by Helen Goltz
Aunt Audrey turned to Teddy. ‘Oh, what do you do, young man?’
‘I am an apprentice cook looking to finish my apprenticeship, Mrs Bloomfield,’ he said.
Her eyes widened with interest. ‘Is that so? Well, I shall ask around.’
He gave her a nod of appreciation. ‘Thank you, Mrs Bloomfield.’
‘Teddy’s a wonderful cook and a hard worker,’ Thomas added.
‘Like his uncle, except for the cooking part,’ Daniel jostled his closest friend. ‘Oh, and Teddy got the looks too.’
‘Except for those things, he’s a lot like me,’ Thomas agreed good naturedly. He could see Aunt Audrey’s eyes studying his nephew. She had a plan, and she desperately wanted a good cook, so he suspected she’d be calling Teddy for a trial soon.
‘I happen to think handsome runs in your family,’ Matilda said to Thomas and, caught by surprise, he thanked her, further adding to his agonies of sitting beside her. As laughter broke out between Alice and Daniel, she whispered to Thomas, ‘I have something to tell you, about Mrs Wilks.’ There was no work talk at the table, but Thomas couldn’t finish lunch soon enough to hear her news, and have her focus entirely on him while she shared the news.
Matilda returned her attention to the group. ‘But we must show you around while you are here, Teddy, and help you make new friends.’ She turned to her brothers to put that plan in motion. ‘Daniel, Gideon, Elijah…’ she enlisted them. Thomas bristled beside her; did Matilda want to see more of his nephew since his heroic rescue of her?
‘Consider it done, sister,’ Gideon said, needing no excuse for a social outing.
‘Much obliged,’ Teddy answered, and Thomas sighed.
‘Just don’t be ending up in my station at the end of your night and if you do, don’t say your name is Edward Ashdown.’
‘And when did you become so sensible?’ Daniel asked him.
Thomas nodded at Teddy. ‘Since my brother gave me responsibility.’
‘I won’t embarrass you, Uncle. And what of Miss Doran then, Alice? Are you not in need of new friends too?’ Teddy asked.
‘Indeed, I am,’ she said, ‘and I am so fortunate to have met Matilda.’
‘I’ll take that in hand.’ Daniel jumped in gallantly and selfishly before the rest of his brothers could answer. ‘Matilda and I will ensure you see the better part of our town, not where this lot is likely to go,’ he said with a nod to Elijah and Gideon.
Alice smiled a charming smile, and Daniel was smitten. Meanwhile, Aunt Audrey studied the young people and gave her brother, Mr Hayward, a satisfied look. Yes, soon they would all be paired, and her job would be done. But first, a job for young Edward.
*****
The Hayward family was not overly traditional and the men at the table did not want to retire to a room, smoke and drink port while the ladies were in another room. Daniel for one had his sights set on Alice; Thomas and his nephew, Teddy, were watching Matilda astutely; and Aunt Audrey was the source of all town gossip. Nevertheless, Thomas did get a quiet moment with Matilda.
‘What do you know?’ he asked her, exhausted by his proximity clashing with his desire. He wanted to grab her and kiss her, but such impropriety would be outrageous and never see him invited to a Hayward Sunday lunch again.
With a subtle glance around, Matilda told him, ‘It is only one small little matter and nothing more, but when Alice and I were talking to Irina Wilks for our interview, I mentioned Mr Burnham to her and she became emotional, quickly. She began to cry. She apologised but I think it is fair to say she had strong feelings for him.’
Thomas nodded. ‘Yes, I just received some more information that would confirm their companionship. Thank you, Matilda.’
‘You are welcome, Thomas. I hope you get an outcome soon; it is frightening for all involved to think who might be next. Plus, you look exhausted.’
He softened. He felt jaded and depleted of energy from thinking about the case and lack of sleep. It was nice to have someone worry about him.
‘I don’t sleep well during a case.’
‘Goodness, then you mustn’t sleep much at all,’ she said, her large blue eyes studying his face.
‘It is for want of other distractions,’ he said and realised that sounded as if he was seeking something fun and casual, a night at his club, a casual liaison. Before he could correct himself, Alice and Daniel joined them.
