The Hanging Cage (The Northminster Mysteries Book 4)

by Harriet Smart

  THE HANGING CAGE

  by

  Harriet Smart

  Published by Anthemion

  Copyright © 2016 by Harriet Smart

  ISBN 978-1-907873-43-0

  Second Edition

  www.harrietsmart.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please visit www.harrietsmart.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Epilogue

  Also by Harriet Smart

  The Butchered Man: Northminster Mystery 1

  The Dead Songbird: Northminster Mystery 2

  The Shadowcutter: Northminster Mystery 3

  The Daughters of Blane

  Green Grow the Rushes

  The Wild Garden

  The Lark Ascending

  Reckless Griselda

  A Tempting Proposal

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  A hotel ballroom was an incongruous resting place for a corpse, Felix Carswell thought.

  However, the room did not appear in any guise of gaiety. In the dull grey light of a stormy day in November, a little before noon, it was hard to imagine dancing or music let alone flirtation.

  It was just as well, given the grim circumstances. The previous afternoon, an inquest had been summoned there, after an unfortunate young woman had been found dead in her bed. The coroner had at once adjourned the inquest and sent for Major Vernon to come from Northminster to the Falcon Hotel in Whithorne, a market town to the south east of the county.

  “She poisoned herself, gentlemen,” said Dr Fellowes to Felix and Major Vernon, as soon as they came in. “And really I do not see why there is any need for your being here, let alone a post-mortem. The girl seems to have drunk a noxious skin tonic. The servant said she saw it sitting on the dressing table the evening before – the bottle quite full. It was empty the next morning. Perhaps she even meant to destroy herself.”

  “And what makes you think that?” Major Vernon said.

  “She was somewhat skittish. Hysterical, even.”

  “Miss Barker was your patient?” Felix said.

  “No, but she was an acquaintance. She was friends, of sorts, with my younger daughter – not a great intimate, we did not wish to encourage that – but they are of similar ages and she has – she had – been the novelty of the town for the last four months.”

  “And why was that?” Major Vernon asked.

  “She was supposedly worth upwards of fifty thousand. Or so her guardian has put about. What the truth of it is, I don’t know.”

  “That would be Mr Ampner?” said Major Vernon. Dr Fellowes nodded.

  “I wonder where the money goes now,” Dr Fellowes went on. “Or if there even is any.”

  “You think Mr Ampner may have exaggerated her circumstances?” Major Vernon said.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” Fellowes said. “My own fool of a brother nearly came to grief in such circumstances in Leeds some thirty years ago – he was sure she had a fortune.” Fellowes sighed at the memory of it.

  “And you think Mr Ampner capable of such sleight of hand?” the Major said.

  “He would want her married,” Fellowes said. “Miss Barker wasn’t exactly marriageable, if you want my frank opinion.”

  “Why do you think that?” said Major Vernon.

  “See for yourselves, gentlemen,” said Dr Fellowes, and climbed onto the dais on which the body was lying on a trestle table, covered by a sheet. He turned back the sheet to uncover her face.

  Felix climbed up to join him and could not help but frown at what he saw.

  Miss Barker was calm in death. Her serene expression combined with her youth and her beautiful coffee-coloured complexion were striking. He bent over her, wondering if that was bitter almonds he had caught the faint scent of, and then peered at her skin. Was there a bluish tint to it, indicating that prussic acid might have been at work? It was hard to see in the grey light.

  “Poor child,” murmured Major Vernon.

  Fellowes went on: “Quadroon, I should say. Handsome of course, yes, but –” He covered her face again.

  “I need to take her back to Northminster for the post-mortem,” Felix said. Major Vernon nodded. “As soon as possible.”

  If prussic acid was involved there was no time to be lost, for it was a volatile substance at the best of times.

  “As you wish,” said Dr Fellowes. “Though what you hope to achieve, I don’t know. I strongly recommended a verdict of death by misadventure – there is charity in that – but young Master Johnny Earle was very insistent on adjourning the inquest and sending for you. When his father was coroner, we would have not had any of this business, but then we did have not have silly young women with more money than sense, running rings round their guardians. If you ask me, Johnny Earle had his eye on her, like all the young bucks about here, and it’s clouded his judgement.”

  The door at the far end of the room opened and a young man, tall, but rather stoop-shouldered, came briskly in, taking off his rain-soaked overcoat.

  “Major Vernon, my apologies, I was called away,” he said, throwing the coat over a chair. He came up to them, hand extended. “John Earle, at your service.”

  “A pleasure, sir,” said Major Vernon. “This is my colleague, Mr Carswell. He is a medical man.”

