‘We ask the questions,’ Salter point out. ‘You answer them, less you want us to take you back to Scotland Yard and ask them there.’
‘Yeah, I knew about it, and I also knew that he wanted my Ruth to work there.’
Riley hid his surprise at that revelation. ‘How long have you known about his approach to Ruth?’ he asked.
‘Since she told me herself the other night. She didn’t have no intention of doing it. Well, she couldn’t. She’s up the duff, and I know John only approached her to rile me. It’s the sort of thing he would do for a laugh. But he’s always had an eye for Ruth and kept telling me he couldn’t understand what she saw in someone like me what lacked ambition. Told me she must regret marrying me ’cause she could have done better.’
‘That must have irked.’
‘Nah! I just ignored him most of the time, and gave him a slap when he really got on my wick. Like most bullies, he backed down when confronted by someone who weren’t scared of him.’
‘We are fairly sure that your brother had found a woman he wanted to settle down with but we’re having trouble finding her,’ Riley said.
‘She’ll be wealthy, that’s for sure, and probably already married.’ Sam was having trouble hiding his envy. ‘What about the woman he worked for? He was keen on her.’
‘Would he have confided in your mother, given that she was so keen for him to settle down?’
‘Hell no! Ma could no more keep a secret that big than she could fly to the moon. You know how women gossip.’
Riley couldn’t think of more questions and let the man go.
‘That was clever,’ he remarked to Salter as they walked away.
‘Admitting he knew about Ruth’s offer of employment?’ Salter nodded. ‘I thought that too. If he didn’t know in advance, he had no reason to kill his brother.’
‘Precisely, other than envy. He pretends to disapprove of the way Ezra lived, but secretly he wanted to be more like him. It would beat slaving away on a building site.’
‘He’s got a short temper, that one.’
‘Yes, Jack, he has. Anyway, let’s go and see the mother. I don’t want to talk to her particularly. She will have nothing worthwhile to tell us; Sam was right about that much at least. But I suspect that Ruth will be there, looking after the old lady like a dutiful daughter-in-law should. Sam will have insisted.’
‘He wants to be the old girl’s favourite now that Ezra’s gone?’
‘That’s the impression I’m getting. Anyway, if Ruth isn’t there, we’ll track her down to her home.’
It was Ruth who opened the door to her mother-in-law’s apartment, sporting a black eye and looking frazzled.
‘Sam did that to you?’ Riley asked sympathetically.
Ruth nodded. ‘He’s handy with his fists, that one.’
‘Very brave of him,’ Salter muttered. ‘Hitting a helpless woman.’
‘He says I get on his nerves,’ she replied, shrugging but keeping her voice low since the old lady was dozing in her chair.
‘I’m sorry to hear it,’ Riley said, aware that he couldn’t interfere in the personal affairs of husband and wife, much as he would like to give Sam a dose of his own medicine. ‘You told him about the offer of employment that John made to you?’
She shook her head. ‘That’s what he told me to say if you came asking, but I’ve had enough of him bossing me about and I ain’t going to lie for him no more.’ She paused. ‘He already knew.’ She pointed to her damaged face. ‘What do you think this was for?’
‘How long had he known?’
‘Dunno, and I don’t know why he didn’t do this to me soon as he found out. He would of said I was to blame for encouraging John. Watched us like a hawk he did, whenever John and I were in the same room. He were convinced that we was carrying on behind his back.’ She threw back her head and growled. ‘Fat chance! I get more than enough of that sort of attention from one Dawson. I ain’t got no reason to encourage another one.’
‘Perhaps he thought you would take up the offer if it was out in the open,’ Riley suggested. ‘But that danger is now past.’
‘John did offer to take me away from Sam,’ Ruth said, a tear trickling down her face. ‘He saw me with bruises more than enough times and told me I deserved better. He said he could find somewhere safe for me and the little ones to live, but I knew that Sam would hunt me down and I’d never know a moment’s peace.’ She let out a long sigh. ‘I married the man with my eyes wide open and now I have to live with the consequences, if you call this living.’
