Rough Justice In Academia (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 2)

by P. J. Thurbin

  The VC winked at Ralph as he walked past, almost signifying that they were now effectively co-conspirators. He wondered if this was the first step toward being dragged off to the Tower of London and executed if things went badly. The setting had certainly cast a spell over everyone. The paddle steamer executed a smart 180 degree turn and he saw Peter alighting, albeit a bit shaken.

  The second tier college musicians and singers were already in the Great Hall. Peter would make a dramatic entrance to start the evening of Tudor music, something for which he was a world renowned expert. The maestro musician was already beginning to smile at the thought of what was to come.

  ***

  The feast was a success. Joe had organized it so that the courses flowed seamlessly together. By the fifth course some of the guests were obviously struggling. If this had been in Henry’s time, by now the dogs of the royal household would have been contentedly dozing under the table as their masters plowed through yet more food.

  As the evening wore on several couples had taken to the floor. Ralph saw David and Mary swirling around and Lance and Jean were dancing a sort of gavotte. For a New Zealander he was doing pretty well. Granger was moving around politicking with the guests from the Sorbonne and Diderot Universities, no doubt congratulating them on the success of the exchange of research staff and Erasmus students. Sir William Tiverton and his Saudi investor were locked in conversation. Ralph had heard that the deal for the grant had been signed. The industrialists from Rolls Royce and Shell had brought their wives who were having a great time learning the intricacies of Tudor dancing. Granger had whispered to him that a large research grant for the engineering and aeronautical departments was practically certain to be approved. It seemed that everyone’s dreams were coming true. Just then Joe, holding a flagon of ale destined for the top table, tugged at his sleeve and leaned down so that he could be heard over the music.

  “Ralph, once this dance is over the VC will make an announcement that the fireworks display is about to start. I’ve got to get the coffee laid on in the small room that we’ve set up for the VC and his guests. He wants to thank them in a quiet setting. The windows overlook the moat, so they’ll have a comfortable view of the lasers before the fireworks start.”

  Ralph wondered why Joe was telling him all this when it was in the briefing document he had produced. Probably just tension. He had noticed that Joe was a bit of a control freak, but then he had been accused of that himself on more than one occasion.

  “You just get the catering sorted and make sure that they find their way to the room. I’ve asked some of our students to take them along the passageways, so feel free to commandeer them if you need a few extra pairs of hands. Then I have to make sure that the cars taking the guests to the Mitre Hotel are ready.” Joe nodded. Ralph realised what a strain all of this must be on Joe. He only hoped that Granger would thank the poor bloke for his efforts.

  “Good work Joe,” he added, but his remark was probably lost in the noise of the crowd.

  It was only a five minute walk from the Palace to the Mitre, but the last thing Inspector Linham wanted was for his charges to be wandering around in the dark. He had also asked the VC to entertain the VIP guests in a private room until the crowds had cleared. That way the police could make sure the area was secure. It struck Ralph as being all a bit cloak and dagger, but then it was in his interest as well that nothing went wrong.

  The pale moon, which would normally have lit up the courtyard, was proving no match for the laser display and the fireworks. Everyone was staring up at the sky at the magnificent spectacle. The last shower of yellow, green and pink stars drifted down to the accompanying ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of the watching crowd. Suddenly the show was over and the Palace driveway was filled with people making their way to the darkened car park. The ladies struggled as their high heels sank into the gravel path while husbands searched for their ever illusive car keys. He saw Jean and Lance heading for the car park, no doubt to drive off in her Mercedes. David and Mary waved at him. Peter was arguing with a group of his young musicians as Marcia trailed in their wake.

  It was suddenly very quiet. The only sounds were that of a reluctant car starting up and a jet liner overhead descending on its flight path to Heathrow as a duck on the river bank protested at this unwelcome intrusion into its habitat. Ralph walked slowly back into the Palace courtyard. It seemed that everything had gone off without a hitch.