  “Dr Fellowes has outlined the matter to you?” Earle said, shaking Felix’s hand.

  “Yes,” said Felix, though he would have liked to say that his outline was ill-considered and prejudicial.

  “Thank you for coming so promptly,” Ea
rle went on. “I hope your journey was not too arduous. This weather and that road are not good companions.”

  “We made good time, all things considered,” Major Vernon said.

  The carriage had, in fact, got stuck twice on the way, as the road had turned to mud as they approached Whithorne. They had left at a little after six and travelled all morning – a laborious eighteen miles, even in Major Vernon’s new carriage.

  “You must excuse me now, gentlemen. I have living souls to see to,” Dr Fellowes said. “If that is all, Earle?”

  “Yes, thank you, sir,” said Earle.

  Fellowes left, and Felix could not help wondering, from his girth and his flushed complexion, if he would not make a detour to the coffee room for a glass or two of port before continuing on his rounds.

  Mr Earle now stood looking down at the covered corpse, a melancholy expression on his face.

  “I understand you knew Miss Barker?” Major Vernon said.

  “Yes,” he said. “I only danced with her the other night – here. She was in the highest of spirits that night – the night before she died.” He turned away and said, “I must be plain with you, sir. I was attracted to her. I cannot deny it, and I wasn’t the only man in the town to feel it. She had a quality – she was certainly sought after. But she and I, well, we had formed an understanding, at least I think we had. I told her that night that she had engaged my feelings, and that I was willing to marry, if...”

  He stopped and climbed down from the dais, and then walked a few paces down the room, clearly attempting to compose himself.

  “My mother was not entirely happy,” Mr Earle said. “Of course, I do not need consent from anyone – but when a man marries, he brings a new daughter into the house and it matters that the women should not be at... well, I shall not say loggerheads, for that would be disrespectful both to my mother and to Miss Barker. I am certain they would have moved heaven and earth to avoid such things, but I wished to spare them the effort. I wanted the matter entirely smooth before I went further, and I explained this to Miss Barker, who of course, understood perfectly...” He broke off again. “I fear I could not be impartial in the matter, so I adjourned the inquest. It seemed the only thing to do. There are too many questions to which I could not find answers. As I said, she was in high spirits – our conversation had pleased her, and when we parted, well, we were both full of hope. That this...”

  He gestured back towards where her body lay. “I cannot believe it, although I have seen the evidence with my own eyes.”

  “Are you prepared to allow me to undertake a post-mortem, sir?” Felix said after a moment. “I would like to do it back in Northminster. There are some complex tests that will have to be made, given that poison may have been involved.”

  Earle swallowed hard – the thought of the post-mortem clearly distressed him. Then after a moment he said, “Yes, of course. You will need my signature.”

  He walked down the room to the table where the papers from the inquest had been laid out, sat down and wrote out the necessary permission. He blotted it dry and handed it to Felix.

  “Thank you for your candour, Mr Earle,” Major Vernon said. “Now, this is a mere formality, you will understand, but in the light of what you have told me, I must ask it. What did you do after Miss Barker had left the ball, which you say was a little after eleven?”

  “I would have gone home but my mother and my sisters were with me, and my sisters would not have been at all pleased with me if I’d made them leave before the final dance. I did dance again with Miss Thriplow and then with Agnes, my sister, and then we went home after that, when the party broke up.”

  “And you were at home for the rest of the night?”

  “Yes, naturally. We walked home – we live not far away. I sat up doing some work until one or so in the morning, and then I went to bed, as usual.”

  “And a servant or perhaps one of your family could testify to that?”

  “No,” he said. “I am always the last to go to bed.” He got up from the table. “I had better go and make arrangements for her removal, if you will excuse me.”

  And they were at last alone with the corpse.

  Felix, who had only been allowed the most cursory glance by Dr Fellowes, drew back the sheet and looked at her with more care. Major Vernon joined him.

  “A love-struck coroner and possible poisoning,” said Major Vernon.

  “And lots of money, apparently,” said Felix, taking out his hand lens.

  “Not to mention her exotic ancestry,” said Major Vernon. “One hopes she wasn’t made to suffer because of it. That might be a reason for self-destruction, of course. Not easy to have such a heritage, even if she was so handsome. What was it Dr Fellowes said: ‘the novelty of the town’? He did not spare her his contempt, even in death. That wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and she was so very young. Even Mr Earle’s declaration of love, sincere though I’m sure it was, was damning with faint praise.”

  “And the high spirits a façade?” Felix said.

