Hawke's Tor

by Thompson, E. V.

  ‘Of course I’m worried,’ the elderly woman replied, ‘but Zillah’s a girl with a mind of her own. She doesn’t take kindly to being told what she should or shouldn’t be doing, for all that she’s a good girl and does more than her share of the work about Gassick. But it’s not what a young girl wants to be doing, especially one who’s used to the gypsy way of life.’

  Inclining her head in the direction of Tom who had walked away in order to lead both horses to a nearby hitching rail, she added, ‘When she brought him to Gassick I had hopes she’d found someone she’d settle down with but I didn’t know he was a policeman then. The good Lord should never have put gypsies and policemen in the same world, they’re like oil and water, they don’t belong together.’

  Blanche had only put into words what Amos had thought, albeit for differing reasons, but he made no comment, saying instead, ‘Do you have any idea in which direction Zillah went?’

  ‘None. I wouldn’t even have known she’d gone if I hadn’t seen her riding off on that pony her father brought in off the moor a year or so back. He taught her how to break it in and so she did, although there’s still no one but her as can ride it. I reckon the pair of them suit one another.’

  ‘Well, thank you for allowing us to water our horses, Mrs Keach, we’ll be on our way again now. I am sorry not to have seen your granddaughter, but please tell her we are doing everything in our power to catch the man who murdered her father.’

  Riding away from Gassick Farm, Amos looked across at his companion and said, ‘You look gloomy, Tom, are you disappointed at not finding your gypsy girl at home?’

  ‘I enjoy talking to her,’ Tom admitted, cautiously, ‘but then I enjoy talking to a great many people.’

  Remembering how Blanche Keach had spoken of her granddaughter, Amos said, ‘You’d be wise to keep your relationship with her that way, Tom. I had a chat with her grandmother while you were tying up the horses and according to her Zillah is very much a free spirit.’

  Tom stiffened perceptively, but Amos continued, ‘She likened the girl to the pony she’s riding. Zillah broke her in, but Blanche Keach says they are both more than a bit wild and not yet ready to conform … but let’s press on and get to Trelyn Hall, find Horace Morgan and do what needs to be done. Even if he’s not guilty of murder it should be interesting to hear what he has to say about the double life he seems to have been leading.’

  Riding out on the moor, enjoying the freedom she felt there, Zillah had seen the two riders earlier and would have given them a wide berth … but then she recognized Tom. The recognition gave her a thrill of pleasure although had she troubled to analyse her feelings she would have told herself it was merely because she had spoken to no one but her ageing grandmother for many days.

  Flushed and exhilarated as a result of the headlong gallop, she pulled her pony to a restless halt when she reached the two policemen. After merely glancing at Amos, it was Tom to whom she spoke. ‘Hello, I didn’t expect to meet up with you today. Have you come out here to see me … to tell me you’ve arrested someone for killing Dado?’

  ‘Not yet, but we’re getting closer. Superintendent Hawke and me are on our way to Trelyn and North Hill now to speak to someone and look into one or two things.’ Hoping he had successfully hidden the pleasure he felt at seeing her again from Amos, he added, ‘You really shouldn’t be riding about the moor on your own like this until we’ve caught whoever is responsible.’

  Working hard to control her pony which still had a great deal of energy left after the gallop and was uneasy in the presence of the two policemen and their horses, Zillah said provocatively, ‘Well, you could always come along to keep me company!’

  ‘I’m serious, Zillah, you could be in danger, I’ve told you that before.’

  ‘I know and I do appreciate your concern, Tom, but much as I love Grandma Keach she’s a bit of a fusser and I just have to get away from her sometimes or she’d drive me mad. I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone else since I last spoke to you!’

  Amos had not missed Zillah’s use of Tom’s first name but, making no comment he said, ‘Sergeant Churchyard is right, Zillah, you really shouldn’t be riding about the moors on your own. It’s not a good idea at the best of times and right now you really could be in danger.’

