The Inspector Ravenscroft Mysteries Box Set

by Kerry Tombs

  ‘Constable Crabb, sir,’ announced the maid.

  ‘Ah, Tom, do take a seat,’ indicated Ravenscroft as the young, red-faced constable entered the room.

  ‘Thank you, sir. Good morning to you, Mrs Ravenscroft,’ replied Crabb accepting the seat.

  ‘How are you, Tom?’

  ‘Never better, ma’am.’

  ‘And how is your wife Jennie and your adorable son?’ enquired Lucy.

  ‘Both very well, thank you, Mrs Ravenscroft.’

  ‘Perhaps you would care to join us for breakfast?’

  ‘No, thank you, ma’am, Jennie cooked me a fine repast before I left.’

  ‘What can we do for you then, Tom?’ asked Ravenscroft. ‘You look a little out of breath.’

  ‘I am sorry to intrude on your breakfast, sir, and Mrs Ravenscroft. I came as quickly as I could. The truth of the matter is, sir, that there appears to have been a terrible murder at Tewkesbury,’ began the constable.

  ‘Go on,’ instructed Ravenscroft, laying his newspaper to one side and leaning forward.

  ‘Apparently, last night, just after twelve, Constable Reynolds, the local town policeman, was going about his rounds when he happened to see a light flickering from inside the abbey. Upon further investigation he saw that the door to the building had been left slightly ajar and, as he slipped into the abbey, he could make out some voices inside. As he drew nearer, he saw what looked like a group of people all gathered round one of the tombs and upon closer investigation he found that the lid of the tomb had been forced open.’

  ‘Interesting, tell me more,’ said Ravenscroft, his curiosity aroused.

  ‘Well, sir, it appears that there was a body inside the tomb.’

  ‘I thought that’s where they usually buried people, inside tombs’ said Lucy.

  ‘Ah yes, Mrs Ravenscroft, but this wasn’t your usual collection of old bones, or decaying flesh, it was a freshly laid-out corpse, probably been killed that same day.’

  ‘And someone, probably the killer, had deposited the body inside the tomb, with the object of concealment. How very strange. Do we know how this person died?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘He had suffered a nasty blow to the back of his head.’

  ‘You mentioned that Constable Reynolds had entered the abbey because he had first seen a light, and that there was a group of people standing around the tomb.’

  ‘Yes, sir. There were five of them, four gents and a lady.’

  ‘Did they offer any explanation as to their presence in the abbey at such a late hour?’

  ‘Said they had been talking together at the Hop Pole and that one of them had suggested that they should go and visit the abbey to see the tombs.’

  ‘But it was after twelve o’clock at night,’ interjected Lucy.

  ‘Exactly, ma’am.’

  ‘This is all very interesting, Tom, but why are you telling me all this? Tewkesbury is out of my jurisdiction. Sergeant Braithwaite is in charge there, I believe — and how did you learn about this strange state of affairs?’

  ‘That is correct, sir, but Sergeant Braithwaite has been ill of late, and is undertaking a few days’ rest in Eastbourne.’

  ‘Rather a long way to go,’ remarked Ravenscroft.

  ‘He has got relations there, so I understand.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘Constable Reynolds made his way straight over to my house this morning, where he imparted all that had taken place. When I arrived at the station this morning I found this telegram had arrived there from headquarters, says you are to take charge of the case until Braithwaite returns,’ said Crabb, reaching into his pocket and removing a piece of paper which he passed over to his superior.

  ‘You are right, Crabb. “Proceed with all haste to Tewkesbury. Investigate murder in abbey”,’ read Ravenscroft.

  ‘I’ve harnessed the trap, sir.’

  ‘Then we should leave now, without delay. Excuse me, my dear,’ said Ravenscroft rising from his chair.

  ‘Of course,’ said Lucy.

  ‘I’m afraid The Gondoliers will have to wait for the present.’

  ‘We can go later in the season,’ said a resigned Lucy.

  ‘When we shall certainly take in the museums, and the abbey as well. I think you will also enjoy St Paul’s. Lead on, Tom.’

