Death Treads the Boards

by Lesley Cookman

  Which, she decided later, was just as well, for when she looked up from her piano sometime before the interval in the afternoon performance, she spotted a familiar figure standing at the back of the auditorium leaning nonchalantly against the wall. Aware that her breathing had changed, and her face felt suddenly hot, she took a deep breath and concentrated hard on the keyboard.

  As the applause died away for The Fairies, as always, the last item in the first half, she left the piano and hurried through the auditorium and into the foyer.

  ‘Good afternoon, Inspector Colyer,’ she said, satisfied that she had taken the London inspector by surprise.

  ‘Miss Alexander.’ He gave her a small bow.

  ‘I rather thought I might see you here.’ She hadn’t, but on thinking about it now, she realised that it had been almost inevitable. Someone thought to be from London was murdered on her doorstep, with a possible link to her company. Inspector Jack Colyer was bound to arrive. She opened the office door and ushered him inside.

  ‘And why did you think you might see me?’ he asked, perching, as usual, on the edge of her desk as she took her seat behind it.

  ‘There has been a murder in Nethergate, which our excellent Constable Fowler tells me is linked to London. I have two members of my company recently arrived from London, ergo The Alexandria must be linked to the murder.’

  Colyer studied the floor. ‘Put like that...’

  ‘Well, how else am I to interpret it?’

  He looked up and the dark brown eyes gave Dorinda a shock.

  ‘There is slightly more to it than that.’ She rather thought there would be. ‘Go on,’ she said aloud.

  ‘You’re employing a young lady, a male impersonator called Jessie Matilda. Very good, she is.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Almost as good as Jessie Jones in London.’

  Dorinda sighed. ‘Very well, she’s the same girl. You knew that.’

  ‘I did. I also know – or I can surmise – why she came here. In much the same way as Velda Turner did, and Lady Amelia, of course.’

  ‘I have become a refuge for runaway artistes.’ Dorinda gave a tired smile. ‘I am only thankful that as of yet no male artistes have arrived.’

  ‘I am sure the same thing happens all over the country,’ said Inspector Colyer.

  ‘Then why aren’t you off investigating in Bournemouth or Scarborough?’

  He laughed. ‘I don’t choose the destination, Dorinda!’

  She looked at him disbelievingly.

  ‘I don’t! Do you think I make up the cases in order to come down here and plague you?’

  She shook her head slowly. ‘I don’t know. It feels like it, sometimes.’

  ‘Your Lady Ivy’s just as much to blame as I am.’ He slid off the desk and moved to look out of the window, giving her an opportunity to study his trim figure encased in brown tweed and his slightly curling short brown hair without being observed herself.

  ‘Why is that?’ she asked.

  ‘She gets to hear about these waifs and strays, doesn’t she? Often from her sister.’

  ‘Ada? Well, yes, that’s true, but beside the point. What is the connection you’ ve discovered this time?’

  ‘One of which I believe you are already aware. The man who was, or purported to be, the leader of the little religious group who appeared to be targeting your company.’

  ‘Ah, yes. The man with the strange name.’

  ‘Brother Anarawd, I believe.’ Colyer’s lips twitched.

  ‘And you think,’ said Dorinda, trying to quell a feeling of inner panic, ‘that there is more to their antipathy towards us than meets the eye?’

  ‘Wouldn’t you say so, Dorinda?’

  Dorinda sighed again. Of course she did.

  ‘And what do you think is the cause of this antipathy?’

  ‘Disapproval of all forms of entertainment, as far as I can tell,’ said Dorinda, ‘and particularly male impersonators.’

  ‘And you just happen to have one.’

  Dorinda stared at him in silence until a knock came timidly at the door. She stood up.

  ‘I’m sorry, I shall have to go. I suppose you’ll want to speak to the company?’

  ‘If I could speak to Miss Jones and Miss Small after the performance, that would be appreciated.’

  ‘Of course.’ Dorinda inclined her head. ‘But please don’t call her Miss Small.’

  To her relief, the inspector remained inconspicuously at the back of the auditorium throughout the second half and disappeared before the final applause. Dorinda went backstage and spoke first to Aramantha.

  ‘Could you get changed and come to the office, Aramantha, please?’

  ‘Why me?’

  ‘Jessie, too. Because you were both working in London recently.’