  Aware that Amos’s use of Tom’s rank and surname instead of his Christian name was an indication of his disapproval, Zillah looked at him for a few moments before saying, ‘Then I’d better not stay here wasting your time but let you get on with catching whoever it is I’m in danger from.’

  With this she nodded at Tom, pulled her horse’s head around sharply and, kicking her heels into its body, set off at a wild gallop once more.

  Giving his companion a wry smile, Amos said, ‘You’ve found a feisty one there, Tom, I should hate to cross her! But let’s press on and get to Trelyn Hall, find Horace Morgan and see what he has to say for himself.’

  Chapter 25

  WHEN AMOS AND Tom reached Trelyn Hall they found a great many ponies tied up outside the great house, together with a few pony traps and a farm cart, not one of which was in anything approaching pristine condition. They were not surprised when a groom informed them they belonged to tenant farmers who were there to attend a meeting called by Horace Morgan in order to discuss a rent increase to which the farmers were bitterly opposed.

  ‘It sounds as though this is not going to be one of Morgan’s better days,’ Amos commented, adding. ‘Is Colonel Trethewy at the meeting?’

  ‘No, he’s got a few cases on over at Launceston magistrates court today,’ the groom replied.

  Amos felt relief that he would not need to face the wrath of the Trelyn magistrate, but he still had a duty to perform and he said to the groom, ‘I’m afraid we need to speak to Mr Morgan. Will you ask him to come out here and meet us, please?’

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ replied the groom, uncertainly. ‘He won’t like having to leave in the middle of the meeting.’

  ‘He’ll like it even less if we need to go into the meeting in order to speak to him,’ Amos pointed out. ‘Go and tell him we’re here, please.’

  Reluctantly, the groom did as Amos requested, pausing before entering the house to look back uncertainly as though he would ask a question. Thinking better of it he turned away and went inside Trelyn Hall through the servants’ entrance.

  It was some minutes before Morgan put in an appearance, accompanied by the groom and he was decidedly disgruntled. Before he had reached them he called, ‘What is it you want … have you arrested someone?’

  ‘Not yet, Mr Morgan. We are still making inquiries and it’s for that reason I would like you to come to police headquarters in Bodmin to discuss one or two points that have cropped up.’

  ‘Come to Bodmin? I’m in the middle of a meeting, what is it that can’t be sorted out here and now?’

  ‘It’s something that needs to be discussed at some length, Mr Morgan. I think you might find it less embarrassing if we do it there.’

  ‘I am sorry, Superintendent, but I am in the middle of an important meeting – important to Colonel Trethewy and the Trelyn estate – I can’t just tell all our tenant farmers the meeting is off and will have to be arranged for another day because the police wish me to go to Bodmin just to have a chat with them.’

  ‘I realize it will be inconvenient to Colonel Trethewy, to the farmers and to you too, but it is important, probably very important. When do you anticipate your meeting will end?’

  ‘Not until some time this afternoon.’

  ‘Then, in order to inconvenience everyone as little as possible I am prepared to allow you to complete your business with the farmers if you agree to come to Bodmin police headquarters as soon as it is over.’

  ‘Can’t you tell me what it is about?’

  ‘I could, but I would rather we all sat down together and had a chat – a long chat – in order to clear up a few matters that have arisen.’

  ‘And if I decline
to come to Bodmin?’

  ‘Then I am afraid I will need to arrest you here and now and take you to Bodmin in order that you may help with our inquiries. I would rather not have to do that and I feel Colonel Trethewy would not be pleased with either of us should that prove necessary.’

  Taken aback by Amos’s positive reply, Morgan said, ‘I am not happy with this, Superintendent, and I doubt very much whether Colonel Trethewy will be either.’

  ‘You might wish to avoid involving your employer in this, Mr Morgan. If he keeps to his usual routine he will have dinner at the White Horse in Launceston after the court proceedings are over and remain there overnight, so it is possible he will not even know you have been absent from the Hall. Now, do I have your co-operation, or will I need to call upon the powers I possess and arrest you? The choice is yours.’

