Mina was no stranger to prayer, but this time she felt she needed additional guidance. The readers of The Spiritual Banner would probably be familiar with the authorship of the AWH letter. She wondered how many would read it and demand to know more. Had Mr Hope told Mr Beckler to show her the letter to frighten her, or was Mr Beckler, for his own reasons, trying to warn her? Was it just an empty threat, or did Mr Hope mean further harm? Was there anything in Mr Hartop’s recent letter which might assist her?
The little group of communicants finally declared themselves refreshed. A number did no more than shake Miss Mulgrew by the hand and depart after placing some coins in the teapot. Mina felt she ought to make her own contribution, and as she searched her reticule, wondering what would be appropriate, she found Miss Mulgrew standing by her side, holding a slim book bound in dark leather.
‘This is my brother’s history of our sister,’ she said. ‘I do not lend copies, but if you wish to purchase it, it is five shillings. My poor brother passed away before he could record all her story, but I have added my own notes of her later achievements, so it is complete up to the year 1870. You will find much in these pages to enlighten you.’
Mina supplied the necessary funds and the book was hers.
Once home, Mina perused again the horrid letter from Mr Hope, but it only made her angry. She saw, however, that there was a lengthy debate in the Banner on spirit photographs, particularly describing the wonderful results of the London man, Hudson. There were hard words said about the ‘hostility of professional photographers’, with the comment that ‘the “experts” are always the most determined opponents of any great novelty out of their accustomed track.’ One gentleman who declared that he had been connected with the profession for twenty years commented ‘I never knew an honest photographer except two in my life.’ The overwhelming tenor of the Banner was understandably in favour of Mr Hudson. It had been suggested by a few cavillers that his pictures might have been produced by a method called ‘double exposure’, and there were even some spiritualists who were having their doubts, but this, it was asserted, did not prove that the ghost pictures had actually been produced in that way.
Mina could see that this debate might not make pleasant reading for Mr Beckler, and she wondered if he was beginning to regret going down that path.
Mina turned to Mr Mulgrew’s memorial of his sister. The prose was earnest but turgid. The author was clearly intending to do no more than declare the essential saintliness of Mrs Ragdon and then provide notes of persons of significance whom she had advised.
There was only a brief mention of Mr Ragdon, who had expired after a long illness. More space was given to the eminent Viscount Hope, who had been a devoted adherent.
There were other names, many she did not recognise, but there were seven in particular who were very familiar, some of which were necessarily in Miss Mulgrew’s addendum.
Mr Honeyacre, described as a noted scholar and historian, had brought his ailing wife for healing, with ‘excellent results.’
A Mrs Phipps, the widow of a professional gentleman, had received messages from his spirit which had brought her great comfort.
Mrs Peasgood, the widow of a medical man, had also received messages from him and expressed her great gratitude to the medium.
Mrs Veale, whose husband, the proprietor of a Brighton business, had passed away under distressing circumstances, wished to be assured that he had found peace in the spirit world.
Mr Hector Samprey senior, the respected man of property who suffered from the effects of a tragic accident in which his wife had died, had received messages of comfort from her, and found relief from his pain.
Mrs Soules, the wife of a manufacturer, had asked Mrs Ragdon to read the future of her husband’s business and predict the actions of a bitter rival determined to destroy him. She had departed with the firm belief that her difficulties could be solved.
There was no one of the name Porterson-White, but there was mention of a Mr Winstanley, who was determined to contact a deceased cousin to trace a missing will. Mina had only encountered him once, recalling him as the gentleman with the heroic moustache who was a customer of Beckler’s and also, according to Richard, Lady Brighthelm.
Aloysius Phipps was the only one of the deceased who, she had been assured, had never had his photograph taken, but she now knew that all the families on Mr Beckler’s list were connected by their interest in spiritualism and through this volume, were known as such to Mr Hope.