  ‘It’s that murder, ain’t it? I’ve a good mind not to -’

  ‘It’s the inspector from London, Aramantha.’ Dorinda fixed her with a minatory eye.

  Aramantha turned away and began climbing out of her evening dress. Dorinda repeated her request to Jessie, who shrank back, terrified.

  ‘There’s nothing to worry about,’ said Dorinda, hoping there wasn’t. ‘I’ll be there with you. Come to the office when you’re ready.’

  Maude met her in the foyer looking worried. ‘He’s waiting outside,’ she said in a low voice, at the same time smiling and nodding to the last few members of the audience who were making their way out of the building. ‘It’s about the murder, isn’t it?’

  Dorinda nodded. ‘I’ll just ask him to come in. Keep an eye out for Aramantha and Jessie – he wants to talk to them both, and I don’t want them running off before he’s seen them.’

  She went outside and around the corner of the building, where Colyer was leaning on the railing overlooking the beach.

  ‘Please come in, Inspector,’ she said. ‘Jessie and Aramantha are on their way.’

  He turned and looked up at the sky. ‘Beautiful out here, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘You can actually see the sky here. You can’t in London.’

  Dorinda did not want to get into a discussion on the beauties of the sky with Jack Colyer, so turned quickly to go back inside. She heard him sigh behind her and clenched her fists.

  Jessie was waiting nervously outside the office with Maude.

  ‘I’ll go and see that Aramantha is nearly ready,’ said Maude.

  Dorinda opened the office door and ushered both Jessie and the inspector inside.

  ‘Jessie, this is Inspector Colyer from London,’ she said, taking her seat behind the desk. ‘Inspector, this is Jessie Jones, or Jessie Matilda, as we now know her.’

  ‘Miss Jones.’ Colyer held out his hand and, looking surprised, Jessie took it. ‘I believe you were recently working in London?’

  Gradually, Dorinda saw Jessie relax, as Colyer took her gently through her last few months in London, until her final flight to Nethergate.

  ‘And you haven’t seen your stepfather – or any of your family – since you came down here?’

  Jessie looked surprised once more. ‘No – why would I?’

  ‘I wondered if your mother or your – brothers, did you say? – had been down to see you.’

  ‘I dunno where they are.’ Jessie shook her head. ‘We all left ’ome before Ma married ’im.’

  ‘Where does your mother live?’

  ‘’Oxton. Well, she did. I dunno, now.’

  ‘You think she might have moved?’

  ‘I said, I dunno. I ain’t kept in touch.’ She shook her head. ‘I wanted to get right away from... ’im.’

  ‘You’d already left your mother’s home before she married, you said?’

  Jessie nodded.

  ‘But he bothered you?’

  Jessie’s eyes slid sideways to Dorinda.

  ‘He didn’t approve -’ Dorinda began.

  ‘Please, Miss Alexander.’ Colyer cut her off. ‘Let Miss Jones tell me.’

  Jessie’s colour was mounting. Correctly interpreting this as embar
rassment, Dorinda stood up. ‘I’ll go and fetch Miss Giles,’ she said.

  Colyer nodded his approval, and Jessie gave her a tremulous smile.

  Outside, she found Aramantha and Maude waiting on one of the benches against the wall.

  ‘What’s all this about?’ Aramantha burst out. ‘I want my pie.’

  ‘Inspector Colyer wants to ask you some questions. I’m afraid I don’t know exactly what about,’ said Dorinda, realising that actually, she didn’t.

  ‘Wish I’d never gone to bloody London,’ mumbled Aramantha, slumping back against the wall. Dorinda and Maude exchanged despairing glances, just as the office door opened and a white-faced Jessie was ushered out.

  ‘Would you come in, please, Miss – Giles?’ Inspector Colyer stood by the open door, his eyes fixed on Aramantha. As she passed him, he shot a glance at Dorinda. The door closed.

  ‘Well!’ said Maude. ‘What’s it all about? Did he tell you?’

  ‘It’s that Brother – Brother – ’im that was with them women...’ Jessie trailed to a halt.

  ‘Brother Anarawd.’ Dorinda nodded. ‘That’s who the body is, isn’t it?’