  * * *

  Later that morning as their trap approached the bridge that would take them into the town of Tewkesbury, Ravenscroft looked across the road to where old warehouses and tiny cottages fought for space along the banks of the river.

  ‘I take it you have not visited Tewkesbury before today, sir?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘You are correct in your assumption, Tom.’

  ‘It’s a busy market-town, also popular with visitors at weekends who like to take trips along the river.’

  Ravenscroft nodded as the trap approached an old inn with decorative flower baskets and rustic seats around its exterior. Crabb swung the vehicle sharply to their right and the pair found themselves travelling along the main street of the town, where a fine collection of four-storey, timber-framed buildings looked down upon their progress.

  At the end of the road Crabb again turned the trap to their right, narrowly missing two young girls wearing pinafores and large hats who had been attempting to steer a pram from one side of the road to the other. Here, the Victoria Coffee Tavern looked across towards the Berkeley Arms Inn, the shop-front awnings and tall buildings cast long shadows on the ground and a number of half-laden carts stood idly by. A large building on their right announced itself to be the Hop Pole Hotel, its fine entrance portico attempting to enhance its importance.

  ‘That’s the abbey,’ said Crabb pointing to his left.

  ‘Rather a fine building,’ said Ravenscroft alighting from the trap and beginning to make his way up the path that led to the main entrance. ‘If I am not mistaken, I see someone is expecting us.’

  ‘That will be Reynolds, sir. I told him to meet us here.’

  ‘Good morning, sir,’ said the stout, uniformed constable raising his hand to his temple.

  ‘Reynolds,’ acknowledged Ravenscroft.

  ‘I took the liberty of forbidding all access to the abbey for the public, until after you had visited the scene of the crime, sir.’

  ‘Good thinking, Reynolds. I trust the body has been removed to the mortuary?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘It has, sir.’

  ‘Constable Crabb has informed me of the circumstances of yesterday evening. You say it was the light from a lantern that first drew your attention to the building?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Usually when I go past the abbey at that time of night, there is not a light to be seen inside and the main door is locked.’

  ‘And when you entered the abbey you found a group of people standing round the open tomb.’

  ‘That is correct, sir.’

  ‘You questioned these people — there were five of them, I understand?’

  ‘Yes, sir, four gentlemen and a lady.’

  ‘And what explanation did they offer for their presence in the abbey at such a late hour?’

  ‘Said they had been talking together at the Hop Pole over dinner, and that one of them had suggested that they should go and view the inside of the abbey.’

  ‘And where are these people now?’

  ‘They are at the Hop Pole, sir, just over the road. One of the gentlemen, of military bearing, said he was anxious to return to London. Said he had an urgent appointment to keep — but I told them that you would want to speak to them all upon your arrival here, sir, and that no one should leave the town before then.’

  ‘Well done, Reynolds. You have acted well.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ replied the officer looking somewhat embarrassed by the compliment.

  ‘Well, Crabb, we’d better go inside and see what all this is about,’ said Ravenscroft.

  ‘Oh, one word before you goes inside, sir.’

  ‘Yes Constable?’

  ‘Thought I
ought to warn you, there’s a religious gentleman, the Revd Jesterson — well, to put it mildly, he’s in a bit of a state.’

  ‘Obviously upset by last night’s events,’ suggested Ravenscroft.

  ‘You are probably correct, sir. If you would care to follow me,’ said the constable opening the door to the abbey.

  The three men entered the building and, as they made their way down the nave of the church, they were met by a tall, thin gentleman dressed in a long clerical robe.

  ‘Thank goodness you have come. What a terrible thing to have happened. Such violation, such desecration of God’s house. What unholy person could have committed such an outrage?’

  ‘Inspector Ravenscroft at your service, sir,’ interjected Ravenscroft, breaking into the clergyman’s agitated flow of words. ‘And this is my associate, Constable Crabb. I believe you know Constable Reynolds already.’

  ‘The Reverend Thomas Jesterson,’ he replied, shaking Ravenscroft’s hand. ‘I am so relieved that you have arrived. This terrible occurrence is beyond all comprehension!’

