Dying for a Garden Party

by V L McBeath

  Eliza nodded. “If the five years hadn’t passed, it would be to James and Robert’s advantage to take their father’s life. If James had asked him to change the will, and he refused, the only way they could inherit the money would be if their father died before the deadline was reached.”

  “But if it had passed, Maria is more likely to be the murderer. She could then inherit the money and escape back to the man waiting for her in London.” Connie’s face looked radiant.

  “Surely not,” Sergeant Cooper said. “Not a nice lady like Mrs Hartley. She said the man in London was invented by James and Robert to make their father jealous. He didn’t really exist.”

  “We only have her word for that.” Connie glared at the sergeant.

  Inspector Adams returned to the table. “And at the moment we only have James and Robert’s word to the contrary.”

  Eliza held up her hands. “Let’s not make any more assumptions. We need to speak to the family and find out what they know. We also need a copy of the marriage certificate.” She paused before turning to the inspector. “I’ve just realised I didn’t see a copy in the safe. Given everything else that was in there, you’d expect that would be there too.”

  “Maybe you missed it because you didn’t know you were looking for it,” Connie said.

  “Maybe.” Eliza’s brow creased. “But I don’t think so.”

  The silence in the room was disturbed by the distant sound of a clock striking two o’clock. Inspector Adams instinctively checked the time on his pocket watch.

  “We need to get a move on, this could take longer than we think. Let’s have Maria Hartley in first and find out when she was married.”

  Sergeant Cooper left the dining room and came back with Maria Hartley. Her skin looked paler than ever accentuating the green of her eyes.

  “Mrs Hartley?” Inspector Adams gestured towards the opposite side of the table. “Please take a seat.”

  Sergeant Cooper held out a chair for her and stood to the side while Inspector Adams introduced himself.

  “Sergeant Cooper’s briefed me about the interviews on Saturday, but we have a few further questions. First, can I ask you about your husband’s will? I understand you hadn’t seen it.”

  “No, that’s right. Edward was a very secretive man and didn’t share anything about his investments.”

  “But your son would know more than most about his financial situation. Did he ever discuss things with you?”

  “It was hardly a conversation for the dinner table when Edward was sat with us.”

  “But you must have seen him at other times. Did he say anything to you about finding a copy of the will? Perhaps he shared the details with you.”

  Maria’s eyes shifted from the inspector to Eliza and back again. “No, why would he do that? Edward promised I’d be looked after and that was enough for me.”

  “Very well.” Inspector Adams studied the woman in front of him. “What date did you get married, Mrs Hartley?”

  “Married? To Edward you mean?”

  “That’s precisely what I mean.”

  Maria squirmed as the inspector’s gaze remained fixed on her. “In 1896. A-August.”

  “What date in August?” Eliza hoped her smile would help relax Maria, but it seemed to have little effect.

  “Promise me you won’t tell James or Robert.”

  “This is a murder investigation, Mrs Hartley, we can’t promise anything, but we will be discreet, if the investigation allows.” Inspector Adams leaned forward across the table. “What date in August?”

  “The … the eleventh.”

  “The eleventh!” Eliza sat forward in her seat. “The eleventh of August 1896? Five years and two days ago?”

  “It was Edward’s birthday and our anniversary on the same day. That was why I was so upset when we argued. We should have been celebrating on Saturday.”

  For the first time since her husband’s death, Eliza saw tears on Maria’s cheeks.

  “So he was killed on your fifth wedding anniversary?” Connie’s eyes bore into Maria. “How could you?”

  Connie’s face coloured as everyone turned to stare at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”

  “Are you suggesting I killed Edward?” The fire had been rekindled in Maria.

  “No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just wondering, why you don’t want Mr Hartley’s sons to know the date?”

  All eyes turned back to Maria, who let out a deep sigh.

  “Edward wasn’t exactly honest with them when we got married. He knew they’d be angry and so he delayed telling them. He told them we were married on the eleventh of September by special licence so we didn’t need to notify anyone.”