‘Doesn’t Mrs Dawson berate her son for hurting you?’ Riley asked.
Ruth gave a half-smile that implied Riley didn’t live in the real world, which in fairness, he did not. ‘Her boys walk on water. If I’ve got bruises, it’s me own fault according to her. She reckons a man has the right to discipline his family as he sees fit.’
Riley nodded, aware that her situation wasn’t so very uncommon. ‘Do you think your husband is capable of killing his own brother?’ he asked.
She lifted one shoulder and winced. Clearly the bruising was not restricted to her face. ‘I wouldn’t put anything past him when he’s riled. He says he ain’t got the money to spend in taverns, but he still drinks himself blind at regular intervals. The kids and I know to steer well clear of him when he comes home drunk and spoiling for a fight. He claimed to hate the way John made a living but he was jealous of his popularity and the fact that he always seemed to have money. And before you ask me, I’m pretty sure he was at home on the night John died but he’d been drinking so I bunked in with the kids and can’t be absolutely sure about anything.’
‘By God, I hope it was ’im who did it,’ Salter said as they walked away. ‘That poor woman deserves better.’
‘She does indeed, Jack,’ Riley replied, grinding his jaw.
‘Where to now, sir?’
‘Have a word with the sergeant at the local station on your way home tonight and see what you can find out about the thefts from that building site.’
‘Right you are, but why?’
‘Curiosity.’
Salter took a moment to think about it. ‘If he did kick up a stink—the manager that is—then something must have been done. But if any of the locals are on the take…well, the thieves won’t be inconvenienced by the long arm of the law.’
‘Precisely. And who do you suppose has enough resentment of his brother’s success stored up to want to improve his lot through nefarious means?’
A slow smile creased Salter’s face. ‘You think Sam might be involved?’
‘The possibility crossed my mind. And if we can catch him at it, there’s every chance that he’ll see the inside of a gaol cell for a very long time. Long enough for that young woman to make a fresh start.’
‘You’re getting soft in your old age, guv,’ Salter chuckled. ‘I like it!’
‘Yes well, perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on my part. Anyway, let’s go and check on the others and see if they’ve had any luck tracking down our mystery lady.’
The two of them left the poorer side of Clapham with some relief and made their way towards the common. The air felt cleaner, despite the carriages that clogged the thoroughfare and the noise of competing costermongers shouting their wares.
‘It seems to me,’ Riley said, as they walked along, ‘that all three of Ida’s children can be put to the bottom of our suspect list, if not eliminated entirely. Sarah and her husband’s whereabouts have been verified, as have Patrick’s. Gideon’s movements are also accounted for, but Verity’s name remains firmly on our list.’
‘We also have Sam and Bishop with compelling reasons to kill Ezra and no proper alibis,’ Salter added. ‘Bishop wanted to protect his daughter. Sam was equally protective of his wife but also jealous of his brother’s favoured status within his family and the easy manner in which he acquired both wealth and popularity. He wanted to rise above his working class roots while Sam was stuck labouring on a build
ing site in all weathers. Lady Randall’s butler is highly suspect too, in my opinion.’
‘Mine too, Jack. James’s account of his activities is questionable and we still have our mystery lady to find.’ Riley scowled at nothing in particular. ‘I sense that she is the key to the whole affair. Not necessarily because she killed Ezra, but because she can almost certainly shed light upon the identity of the person who did, even if she doesn’t realise it. That’s why Reggie Lane came to the Yard to tell us about her. He wants us off his patch as fast as possible.’
‘Undoubtedly,’ Salter agreed, ‘Unless he just wants us looking in the wrong places for things what don’t exist.’
‘If that’s his game then he’s made an enemy of me. I think he’s maybe too shrewd to do a thing like that.’
Their conversation took them to the common, where they encountered their three detective constables comparing notes on the corner of the aptly named Elms Road.
‘Any progress, gentlemen?’ Riley asked.
‘A few of the houses are closed up, the residents away, sir,’ Carter replied. ‘We’ve been to most of the ones immediately bordering the common, but we ain’t had no luck.’