  Jessie looked up, her face a mask of tragedy. ‘’E said -’ she whispered, and paused. ‘’E said it was my step-pa.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Maude gasped. ‘How does he know?’ Jessie shook her head. ‘I dunno.’

  ‘And he wanted to know if your stepfather had been bothering you in London?’ said Dorinda.

  Jessie nodded.

  ‘And did you tell him?’

  ‘I couldn’t,’ whispered Jessie.

  ‘Would you like me to tell him?’

  Jessie nodded again.

  ‘Off you go, then,’ said Dorinda. ‘Go and see if they’ve left you anything to eat.’

  Jessie went slowly to the auditorium doors, hesitated, looked back at Dorinda and Maude, then went through to make her way backstage.

  ‘Shall I go after her?’ asked Maude.

  ‘Might be as well,’ said Dorinda. ‘I’ll wait for Aramantha. I wonder if Colyer suspects she had something to do with Brother Anarawd in London.’

  ‘What – he was one of those men who...’ Maude broke off, looking shocked.

  ‘Perhaps.’ Dorinda shrugged. ‘Go on, go and see to young Jessie.’

  After a few more minutes, the office door was flung open and Aramantha erupted through it, looking as if she was ready to make a bolt for it. Seeing Dorinda, she came to an abrupt halt.

  ‘Have you finished with her, Inspector?’ Dorinda rose to her feet. ‘Go on, then, Aramantha. Go back and finish your pie.’

  The girl looked as if she didn’t know quite what to do, and eventually settled for backstage and her pie. Following her departure, Dorinda let out a breath and went back into her office. Inspector Colyer watched as she took her place once more behind her desk.

  ‘Thank you for leaving me alone with them,’ he said.

  ‘I probably shouldn’t have done,’ said Dorinda, ‘but Jessie was obviously not going to say anything with me there. And she wanted me to tell you something.’

  ‘Oh?’ The inspector’s eyebrows rose.

  ‘You rightly guessed – or found out – that Jessie’s stepfather had been bothering her in London.’ He nodded. ‘There was a group of militant protesters – or Baptists, or something – who regularly paraded outside the theatres... halls... where Jessie was working. This man was one of them. Except that he began waiting for her on her way home.’

  The inspector nodded again. ‘I guessed as much. And...’ He paused, looking vaguely embarrassed.

  ‘I believe so,’ said Dorinda, answering the implication. ‘She hasn’t exactly said as much to me.’

  ‘No.’ The inspector stood gazing at the floor and thoughtfully pulling at his lower lip.

  ‘May I ask what Aramantha said?’ Dorinda was hesitant.

  ‘You may.’ He looked up and smiled wryly. ‘It didn’t amount to much. But she knew who he was.’

  ‘I thought she did. She was up at Cliff Steps this morning. She said she thought the dead man was one of those who scared her in London.’

  ‘So she said, but no more than that.’

  ‘It’s rather a coincidence that this man should be connected to both Jessie and Aramantha, don’t you think?’ Dorinda watched him warily.

  ‘Is it?’ He looked at her with narrowed eyes. ‘Just a little bit too much of a coincidence, perhaps?’

  Dorinda gasped. ‘What?’

  He sighed. ‘I can’t see the connection yet, I admit, but as you said, The Alexandria appears to have become a refuge, and both these – er – artistes were bothered by the same man, to a lesser or greater degree, and ended up here within weeks of one another, as did the victim.’ He cocked his head on one side. ‘What would you think?’

  Dorinda nodded slowly. ‘I do see, but surely it’s cause and effect. Jessie was brought down here by Mrs Coutts and Lady Ivy, and perhaps Brother Anarawd followed her.’

  ‘And then returned to London to harass Miss Small?’

  ‘Oh, I do wish you’d stop calling her that!’ said Dorinda testily.

  ‘It’s easier than Aramantha Giles, which you must admit is a mouthful.’

  ‘Call her Miss Giles, then. Just as easy as Miss Small.’

  ‘Miss Small or Miss Giles, I gather she arrived somewhat – shall we say precipitately?’

  Dorinda blinked. ‘If you mean she arrived in rather a hurry, yes, she did. How did you know?’

  Inspector Colyer smiled again. ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. But you see, it means that this man -’

  ‘Jessie said his name was Michael Evans, not Brother Anarawd. Is it?’ interrupted Dorinda.