  Eliza’s jaw dropped. Good grief. Talk about complicating things.

  Inspector Adams took several seconds to grasp what she’d said. “That seems very convenient for you, Mrs Hartley.”

  “Why, what’s going on?” Maria looked between Eliza and the inspector.

  “We have a copy of Mr Hartley’s will. Benjamin retrieved it for us from the safe.” Eliza chose her words carefully. “The thing is, the conditions of the will changed on the fifth anniversary of your marriage. From the eleventh of August this year, you became the sole beneficiary of Mr Hartley’s estate.”

  Eliza didn’t think Maria’s face could become any paler, but the terror in her eyes made her skin a faint shade of blue.

  “You can’t believe I did it? Why would I? I had everything I needed here. Edward was very generous to me, and the children.”

  “But he kept you here as a prisoner,” Connie said.

  “It was a small price to pay … please, you must believe me. Why would I kill him?”

  “That’s what we need to find out.” Inspector Adams studied the notes on the table. “It says here that you have a lover who’s waiting for you to join him in London.”

  “That’s a lie,” Maria hissed at the inspector. “James and Robert have been telling Edward that since the day we were married. They were jealous and wanted me out of the way. You should be questioning them.”

  “And we will, Mrs Hartley, all in good time. So, can I assume there’s no proof of this other man? If we search your private rooms we won’t find any letters or photographs?”

  “No, you won’t find anything because he doesn’t exist.” Maria was on her feet. “The only photographs I have that aren’t of Edward or the children are of my late husband.”

  “So, you won’t mind us taking a look then?”

  Maria flopped back into the chair. “Yes, I would mind you rummaging through my private belongings, but not because of anything you’d find. A lady’s possessions are not for general viewing.”

  “Perhaps Mrs Thomson and Mrs Appleton could help us out then, once we’ve finished questioning everyone else.” Inspector Adams stood up. “That will be all for now. Sergeant, can you escort Mrs Hartley to the library and then stay on the landing by the stairs to prevent anyone leaving?”

  “Right you are.” Sergeant Cooper pulled back the chair for Maria Hartley and ushered her from the room. The expression on Connie’s face wasn’t lost on Eliza.

  “Well, that’s put the cat amongst the pigeons.” Inspector Adams walked to the window and back. “Any of them could have done it.”

  “Only for now,” Connie said. “If both Mr Hartley’s sons tell us the date of the marriage was in August, then we’ll know it was her.”

  Eliza placed her hand on top of Connie’s. “Let’s not be too quick to judge. What if Maria’s telling the truth? It gives both sides of the family a motive. We have to explore that.”

  “We do.” Inspector Adams returned to the table to study his notes. “We’ll have James Hartley in next. His alibi’s rather flimsy and if he thought he had another month until the terms of the will transferred to Maria, he had an excellent motive.”

  “And he’s a man,” Eliza said. “He’s much more likely to be able to control a handgun �
� apparently.”

  “He is.” The inspector appeared to miss the sarcasm. “Right, let me go and get him.”

  Inspector Adams returned a minute later with an irate James Hartley in front of him.

  “I told the sergeant on Saturday everything I had to say.” He stopped when he saw Eliza and Connie. “What are they doing here?”

  “They’re giving us some insight into the case.” Inspector Adams pulled the chair away from the table but left James to sit himself down.

  “Now, Mr Hartley, tell me, you were in the office with your father immediately before the fatal shot was fired. What was the conversation about?”

  “As I told the sergeant, it was a private matter concerning Mother’s allowance.”

  “Mr Hartley, this is a murder investigation and as such there are no private matters. We need you to tell us what that conversation was about and may I remind you that withholding information will only go against you in court.”

  James opened his mouth to speak but closed it again.

  “All right, let me help you,” the inspector said. “What I’d like to know is why your father was still giving your mother an allowance when they had been divorced for over five years due to her adultery?”

