‘Blimey, sir, how did you reach that conclusion?’
‘Instinct. Those sisters are at one another’s throats, jealous that one receives more of Lady Pemberton’s largesse than is fair. Perhaps feelings boiled over as they so often can when families who don’t like each other much are forced into the same social gathering. Tempers frayed and one of the ladies acted impulsively, which would explain the neat way that she laid her mother out. It shows respect; perhaps even remorse. I have not yet spoken with the third sister, but as things stand I am inclined to think that one of them is responsible. Whether we will be able to prove it remains to be seen.’ Riley sighed. ‘I hate this sort of crime, Jack. All the suspects were here together, providing one another with alibis. They all stand to gain from Lady Pemberton’s demise and won’t want any more scandal attaching to the family name than news of the murder will generate.’
‘So, even if one or more of them knows something, they’re hardly likely to tell us.’
‘Precisely.’ Riley pursed his lips. ‘All they care about is getting their greedy hands on her ladyship’s estate, and that process will be delayed if one of them is charged with her murder.’
‘Please let it be Mrs Kinsley. I really don’t like her. But then again, she’s the one that lives here. Damn! She’s the one the others would have resented. Perhaps her two sisters joined forces against her and are both guilty.’
Riley nodded. ‘It’s entirely possible.’
‘You’re right, sir. Our chances of finding the killer are not very good.’
‘Don’t despair, Jack. We’ve solved tougher cases. I just wanted to be sure that you understood what we’re up against. A wall of silence, half-truths and familial resentment is what we have to look forward to.’
‘There’s a lot to be said for families like mine. We may not always get along, but at least we don’t go bumping one another off in expectation of inheriting, simply because there’s never anything to inherit.’
Riley smiled. ‘I can’t rule out Clifford Kinsley. I might think that there’s a woman’s hand behind it but perhaps the idea was put into her head by a man too cowardly to carry out the act himself.’
‘Or he might even have done it; Clifford, that is.’ Salter cheered up at the prospect. ‘He’s lusting after Miss Sutherland and men do odd things when they’re in the grips of passion, especially if the young lady is resisting his advances until after they’ve exchanged vows, which would only be right and proper.’ He sniffed. ‘Mind you, these actor types, we’ve locked horns with them before and like I already pointed out, they seem to live by different standards.’
‘Keep an open mild, Jack,’ Riley said mildly. ‘We haven’t spoken with the young lady yet. Don’t allow her chosen profession to cloud your judgement.’
‘Clifford made it clear that he didn’t like the old girl and resented the fact that she was so close to his sister.’ Salter lifted a meaty shoulder. ‘Perhaps he was worried that Lady P would leave Anthea more than her fair share of the spoils in an effort to encourage her to resist marriage and write her book.’ Salter scratched his chin. ‘Clifford must have felt that was unfair. I mean, he wanted to exploit his own talents by treading the boards and none of his family supported him. Yet Anthea received grandmotherly approval for her artistic endeavours.’
‘Even so, Jack, from resentment to murder…’
‘Clifford did it,’ Salter said, nodding emphatically. ‘The artistic posing of his grandmother’s body was his way of thumbing his nose at his entire family, none of whom appreciate his finer feelings.’
‘It’s possible. He isn’t as dull-witted as he would have us believe.’ Riley sighed. ‘Right, it’s time for Mrs Axton. I’m interested in this theatre club that she runs.’
Mavis Axton, the youngest of Lady Pemberton’s daughters, was smaller and prettier than her sisters. And more anxious, too. She took the chair that Riley directed her towards and laced her fingers in her lap nervously.
‘It’s all too dreadful for words,’ she said, speaking with a lisp that Riley thought contrived and likely to irritate him if she persisted with it.
‘Then hopefully we shall soon get to the bottom of what happened,’ Riley replied briskly. ‘Were you on good terms with your mother?’
‘Why of course, Lord Riley.’ She opened her eyes wide in a disingenuous effort to appear offended by any suggestions to the contrary. For someone connected with the acting profession, she was far from convincing, Riley thought. ‘We were devoted to one another. I live in London and called to see her all the time. Which is just as well because although Pamela lived here, she was lax when it came to ensuring dearest Mama’s comfort.’
