Dying for a Garden Party

by V L McBeath

  “Just answer the question, please, Mrs Hartley.” Sergeant Cooper’s tone was brusque.

  Mrs Hartley straightened her back as she stared defiantly at Sergeant Cooper. “There’s not much to tell. James said he’d spoken to Edward, who told him he’d think about it. We were going to talk to him again tomorrow.”

  “Did you hear the shot?” Eliza asked.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “The gunshot that killed Mr Hartley. Did you hear it from the billiard room?”

  “I-I’m not sure. Why?”

  “I want to know if your story matches the one James told us.”

  “I’m sure I couldn’t say. His ears are probably better than mine…”

  Eliza cocked her head to one side. “So you can’t confirm he was with you when the shot was fired?”

  Panic flashed across Georgina’s eyes. “I don’t know, you’ll need to ask him. I’m sure he can’t have heard anything or he’d have gone to investigate. If he said he didn’t hear anything, it could have been because he was too far away. If he’d been near the office, he would have known about it. All I know is that for about an hour this afternoon, I was in the billiard room with my sons. Robert was with me all the time and James wasn’t gone for long enough to do anything as vicious as kill anyone. Why would he? He had no reason to.”

  “That, Mrs Hartley, is what we’d like to know too.” Sergeant Cooper sat back in his chair, his eyes flicking over the woman in front of him. “In fact, we need to find out why anyone would kill him.”

  “Don’t look at me,” Georgina said. “He was far more use to me alive than dead and I can safely say the same for my sons. You need to be looking at that trollop for a motive. I’m sure she has plenty.”

  Once Georgina Hartley had left them, Sergeant Cooper stood up and paced the room.

  “It’s getting late. Do we have time to interview the other side of the family?”

  “I don’t think we have much choice,” Eliza said. “It’s clear that the new Mrs Hartley isn’t very popular and there have been a number of allegations about her. We can’t go without speaking to her again.”

  Sergeant Cooper sighed. “You’re right. I was just hoping to pop home for something to eat. I didn’t have much at midday, hoping we’d be fed at the party.”

  Eliza placed a hand on his arm. “I know what you mean, but I’m sure we can be quick. Let’s speak to Benjamin and Jane first, they shouldn’t take long, and then we can talk to Mrs Hartley before we go.”

  Chapter Eight

  Eliza smiled at Jane as Sergeant Cooper led her into the dining room in the hope it would settle her nerves. It didn’t seem to. She held her hands in front of her dull grey skirt, fidgeting constantly with a large opal ring she wore on the middle finger of her right hand.

  “Please take a seat, Miss Hartley.” The sergeant indicated towards the chair.

  Jane glared at him, her demeanour changing in an instant. “I am not Miss Hartley.”

  “N-no, of course not, I do apologise.” The sergeant scuttled back to his chair. “Perhaps we can start again. Could you give me your full name?”

  “Miss Jane Dalton and my brother is Benjamin Dalton. If my father was still with us, we would never have come into contact with these bullies.”

  “You don’t have a good relationship with your stepbrothers?”

  “I always try to be pleasant when they’re around, but they never return the sentiment. They don’t want us here and never have.”

  “Didn’t Mr Edward Hartley intervene?” Connie asked.

  Jane laughed and shook her head. “He was the biggest bully of them all. I tried to stay out of his way as much as I could.”

  “And so you’re not sorry he’s dead?” Sergeant Cooper said.

  A glint of understanding crossed Jane’s hazel eyes. “Of course I’m sorry. Whatever I may have thought about him, he was Mother’s husband. She owed him everything. I wouldn’t do anything to ruin that.”

  “Very commendable,” Sergeant Cooper said. “I notice you weren’t at the party earlier this afternoon. Can you tell us where you were?”

  “I was in my room getting ready.”

  “All afternoon?” Eliza raised her eyebrows.

  “I was there until Mother came to tell me the news. I was waiting for her. She knows I’m terrible at socialising and so we agreed to go outside together. When she didn’t arrive I just waited.”

  “And where is your bedroom?” Sergeant Cooper asked.