  Aware that Amos was deadly serious, Horace Morgan said, albeit reluctantly, ‘I’ll come to Bodmin as soon as the meeting is over – but I want it known that it’s under protest.’

  ‘Whatever. I’ll expect you there sometime late this afternoon, or early evening.’

  Riding away from Trelyn Hall, Amos said doubtfully, ‘Do you think it’s a good idea to trust Morgan to come to Bodmin? What if he takes off?’

  ‘We’ll go and have a word with Sergeant Dreadon now and suggest he keeps an eye out for him. If he means to go off somewhere he’ll take some of his belongings away with him. If Dreadon sees him leave the hall travelling light he’ll be on his way to us. By giving him a choice he’ll not think we have him down as a suspect – and what else can we do? Remember, all we have is a possible motive and nothing else to go on. Certainly nothing that would convince a court that he murdered his own wife and child. But now we’re here we’ll go and have a word with Alfie Kittow, perhaps he’ll have come up with something for us.’

  They had set off from Bodmin early that morning and when the two policemen arrived at the Ring o’ Bells, it was still before noon. The public house had not yet opened for business but Alfie Kittow was up and busily packing.

  In answer to Amos’s question he said, ‘I think I have a buyer for the Ring o’ Bells. He’s coming to see me this evening to confirm how busy trade is during the evening. I’m fairly certain he’ll buy and when he does I’ll be off to Wiltshire to join Florrie and the baby.’

  ‘Do the villagers know you are leaving?’

  ‘Not yet and I’ve been listening to their conversation like you asked me to. You’d have been particularly interested in the men I had in here a couple of nights ago. It was Jowan Hodge and the men he was working with when they struck it rich on the mine. It was an early farewell party because he’s leaving soon.’

  ‘Why was he having it early?’ The question came from Tom.

  ‘Because his wife was off at her parents, preaching at some meeting they were having there. She doesn’t approve of him drinking here with his mates, in fact the truth is she doesn’t approve of drink at all. He’d be teetotal if she had her way but it’s one thing she hasn’t yet managed to stop him enjoying. Mind you, she’s not so fired up about him coming to the Ring o’ Bells since Kerensa stopped working here.’

  ‘Do you think his wife knew he was carrying on with Kerensa Morgan?’

  ‘If she didn’t she must have been the only one in North Hill who wasn’t aware of what was happening – and there was very little that went on that Evangeline Hodge missed! There was certainly a lot of banter going on among Jowan’s mates the night they were all in here together, he got quite heated with them.’

  ‘What did they say that particularly upset him?’

  ‘It was talk about Kerensa’s baby in the main. They were saying the baby couldn’t have looked more like Jowan if he’d been born with a pickaxe in his hands. Jowan got really cross with ’em in the end. When one of ’em said it was a good job Horace Morgan had never suspected anything, another chipped in to say he would have had to be more of a fool than anyone thought him to be not to realize it for himself – and Jowan walked out. Mind you, I think his mates were probably right. I’ve never really liked Horace Morgan, but he’s nobody’s fool.’

  When the two policemen left the Ring o’ Bells together, Tom said, ‘I think I’m going to have another chat with Jowan Hodge, Amos.’

  ‘If needs be we’ll both have words with him, but we’ll leave it to another day. Right now let’s get back to Bodmin and wait for Horace Morgan. We’ll see what he has to say before we do anything else.’

  When Horace Morgan arrived at the Bodmin police headquarters he was not alone: Colonel Trethewy was with him – and the Trelyn landowner was in a foul temper. Court proceedings had been cut short because the defendant in a case that had been expected to last the whole afternoon had escaped from custody on his way to the courthouse from the prison where he was being held. It meant the colonel had no excuse for remaining in Launceston for the remainder of the day and spending the evening carousing with his friends. Then he arrived back at Trelyn Hall to find his estate steward preparing to ride off to Bodmin acting on the orders of the police…!

  Storming into Amos’s office ahead of Morgan he demanded, ‘What do you mean by coming to Trelyn and ordering my estate steward to report to you here, Hawke? I can think of nothing he has to say to you here that could not have been said at Trelyn. Quite apart from the inconvenience caused to both of us, he has work to do there, work I am paying him good money to carry out. Can I expect to be recompensed by Chief Constable Gilbert?’