  James’ face was red. “He wasn’t. That was what I wanted to speak to him about.”

  “So he wasn’t giving her any money but you think he should have been? That seems very strange to me. Would you care to explain?”

  “No, I wouldn’t, but if you must know, it’s because that’s what he promised her when they got divorced.”

  “Go on.”

  James took a deep breath. “When Father wanted a divorce, he blackmailed Mother into admitting she’d committed adultery so he could save his reputation.”

  Eliza gasped. “He gave her an allowance to keep her mouth shut?”

  James let out a sarcastic laugh. “He promised her an allowance, but it didn’t last long. He was happy enough to spend hundreds of pounds on that floozy, but he wouldn’t give Mother what he promised her. After all she’d done for him too.”

  “Why did he stop it?” Eliza cocked her head to one side.

  “Because Mother has never been unfaithful in her life and when Robert and I confronted her about it she dared to tell us the truth. We were the two people she couldn’t lie to but when Father found out, he was furious and stopped the allowance.”

  “Which I imagine made you feel responsible.” Eliza’s eyes didn’t leave James. “Is that why it was you who went to talk to him on Saturday afternoon?”

  “Don’t blame me.” James slammed his fist on the desk. “I wasn’t responsible. He should never have treated Mother like that in the first place.”

  “That’s as may be but I’m guessing he didn’t agree to reinstating the allowance, did he? Was that when you decided that now was the time to kill him? Before he’d been married to Maria for five years?”

  James stopped talking, his mouth wide. “Ho-… W-what do you mean?”

  “You knew about the five-year clause in the will, didn’t you?” Inspector Adams’ eyes bore into James.

  “No … yes. I mean, I knew he’d made a will with the clause at the time of his marriage, but I didn’t know if that was the latest version. He had a tendency to change things without telling anyone. I suspected his marriage to Maria wasn’t going well and so I decided to ask if he’d reinstate Mother’s allowance and consider changing the will so the money was split. He said he would. Why would I kill him if he was going to do that?”

  “He only said he’d consider it?” Eliza asked. “That doesn’t sound very convincing to me.”

  “It was the closest he’d come to agreeing for nearly five years. It was a start.”

  “But what if it wasn’t good enough? Did you think you were running out of time? What date were you working towards?”

  “I wasn’t working towards any date.” James’ voice roared around the room. “I told you, I considered Father’s response to be positive. Why would I kill him? I didn’t want him dead.”

  “Could you tell us the date of your father’s marriage to Maria?” Inspector Adams asked.

  James shrugged. “Sometime in September, I don’t know when exactly, but it doesn’t matter. I wanted Father to change the will to remove the clause and I believe he would have done … if someone hadn’t put a bullet in his head.”

  “But the fact that someone did must suit you? If you inherit everything prior to that five-year cut-off, you can give your mother an allowance out of your inheritance.”

  “I could … and I will, but I didn’t want Father dead. It makes no sense.”

  “From where I’m sitting, it makes a lot of sense, Mr Hartley.” Inspector Adams stood up. “That’s all we need for now, but I must ask you not to leave the premises. You can wait in the library with Mrs Hartley for now.”

  James jumped from his chair, almost knocking it over. “I most certainly will not stay on my own with that woman. I’ll be out in the garden if anyone needs me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  James stormed from the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Eliza winced and turned to face Inspector Adams.

  “Well, I think we can safely say he’s not happy. Can I assume you deliberately didn’t tell him about the date of the marriage?”

  “You can. Let him think he’s inherited the money for now and we’ll see how he reacts when we tell him otherwise. I don’t want him mentioning it to his brother or mother either. Not yet.”

  The sound of Sergeant Cooper’s voice travelling down the corridor disturbed them. “I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go down there.”

  “I’ll jolly well go down there if I want to. Get out of my way.”