  ‘As far as we know, it is,’ conceded the inspector. ‘But whoever he is, he must have been in London immediately before Miss Giles came here.’

  ‘To frighten her down here,’ said Dorinda.

  ‘Exactly.’ He picked up his bowler from her desk. ‘I shall have to speak to them both again, I’m afraid. I take it they’re working every day?’

  Dorinda nodded. ‘Afternoons and evenings.’

  ‘Very well. I shall see you tomorrow morning.’ He dipped his head, openedi the door and was gone.

  Dorinda sat back and regarded the closed door with raised eyebrows. She was still sitting there staring when Maude put her head round the door.

  ‘What happened?’

  Dorinda shook herself and sat up straight. ‘Nothing much. He believes the body is Jessie’s step-father, so does Jessie and so does Aramantha – although she obviously didn’t identify him as Jessie’s step-father.’

  Maude came in and shut the door. ‘How did Aramantha know him, then?’

  ‘As one of the men who frightened her.’ Dorinda shook her head. ‘Although there’s bound to be more to it than that.’

  ‘What have we got to do, then?’

  Dorinda gave an unladylike shrug. ‘Nothing. Just make sure they’re both here tomorrow morning. He said he’s coming back.’

  Maude sighed. ‘Makes you feel like a nursemaid, don’t it?’

  ‘Or a governess,’ said Dorinda with a smile. ‘Still, it will be up to the other girls to make sure that Jessie and Aramantha both arrive here in the morning. Aramantha isn’t exactly good at getting here on time.’

  ‘It doesn’t seem fair to put it all on the other girls,’ said Maude.

  ‘There isn’t much we can do.’ Dorinda stood up. ‘Aramantha would not take kindly to coming back to sleep at our digs, and there isn’t room with Betty, Jessie, and Maisie – not that she’d be any better there than with Patsy and Phoebe. We’ll just have to hope for the best.’

  ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t tell her?’ suggested Maude hopefully. ‘In case she bolts? She’s done it before.’

  ‘Perhaps you’re right,’ said Dorinda slowly. ‘We just won’t refer to the murder or the inspector at all. How’s that?’

  Maude smiled. ‘Much the best way.’


  The remainder of the afternoon, followed by the evening performance, was uneventful. It was obvious that both Jessie and Aramantha were on edge at first, but as time went on, they both appeared to relax, and said ‘Goodnight’ cheerfully enough when they left The Alexandria. Dorinda heaved a sigh of relief as she locked the big double doors and followed Maude and Will up the slope to Victoria Place.

  It came as no surprise to Dorinda the following morning to see Inspector Colyer leaning, once again, on the railings around The Alexandria when she arrived to open the building. He straightened up with a half-smile as he saw her, removing his bowler.

  ‘Good morning, Dorinda.’

  She raised her eyebrows at him.

  ‘I’m sorry – should I have returned to the more formal Miss Alexander?’

  Dorinda unlocked the doors. ‘Please come in.’

  Inside, she opened the office door and turned to face him. ‘Perhaps you would like to wait in the foyer for the girls to arrive? I have work to be getting on with, I’m afraid.’

  This time it was he who raised his eyebrows, but he meekly sat on one of the foyer chairs and crossed his legs. ‘May I speak to the young ladies in your office when they arrive?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course.’ Dorinda inclined her head and retreated into the office.

  Despite having told the inspector she had work to do, she sat behind the desk staring into space until he followed his tap on the office door inside.

  ‘Miss Jones has arrived,’ he said. ‘May I see her in here?’

  Dorinda sighed and stood up. Outside in the foyer, she stopped Jessie with a hand on her arm. ‘Have you seen Aramantha this morning? Or Phoebe?’

  ‘No, Miss – Dolly.’ Jessie shook her head and followed the inspector.

  Dorinda went through the auditorium to find the rest of the cast already assembled either on- or backstage.

  ‘Has anyone seen Aramantha?’ she asked. ‘Maisie? Have you seen her? Or Phoebe?’

  ‘No, Miss. I saw Phoebe earlier, but I didn’t knock for ’er when I come out.’

  ‘Right, thank you.’ Dorinda turned and went back to the foyer, wondering whether to go to Phoebe and Maisie’s lodgings and ask for Aramantha, even if it did risk scaring her.