‘I’m trying to persuade Alice that she must come along for the opening night of Marlon Dominey’s Art Exhibition this Saturday at Gideon’s gallery. Gideon has tickets for us – it’s a by-invitation-only,’ Daniel said.
‘Oh, you must,’ Matilda said.
‘We could all go if Gideon could throw a few more tickets our way,’ Thomas suggested to his best friend, and held his breath.
‘Yes, let’s do that,’ Matilda said enthusiastically. ‘Some time away from work, Thomas, will do you good, I’m sure. Unless someone gets murdered or assaulted at the exhibition while we are there,’ she added drily.
‘I’ll try my best not to attract crime for the night,’ Thomas said and returned her smile. And just like that, he realised he wouldn’t be sleeping tonight either.
Chapter 29
Mrs Wilks asked not to be interviewed in her husband’s presence and in consequence, she hurried the detectives outside towards the dining tent. At the back of the tent, Thomas could see his nephew at work in the kitchen. Teddy was on by himself today and looked busy.
‘I hear you’ve got a new assistant cook,’ Harry said, making conversation as they moved to sit down. Thomas glanced at him – a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
Mrs Wilks waved her hand as if it were of no interest to her. ‘Yes, Chas – the chef – tells me he is very good. He’d have to be a miracle worker to make a reasonable meal on the budget that he’s been given.’ She shook her head.
‘The budget Mr Burnham set?’ Thomas asked, sitting once she had taken her place.
‘Oh, no,’ she said, smoothing back her hair and retaining a calm countenance. ‘Mr Burnham was generous to a fault; my husband is quite the opposite.’
Thomas sat forward, webbing his fingers and watching Mrs Wilks for her emotions and listening to her responses.
‘It has come to our attention that you and Mr Burnham were… close,’ he said.
Mrs Wilks’ face hardened as if she was holding a winning card and did not want to reveal it.
‘He was a friend, a truly lovely man. I had great respect for him. I also thought the conversation I was having with the ladies of the Women’s Journal was private.’
‘Really? But they are writing for a published newspaper,’ Thomas said, surprised.
Mrs Wilks raised her chin with defiance, realising her comment was ignorant but she had not expected her reaction to the death of a dear friend to be reported to the police.
Thomas lowered his voice in deference to indicate he understood her dilemma. ‘The ladies are in my acquaintance. They were not reporting on you, rather sympathising that Mr Burnham was indeed a loved and respected man in his community and ensuring that we were aware of his standing.’
She nodded but said nothing. Thomas continued.
‘He was the one that kept you going?’
She could be strong if he talked with her severely, even accused her of an affair, but his sympathy was unexpected. Tears ran down her face She whispered so low that the men barely heard the words, ‘I loved him.’
Thomas nodded. ‘Were you lovers?’
Her voiced hitched. To admit it, the shame, and what might become of her if her husband demanded a divorce for infidelity? She couldn’t get the words out, but gave a curt nod, without making eye contact with either of the detectives.
Harry cleared his throat and asked, ‘Did Mr Wilks know?’
‘No! Absolutely not. We were discreet. No.’ She looked around and regained her composure. ‘He can’t know, not even now.’
‘I understand. We assure you of our discretion,’ Harry said.
‘If Mr Wilks found out, would he go to the extreme of removing his competition, of killing Mr Burnham?’ Thomas asked.
‘No,’ she said and straightened. ‘He is many things, but he is not capable of that.’
‘We are all capable of it in the right circumstances, Mrs Wilks, even women, especially women,’ Harry said.
‘Well, I didn’t kill him, I loved him!’
Neither of the detectives spoke for a moment, hoping Mrs Wilks might say more, but she was savvy and held her silence.
Thomas ran a hand over his face. ‘If not your husband, if not you, who do you think might have committed this act, Mrs Wilks? You were close to Mr Burnham, was he in fear of his life? Did he owe money? Did he have enemies?’