Riley glanced at his sergeant, unsurprised to observe Salter rolling his eyes behind Mrs Axton’s back.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Precisely what I say. Pamela was always too busy to spare Mama the time of day.’
‘Forgive me, but I am confused,’ Riley replied. ‘Your mother employed plenty of servants, had a companion and I am given to understand that your niece spent a great deal of time in her company. How could that be neglectful on your sister’s part?’
Mrs Axton gave a patronising smile. ‘I dare say you have already been told by others that my mother and Pamela were virtually estranged.’
‘Estranged?’ Riley frowned. ‘But they lived beneath the same roof.’
‘It is a large house and Anthea was very good at keeping the peace. My mother adored the child, which I have often thought is the only reason why she didn’t insist that Pamela and Steven move out and stand on their own feet, like the rest of us had to do. Pamela knew it too.’ Mrs Axton lowered her voice. ‘I have heard a rumour that Mama offered to help them establish themselves elsewhere, provided that Anthea was permitted to remain here in Ebury Street. Naturally, Pamela refused, pretending an affection for her daughter that she doesn’t really feel.’
‘You are suggesting that your sister does not love her daughter?’ Salter, a family man himself and inordinately fond of his eldest daughter, looked mildly affronted.
‘Pamela cares only about herself. She is very comfortable here and has grown accustomed to certain standards. But she is dissatisfied with her marriage. She made a poor choice of provider, and knows that Steven couldn’t keep her nearly as well.’
‘Which makes one wonder why she didn’t make more of an effort to remain on cordial terms with her mother,’ Riley said, almost to himself.
Mrs Axton folded her hands primly in her lap. ‘I am sure you will draw your own conclusions, Lord Riley.’
‘Tell me about your theatre club.’
‘Oh, that was Alan, my husband’s idea. He produces and directs London stage performances, or did when we first met. But he decided to change direction. He saw a need for a private place for theatrical types to meet, dine and generally relax after performances and…well, that is how the Audition Club came about.’
‘You let rooms too,’ Salter remarked.
‘Only to very discerning clients.’ The lisp had returned and intensified.
‘Miss Sutherland?’ Riley suggested.
Mrs Axton beamed. ‘She is destined for great things; Alan is absolutely convinced of it.’
‘And your nephew plans to marry her.’
‘Miss Sutherland does not want for admirers,’ Mrs Axton replied enigmatically.
Riley fixed her with a probing look. ‘Your club is not thriving,’ he said.
‘I beg your pardon!’
‘You heard me very well. I am reliably informed that you regularly ask your mother for handouts.’
Colour flooded Mrs Axton’s cheeks. ‘Well, sometimes when things are slow…Who has been making these suggestions?’
‘I have heard it from several different sources.’ Riley hardened his tone. ‘Please don’t prevaricate, madam. It becomes tiresome and makes you appear evasive, as though you have something to hide. Now, did you ask her for help this time and what was her ladyship’s
response?’
‘I did and she declined.’ The lisp had been replaced by a shrill tone of resentment. ‘She claimed to have nothing to spare.’
‘Which angered you.’
‘I was not best pleased, I will admit that much, but we would have survived. Something always turns up.’
‘But now that your mother is dead, you expect to inherit part of her estate,’ Riley said. ‘So your survival is assured.’
‘I have no expectations whatsoever, Chief Inspector.’ Mrs Axton gave an indignant toss of her head. ‘My mother was a law unto herself, and for all I know she may have left the lot to one of her charitable causes. While she was alive, I knew she would always help me out eventually; she just enjoyed making me grovel. But now that she is dead, I have no expectations whatsoever, so I would hardly have risked killing her, if that is what you mean to imply, would I now?’ She beamed, seeming to think that her argument was incontrovertible. ‘If there is nothing else…’
‘You may return to the Strand, ma’am. Please ask your husband to join us.’