  ‘You are in charge of the abbey, sir?’ asked Ravenscroft, hoping to calm the other’s distressful outpourings by his line of questioning.

  ‘I see to the day-to-day running of the building, but I—’

  ‘Tell me, Reverend, is the building usually locked at night?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘Why, yes, Inspector.’

  ‘And was it locked last night?’

  ‘Yes, I locked the building myself, at around eight o’clock.’

  ‘Did you notice anything unusual at the time?’

  ‘Unusual?’

  ‘Yes. Did anything seem out of place? Did you notice any strangers wandering round the building?’

  ‘No. There was no one here when I locked up the building. It was such an unpleasant evening, heavy rain and strong winds. I was quite anxious to return to my own home as quickly as possible.’

  ‘But you definitely remember locking the abbey before you left.’

  ‘I have just said that,’ replied the clergyman.

  ‘Does anyone else have access to the abbey, other than yourself?’ asked Ravenscroft, observing that his previous question had caused the other some annoyance.

  ‘The verger has the only other key.’

  ‘And he is?’

  ‘Trent. He resides at number five along the row of black and white buildings just to the side of the entrance to the abbey.’

  ‘We will question him later. Perhaps you would be kind enough to show us the tomb where the stranger’s body was found?’

  ‘Yes, of course, I do hope you will be able to apprehend the perpetrators of this unseemly act,’ said the reverend mopping his brow with a large handkerchief before leading the way further into the interior of the church.

  ‘That is our intention, Reverend,’ said Ravenscroft, trying to sound reassuring.

  ‘Here we are, Inspector. Everything is as your constable found it yesterday evening,’ said the clergyman stopping by a large monument at one side of the building.

  ‘I see,’ said Ravenscroft, placing one of his hands on the stone slab that formed the top of the tomb. ‘It must have taken some effort to have raised this stone and to have lifted it across. I wonder how they managed to lift it. Ah, see here, Crabb, do you observe those marks on the side of the tomb? That must be where someone drove a wedge between the top slab and the rest of the monument. Then, when the wedge had been driven in, the top was moved to one side, just a few inches so that the person who committed this deed could look into the interior.’

  ‘And just wide enough sir, for a body to be slid into the tomb,’ added Crabb.

  The two policemen looked at one another in bewilderment for some seconds.

  ‘Excuse me, sir, but why did they go to all that trouble, when the body could have just been left on the floor?’ asked Reynolds drawing nearer.

  ‘Perhaps the killer was hoping to hide the body in the tomb, and then replace the top, so that no one would ever have found the dead man,’ suggested Crabb.

  ‘But if that was the case, why did he then leave it open? Reynolds, will you oblige us and try and see if you can replace the top of this tomb in its original position?’ instructed Ravenscroft.

  ‘Right, sir.’

  Ravenscroft and Crabb stood back as Reynolds placed both his hands on the edge of the top stone and attempted to push it forward. ‘I’m sorry, sir, I can’t shift the thing!’ he exclaimed, growing increasingly red in the face.

  ‘Thank you, Reynolds. A valiant effort; you can ease off now. It is just as I thought. One man is not strong enough to move this stone on his own, whereas two might be more successful in the attempt.’

  ‘You mean there were two despoilers of God’s house?’ exclaimed Jesterson.

  ‘It would certainly have taken two men to have moved this stone, once the wedge had been driven into the gap. Let’s have a look inside,’ said Ravenscroft peering down into the interior of the monument.

  ‘What can you see, sir?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘It is quite a way down to the bottom, almost six feet in depth I would say. There just seems to be a collection of old bones lying on the bottom.’

  ‘Those “old bones”, Inspector, as you put it so eloquently, are the mortal, sacred remains of Sir Roger de la Pole,’ reprimanded Jesterson.

  ‘I am sorry, I did not mean to cause any offence. What can you tell me about Sir Roger?’ asked Ravenscroft quickly, as Crabb stepped up to gaze into the tomb.