‘No. If it were my husband murdered, I could give you a list of offenders,’ she scoffed, ‘but not Alfred – Mr Burnham – not him. Everyone liked him, he was kind and fair, he tried to make this a family even though neither my husband nor I agreed with that.’
‘Why not?’ Harry asked.
‘Because it is a business and if you don’t keep it as such, people will take advantage of you. Like the giantess’s husband… always trying for extra money and believing his wife made for the success of this Freak Show.’ She scoffed at the thought.
‘Do you know why Mr Tufton was here on the premises the night he died?’
Mrs Wilks shook her head. ‘No, I was in the caravan with my husband from 10 o’clock onwards. It is true what my husband told you, that he heard a sound and got up to look but saw nothing and came back to bed.’ She was giving signs of impatience now, and adjusted herself in her seat. ‘I have a business to run, will that be all today?’
‘One more question please, Mrs Wilks,’ Thomas said. ‘Why did you translate for Mr Jo-Jo when he was perfectly capable of speaking English?’
Thomas watched as the question caught her by surprise and she struggled to formulate an answer.
‘I thought he might be more comfortable speaking in his native tongue, so there was no confusion, and he didn’t give the wrong answer,’ she said.
‘I recently discovered that he speaks excellent English,’ Harry said.
She shrugged. ‘That was my reason.’
Thomas sighed. ‘Thank you, Mrs Wilks. As we’ve said to your husband, the Exhibition is to stay in town until we give you clearance to leave.’
She nodded, rose, and the men stood as she turned back to the main exhibition tent.
Thomas and Harry watched her depart before sitting back down.
‘What do you make of that then?’ Harry asked.
‘Can’t fault her story, even so, there’s something not right about it,’ Thomas said, watching her in the distance. ‘She is savvy, not intimidated by authority.’
‘Yeah, that’s how my gut feels, too,’ Harry said.
‘The husband is still the most likely suspect with a motive – if he knew his wife was having an affair, then he’s taken his revenge by killing Mr Burnham, and if Tufton came demanding a rise for his wife as he did to Mr Burnham, Wilks might have lost his temper and killed him then and there.’
‘It’s unlikely that anyone here is going to risk talking about Wilks. It appears he rules with an iron fist,’ Harry said.
‘I agree. I think it might be time to speak with everyone individually, and away from other eyes and ears.’
‘You’re not going to try and take them to the station, are you?’
Thomas shook his head. ‘No, but we could set up an interview area here somewhere and see them, one at a time. That way Mr Wilks does not think we have singled anyone out and he’ll never know who said what.’
They rose to leave, and Thomas looked over to Teddy, who gave a barely discernible sign to come over. Thomas nudged Harry and they went towards the kitchen.
‘You’re the new cook, I hear?’ Harry said, trying not to grin.
‘Assistant cook,’ Teddy corrected them. ‘We met briefly the other day when you were talking with Mr Jo-Jo. I’m Teddy Clements,’ he offered his name. ‘Sorry I can’t shake, but I’ve got my hands full.’ He continued chopping vegetables, giving the knife and cutting board his full attention.
Thomas kept up the charade, should anyone be watching or listening in. ‘Detectives Ashdown and Dart. A few questions?’
‘Sure, if you don’t mind if I keep working while you ask?’ he said, and placing down the knife, he swept the vegetables into a large pot.
Harry wandered outside the area, had a glance area and came back.
‘All clear,’ he said.
‘You wanted to know of any strange comings or goings?’ Teddy said and continued without waiting for an answer. ‘There was a man here this morning who was looking for Mrs Wilks. He looked down on his luck and I saw her slip him something. I’d be guessing it was money. He stuffed it in his pocket and walked off.’
‘Can you describe him?’ Harry asked.
‘A few inches short of six-foot, wiry and thin, but strong, if you know what I mean? His nose looked as though it had been rearranged a few times. I wouldn’t put it past him to box a bit. He had that look, and his hands were sporting cuts,’ Teddy said.
‘Did you hear anything they said?’ Harry asked.
