some time, I’m sure the staff could vouch for us, and then once the villagers started to arrive we moved on.”

  James didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Very well. Will that be all, Sergeant?”

  “Yes, thank you, sir. If Lady Harrington-Smyth can vouch for your wife and sister-in-law, I’m sure that’s good enough for me. Let me escort you out while I go for your brother.”

  Mr Robert Hartley sat opposite Sergeant Cooper as he began the same line of questioning.

  “Can you tell us where you were at the time in question?”

  “As you’ve probably already heard, I was in the billiard room with James and Mother.”

  “And can you confirm that the three of you were in the room for the whole time?”

  Robert glanced at the three faces staring at him. “Well, no. Didn’t James tell you he had to nip out? He wasn’t gone long, no more than ten minutes.”

  “And did he seem in any way agitated when he returned?” Eliza asked.

  “No, not at all. Why would he? He’d wanted a quick word with Father and once he’d finished, he came straight back.”

  “Did he tell you what the conversation was about?” Eliza held Robert’s gaze until he looked away.

  “He didn’t say … something to do with Mother, I think. You’ll have to ask him.”

  “If it was about your mother, why didn’t you go with him?”

  “Because he didn’t ask me.” Robert’s voice was raised.

  “But weren’t you or your mother curious when he got back? Especially given she was in the room with you when he returned.”

  “Of course not. If James had wanted to tell us, he would have done.”

  Sergeant Cooper made a note in his notebook before looking up again. “Did you know your father kept a handgun in his office?”

  Robert looked startled. “A handgun? No. I knew he kept shotguns, of course, but not in his office. Has anyone confirmed it was his?”

  “Not yet; we were hoping one of the family might. He doesn’t seem to have shared much with you.”

  “That was all her fault.” Robert’s eyes turned to slits. “Didn’t James tell you how she constantly tried to keep us away from Father, but suddenly we got an invitation to the party? What a perfect backdrop for her to kill him when she has other suspects in the house who can take the blame. It would be rather more obvious if he’d been shot during the week when there was only her and those two social outcasts here.”

  “Benjamin and his sister, you mean?” Eliza asked. “What’s her name?”

  “Yes, that’s who I mean, Benjamin and Jane. What a pair they are. If all Father’s money goes to them…”

  “Then what?” Eliza asked.

  “Then we’ll have suffered a great travesty, that’s what.”

  “I’m glad you mentioned that,” Sergeant Cooper said. “Can you tell us anything about your father’s Last Will and Testament? Have you any idea where it is?”

  “I wish I did, but we’ve no idea what’s happened to it since she’s had control of Father.”

  “All right, that’s something for first thing on Monday morning,” Sergeant Cooper said. “Your brother suggested there might be a copy in the safe, but either way, if you’ll give me the name of your father’s solicitor, I’ll write to New Scotland Yard and ask them to find the original. We’ll need to see the latest version.”

  Robert’s face paled.

  “Is there something you want to tell us?” Eliza asked.

  “No … no, not at all, it’s just such a terrible business.”

  “It is indeed, sir.” Sergeant Cooper stood up. “That will be all for now but can I ask that you stay in Moreton? We may need to speak to you again.”

  “I need to be back in work. I’m at the Foreign Office you know.”

  Sergeant Cooper straightened himself up. “No, I hadn’t been told, but if we could ask you to stay until Monday, we may be able to finish our questioning by then and you’ll be free to go. If you wouldn’t mind joining your brother downstairs for now. You can take your wife with you. We already know of her whereabouts from Mrs Millicent Hartley.”

  “Thank you, she’ll be relieved about that. Can I take Mother with me too?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, sir. She’s the next person we need to speak to.”

  Sergeant Cooper escorted the first Mrs Hartley into the dining room and held out a chair for her. Eliza watched as she sat down. With dark brown clothes to match her dull eyes and grey-brown hair, she couldn’t be more different to the current Mrs Hartley. It must have been difficult for her since the divorce.

  “Good evening, madam, thank you for waiting,” Sergeant Cooper said. “Please forgive me, but with so many Mrs Hartleys, could you give me your full name?”

  “Mrs Georgina Hartley.”

  “G-e-o-r-g-i-n-a.”

  Eliza smiled as the sergeant muttered the letters to himself as he wrote.

  “And you were here for the party?” he asked.

  “I was.”

  “You must have been on good terms with Mr Hartley, then,” Eliza said.

  “Oh, we were. We hadn’t argued for years.”

  Connie smiled. “That’s nice. Did you get along with the new Mrs Hartley as well?”

  Georgina’s smile froze on her lips. “No. I can’t say I did.”

  “So, can you tell us about the divorce?” Eliza asked. “It’s quite unusual.”

  Georgina pursed her lips. “Yes, it was Edward’s idea.”

  “Had he met his future wife at this time? Was that what prompted it?”

  Georgina stared down at her lap. “He didn’t say.”

  Eliza raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you ask? I’m fairly certain that if my husband wanted to divorce me, I’d want to know why.”

  Georgina took a deep breath. “He filed for divorc
e on the grounds of my adultery.”

  “You!” Connie put a hand across her mouth as soon as she spoke.

  Eliza glared at her friend. “Mr Hartley divorced you because you had a gentleman friend? What happened to him?”

  A tear ran down Georgina’s cheek. “He disappeared.”

  “So you were left alone?”

  Sergeant Cooper turned to Eliza. “Would that be a good enough reason for Mrs Hartley to want her ex-husband dead?”

  “No, Sergeant, it wouldn’t.” Georgina’s voice had regained its composure. “The whole thing should never have happened. If that woman hadn’t come along we may have been able to try again. He was a good man really. If I was going to kill anyone it would be her, not him … not that I would, you understand.”

  “I should hope not!” Sergeant Cooper sat up straight. “What a terrible thing to say. Now, can you tell me where you were between quarter past two and a quarter to three this afternoon?”

  “I’m sure you’ll have been told by now, but I was with my sons in the billiard room.”

  “Something about that’s been puzzling me.” Connie peered across the table. “If you all came for the party, why weren’t you out in the garden with the other guests?”

  Georgina shifted in her chair. “We were about to go out when James remembered he needed to speak to Edward; we said we’d wait for him.”

  “There would have been time for you to go outside once he’d come back … if he returned to the billiard room when he said he did.”

  Georgina stared at Connie, her expression blank.

  “According to James, he was back downstairs by the time the shot was fired,” Eliza explained. “That would have given you plenty of time to go out into the garden and yet when we arrived outside over half an hour later, you still weren’t there. Can you explain that?”

  Georgina shrugged. “I suppose we must have been busy talking and lost track of the time.”

  “Would this be about the conversation James had with his father about your allowance?”

  Georgina’s eyes narrowed as her attention turned to Eliza. “Who told you about that?”