‘There was one, sir,’ Peterson added. ‘That big one across the way, standing in its own grounds. The butler told us it was a household in mourning, wouldn’t let us in and wouldn’t even tell us who owned it.’
Riley and Salter exchanged a glance.
‘In that case, I’d best see if the butler tries to turn me away,’ Riley said. ‘Come along, Salter. The rest of you carry on. We will meet back here when you have called at the final properties.’
‘Sounds hopeful, sir,’ Salter said, glancing at the house in question, with a black wreath on the door and all the curtains firmly drawn across the windows.
‘It does indeed.’
Riley wielded the knocker. It was sometime before the door was opened and a short butler peered imperiously up at Riley, not deterred by his slight stature from attempting to appear superior. One look at Riley’s autocratic bearing and pristine tailoring caused him to have a change of heart.
‘You have business here, sir?’ he asked.
‘Lord Riley Rochester to see your mistress.’ Without giving the butler an opportunity to formulate a response, Riley pushed his personal card into the butler’s hand and swept him aside as he stepped into the entrance hall, Salter at his heels.
‘Wait in here, please,’ the butler said, opening the door to a small parlour as he attempted to regain his dignity. ‘I shall see if my mistress is available.’
‘I like it when you go all aristocratic,’ Salter said, chuckling as the door closed behind the snooty butler.
‘It has its place.’
‘How did you know this establishment belongs to a woman?’
‘Lucky guess,’ Riley replied, grinning. ‘We’ve already deduced that Ezra fixed his interest on a wealthy widow or a female of independent means. And since someone connected to these premises has recently died, it was simply a case of deduction.’ Riley glanced around the tastefully decorated room, admiring the few expensive ornaments that adorned the mantle and a couple of decent watercolours on the walls. ‘Anyway, I think we have found our elusive female.’
‘What if she won’t see us?’
‘She’ll see us,’ Riley replied, ‘if she has nothing to hide. If she tries to send us away, then we will have acquired another suspect.’
The door opened again sooner than Riley had anticipated. ‘My mistress will see you, Lord Riley, if you would be good enough to follow me.’
They were conducted into an equally elegant drawing room, the closed curtains making it difficult at first for them to see the lady seated in it. She rose from her chair as Riley was announced and he was obliged to hold back a gasp. The lamps were lit and turned down low to counter the gloom created by the closed curtains. Despite the fact that the lady was garbed in deepest black and the lack of light made her features hard to distinguish, she was one of the most beautiful women Riley had ever seen.
‘Lord Riley,’ she said, extending a small hand. ‘I am Mrs Gordon Wendall. Nancy Wendall. I have been expecting you.’
‘Mrs Wendall.’ Riley took her hand. ‘Thank you for receiving us. This is Sergeant Salter.’
‘Ma’am.’
‘Please take a seat, Lord Riley,’ she said in a pleasingly modulated voice. ‘I assume you are here about Ezra.’
As soon as Mrs Wendall resumed her chair, refreshments had been declined and the butler had withdrawn, Riley sat also. Salter leaned against the wall, his pencil poised.
‘First things first, ma’am,’ Riley said. ‘You are in mourning—but not, I think, for Ezra.’
‘You are quite wrong about that, Lord Riley. I mourn Ezra’s death with every fibre of my being. It is indescribably cruel to have had him snatched away from me and being unable to display my grief, just when…However, you are also right. My husband died three months ago.’
‘I see. My condolences for your loss.’
‘I can see what you are thinking, and I’m sure you don’t approve of my conduct.’
‘It is not for me to approve or disapprove. I am simply attempting to catch a murderer, and I very much hope that you will be able to help me in that regard.’
‘You are assured of my full cooperation.’ Mrs Wendall dashed at a tear with the handkerchief that she clutched permanently in one hand.
‘May I ask how your husband died?’
‘In an accident. A stack of barrels fell on him and crushed him to death.’
‘Barrels?’ Riley glanced over his shoulder at Salter, blinking back his surprise. ‘Your husband was a cooper?’