  “So far so good, eh, Professor?” said Linham as he emerged from the darkness. “But it’s a right Spooky place once the noise and music stops. But I’ve got enough men in the grounds to stop a Catholic conspiracy. I’m sure Henry would have approved.”

  Ralph noticed that Sergeant Wilson did not appear to share his boss’s confidence. He was decidedly edgy and catlike as he paced up and down the damp flagstoned courtyard. The grotesque medieval gargoyles stared down at them from the lead gutters. They had been mocking the plans of men for nearly 300 years. No wonder they appeared to have a permanent grin. Ralph walked down the driveway to speak to the cab drivers he had arranged to ferry guests back to the Mitre. Their jocular and friendly banter was not to last long.

  ***

  The roar of a police car and the wail of an ambulance struck his ears like a bombshell. The sounds echoed from the bricks in the Tudor walls and their red and blue flashing lights reflected off the walls of the castle as they drove across the drawbridge over the moat and into the inner courtyard. Could this be his worst nightmare come true? He instinctively began running towards the private rooms. Something must have happened to one of the guests, or perhaps even to Granger. He would soon find out. An arm grabbed him as he ran down the dimly lit corridor.

  “Sorry Sir. I’ve been asked to keep everyone out.” He recognized Sergeant Wilson standing in the shadows cast by a row of lamps high in the brick wall. They were meant to simulate flaming torch brands used in Tudor times.

  “Oh, sorry, Professor Chalmers. I didn’t recognize you. I’m afraid one of your guests has been taken ill. He’s collapsed and an ambulance is on its way.”

  “Who is it?” He could feel the hair standing up on the back of his neck.

  “It’s Sir William Tiverton. It looks like he might have had a heart attack. Professor Granger and the chap doing the catering found him. According to the Inspector, Sir William must have gone in before the rest got there. Probably wanted to make sure things were set up right. It looks as though he had one sip of coffee and then collapsed. Everything was knocked over. It must have been instant. Poor bloke.”

  Just then the ambulance men ran by and went into one of the rooms. Ralph’s mind was working overtime. He had to find out where the other guests were.

  “What’s happened to the VC and the rest? Do they know about this? And where are they?” He shouted at the Sergeant.

  “They seem to have gone to another room. I think they must have been waiting for the coffee to appear. Fortunately Professor Granger was keeping a close eye on things and was with them. Once he saw there was no coffee or anything laid on, he went and found the chap who was doing the catering.”

  “That would be Joe Bullen,” Ralph interjected brusquely.

  “Well, it seems they found the right room where the coffee was. That’s when they found Sir William. Everything’s under control and once we’ve made sure everyone else is okay they’ll be shown out. We have the place pretty tightly covered, so things should be safe from now on. But at least it didn’t spoil the evening. Sorry, Sir, but you know what I mean.”

  Ralph realised that there was little he could do now. He knew that Joe had arranged for a team of cleaners to come in straight after the banquet and they would be wondering when they could start their work. Just then Inspector Linham came down the corridor.

  “I expect you’ve heard the news, Professor. The ambulance is taking Sir William to the hospital at Kingston. But I’m afraid it is all a bit too late. We’re treating the room as a likely crime scene. Just a natural precaution a
nd nothing to get alarmed about. We’ll be making sure that the other guests are taken to their hotels.”

  “I’ve got cabs waiting outside for them, Inspector,” Ralph interjected.

  “Good. Well, we’ll check them out first just to make sure that they are proper cabbies. You can sort that out, Wilson. Then we can get statements from the guests in the morning. Best not to try to do too much in these surroundings, Sergeant.”

  “How about the cleaning crew Inspector? Can they get on?” Ralph felt as though it was a redundant and slightly stupid thing to say after what had happened.

  “Yes of course, Sir. But stick to the Great Hall as we have some checks to carry out here. The forensic team is on its way now and should be here any minute.”