In the meantime, what was she to do about Mr Hope and his damaging insinuations? She needed to know more about the work of Lady Brighthelm, and there was one person who had consulted her who might agree to an interview. She wrote a letter to Mr Septimus Clover asking to speak to him again.
Mr Clover responded to Mina’s letter agreeing to an interview but saying that he preferred that it should not take place either at his business or his home. Mina did not wish to meet him at her own home in case questions were asked, neither did she want to risk being seen with a young single gentleman in a teashop for fear of misinterpretation. She had been thinking of suggesting either the esplanade or the pier, but Mr Clover mentioned that he was going to be about all the next day inspecting empty properties in Brighton and she could meet him at one of those. This was certainly a good opportunity for a private interview, but Mina found herself becoming concerned in case Mr Clover, for all his meek manners, should turn out to be a homicidal maniac. Unfortunately, she was not sure what a homicidal maniac was supposed to look like. Newspapers and sensational literature often suggested that they could be readily identified by their staring eyes, dishevelled appearance and rambling speech, but she was not convinced. Perhaps they could just look like anyone else. She made another entry in her little notebook.
Mina agreed to the appointment but decided to ask Rose to accompany her. Rose could be relied upon to ask no questions and spill no secrets. It was also an important fact that if Mr Clover did suddenly decide to commit violence, Mina could not wrestle him to the ground, but Rose, a sturdy girl, certainly could.
CHAPTER TWENTY
On Monday afternoon, with Richard at work, and her mother out paying calls, Mina and Rose left Montpelier Road in a cab which took them to a small house on Duke’s Lane, not far from the Sampreys’ place of business. Mr Clover had brought with him a bundle of leaflets about properties available for purchase or letting. Mina rather thought that these were to provide an excuse for their meeting in case anyone was to enquire. He handed her the leaflets, and she took them but did not trouble herself to look at them.
At the front of the house, which was bereft of any floor coverings, was a small parlour with a blackened fireplace and a rusty grate. The only furniture was two very dusty chairs, and Mr Clover tore a scrap of material from a ragged curtain and cleaned them for the use of Mina and himself, then found a trunk full of old linen that Rose could sit on. Rose perched on the trunk and favoured Mr Clover with one of her warning looks before folding her arms with an air of determination.
‘Do you have any news of Lady Brighthelm?’ he asked Mina hopefully.
‘I have heard that she is considerably improved, and her doctor anticipates her eventual return to full health, but it seems that her ability as a medium has quite evaporated.’
Mr Clover slumped despondently. ‘There was a notice in the shop window that she no longer accepted clients, but I had hoped…’ His voice trailed away.
‘I am interested to know what means she employed to read fortunes or receive spirit messages? Did she use cards, or palmistry, or teacups?’
‘No, no, nothing like that. She simply talked. I asked questions and she waited for a spirit to come through and answer me.’
‘And you felt that she had a special insight into your enquiries?’
‘Yes, I did. Most certainly I did. She knew a great deal about my family and its history. It was quite remarkable. They were things that we hardly ever talked about amongst ourselves, and she jus
t knew.’
‘Was your enquiry concerning the accident to Miss Bawtree?’ asked Mina.
Mr Clover looked surprised. ‘No, not at all. How do you know about that?’
Mina was hardly about to reveal her source. ‘A legal gentleman chanced to mention it to me. It was not a spirit, if that was what you were thinking.’
From his expression, she had guessed his thoughts correctly. ‘The Bawtree case was very unfortunate, of course, but it was settled out of court last year. No, I consulted Lady Brighthelm about my poor cousin Hector. He — he was killed. It was a dreadful thing. My uncle was a sick man and it shortened his life.’
‘That happened before our family came to live in Brighton, but I have heard a little about it. I understand that a man was found guilty of the crime and hanged.’
‘Yes, but —’ Mr Clover paused. He had linked his fingers together and was wringing them distractedly. ‘It’s all so confusing. Sometimes I don’t know what to make of it at all. I thought if I could contact Hector in some way… I hadn’t really thought of trying it before, but when Mr Beckler took that photograph… Mortimer showed it to me, he thought it was a fraud, but I saw Hector’s spirit standing there beside his grave. Smiling, just as I remember him.’