‘Oh, Alan will go back to the club when you are finished with him, but I shall remain here with my sisters. There are arrangements to be made.’
‘More like she doesn’t trust her siblings not to help themselves,’ Salter complained, having closed the door behind her.
Alan Axton was an interesting character. He had stood out for Riley the moment he observed the family gathered together in the drawing room. Probably younger than his wife, he was a tall, handsome man who comported himself with elegance and poise. His clear blue eyes carried an expression of cynical amusement under a thatch of dark blond hair. Riley suspected that the self-assurance that went with characters who enjoyed being noticed made him accustomed to getting his way through the deployment of flattery and charm.
‘How can I help you, gentlemen?’ he asked, seating himself and crossing one perfectly-tailored leg over the other.
‘You don’t seem terribly upset by Lady Pemberton’s demise,’ Riley remarked, studying the man.
‘Couldn’t stand the old bat, truth to tell. She had a cruel streak, Chief Inspector, and enjoying playing her daughters off against one another. That’s what this annual charade was all about. I disliked attending…’
‘Well, you won’t have to anymore, will you?’ Salter said belligerently.
Axton merely shrugged, unaffected by Salter’s ire. ‘I didn’t like her, or this place. It bores me, since you insist upon knowing. But the old lady enjoyed my company; I made her laugh. Didn’t seem any point in alienating her. Mavis is entitled to her share of the spoils, so I kept on her good side.’ He chuckled. ‘She wasn’t averse to hearing the odd risqué story from the theatre club.’
‘Your wife will get her share now she’s dead,’ Riley remarked, ‘and you need no longer keep Lady Pemberton amused.’
‘Every cloud, Chief Inspector.’
Riley’s efforts to discompose the man were met with amused indifference, so he changed tack. ‘You and your wife share the same room in this house?’
‘We do. And before you ask, we were together all night. Mavis didn’t sneak out to smother her mother, and I can assure you that I didn’t. I didn’t hear anyone creeping about either.’
Riley tried a few more questions, which were answered in the same detached, unemotional manner. Axton was a cool customer, but Riley wasn’t fooled by his languid attitude. He’d seen his type before, plenty of times. He dismissed him, feeling frustrated. The more he learned about the family members, the less he trusted his own judgement.
‘I know you think a woman did it, sir, but him…’ Salter stared belligerently at the door through which Axton had just passed. ‘He’s an indolent so and so and I have a feeling about him.’
‘I thought you wanted it to be Mrs Kinsley.’
Salter grunted. ‘Perhaps they’re in it together.’
Miss Colby snuffled her way through her interview, still visibly distressed. Riley treated her gently.
‘How did you come to be Lady Pemberton’s companion?’ he asked.
‘We serve on the same committee at the home for unmarried mothers. We both felt rather passionately about the cause and joined forces to stop some of the more judgemental members from placing the blame for the poor girls’ plights solely upon their own shoulders.’ Miss Colby sat a little straighter. ‘The local vicar was the worst offender, but thankfully he’s been replaced by a man with more empathy. As a man of God, you’d think he’d show more compassion, but there you have it. After all, it takes two and the men responsible for the girls’ situations were never called to account. Quite often, the girls had been in service and were subjected to their masters’ unwanted attentions, so Violet and I failed to see how they could be held responsible.’
‘You have done commendable work,’ Riley said softly.
‘Thank you, Chief Inspector, we certainly tried to make a difference. However, to finish answering your original question, my father left me a modest inheritance. I have a small cottage in Wandsworth, but funds were running short and I told Lady Pemberton that I would probably have to give up the committee in order to revert to my former profession as an embroiderer. That was when she suggested that I move in here with her, so that we could carry on with our fundraising. I was unsure at first if it would work. I had seen how dogmatic she could be. People were scared of her.’ She allowed the suggestion of a smile. ‘Especially the original vicar on our committee, and rightly so. Such a bigot. However, it has worked wonderfully. We came to be the best possible friends and had few secrets from one another.’
‘Her passing has come as a terrible shock to you; I can quite see that,’ Riley said, not adding that it left her without a home or means of support.
