by Jane, Bettie
Julia, observing from her position on the sofa, noted that while Meredith seemed sturdy, her eyes were staring at the desk without actually seeing the items on the surface.
Inspector Gibbs pulled out a small notebook and began taking notes. “Why do you say that, Miss Watson? Can you give me insight into the relationship Millie had with her husband Eddie?”
She refocused her eyes on the Inspector and made a flippant gesture with her hand. “Oh, please. It’s not what you think. Eddie is a milksop. I’m certain he would never lift a hand toward her. If anything, she’d be more inclined to actually kill Eddie. What I meant by my statement is that he insisted they live in the East End. She’s always been a fool. Sometimes she has the right notion, and her intentions are well-placed, but her actions usually seem to miss their mark. Sometimes by a little, but in the end, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised this has happened to her. In this case, it seems like she’s lost the whole farm.”
“Farm? Did she and Eddie own a farm?”
“No,” Meredith laughed in a hollow voice. “I meant it in the sense of her life. She bet the farm that Eddie would be able to protect her and she’s lost the gamble.”
“I see.”
Awkward silence settled over the room. Julia was surprised that Meredith had rambled on so when she was usually far more thoughtful when she spoke. No doubt it was the shock of losing her sister.
“May I see her?” Meredith asked. “Where is she now?”
“The coroner is attending to her, Miss Watson. If you’d like to come to their offices, you should be able to collect her belongings. I don’t know whether a visual identification of her remains will be possible. Dental records will have to confirm her identity positively. She was carrying a purse with identification that allowed us to make the original identification. Did she have any birthmarks that could help us confirm her identity for certain?”
Julia noted the way Meredith stared blankly at Inspector Gibbs, as though she hadn’t heard his most recent statement that suggested a rather vicious crime.
“She has a birthmark her left shoulder. It’s similar in shape to a heart. I used to tease her as a little girl that she wore her heart on her sleeve.” Her voice softened momentarily, emotion threatening to break through. Then as quickly as it had softened, it hardened again. “I’ll be down to collect her things shortly. Is there anything else, then? I need to notify our family.”
“No, that’s all. I’ll be in touch should I have additional questions.”
Julia stood at this point in the conversation. “Meredith. I’m sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do to help you through this difficult time? Anything at the club here or with your family? Would you like me to contact the funeral home?”
Meredith had faded out again and shook her head, her eyes welling with tears.
“No, Julia. Not right now. Thank you for your kind offer. I’ll be in touch should I think of something. Just some privacy, please. You can show the Inspector out for me?”
“Of course.” They turned for the door, and Julia led the way out.
“Julia?” Meredith called.
“Yes?”
“Please close the door.”
Julia pulled the door closed and was a few steps down the hall with Inspector Gibbs before she heard a loud crash from behind her followed by the echoes of Meredith Watson’s sobs through the halls. Julia ached for her friend. What a tremendous loss and so close to the holidays.
Before they got far, however, Meredith’s office door opened again and Meredith, who appeared to have completely composed herself, called after Julia.
“On second thought, would you come with me to the coroner, Julia? I’ll wait to notify anyone until after I’ve done that. I need to speak to her husband also.”
“Certainly.”
“I’ll meet you outside. I need to speak with my secretary about some pressing club matters first. Give me ten minutes?”
“Yes. I’ll wait for you in the foyer. I’m sure the inspector wouldn’t mind giving us a ride.”
He nodded. “Certainly.”
Chapter 2
4:15pm
December 20, 1921
Piccadilly Ladies Club
London
Once they’d stepped outside the Piccadilly Ladies Club where Julia would say goodbye to him, she wasted no time interrogating Inspector Jacob Gibbs.
“I promise not to report a single word that you don’t approve of, but you simply must tell me how she died. She clearly died under quite brutal circumstances if her sister won’t be able to make a visual identification. Also, when did she die? If she was here this morning at nine-thirty…what time was her body found?”
“Her body was dumped on the steps of Parliament at precisely noon. She was already quite deceased by that point, so she was killed somewhere else. The murder was quite violent. I truly hesitate to fill your mind with such horror, Julia.”
His use of her first name told her his concern came as her friend.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Jacob, but you needn’t worry about it. The details? Please?”
Emotions passed across his face, first uncertainty then resignation.
“Her face was unrecognizable due to extreme burns that covered a good portion of her head and the right side of her body. We identified her body tentatively by the purse she carried with her. Wherever she was killed, she was brutally beaten as she had many broken bones and other contusions. Other unspeakable things were done to her before her body was dropped at the secondary site.”
Julia didn’t bat an eye at the gruesome nature of the crime, including Jacob’s insinuation that there was likely assault of a sexual nature if Julia guessed correctly. “So the murder was premeditated, and she was dumped at Parliament to make a statement. Tell me, was she sexually assaulted before or after she was killed?”
“You never cease surprising me, Julia. Sexual assault doesn’t seem likely. That’s something, I suppose. The poor woman was already brutalized enough as it is. The coroner will tell us if the additional violence was pre- or post-mortem. They’ll likely have compared her dental records.”
