by Jane, Bettie
“Certainly. Listen, Meredith? Inspector Gibbs will be back later this evening to collect me. If he should get here before I return, would you let him know that I had an errand to run and he shouldn’t worry about me. I’ll get myself home. Hopefully, tomorrow we can make some further progress.”
“Of course. Anything for you, Julia. It has meant so much for me to have you by my side through this ordeal. Especially what you did for me at the park, putting yourself in harm’s way.”
“What happened at the park?” Millie asked.
“I insisted on staying to hand the ransom money off to the kidnapper myself, but Julia came to my rescue and shooed me away. Instead she stayed in my place. It’s because she had a conversation with the kidnapper that we were able to get to you so quickly.”
Mille paled another shade lighter. “Oh, how dreadful. It seems I’m in both your debts. Bless you, Julia.”
Julia blushed. “Oh, think nothing of it. I was happy to help.”
She bid them both goodnight and stepped out into the cold dark of the December night. It was true, she did have an errand to run. But nobody needed to know what it was. Jacob would be angry for her going alone, but she wasn’t inclined to wait around.
She walked the short blocks to the Goodall residence and picked up her auto. It was time to take a trip to the East End and have a word with Eddie Howard. It was still possible that it was indeed the police, as had been their suspicion all along, but Julia wouldn’t be satisfied that Eddie Howard wasn’t involved until she obtained more information from him. Simply because someone was a philanderer didn’t mean he was a murderer, but it would be foolish to not explore it to be certain.
Chapter 8
7pm
December 21, 1921
Howard Residence
East End, London
She pulled up outside the Chesterley Manor and noted that it looked much more foreboding at night and when she was alone. She suppressed a shiver as she walked through the corridor of the building to the Howard’s flat. Once she found the green three-one-five that marked their door, she knocked. Tentatively at first, then with more gusto.
A very drunk Eddie Howard answered the door. “You! You’re a friend of Meredith’s. What do you want? I told you before, Millie ain’t here.”
She thought she might get drunk from smelling the booze that wafted from his breath and likely every pore. He must have been drinking for hours.
“Oh, yes, I’m very much aware of that, Mr. Howard. The police found her today where she was being held captive in an old soap warehouse.”
She watched his face for a reaction. “Who was holdin’ her captive? What did they want from her? I doubt they got. She’s not a very agreeable woman.”
“We don’t know who is responsible. I thought perhaps you could shed some light on it for me?”
“You’re not a copper. Why should I talk to you?”
“I’m assisting the police on this matter. Just a few questions. Do you mind?”
He opened the door wider. “I s’pose that’d be fine. Come on in.”
She reluctantly followed him into his filthy apartment. The tables were littered with empty whisky bottles and it wreaked of a distillery.
“You can sit if you want. Is the old lady okay? I mean, they didn’t kill her, did they?”
Julia sat on the edge of a chair at the broken kitchen table and folded her hands in her lap. He sat across from her and took a long pull off a whisky bottle.
“She is fine. A few scratches and bit shaken up, but she’ll be quite all right. Shall I send her your condolences?”
“What?”
“A message? Would you like me to get a message to her?”
He looked confused, so Julia kept explaining.
“I could let her know you wish her well, for example?”
His eyes lit up with understanding at that point. “Oh, naw. That ain’t necessary. She knows I don’t care if she lives or dies. She’s not a nice woman, that Millie. She’d know I didn’t mean it, even if you did send it.”
Interesting.
“All right, then. She indicated that you sometimes have, shall we say extra, relationships outside of the two of you. Are you currently involved with anyone?”
He gripped the table and his face turned angry. When he spoke, spittle flew from his mouth. “I ain’t takin’ up with nobody ‘sides my wife. Not that she’s around for that.”
“Millie mentioned that you had a friend—a barmaid from your local pub—that you were sweet on.”
“Millie doesn’t know what she’s talkin’ about. She’s always seen’ stuff that ain’t there.”
“I see. Millie’s purse was found yesterday. I wonder if you might have any idea how it might have gotten to the steps of Parliament. When was the last time you recall seeing your wife with a red purse?”
He slammed his hand down on the table, and Julia jumped in her seat reflexively.
“I don’t keep tabs on my wife, let alone her purse. I have no idea. I don’t see what you need to talk to me for…I’m a busy man. Is there anything else?”
A knock on the door prevented Julia from answering his question.
“So many visitors tonight,” he growled and stomped back to the front door, pulling it open in a fury.
“What do you want, girl?”
“Eddie! It’s so nice to see you. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
The voice sounded familiar, but Julia couldn’t quite place it.
The woman barged in, pressing past Eddie and setting a bottle of whisky on the counter. Just what Eddie Howard needed. More booze.
The woman, skinny with long mousy brown hair, stopped short when she saw Julia.
“Who’s this, Eddie? Eddie? Are you running around behind my back? With this—this woman?”
In addition to her voice sounding familiar, there was something about her appearance that tickled the back of Julia’s brain. However, she didn’t have much time to consider it.