‘Oh yes, I assumed you knew.’ She waved a hand around the elegant room. ‘And a very successful one, as you can see. He inherited the company as a going concern upon his own father’s death.’
‘Your husband was Mrs Verity Randall’s brother?’
‘He was. I assumed she would have told you, which is why I have been expecting you.’
Chapter Eleven
Riley took a moment to gather his thoughts.
‘Did you meet Ezra through Verity?’ Riley asked.
‘Yes. Over a year ago now.’
‘Excuse me, Mrs Wendall,’ Riley said, ‘but I am confused. Ezra was not employed by Lady Randall at that time, was he?’
‘No. I had occasion to call on Verity, which is something I avoid doing whenever possible, since we do not get along. If you have met her, I dare say you can understand why. Anyway, it seemed like fate afterwards, since on the afternoon I chose to call, Ezra happened to be there. Verity was not pleased to have their tête-à-tête interrupted.’
‘Verity? Good heavens!’ Riley muttered.
Mrs Wendall smiled, then threw back her head and sighed. ‘I am well aware of Ezra’s background, Lord Riley. We had no secrets from one another as far as I am aware. He was a scoundrel, but he was also charming, impulsive and addictive company. In short, he was everything that my husband was not. Gordon was a good man, but completely devoted to living up to his father’s image and building his business to ever greater heights. His driving ambition was to become the most prestigious cooper in London and he had little time for society or pleasures of any type. I was…’ She paused with eyes closed, choosing her words with evident care. ‘If not neglected, then certainly left to my own devices, as evidenced by the fact that we have no children.’
‘You are very forthright, madam.’ Riley inclined his head. ‘Thank you.’
‘I want you to catch Ezra’s killer. It will not bring him back, but it will give me some small comfort if I know the person responsible has not got away with it. I am also very curious about why he disliked Ezra so much that he felt it necessary to murder him, for that matter.’
‘You strike me as a lady of quality. May I ask why you married beneath yourself if it was not a love match?’
Mrs Wendall gave a half-smile. ‘A very astute question, Chief Ins
pector, the answer to which is not so very out of the ordinary. My father was the younger son of a reclusive viscount. I am sure you will not have heard of him.’
‘A younger son left to make his own way?’
‘Indeed. He had a falling out with his brother, so there was no help from that quarter and my father was not much inclined to put himself out to improve our circumstances as a family. We lived on the brink of poverty, and it was my father’s inspired idea to marry me off to a middle class man of means who would be able to clear his debts.’
‘I can see that prospect would attract any man of taste, ma’am, but if Wendall wasn’t interested in marriage then why…’
‘His father wanted to improve the family’s stature and…’
‘He would do anything to please his father,’ Riley finished for her, smiling.
‘Quite. I made a life for myself and was content, if not fulfilled. But I always knew there was a missing element. It was almost as though I was marking time, waiting for that elusive something to make itself apparent.’ She paused to fold her hands neatly in her lap. ‘It might sound fanciful, but the moment I set eyes on Ezra I knew I had found what I hadn’t known I’d been searching for.’
‘You knew presumably that he brought himself to Lady Randall’s attention by staging an attack on her carriage and then riding to her rescue, yet you didn’t object to his methods of self-advancement?’ Riley asked, careful to keep any censure he felt out of his voice.
‘I learned of it after the event. And before you ask, I also know of his intimate relationship with Ida Randall.’
‘You must have been very much in love to not only ignore his criminal activities but also share his affections with another woman,’ Riley said.
‘I was a married woman, Lord Riley, and not ready to break my vows. But I was so sorely tempted by my fascination with Ezra, and wanted him as a friend. He was wild and had done so many daring things, whereas I had done nothing with my time other than to embroider samplers—or so it sometimes felt.’ She threw back her head and closed her eyes. ‘He came into my world on a summer breeze and nothing was ever quite the same ever again. He didn’t take life seriously, you see, and he was the best possible fun. He called to see me whenever he came to Clapham and I lived for those visits, pathetic creature that I am. However, our friendship went no further than that.’
Death of a Footman (Riley Rochester Investigates Book 8) Page 16