‘I won’t deny it.’ She snuffled into her handkerchief. ‘She was in the most robust of health, which I suppose makes murder seem more credible.’
‘Her family were at odds with one another?’ Salter asked.
‘All the time. I tried to persuade her to abandon her annual birthday celebration. She didn’t seem to take much pleasure from it and the tension was always palpable. The only thing one could guarantee was that they would all attend expecting handouts; even Pamela, who lived here anyway.’ She shook her head, her expression one of disgust. ‘Bear in mind, Lord Riley, that the three of them possessed very generous dowries, although they are all long gone and they seem to have forgotten about them. Anyway, Violet told them last year that they’d had all they would ever get from her.’
Riley sat a little straighter. ‘Did she indeed?’
‘Oh yes. I don’t think any of them believed her. Violet had her faults, and I will admit that she enjoyed making them squirm. I think it gave her a feeling of power to be able to show generosity or send them away empty handed, according to her whim. She could be quite brutal at times but, you see, she thought that all three of her girls had married beneath themselves; Pamela especially.’
‘She didn’t like any of their husbands?’ Salter asked.
‘I think she rather enjoyed flirting with Alan Axton. She might have been old, but not beyond appreciating a handsome scallywag’s attempts to flatter.’
‘Did they come to her this year asking for financial help?’ Riley asked.
‘I believe so. I am aware that all three daughters and her grandson cornered her at one stage or another during the course of the evening.’
‘Her grandson? Are you absolutely sure about that?’ Riley asked.
‘Oh yes. He wants to marry Miss Sutherland but Violet was having none of it. Perhaps it was a mistake for him to bring the young lady here rather than waiting for Violet to invite her.’ Miss Colby cleared her throat. ‘I can tell you that she was not impressed by what she saw. She said that Miss Sutherland would be free with her favours; she recognised the type. She told me that she would not stand by and watch Clifford make a massive mistake. She hadn’t been able to prevent her daughters from entering into disastrous marriages, but she cou
ld stop Clifford by withholding the funds he needed.’
‘Did they argue?’ Riley asked.
‘Violet never argued. She merely stated how things would be and left it at that, but I did hear raised voices coming from Violet’s sitting room. Never hers, of course. She didn’t approve of shouting.’
‘Your room adjoins her ladyship’s.’
‘It does, but if you are going to ask me if I heard any sort of disturbance during the night, save your breath, Lord Riley. I have trouble sleeping and Doctor Hayward has given me Laudanum to resolve the problem. It knocks me out cold. I wouldn’t hear a brass band marching through the house.’ A tear slid down her wrinkled face. ‘Would that I had.’
‘What shall you do now?’ Riley asked.
She lifted one shoulder. ‘Return to Wandsworth, I suppose. I don’t know what arrangements Violet has made for the dispersal of her fortune, but whoever inherits this house, I will no longer be welcome in it. The girls all resented my intimacy with Violet and seemed to think that I had turned her against them, but I can assure you that was not the case. Violet made up her own mind about things, and once her opinion was fixed she seldom changed it.’
‘Take your time about moving out, ma’am,’ Riley said, standing to indicate that the interview was at an end. ‘Nothing will happen overnight and I would be grateful to have your eyes and ears about the place.’
Miss Colby nodded, catching on immediately. ‘In that case, Lord Riley, I have just recalled that the tenants in my cottage require a month’s notice before I can expect them to vacate it.’
Riley smiled as Salter opened the door for her and she disappeared through it.
Chapter Five
‘The plot thickens,’ Salter said, rubbing his chin.
‘Indeed it does, Jack. We now have confirmation that Clifford lied to us. He did have a private discussion with his grandmother, and we must assume that it was about money.’
‘Sounds as though the old lady would have told him precisely what she thought of his Miss Sutherland. And if the young scamp’s really besotted with her, he would have felt duty-bound to protect her honour. To add insult to injury, she didn’t cough up the blunt he expected to charm from her, so that’s a double reason to do her in.’
Death of a Matriarch (Riley Rochester Investigates Book 7) Page 5