  “On the second floor overlooking the back garden.”

  “Which side of the house would that be?” Eliza asked.

  “Up the main staircase and turn right, then right again.”

  “So, on the same side as the office? Did you hear the gunshot?”

  Jane paused and glanced out of the window. “I may have done, although I didn’t realise it at the time. I heard a gunshot but assumed it was from the wood. The shooting season starts tomorrow, and I assumed someone was getting in some practice.”

  “Would it be usual to hear gunshots around here?” Eliza asked.

  “Not really, but with the season about to start…”

  “And so you were in your room?” Sergeant Cooper said. “Can anyone confirm that?”

  Jane’s cheeks flushed, and she stared down at her lap. “Mother came up to see me and so she knows I was there.”

  “But not at the time of the shooting?” Eliza paused as Jane shook her head. “Very well; you can’t change things if you were alone. We may need to speak to you again, but unless the sergeant has any further questions that will be all for now.” Eliza glanced at Sergeant Cooper as he finished his notes.

  “Yes, I would say so. Let me show you out.”

  Benjamin Dalton seemed to bounce into the room as Sergeant Cooper showed him in. He sat down with a smile on his face which creased up the freckles on his nose.

  “You’re very cheerful,” Connie said.

  Benjamin shrugged. “Just being polite. It’s a relief to be away from everyone to tell you the truth. It’s been a rather depressing afternoon and as soon as you’ve asked me your questions, I can go back outside into the garden.”

  “You weren’t in the garden earlier when we expected you at the party. Can you tell us what you were doing?” Eliza asked.

  Benjamin indicated towards Sergeant Cooper. “The sergeant knows. He was standing by the gate when I went into the village.”

  The sergeant nodded. “I was, I saw him go with my own eyes.”

  “What time would that be?” Eliza asked.

  Benjamin looked at the sergeant. “Five past two, ten past? Something like that.”

  “And we established earlier that you arrived back at the house shortly before three o’clock.”

  “I did. It was such a lovely day, and it was the first time Mr Hartley had let me go into the village, other than calling at the surgery as I did last week. He was so frightened of Mother meeting anyone new, he treated this place like a prison. I decided to take advantage of my outing and have a good look around.”

  “Did you like it?” Connie asked.

  “Yes, it’s nice enough. Luckily, I’d taken some money with me and so I bought two ounces of sweets in the shop. I’ve not done that for a while.”

  “How nice.” Connie smiled. “To think we take things like that for granted.”

  “Did you meet anyone while you were out?” Sergeant Cooper asked.

  “I saw quite a few people, but I couldn’t tell you who they were. The only one I expect could vouch for me would be the shopkeeper.”

  “You might not know them, but with that red hair of yours, I bet everyone noticed you,” Connie said.

  Benjamin ruffled his hair. “I blame Mother. That’s why Mr Hartley was so protective of her; he loved her red hair and thought everyone else would too.”

  “So the relationship between Mr Hartley and your mother was a good one?” Eliza asked.

  Benjamin shrugged. “As good as it could be, I suppos
e. Things changed after the accident and he became more possessive, but she didn’t seem to mind and he took good care of us.”

  “You worked for Mr Hartley, I believe,” Eliza said. “You must have known him well. Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill him?”

  “Not specifically, but his sons were always after his money. It was all they talked about when they visited. They had a meeting about something late yesterday afternoon and Mr Hartley wasn’t happy when he came in for dinner.”

  “I don’t suppose he told you why?” Eliza said.

  “He didn’t need to. It was obvious the meeting had been about his first wife and he refused to let her eat with us last night. She had to take dinner in her room. James and Robert were furious; it wasn’t one of our better evenings.”

  Eliza paused and looked at Sergeant Cooper, who had stopped writing.

  “Ah, it looks like nobody mentioned that to you.” Benjamin grinned as he stared across the table at them.

  “No, they didn’t, but we were more focussed on the events of this afternoon. I would say we’ll need to come back on Monday and speak to everyone again.”

  “So, will that be all for now?” Benjamin’s smile widened as he jumped to his feet.