  Having thanked the Inspector, Ralph went to find Joe Bullen. No doubt he was also anxious to get things cleared away. It had been a long night for both of them and it wasn’t over yet. He found Joe waiting by the Great Hall door.

  “What a mess,” Joe said. “Poor bloke. Still I’m ready to sort this lot out. These buggers are on double rate for tonight and my budget has limits.”

  Ralph thought that was a bit callous considering Joe had been the one to find Sir William only a short time before, but he was right; the show had to go on. The Palace administrators would want the place ready for tomorrow’s tourist hordes. So he let Joe do what he obviously was good at. For him it was time to get home. Tomorrow he would have to deal with Granger and the VC. No doubt they would want to know why he had not supervised the walk from the Great Hall to the private room more closely.

  Ralph was relieved that the car park was deserted apart from Joe’s car and the bus that had brought the cleaning team.

  The River Thames glistened as he drove over the bridge towards Surbiton and home. The moon was now much brighter and he could see its reflection shimmering on the surface. It must have been witness to many a gruesome event. Tonight it would not reveal its secrets.

  ***

  A few weeks had passed since the banquet. Ralph had been inquisited by Granger and the VC. He now found himself sitting in front of Inspector Linham. The policeman’s office was oppressive and he could feel the tension emanating from the two officers.

  “I’ve asked you in as we have some information about Sir William’s death. But again I would remind you, Professor, that you are already a party to the Official Secrets Act. Divulging anything that I am about to tell you would have serious consequences. Would you like me to continue?”

  He recognized the authoritarian tone in Linham’s voice. He was in this as deep as he could go and there was no turning back now. He nodded his approval.

  “Well of course Inspector. Yes. Yes, of course I do.” He felt as though he was about to step into a deep hole.

  “Well you see Professor, it was not a heart attack as we first presumed. The victim was poisoned. We are facing a murder case here. The post mortem showed he died from ingesting potassium cyanide. It’s fast acting and soluble in water. Forensics determined that he had taken about fifty times the amount required to kill a man of his size. That amount can be put on a rounded teaspoon. He would have lost consciousness in 10 to

  20 seconds. The killer must have either put the poison in the coffee pot or more likely had already prepared a poisoned cup and handed it to Sir William. There is no known antidote. The poison acts by destroying the blood cells. It’s supposed to be painless, but so far we haven’t had anyone come back to confirm that.”

  It was Linham’s attempt at wry humour, but no one laughed. He continued.

  “What puzzles us is how anyone could get hold of that stuff. It’s a known lethal poison and kept under strict government control. Someone could get hold of sodium cyanide from an industrial firm, but potassium cyanide is a whole different matter. So we are looking for someone who has contacts and access to these controlled substances.”

  Ralph was stunned. Sir William was a direct link to the cheating incident which brought Ted Berick into the picture. But on the other hand he had been deeply involved with the Saudi Investment community and that might also have made him a lot of enemies. And there could be other things about Sir William that he did not know. But Linham had not finished.

  “So what we might be looking at here is a terrorist attack of sorts. Special Branch thinks that some group might have been trying to get to Sir William. He had a lot of dealings with countries that have strong terrorist connections. Also his guest, the Saudi investor, might have upset one of those groups.”

  Ralph couldn’t believe what was being suggested.

  “But Inspector, Sir William must have accepted someone giving him that cup of coffee. If it was a terrorist or someone that he didn’t recognize he would have raised the alarm or at least struggled or shouted out.” As he said it he realised how naive it sounded.

  “Well that’s something we are looking into, Professor. But what we want from you Professor Chalmers is a list of the students that you had at the Palace that night. There are a lot of students from Pakistan and other countries that host terrorist groups. We will need to check them out. There are 800,000 people in the UK with origins in Pakistan. It would be easy to set up a cell here at the University with links to militant groups.”