“Eddie, you cad. After all I done for you, for us. And the moment I turn my back you take up with another woman.”
“Shut up, Ruth. I ain’t havin’ no affair with this woman. She’s helpin’ the police. I’m just answerin’ some questions.”
“You shut up, Eddie. I know a loose tart when I see one and this one wants in your bed. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. After everythin’.”
He growled back at her, standing over her and glaring down. “Woman. I said I ain’t and that’s the end of it.”
She lifted the whisky bottle she’d walked in with and brought it down on his head. The thud it made turned Julia’s stomach nauseated. He dropped to the floor like a sack of rocks. Once she saw that Eddie was indeed unconscious, the woman, Ruth, turned on Julia.
“Don’t you get any ideas about this one. He’s mine and you can’t have him.”
Julia resisted the urge to point out that she’d just clubbed the man she said she cared about. Removing herself from this room seemed to move up her personal priority list.
“No, of course not. I’m not here to take your man. I promise. His wife was missing and we found her and I only had some questions to ask. You say you and he are an item?”
Ruth’s face was blustery red, and her hands were shaking.
Julia spoke up again. “I’d never judge you for that of course. I understand his wife is not great wife material, according to him at least. I’m sure you are much more suited for Eddie than Millie. You do seem to know how to keep him in line.”
“Yeah, I do. Won’t be lettin’ a man get the best o’ me. Me and Eddie, we got a thing going. What’s it to you? You friends with his wife? That one, she thinks she got one over on me, but she don’t.”
Ruth fumbled for the pack of cigarettes on Eddie’s kitchen counter and then bent over to dig through Eddie’s pockets for matches. She stood back up and lit the cigarette and stared at Julia, expecting an answer.
“What’s it to you?”
“Oh,
I’m sure I don’t care one way or the other about how you two spend your nights.”
Julia answered Ruth, but her mind was elsewhere. Watching her light the cigarette brought a memory from earlier today. They were the same hands that lit the cigarette on the park bench.
That’s why her voice sounded familiar and what had been escaping Julia’s mind all day. They were women’s hands.
“Wanna drag?” Ruth asked, exhaling.
Julia’s mind was racing. She needed to get out of here. She’d seen how prone to violent outbreaks Ruth was with her own eyes, here in Eddie’s kitchen. Knowing what had happened to Sarah Brook and the beatings Millie had endured, Julia had no doubt that her safety was on the line.
She needed to get out of this flat and fast.
“Sure,” she answered. She extended her hand to take the cigarette and saw a section of exposed wrist from under Ruth’s blouse. Acid burns like she’d seen on Sarah. She willed herself to look away before Ruth caught her staring. Julia drew on the cigarette and passed it back.
“Well, I’ll leave you to your man. He didn’t have much information for me anyway. This one seems to like his whisky, but it looks you knew that already.”
With a forced a smile and a rushed “great to meet you, Ruth,” she raced from the flat.
She needed to get to the Inspector immediately.
She’d bet her favorite string of pearls that Eddie and Ruth had killed Sarah and then kidnapped Millie for ransom money.
Julia doubted any of them were safe as long as those two were free to roam about the city.
Chapter 9
9pm
December 21, 1921
Watson Residence
Mayfair, London
Julia was breathless by the time she arrived at Meredith’s home on the West End. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst from her chest. She pounded on the front door with her fist, again and again.
“Meredith, Meredith. Open up.”
The butler opened the door, perplexed by her disheveled appearance and her frantic voice.
“I need to see Meredith, please. Right away. It’s urgent.”
“Yes, miss. I’ll let her know you’ve returned. You can wait in the parlor.”
A few moments later, Meredith joined Julia in the parlor.
“Has Inspector Gibbs come back by?”
“No, not to my knowledge. What’s wrong? You seem riled up.”
“You’ll never believe it. I mean, never.”
“Have a seat. I’ll call for tea while you catch your breath.”
Meredith rang a bell and when a young woman appeared immediately, Meredith spoke calmly.
“Alice, could you please bring tea and biscuits? Thank you.”
“Right away, Miss Meredith.”
“Very well, friend. Spill it. What’s gotten you so worked up?”
“I think Eddie killed Sarah. Eddie and a woman named Ruth, who I think is having an affair with him.”
“What? Eddie? I don’t know that I thought he could be capable of that kind of violence. He’s a terrible husband, but, no I’d not have guessed murder. Why do you say that?”
“I went to their flat when I left here—”
“That was your errand?”
Julia nodded and continued.
“I wanted to ask him a few questions. I thought if I could track down when he’d last seen Millie’s purse or—well, that’s not completely true. It’s partially true and I did ask him about the purse, which of course he had no idea when he’d seen it last, but after Millie mentioned the affairs, I knew I needed to rule him out while Jacob was working the vengeful copper angle. Anyway, I got there…”
She took a deep breath and then took a cookie from the plate that Alice had set in front of her, but she held it rather than ate it and turned it over in her hands as she spoke.