  “Yes, I suppose so.” Sergeant Cooper’s stomach grumbled. “Before you go outside, would you ask Constable Jenkins to bring your mother through? We’ll have a quick word with her and then call it a day.”

  Sergeant Cooper stood up and hurried around the desk to hold the chair as Mrs Hartley joined them.

  “Thank you for being so patient, Mrs Hartley. This really has been a long afternoon for everyone.”

  Mrs Hartley’s face remained impassive. “The fact I was waiting is of no concern. I would have been in the drawing room whether I was waiting or not. Have you identified the killer?”

  “No, not yet. Today was just preliminary questioning to ask about everyone’s alibis. We have yours already, of course.”

  Eliza noticed Connie bristle in her seat as Sergeant Cooper gazed at Mrs Hartley.

  “So, Sergeant, what can I do for you now?”

  Sergeant Cooper regained his poise and flicked back through his notebook. “First of all, I wonder if you could give us your full name. With so many of you having the title Mrs Hartley, there’s the potential for confusion.”

  “Please don’t confuse me with any of those women, Sergeant. I’m Maria Hartley; you can call me Maria if it helps.”

  Sergeant Cooper grinned as Maria smiled at him. “I’m most honoured, madam.”

  Connie exhaled loudly.

  “Thank you, I’m sure that will help,” Eliza said. “Can I take you back to this afternoon, Maria? There were a few things mentioned that we’d like you to clarify for us. Firstly, your daughter. She said she was in her room at the time of the shooting, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone who can confirm it.”

  “No, that’s my fault. She was waiting for me and naturally I was detained. She was still in her room when I went for her later, after I’d spoken to you.”

  “So that would be about four o’clock?”

  “I suppose so, I wasn’t paying much attention.”

  “I’m sure; it’s been a difficult time for you. Can we just go back to your relationship with your stepsons?”

  “What have they been saying?” Maria’s eyes turned to slits as she stared at Eliza. “I told you earlier, they’ve hated me since the day we met; I bet they told you I pulled the trigger so I could get my hands on Edward’s money. That’s right, isn’t it? It’s all they’re ever bothered about. Money, money, money.”

  “So it doesn’t surprise you?”

  “It would surprise me more if they hadn’t. I’d suggest they set this whole thing up to make it appear as if I did it. Can anyone confirm James and Robert’s alibis other than their mother? I doubt it. She wants Edward’s money as much as anyone else, even after all this time. They could quite easily have killed Edward themselves and spun a story to protect themselves.”

  Sergeant Cooper turned to Constable Jenkins. “You’ve been with the group all afternoon, Constable, did you hear any collusion?”

  “No, sir, I can’t say I did.”

  “Of course he wouldn’t have heard anything.” Maria’s emerald eyes flicked between the two officers. “They will have planned this months ago. Why bring Georgina here in the first place if it wasn’t to provide them with an alibi?”

  “You didn’t invite her?” Eliza said.

  “No, I did not, and neither did Edward. I’m not sure which one of us was more furious when she arrived.”

  “Did she speak to Mr Hartley at all when she was here?”

  Maria shook her head. “Not as far as I’m aware. He wouldn’t even let her join us for dinner yesterday evening; I’ve never seen him so angry with James.”

  “So they’d argued?” Sergeant Cooper asked.

  “Oh yes. Did James forget to mention that? Somehow that doesn’t surprise me either. I imagine he told you about my lover though?”

  Not for the first time, Sergeant Cooper’s face turned crimson. “He … erm … he mentioned it.”

  “I knew it! Although how he imagines I’ve been seeing anyone when I’ve been a prisoner in my own home for the last fifteen months, I’ve no idea. I haven’t gone anywhere without Edward being with me.”

  “So you deny it?” Relief passed over the sergeant’s face.

  “I most certainly do. It’s nothing more than a story James conjured up to set Edward against me in the hope I’d be disinherited.”

  Eliza pursed her lips. “So, are you the main beneficiary of the will?”