  “Perhaps,” said Major Vernon. “Perhaps she had learned to put on the most pleasing appearance for all of them. And then that grew too much for her to bear.”

  “It is more likely to be that than anything,” said Felix. “When poison is involved, it is most commonly linked to self-destruction – the statistics bear that out, year after year. And her age and sex count against her in that matter. But one can never be certain until we have more facts. Unlike Dr Fellowes, I don’t think that the circumstances alone indicate it.”

  “Then we will call on Mr Ampner, and see those circumstances for ourselves.”

  “With luck they have preserved some evidence,” said Felix. “I want to see that bottle of tonic, for a start.”

  Leaving the ballroom, they found a man waiting to speak to them.

  “I am Hawkins, the undertaker here, sir,” he said. “Mr Earle said you want her taken to Northminster. Are you sure?”

  “A necessary inconvenience, I’m afraid,” said Major Vernon. “To the Constabulary Headquarters at the Unicorn.”

  “Normally there would be no difficulty, sir,” said Mr Hawkins, “but now, with this rain... you will have seen the state of the road this morning. It will be impassable now. To be frank, sir, it might be better to wait till tomorrow or even the day after.”

  “It was half-flooded already,” Major Vernon said. “Mr Carswell, can it wait?”

  “No later than tomorrow,” Felix said, “if at all possible. Otherwise I shall have to do it here.”

  “I shall do my best as soon as I can, sir,” said Hawkins. “We’re like an island here in Whithorne, when the rain comes and the river swells. Spring and autumn, you can never be sure of anything.” He shrugged. “Sometimes, I wonder how they are going to get that railway in over Yardley’s Marsh. They’ve been working away at it long enough.”

  They left him to his work and went to the private parlour that Mr Earle had arranged for them at the hotel. Here they found a cheerful fire, sherry, coffee and sandwiches.

  “I wish they had finished the railway already,” said Felix, going to the window and looking out at the sodden and deserted street. The rain was now lashing the window as the wind got up. “That road was diabolical.”

  “We will certainly not be going home today,” Major Vernon said, from the fireside. “Fortunately, this seems a comfortable enough place.”

  “Unlike the rest of this town,” said Felix, shivering and joining Major Vernon by the hearth, “if Dr Fellowes is typical. I should not trust him to treat a dog.”

  Major Vernon smiled, and poured the coffee. Felix sat down by the fire and stared into it, a beef and mustard sandwich in his hand. He ate and attempted to be philosophical. He had not really expected to get back to Northminster that day – Major Vernon had already warned they might be away for at least a night, given the remoteness of the town, and he had packed accordingly. But the necessary absence now tugged at him. He had been obliged to leave in a grea
t hurry and he felt he had parted from Sukey badly.

  They had begun a conversation the night before which had not ended well, and he knew from her manner that he had given offence. She had said he was forgiven yet he had not felt it. She had rolled away from him and gone to sleep. So he had left her bed and gone upstairs to his own room, a miserable procedure at the best of times, and particularly wretched in these circumstances.

  He had thought of leaving her a note, but could not think what to write, and had fallen asleep having failed at the task, and when the morning came there had been no time.

  She had been in the hall to see them off but Major Vernon had also been there. There had not been a moment to say anything of use and he had not even been able to kiss her goodbye. Now he was eighteen miles away, marooned in this strange town, for how long he could not imagine.

  There was a knock at the door and the waiter came in, enquiring, “Excuse me, gentlemen, I am right in this – one of you is a doctor?”

  “Yes,” said Felix, with his mouth full of bread and butter. “I am.”

  “I’ve a woman here needs your help. She’s come from her mistress. Will you see her? She’s expecting – her mistress, that is. It’s Mrs Yardley up at the castle.”

  “Yes, of course, send her in,” Felix said.

  The servant followed the waiter into the room, her clothes showing all the signs of the continuing downpour.

  “I’ve been looking all over for Dr Fellowes but I can’t find him,” she said. “They said at his house he was here, but he ain’t. Will you come to her, sir? She’s bleeding, bleeding like nothing else.”

  “Of course,” Felix said, getting up, draining his coffee cup.

  The woman glanced skywards, as if to thank God for the providence.

  “This way, sir,” she said, going to the door, as he pulled on his overcoat. Major Vernon held out his medical bag and hat, like a well-trained footman.

  “There is a short cut through the back here,” the woman said, already halfway down the passageway.

  “When did the bleeding start?” he said, as he followed her.

  “A little yesterday before she went to bed, and then it stopped. But this morning, about two hours ago, it began again. It’s shocking to see it.”