“Do you have any suspicion as to the location of the original crime scene?”
“Not yet. Hopefully soon.”
“I assume you will at least interview her husband?”
He nodded. “Yes. It’s unfortunate how often the husband is guilty of crimes such as this. I’ll accompany you and Miss Watson to the coroner, then I’ll need to ask her a few more questions to see if she can help me piece together what the rest of Millie’s day looked like. The secretary, Mary, was it? She seemed to think that Meredith and her sister didn’t get along. Did you think Meredith’s reaction was strange? You know her better than I.”
“I must say I initially expected her to fall to pieces, but now that we are talking of it, she’s a tough woman. It’s not that surprising to me that she would be able to compartmentalize her reaction.”
Before they could continue their conversation, Meredith Watson stepped outside, all evidence of her very brief emotional reaction completely gone. She looked as though she were out for an afternoon stroll.
“Shall we, Inspector?”
The unlikely trio walked toward the Inspector’s auto, and Julia offered the front seat to Meredith, who was absent-minded in her acceptance. Numb was probably the most reasonable response so soon after learning of her sister’s murder. Julia filled the awkward silence with questions.
“Do you know what time Millie left the club today, Meredith?”
“Sometime after 11am, I believe. I remember having to prepare for my next meeting after we finished speaking. My meeting was scheduled for noon.”
Jacob took the opportunity to question Meredith further. “What did you and your sister discuss?”
“I wasn’t expecting her. She dropped by to discuss a mutual acquaintance, Sarah Brook. Sarah isn’t a member and Millie was advocating for us to reconsider our decision.”
> “Do I understand correctly that Millie wasn’t a member of the PLC either?”
“That is correct.”
“May I ask why she wasn’t a member of your club?”
Meredith shrugged. “Both Millie and Sarah, while having done much for women’s suffrage, have a much different approach in their activism. Especially Sarah. Their methods have been effective, certainly, but it doesn’t mix well with what we are trying to do here at our ladies club. We seek to challenge the status quo and assume our rightful place in London’s society, including equal voting rights, but we strive to do so in a manner in which is conducive to the law. We can’t afford to be linked publicly with more radical approaches. You see, activism is not our only goal at the club. Those other goals would be hindered if we were to be seen by the community as a refuge for lawbreakers. Civility is the course we’ve chosen, and we must remain true to that ultimate goal.”
“I understand that you didn’t get along with your sister?”
“Humph. We got along fine. I simply didn’t approve of many of her choices, and she didn’t appreciate my disapproval. Not to put too fine a point on it, but clearly I was right. She went through life like a whirlwind, sort of spastic in her efforts. Like I said, her heart and intentions were almost always in the right place, but her methodology has always been flawed. This time, if she were here, it’d be time for a good old ‘I told you so.’ I’m rather angry at her for depriving me of the chance to gloat.”
Julia tried to make sense of this very different side of Meredith. She sounded hurt and angry, but sad or grieving didn’t seem to be anywhere in it for her. Curious.
“Do you know of anyone who might have had a vendetta against your sister?”
Her laugh was ironic. “I imagine your list of suspects will be quite short. Her husband, anyone opposed to the enfranchisement of women, perhaps the policeman who sexually assaulted her back when she stormed Parliament.”
Her comments were sarcastic, but Julia’s thoughts hiccuped at the mention of Parliament.
“Inspector,” she asked, keeping professionalism first in her tone, “given where the police found Millie…do you suppose that there might be a connection between her murder and her involvement with the suffragists?”
He nodded. “Always a possibility, certainly. Though, women have had the vote for three years. I’d not think that there would still be tension on that front as there was before the war when the WSPU was at their most radical.”
“Women over thirty, Inspector.” Meredith said what Julia was thinking. “There are millions of women between the ages of twenty-one and thirty who don’t yet have the same rights to vote as men. Of course, as a man, I can certainly understand why you’d not think to notice that distinction. Were you aware that women were officially banned in 1832? Doesn’t it seem bizarre that the men in 1831 were more progressive than the men in 1921? So much for progress.”
Ouch, Julia thought. Meredith wasn’t wrong, but she made no attempt to cover the acid in her voice.
“No disrespect, Miss Watson. Naturally, there is more work to be done. I suppose I only meant that it seems that conflict is much less prevalent with the passage of the Representation of the People Act.”
“That is, of course, where Millie and Sarah disagreed with me. The radical efforts they support, while effective, are less than suitable for our current position in this situation.”
Julia didn’t feel at all in the mood to discuss politics in this moment. Thankfully, they arrived at the coroner’s and the conversation changed.
“Miss Watson, Miss Barlow. Come with me and I’ll get you both situated in the waiting area while I check with the coroner.”
“Yes, of course, Inspector,” Meredith answered. “Let the helpless young girls wait out of the way so as not to disturb their sensibilities while the men do the real work.”
Jacob’s faced assumed a neutral expression at her comments. He turned his attention to Julia.
“If you don’t mind, wait here with Miss Watson while I ensure that the body of her sister is in presentable form. I would surely hate for her to be seen in the condition that we found her in this morning.”