  “I’ve no idea. If you listen to James, I’ll get the lot, but how would he know? Edward didn’t tell anyone about it and certainly not me. All Edward told me was that it was complicated and I shouldn’t worry myself about it.”

  Eliza’s forehead furrowed. “If it was complicated, that suggests there’s more than one beneficiary? He may have split his estate between you.”

  Maria shrugged. “He could have done. Frankly, as long as I get enough to live on, I don’t care.”

  “James suggested Mr Hartley may have kept a copy of his will in the safe,” Sergeant Cooper said. “Do you know anything about that?”

  “No, nothing. He didn’t share things like that with me.”

  “Do you have access to the safe?” Eliza asked.

  “What do you think?” Maria’s laugh was hollow. “Of course I don’t. You should have asked Benjamin; he’d be the one to have the number.”

  Eliza tutted. “Why didn’t we think of that? I suppose we must all be tired after such a long day. Do you think he’ll still be in the house?”

  “I doubt it,” Maria said. “He’ll be out watching the birds. The shooting starts tomorrow so he won’t get many opportunities for the next few weeks.”

  Sergeant Cooper looked up. “Jenkins, could you go and check for me and while you’re at it, can you ask around the staff to see if anyone saw James making his way back from the office to the billiard room?”

  “I’d check whether Robert and Georgina were in the billiard room at all,” Maria said. “You only have their word for it.”

  “Yes indeed.” Sergeant Cooper again gazed at Maria for slightly longer than necessary.

  “Will that be all, Sarge?” Jenkins asked.

  “Yes, thank you. Speaking to the staff is probably more of a priority than finding Benjamin. Robert gave us the details of Mr Hartley’s solicitor and so I’ll ask New Scotland Yard to get a copy of the will. Even if there’s one in the safe, we need to make sure it’s the most recent.”

  “Right you are.” Constable Jenkins plodded off down the corridor and the room remained silent until his footsteps disappeared.

  “Well, if that’s all you need for now, I hope you’ll excuse me.” Maria grimaced. “I have guests to entertain.”

  Chapter Nine

  The bell in the church clock rang out signalling quarter pa
st seven as Sergeant Cooper escorted Eliza and Connie back across the green towards the surgery.

  “You’re sure you won’t come in for a cup of tea?” Eliza asked him as they stood outside the surgery.

  “No, thank you. I need to be getting back; Constable Jenkins will be at the house for a while yet.”

  “It went well this afternoon, all things considered,” Eliza said.

  “It did and I confess I must thank you ladies for that. I should never have considered you as suspects, but … well, in the heat of the moment, you know how things are.”

  “We’ll say no more of it and as long as we can be of assistance we’re more than happy to help,” Eliza said. “Will you notify London tonight of what’s happened?”

  “I suppose I’d better with it being Sunday tomorrow. If I can find myself a bit of bread and cheese when I get back to the station I’ll be right as rain again.”

  “Well, don’t stay up too late. Will you be interviewing anyone tomorrow?”

  The sergeant shook his head. “No, I think we’ll wait until we hear from New Scotland Yard. We need to see the will before we do anything else. That might shed some light on the situation. We won’t get that tomorrow.”

  “No, you’re right. Well, perhaps we’ll see you in church in the morning. If not, we’ll call around on Monday. Goodnight, Sergeant.”

  Eliza waited for the sergeant to leave, before turning to Connie. “You will come in for something to eat, won’t you? I don’t want you going home at this hour and having to cook for yourself.”

  “As long as you’re sure you don’t mind.”

  “Of course I don’t. Cook always makes more than enough. Besides, I want to know what’s bothering you.”

  “Me? Nothing.”

  “Don’t give me that, Connie Appleton, you’ve been quiet for the last hour. I hope it’s got nothing to do with Maria Hartley.”

  Connie lowered her head and rummaged in her handbag. “Actually, I’d better go home. I’ve a piece of ham and some cheese in the pantry that need finishing off, and you have Dr Thomson and your father to entertain.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. After a day like today you need something more substantial inside you.” Eliza gave Connie a sideways glance. “Come along, if you don’t want to tell me now, you can tell me tomorrow.”