  ‘I think you must put that question to the chief constable himself, Colonel Trethewy, but I rather doubt it. We are investigating the taking of three lives and the chief constable is following the case very closely. He and I discussed the latest evidence that has come to hand and we both feel Mr Morgan might be able to help us. I regret any inconvenience that may be caused, of course, but am quite certain that you of all people will appreciate that we all have a duty to perform to help bring the killer to justice.’

  ‘I think you are wasting both time and money unnecessarily, Hawke. I said when you found the body of the baby and the gypsy in the well that you had your killer. The gypsy killed Morgan’s wife, before going on to throw the baby into the well. Then, possibly in a moment of remorse, he killed himself as well … but I can see I’m just wasting my time talking to you. I’ll go and speak to Chief Constable Gilbert and give him a piece of my mind. When I come back I will expect you to have finished with Morgan and allow him to return to Trelyn with me.’

  ‘You will find the chief constable in his office, Colonel, but unless you intend remaining in Bodmin for the night I am afraid Mr Morgan will not be returning to Trelyn with you. I wish Sergeant Churchyard to be with me when we question him and he has had to leave the office. As our questioning will take some time I intend to make a start early tomorrow morning. Mr Morgan will remain in Bodmin tonight.’

  It seemed for a few moments that Colonel Trethewy would argue with Amos, but with a terse, ‘We’ll see about that!’ he stalked out of Amos’s office and set off to find the chief constable.

  Horace Morgan had listened in silence to the conversation between his employer and Amos but now Colonel Trethewy had gone, he said, ‘What is it you want with me? I’ve told you everything I can about the night of the murder. I can’t think of anything else that might help. Certainly nothing that makes it necessary for me to stay here for the night.’

  ‘I am afraid we have received some rather disturbing information that only you can clarify, Mr Morgan but, as you heard me tell your employer, I wish Sergeant Churchyard to be present when we speak about it and he won’t be available until the morning. In the meantime we will house you in a cell until he returns – but you have had a long ride from Trelyn so I will have some refreshment brought to you there.’

  ‘You are going to put me in a cell?’ Horace Morgan looked at Amos in total disbelief.

  ‘That’s right, but Sergeant Churchyard and I will see you first thing in the morning – and I am given to underst
and you suffered far more serious privation during the final days you spent in India – and many of the questions we have to put to you concern your time there.’

  Having given Horace Morgan food for thought, Amos summoned the station sergeant to his office to escort him to the cells.

  It was a very disgruntled Colonel Trethewy who left the Bodmin police headquarters half an hour later. The meeting with Chief Constable Gilbert had been a stormy one, the voice of the Trelyn magistrate carrying to most offices in the building. However, the Cornwall chief constable was unmoved by the other man’s threats and refused to be cowed by his bullying manner, pointing out that, unlike the days before the county had a police force, a magistrate no longer had the power to dictate how an investigation should be conducted and he, as chief constable, would not allow him to interfere with the work of his officers.

  He further pointed out that Amos had kept him informed of the progress of his investigation since the beginning and he had given his approval for Morgan to be brought to Bodmin for questioning. He would be released if and when his replies satisfied the investigating officers – and, no, Colonel Trethewy would not be allowed to speak to his estate steward again until after he had been questioned.

  Amos was delighted that Chief Constable Gilbert had supported him in such a positive way but it came as no surprise. The police chief was an ex-army man who had achieved a rank equal to that of Colonel Trethewy but, unlike the magistrate, he had seen considerably more action during service in Africa where he had earned a reputation for decisiveness when it was called for by the occasion. Amos felt he was more than a match for the irate landowner.

  In the meantime Amos would return home where he would be joined by Tom, whose absence from the office had not been on a matter of any importance but, having mentioned to Morgan that his life in India was to be put under scrutiny, Amos intended he should spend the night thinking of the life he had led there and worrying about how much was known by them.