  “Look Inspector. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard for a long time. We’ve Iranian, Palestinian, Chinese, Bulgarian, Serbians and many more represented here. Education and mixing of cultures helps to fight militancy and groups with extremist tendencies.” He could feel himself getting enraged at what was being suggested.

  “I understand your point Professor, but I’m investigating a murder and I am sure that you want to co-operate,” Linham added, with the authoritarian note coming back into his voice.

  Ralph could see that he had no choice in the matter. If Linham wanted the information he would have to give it to him. But he would do it through official channels as he realised the potential repercussions where divulging personal data was involved. The last thing he needed was to get involved in the unauthorized release of data held by the University concerning its students.

  “If it helps, Professor, we are also looking into the background of the people that work for Mr.Bullen’s catering outfit. And anyone else that might have been able to get at that room. So don’t think that we are victimizing anyone.”

  “Well that just about includes everyone. So presumably you will want a list of all the staff and their wives?” Ralph said with a heavy hint of sarcasm.

  “Yes, Professor. We already have that list. Thank you.”

  Ralph saw that Linham was only doing his job, but he felt strongly that the Inspector was on the wrong track. Ralph tried to heed his father’s advice that sometimes it is best to keep your own counsel. He needed to think this one through before he shared his thoughts with anyone else.

  The Inspector thanked him for his co-operation and told him that he would be in touch if there were any new developments. Ralph was deep in thought as he drove back home. He needed to talk to someone he could trust. And the list wasn’t that long.

  Chapter 15

  The coroner’s verdict was that Sir William had died of poisoning by person or persons unknown. The press had a field day with links being made to the recent attack on George Rainton and the University found itself attracting a lot of unwanted attention.

  Ralph automatically turned to Katie as a trusted confidant. As he walked through the prison gates he had the feeling that the pieces in this mystery were falling into place. Many sleepless nights spent going over the events of the last months had begun to pay dividends.

  “I read in the papers that you messed up at the Palace, Ralph.”

  Apart from perhaps Peter, Katie was the only person who could rib him and get away with it. He tried not to show it, but he tended to interpret any criticism as an attack on him as a person. It wasn’t a trait that he was especially proud of, but so far he had never quite managed to deal with it.

  “Well don’t believe ever
ything you read in the papers,” he replied as he sat down on one of the hard wooden chairs provided for visitors. The place still retained a decidedly Dickensian air.

  “So tell me, Professor, how do you explain: a fatal stabbing outside a theatre, an attack on a Knight of the Realm at your conference, and now a Vice Chancellor poisoned at one of Her Majesties Royal Residences? A series of coincidences or just a case of being in the wrong place at the right time?” She laughed. Being with Ralph was the only chance she had to be herself. Her fellow prisoners were wound as tight as coiled springs. One false move and they would be at your throat. She had a few scars to show that she had followed a steep learning curve while serving time at Her Majesties Pleasure.

  “Okay. You have me there,” Ralph agreed. “It does seem as if I keep getting in deeper. But I think it’s all starting to come together.”

  “I’ve heard that somewhere before. So have you discovered something that ties it all together? I’m dying to know. If you’ll excuse the pun.”

  He explained to her how the attack on George Rainton had failed to lead to any arrests.

  He was certain that if the police had found any evidence of the KGB at work, or involvement of foreign agents, the press would have got hold of it.

  “Do continue, my dear Watson.”

  Ralph could see that he would have to try a lot harder to get Katie to take what he was saying seriously. He explained what had happened at the Palace and how Granger had found the body of Sir William.

  “Look Ralph, it’s unlikely that Granger had anything to do with the man’s death. They were buddies way back; hand in glove over getting Jack Royston to take the rap for their oversight.”

  He noticed that his Professor of Education was readily dropping into prison vernacular. “I agree. Granger can be a bit of a buffoon on occasion, but he is basically a decent chap. “No. my thoughts are that all three attacks are somehow linked to the cheating incident all those years ago. But what’s puzzling me is that now Arthur is safely behind bars again, how could he pull it off?”