Mina waited, but Mr Clover seemed lost in his own ruminations. ‘Were your questions to Lady Brighthelm concerning your cousin’s murder?’ she asked eventually.
Mr Clover chewed his lip and nodded. He had started to look a little afraid. ‘I only heard about it later, from my cousin Clarissa,’ he said. ‘The things she saw that night. She can be very — imaginative — sometimes. But I have never known her tell a deliberate untruth.’
‘Forgive me,’ said Mina, ‘but Clarissa — she is a younger sister to Hector?’
‘Oh, yes, of course, I should explain. Hector was my uncle’s eldest son, and then there is Mortimer, he is married and has his own establishment, then there is Charles, and Clarissa is the youngest.’
‘And at the time of the murder, Hector, Charles and Clarissa were living with their father?’
‘Yes.’
Mina nodded. ‘Go on.’
‘The night Hector was killed, Clarissa woke up quite suddenly, from a bad dream. It was something about her brother and seeing him with a gun in his hand. She knew at once that something terrible had happened. She got out of bed and started walking about and wailing, and the noise woke Charles. He found her and calmed her down; reassured her that it was just a dream. When she was able to describe it, she said she had seen Hector with one of her father’s old army pistols and it had frightened her. She wanted to know if it was missing from its display case. Fortunately, Charles was able to show her that it was still there, secure and locked away, where it had always been. Eventually she went back to bed.’
‘And this was before they learnt of their brother’s death?’ queried Mina.
‘Oh yes. That night, Hector had said that he was going to see his friend Barnes. The man who was hanged. Hector —’ Mr Clover gave a sorrowful shake of the head — ‘he had never really settled to work the way Mortimer and Charles did. Maybe he thought as the eldest son he didn’t need to trouble himself. I don’t know. I never really knew him well; I was only seventeen when he died. But I had heard that his father despaired of him ever making an honest living. Barnes was a criminal of the worst type. He’d stoop to anything for money. I think Hector used some of his well-connected friends to help Barnes dispose of stolen property. But not long before he died, Hector told his father that he was going to reform, cut off all connection with Barnes. In fact, that was the purpose of his meeting with Barnes that night.’
That much Mina knew from her reading of the trial. ‘When did the family discover what had happened?’
‘The following morning Hector was not at breakfast, and it was obvious that he had not returned home or slept in his bed, but they weren’t too alarmed as they knew he sometimes stayed with friends and came home next day. Soon afterwards, they heard a rumour that the body of a well-dressed man had been found murdered. Clarissa became very distressed and begged Charles to go to the police, and just to set her mind at rest, he went. And it was Hector.’
Mina glanced at Rose, in case she felt any concern at this tale of violence, but the maid sat squarely in place, unmoving, expressionless. ‘Does Miss Samprey think that she had a premonition of her brother’s death?’
‘Yes. Although Charles always believed it was just her natural anxiety playing on her mind. Hector was a wayward soul. But she was fond of him. She used to worry about him.’
‘And had he used a gun before?’
‘No, never. That is the strange thing. Although he was going out to meet a man of bad character, and there was every chance of a dispute, and Barnes was always armed. Perhaps on that night, he felt he ought to take a weapon for his own defence.’
‘Was a gun found with him?’
‘No.’
‘Was he seen leaving with one?’
‘No.’
Mina considered this information. ‘I’m not sure I understand,’ she said. ‘If your cousin had never used a gun before and was not seen leaving the house with one, why did his sister dream that he carried one? Also, if she had actually had a premonition of his murder, she would have seen him being threatened with a gun, not holding one. And in the end, you say that the gun in question wasn’t found with him. Although I suppose the murderer could have taken it away.’
‘I know. But is that not the nature of dreams? Two events occur and when we dream about them, they sometimes come together as one.’
‘That is very true,’ Mina admitted. ‘What does Miss Samprey believe?’