“I arrived and we were talking—my, isn’t that man obnoxious—when there was a knock on the door. A woman barged in. She sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place her. I’d not seen her before. She was slim with mousy brown hair. She immediately jumped to conclusions and assumed I was in Eddie’s kitchen because I was having an affair with him. She went mad, Meredith. Mad. She hit him over the head with a completely full bottle of whiskey. He dropped to the floor immediately. I can still hear the thudding sound that came from his head when the bottle made contact. So, then—”
“It’s okay, darling. Take a deep breath and a sip of tea. Take your time. You are safe here.”
Julia took a deep breath and tried to grab hold of her emotions, which had been spinning out of control since she ran from Chesterley Manor. Margaret put honey in her tea and passed it to her. Julia didn’t even have the wherewithal to give her a difficult time for drinking and serving tea without milk. She held the warm, delicate mug in her hand and took calming breaths, letting the heat from the mug seep into her cold, rattled bones.
When she felt calmer, Meredith picked up the conversation.
“What happened after she hit him with the bottle?”
“He collapsed on the floor and then she started in on me, convinced I was there to steal her man even though her man already has a wife. The irony was lost on her. I don’t think she’s the brightest thing. I managed to convince her that I had no designs on Eddie—I mean, can you imagine?—and she offered me a cigarette. That’s when I remembered everything. I’ve been wracking my brain all day trying to recall what was off with the man on the bench…it was the way he lit the cigarette. He had woman hands. I didn’t put it together before, but when I saw her light the cigarette in Eddie’s kitchen, it came flooding back.”
“You’re saying the man at the park bench, the one who took the satchel of money, was actually this woman Ruth?”
“Yes. I knew the man on the bench was wearing a fake mustache. It looked terrible, but I thought it was simply a man trying to disguise himself. I said as much in the report I made for Jacob.”
“Why is it you think Ruth helped Eddie kill Sarah and kidnap Millie?”
“I’ve been thinking that on my way over. Meredith, my mind is positively racing right now. It’s difficult to keep my thoughts in line. The tea is helping though, thank you.”
She paused and took another sip, savoring the sweet honey.
“This is actually quite good tea. I’d all but written you off as treasonous for your taste in tea.”
Meredith laughed and the room suddenly felt brighter. Julia hadn’t realized how upset she’d become.
“You were saying,” Meredith prompted.
“Yes, right. He could have only used her to help him get the money today, right? She might not have been involved in the actual murder at all, but if you’d seen the way she wielded that bottle at him. She knew what she was doing. This is certainly not the first time she’s clubbed someone over the head. The coroner, you remember him, Dr. Lockley, he said that Sarah’s cause of death was likely blunt force trauma and all the other bruising and the burning with acid came after. I think Ruth might have been the one to actually kill Sarah, at Eddie’s instruction of course. As I said, she’s not the smartest young women I’ve ever encountered.”
“I think you might be giving Eddie more credit than he deserves in the brains department.”
“Perhaps, between the two of them, they equal one fully cognizant human?”
Julia allowed herself to giggle a little. It was good to feel the stress lifting off of her.
“There’s more, though,” she said after another sip of tea. “I saw her wrist when she offered me a drag on her cigarette. It has the same acid burns that we saw on poor Sarah. If she didn’t help Eddie kill Sarah, at the very least she helped with what came after. Likely it took the both of them to move her from wherever they killed her by auto to the steps of Parliament.”
“True. We don’t actually know where she was killed, do we? Presumably somewhere that she’d have been in proximity to Millie.”
Julia nodded, thoughtful.
“Yes, I suppose so. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll let her know in the morning when she wakes up. She’s sound asleep and I hate to disturb her.”
“Certainly. I’ll drive to the station and see if Jacob returned. He’ll need to arrest them immediately. I thought he’d be here waiting for me or I’d have gone straight there.”
“Are you comfortable driving in the dark, Julia? If not, I can have Charles drive you.”
“Oh, no. It’s no problem. I drive at night a fair amount. Try to get a good night’s sleep, Meredith. I’ll come by in the morning and let you know how the rest of the evening played out.”
Meredith hugged her. “I owe you, my friend. You’ve gone above and beyond to help my sister and me.”
“Don’t think anything of it. I sort of enjoy the thrill of it. Jacob keeps saying if I weren’t a woman, he’d hire me right away. Can you imagine? Inspector Julia Barlow, Scotland Yard.”
They both laughed and hugged once more, and then Julia darted out into the night, resolute in bringing Eddie Howard and his floosy girlfriend, Ruth, to justice. She understood what Jacob had meant before when he spoke of offering a gift of justice for the loved ones left behind by the murdered. She’d have to remember to thank him for letting her be as involved as he had in this investigation.
It was fulfilling to get as close as this to righting a wrong.
Chapter 10
10 pm
December 21, 1921
Scotland Yard
London
Julia sat across from Jacob at his desk at Scotland Yard. She’d given him the same update she’d given Meredith.
She’d seen this look on his face before. He was pondering all the information he’d taken in, trying to make sense of it, then create a plan of action. She took a small bit of satisfaction that she knew him so well in such a short amount of time.