Then to Meredith, he said, “I assure you, even with the toughest of constitutions which I’m certain you possess, you wouldn’t want to see your sister the way that we found her today.”
He truly was such a gentleman, but Julia could see the rigid set of his jaw. She guessed it took a fair amount of restraint for him to resist shooting back at Meredith’s sarcastic and rude comments. He was quite diplomatic considering. She watched him retreat down the hall before she turned to look at Meredith.
“I know you’ve suffered quite a shock today, but really, Meredith, he’s only doing his job, and while he’s at it, trying to keep you from seeing a ghastly sight that you’ll have to live with forever. Surely you can see that, yes?”
She sniffed in dismissal. “Making excuses for the patriarchy are you? Perhaps I was premature in granting your membership into the PLC.”
Julia didn’t bother responding. Desperate grief was not a good look on Meredith.
They sat in tense silence for a few minutes before Jacob reappeared.
“Miss Watson, the coroner is ready for you now.”
Julia followed Meredith, who walked behind Jacob although Meredith kept trying to walk next to him in the narrow hall. He led them through a couple dimly lit hallways and down one flight of stairs into a tiny room where there was a sheet-covered body lying on a gurney.
“Meredith, Julia. This is Dr. Lockley. Doctor, Julia Barlow, my associate, and this is Meredith Watson. We believe the victim is Meredith’s sister, Millie Howard.”
Dr. Lockley stood next to the body on the gurney, guarding her as though it was his only duty. It was quite touching, actually. Julia was reminded of a faithful Labrador protecting his master’s home. She suppressed the random thought that maybe she needed a loyal puppy companion and chastised herself for losing focus at such an inopportune time.
You’re identifying a body at the coroner’s office, Julia. Get a hold of yourself.
If Jacob knew what her brain was doing right now, he’d be appalled.
“Miss Watson, thank you for coming to help identify the deceased. The Inspector said that your sister had a birthmark on her left shoulder. I’m going to lift a corner of this sheet to show you her shoulder. I’m afraid her face is not in a condition that would be conducive to her being identified, however, given what you’ve described, the birthmark will give us a start.”
“Get on with it then,” Meredith snapped.
Julia made another note to herself to steer clear of Meredith Watson for a while.
The coroner slipped the sheet out of place and Meredith gasped.
“It’s not her. Oh, thank heavens. It’s not her.”
“Are you certain?”
“She’s my sister. I’ve been looking at her birthmark for her entire life. I don’t know who this is, but it’s not Millie Howard.”
Julia battled feelings of relief that this wasn’t Meredith’s sister and abhorrence that another human could do this to someone. Her stomach rebelled and she had to use all her energy to keep from sicking up.
“Dr. Lockley,” the Inspector said, “if you could continue your inquiry as to cause of death and note any identifying features from the victim, I’ll return later to hear your report.”
The coroner covered the bared shoulder. Inspector Gibbs led the ladies from the room. “If that’s not your sister, we need to discover why it is she was found with your sister’s belongings. We went by her home earlier when we first made the identification, and her husband wasn’t home. Do you know where he works?”
“Works? Ha. That is laughable. He lives on the East End but rather than having a blue collar job and holding his own, he freeloads off of my parents and lives in squalor. If he’s not passed out drunk at home, then likely he is in the neighborhood pub. If you’ll drive, I’ll take you to my sister’s hou
se. I need to lay eyes on her myself and scold her for actions. Perhaps I’ll hug her for not being dead.”
“I’d be happy to drive you, Miss Watson.”
“Inspector, please forgive my behavior today. As Julia pointed out while you were meeting with the coroner, my behavior has been dreadful. I suppose I don’t deal so well murder and mayhem.”
“She did, did she?” He gave Julia an appraising look before smiling at Meredith. “Don’t mention it.”
Julia blushed under his gaze, grateful that he looked away quickly. Of course she’d stood up for him. Meredith was behaving in a most atrocious fashion and even though her circumstances were quite dire, that was still no excuse for being rude.
Now that they knew Meredith’s sister wasn’t dead, the mood between the three of them was much more lighthearted. They motored over to Millie’s East End flat and the drive was much more relaxed.
Meredith led the way up the narrow walkway toward Millie’s flat. The building that was Chesterley Manor was quite shabby for having such an exquisite sounding name, and Julia had a bit of sympathy for Meredith’s earlier judgement. This manor looked nothing like an actual manor. Considering that the Watson family was quite well off and one of the most elite families in the highly exclusive Mayfair neighborhood, Millie was definitely slumming it by living here. How odd that she’d make this sort of choice regarding her living arrangements. Julia made a mental note to try to learn the specifics of Millie’s situation.
Meredith stomped up the stairs and through the hallways, apparently eager to make contact with Millie. She looked determined and possibly annoyed. Interesting.
When they arrived in front of a beige door painted with a dark green three-one-five, Meredith pounded on it.
“Millie Howard? You answer this door right this minute.”
Somewhere inside, Julia could hear shuffling feet, the thud of approaching steps, and then the click of the door latch. The creaky door swung open, revealing a short, round man with a large, taut beer belly and crumbs in his unkempt beard.