  ‘Sir Roger de la Pole was one of the Knights Templar who accompanied King Richard I on his Crusade to the Holy Land. He was a local benefactor and owned lands in the nearby villages of Deerhurst and Uckinghall, as well as here in Tewkesbury. He died shortly after his return from one of the crusades, and in his will left money to the abbey for prayers to be said, in perpetuity, for his soul and for the building of this monument to his memory,’ replied the clergyman, warming to his subject.

  ‘Smells a bit fusty inside,’ remarked Crabb turning up his nose.

  ‘You say that Sir Roger was a Knight Templar. Can you elaborate further, Reverend?’ asked Ravenscroft, ignoring Crabb’s comment.

  ‘The Templars are an ancient order of knights originally formed in Jerusalem to protect pilgrims as they travelled to the holy land. They played an important role in the crusades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.’

  ‘And what happened to them?’

  ‘Unfortunately the brotherhood was suppressed in the early fourteenth century on the orders of the Pope and the King of France.’

  ‘Why was that, sir?’ interjected Crabb.

  ‘It seems that the Templars had become very wealthy — they often acted as moneylenders — and that their prosperity caused a great deal of resentment.’

  ‘What happened to them?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘Many of them were put to death; a few escaped and travelled to places like Rhodes and Malta, which they defended against the forces of the Infidel.’

  ‘You seem very well informed, Reverend,’ said Ravenscroft.

  ‘The abbey attracts a great many visitors, particularly in the summer months, and many of them often enquire about the origins of the tomb.’

  ‘I have seen a number of tombs of this period and many of them have carved effigies either on the top or at the sides,’ said Ravenscroft.

  ‘You are correct, Mr Ravenscroft, but in this case the tomb is quite plain.’

  ‘Is that unusual?’

  ‘It is not uncommon.’

  ‘How do we know then that this the tomb of Sir Roger?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘If you look down towards the bottom of the tomb, just here on the side, you will see that the name of Sir Roger de la Pole has been carved into the stone.’

  Ravenscroft and Crabb knelt down and examined the engraved lettering. ‘I see, yes, here is the name of Sir Roger. What are these numbers and letters below the name?’ asked Ravenscroft staring at the carving and running his fingers
over the stone.

  ‘I’m afraid I cannot help you there, Inspector. We often get enquiries about the inscription, but we are at a loss as to their true meaning. They don’t appear to relate to dates of birth or death of Sir Roger, and we have even tried to replace the numbers and letters with various known ciphers, but without success.’

  ‘Very interesting,’ said Ravenscroft standing upright. ‘Crabb, make a note of the inscription in your pocket book.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ replied the constable copying down the letters and numbers:

  CR4 * Q1 * BR3 * CR4 * Q1 * Q2

  BL2 * KL2 * +3 * CL2 * Q2 * CR1 * CL1

  ‘Thank you, Reverend, you have been most helpful and informative. Be assured that my colleague and myself will do all that we can to fully investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators of this deed to book.’

  ‘Before you leave, Inspector, I wonder if we could replace the slab on top of the tomb? It is only right and proper that Sir Roger should be allowed to rest in peace, away from prying eyes.’

  ‘Of course. Reynolds, Crabb, help me to push the stone back into its rightful place.’

  * * *

  ‘Did the body have any means of identification upon him?’ enquired Ravenscroft.

  ‘None whatsoever I’m afraid, Inspector.’

  Ravenscroft and Crabb had left the abbey a few minutes previously and were now standing in the cold, damp, mortuary building and staring down at the naked corpse which lay before them on an old wooden table. Two candles flickered uneasily in the darkened room and an old iron tap dripped loudly into a cracked stone sink in the corner.

  ‘There were no letters about his person or any other documents?’

  ‘His pockets were completely empty,’ replied the doctor, wiping his bloodstained hands on a towel.

  ‘Obviously his killer did not want anyone to be able to identify his victim. What can you tell us about his injuries?’

  ‘The poor man suffered a large blow on the back of his head; that is what killed him.’

  ‘What kind of instrument do you think was used to kill him, Doctor?’ continued Ravenscroft.

  ‘I would think by the size of the blow that it must have been a very heavy object of some kind.’