‘No, but he muttered something as he went past and I’m pretty sure he was speaking a foreign language, don’t know which one, I didn’t recognise any words. She responded in the same language, so if she speaks Russian, I’m guessing that’s it.’ Teddy wiped his hands on the apron he wore and glanced around again to ensure they were alone.
‘Good job,’ Thomas said. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yeah, the butcher delivers here twice a week, every Monday and Thursday; the milkman’s here daily, and vegetables and groceries as needed but usually they come from Compton’s store twice a week. So, there’s a few comings and goings but the man who was talking with Mrs Wilks had no delivery to make.’
‘Met many of the crew yet?’ Harry asked.
‘I’ve seen them eat, but that’s as close as I’ve got. There’s only a handful and they keep to themselves, avoid the management. They don’t even eat at the same time.’
‘You’ve done well, lad,’ Harry said.
Thomas agreed. ‘Mrs Wilks’ visitor is worth checking out. If he’s not one of the servicemen, who is he and what is he being paid for?’
They bade Teddy goodbye and headed to the main road – across the grass and patches of mud that had been well trodden by the curious – to their ride.
‘That’s Miss Hayward alighting from that omnibus,’ Harry said as they neared the edge of the grounds.
‘And she’s alone,’ Thomas said, annoyed. As he said the words, her gaze found him and she smiled, pleased to see him. It was hard to continue being frustrated with her when she looked at him with delight.
They made their way to her.
Matilda looked radiant in lilac. Her gown was cut and fitted to highlight her slight and nicely proportioned figure, her hair was delicately plaited and tied into a becoming style under a straw hat with a black band. She carried a small box with a home-baked slice within from Cook.
‘Detective Dart, Thomas, have you made an arrest?’ she asked.
‘I wish, miss,’ Harry answered with a dip of his hat.
‘Are you alone?’ Thomas asked.
Matilda looked behind her and then to the other side.
‘Apparently so, Thomas.’
Harry chuckled, and Matilda smiled for half a second.
‘I’m here to see Mrs Tufton,’ she continued.
‘The giantess?’ Thomas asked, surprised.
‘The one and the same. I promised I would call in to see how she was. She can’t leave the Exhibition until you release her husband’s body, and she gets the death certificate and burial finalised. Only then will the insurer pay.’
‘They can be ruthles
s,’ Harry agreed. ‘I shall walk you over and perhaps you can ask Teddy to walk you back to here afterwards.’
‘I don’t want to pull you away from your work,’ she said, knowing she was annoying Thomas.
‘No, actually I have a book for Jo – Mr Jo-Jo – he’s a keen reader.’ Harry patted his coat pocket. ‘I almost forgot.’
‘That’s a good idea, Harry, thanks,’ Thomas said, as if taking responsibility for Matilda. ‘Lucky you are not working, or I would be having a chat with Mrs Lawson about allowing you to come unaccompanied. Regardless, Matilda…’
‘I know, Thomas, and I appreciate your concern. But the man who attacked me is dead, and I’m hoping that the man who killed him isn’t after me too,’ she said and sighed.
Thomas made a sound that translated to ‘Hmph.’ He turned to Harry. ‘I’m going to visit a few local boxing rings,’ he told his partner. ‘I’ll see you back at the office.’ He doffed his hat and said her name, ‘Matilda.’
‘Thomas,’ she said, and then added, remembering, ‘Oh, the gallery exhibition is confirmed for this Saturday evening at 7pm if you are not working. Detective Dart, you and Mrs Dart are most welcomed to join our small party. I’m sure I could secure a few more tickets.’
‘Most kind, Miss Hayward, but we’ll leave you young ones to it. Thom and I see enough of each other during the week, despite how good the company might be,’ he said, and Matilda laughed at his joke.
‘I’ll ensure I am free,’ Thomas said and watched as Matilda accepted Detective Dart’s arm and they walked across the unlevel grass.
With another huff of frustration and a churn of pleasure, he decided he would start on foot to visit a few of the local boxing gymnasiums. The walk would do him good and give him thinking time.
Chapter 30
Mrs Tufton’s caravan came into sight, and Mr Jo-Jo’s van was at the start of the next row. Matilda turned to Harry as he led her down the row.