Mr Clover gestured helplessly. ‘It’s hard to tell. When she talks about it all, the ideas seem to get mixed up. And she can get very upset. I once asked her to visit a medium to find out more, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Clarissa is a very — unusual girl. She gets overwrought very easily. I know Charles is eager to have her married; he thinks she will be much better then.’
‘How old is she?’
‘Twenty-seven.’
‘Is she betrothed?’
‘No, that is the thing. She is terribly shy and has no sweetheart. Charles even held a tea party for her recently. He ordered in all sorts of cakes and fancies and invited some friends and young gentlemen from good families so she could be introduced. I was there, and I don’t think it went well. She just sat in a corner eating sugared almonds all afternoon.’
‘And she dwells on her brother’s death? Does she talk of it often?’
‘All the time,’ said Mr Clover, miserably.
‘I do think,’ said Mina, gently, ‘that if Miss Samprey finds the memory of that dreadful night so very painful, the family should find some means of alleviating her distress. There is a doctor I can recommend —’
‘Oh, but you don’t understand!’ said Mr Clover. ‘The thing is, and the whole reason I consulted Lady Brighthelm, and urgently need to see her again, is that I don’t believe Barnes murdered Hector.’
Mina received this pronouncement with some astonishment. ‘Really?’ she exclaimed. ‘Do you have any evidence on that point?’
‘Yes, there is the testimony of his poor wife, Jenny Jemson,’ said Clover with increased energy. ‘I saw her give evidence for Barnes’s defence at the police court and the trial. If you had seen her, you would have believed her, too. She had lived a hard life, a terrible life, but I could see her honesty and sincerity shine through. She declared that Barnes was at home in her company that night. In fact, she also said that there was no arrangement to meet Hector. There never had been. Hector may have said there was, I don’t doubt that, but he was not I am sorry to say a truthful person. Hector always said whatever he needed to say to serve his own purpose.’
‘Take care,’ said Mina. ‘You are claiming that British justice hanged an innocent man.’
‘I am, and I know that it is an unpleasant thought, although Jenny —’ he coughed — �
�Miss Jemson feels sure that he had committed capital crimes in the past, and deserved to be hanged several times over, but they couldn’t be proved against him and he was never charged. You might wonder why she was with such a man, but she said he was kind to her at first, all sweet talk. But when he got into drink, he struck her. She never had the courage to get away from him. She had nowhere to go except the streets, and she would never do that. He used to say that if she ran away, he would find her wherever she went and make her sorry she left him. So I think that justice has been served on Barnes, although not as intended.’
‘And she still defended him?’
‘Yes. She believes in telling the truth.’
Mina paused. Little of what Clover was telling her had been reported in Miss Jemson’s evidence at Barnes’s trial. Her statements were clearly a more recent communication. ‘I assume that you have spoken to Miss Jemson since the trial. Did she reveal to you who she believes is the real murderer?’
Mr Clover’s blush was confirmation of Mina’s statement. ‘She cannot know for certain. Her suspicions fell on one of Barnes’s associates. But the motive is unclear, unless there was some kind of quarrel. With men like that, it might have been over anything at all, and of course there was probably drink involved.’ He frowned. ‘It’s a side of life most of us never see. Talking to Miss Jemson has taught me a lot.’
‘You have said that it was Hector’s intention to sever his association with the criminals. Even if he didn’t meet Barnes that night, it could have been another member of the gang. That intention alone might have provoked a quarrel. They might have suspected that he was about to denounce them to the police.’
Mr Clover hesitated. ‘That was said in court, yes.’
‘By both his father and his brother.’
‘Yes, but I think my cousin was lying about that. Miss Jemson told me that she had heard Hector telling Barnes how he had fooled his father into thinking that he was about to change his ways, so as to get into his good books. He knew that if he didn’t, he could end up being cut out of his father’s will.’
The Cyanide Ghost (Mina Scarletti Mystery Book 6) Page 22