  “Good grief. What’s going on out there?” Inspector Adams hurried to the door. “Is everything all right, Sergeant?”

  When there was no answer, the inspector left the room.

  “Well, that was a turn-up, wasn’t it?” Eliza said to Connie. “I genuinely don’t think they’ve any idea the marriage was in August.”

  “No.” Connie folded her arms across her chest.

  “Come on, don’t be like that. I thought we’d had this conversation yesterday. Sergeant Cooper isn’t about to run off with Maria Hartley.”

  Connie glared at Eliza. “Did you see the way he looked at her? And the way he ushered her in and out of the room. I’m sure his arm was on her back.”

  “He was only doing his job. Now stop this. We have to find the real murderer, not just lock up an innocent woman because you don’t like her.”

  “We don’t know she’s innocent.”

  “No, but we can’t prove she’s guilty either at the moment. Do you want Inspector Adams sending us home because we’re being unhelpful?”

  “No.” Connie slumped in her chair but straightened herself up as the inspector returned.

  “Take a seat, Mr Hartley.” He directed Robert Hartley to the seat opposite and sat down.

  “Was there a problem outside?” Eliza asked.

  “I hope not.” The inspector kept his voice low. “James Hartley wanted to go into the garden and Sergeant Cooper was trying to stop him. In the end I decided to let him go so as not to provoke a scene. I just hope he doesn’t clear off.”

  He turned back to Robert. “Now then, sir. Tell us what you know about the conversation your brother had with your father on Saturday afternoon.”

  “I told your sergeant on Saturday, I wasn’t privy to the conversation.”

  “Really? I actually find that hard to believe.” Inspector Adams stared at Robert but he remained unfazed.

  “I understand you know about the background to your parents’ divorce though.”

  Robert flinched. “What’s that got to do with it?”

  “After speaking to James I’d say it’s got quite a lot to do with it. We heard you and your brother weren’t happy when you found out the divorce was because of your mother’s adultery.”

  “Mother has ne
ver committed adultery in her life. She’s an upstanding Christian woman. It was Father; he made her say that.”

  “But he stopped her allowance when he found out she’d told you the truth.”

  “Maybe he did, but it was nearly five years ago. I hope you’re not suggesting we killed him because of it.”

  “Your brother went to speak to Mr Hartley about reinstating the allowance but he refused.”

  “He did not refuse, he said he’d consider it.” Robert leaned forward across the table but Inspector Adams raised his eyebrows.

  “It appears you know more about the conversation than you’d have us believe. Why would you lie about it?”

  Robert sat back, his mouth open. “I…”

  “I would suggest that there are not many secrets between you and your brother, at least not as far as your parents are concerned,” Eliza said. “Was it your idea to kill your father before his fifth wedding anniversary came around?”

  “What? No! Why would I do that?”

  “Are you aware of the clause in the will leaving everything to the new Mrs Hartley on the date of her fifth wedding anniversary?”

  “Whether I am or not, it’s irrelevant. All we wanted to do was get Father to change his will. We can’t do that now, can we? It makes no sense, why would we kill him?”

  “But you wouldn’t need him to change the will if you killed him ahead of the wedding anniversary, would you?” Eliza said. “If he died at the right time, you and your brother would inherit everything. That’s quite a motive.”

  Robert stared at Eliza, his mouth open.

  “Think carefully before you say anything, Mr Hartley,” Inspector Adams said. “We know you’ve already lied to us.”

  “But…”

  “But what?” Eliza said. “If you want my opinion, I’d say your relationship with your father ended the day he stopped your mother’s allowance. You blamed Maria for keeping you away from him, but I think you kept yourselves away. You wanted nothing more to do with him, except inherit his money.”

  “No, that’s not true.”

  “So, why were you all so miserable on Friday when you first arrived here? Mrs Appleton and I were unfortunate enough to be nearly run over by the carriage bringing your brother and mother to Moreton. I must say, none of you looked very pleased to be here.”