by Mark Place
Miss Chadwick’s voice rose hysterically. Miss Johnson came forward. ‘To discover two murders is too much of a strain for anyone,’ said Miss Johnson. ‘Certainly for anyone her age. You don’t want to ask her any more, do you?’
Inspector Kelsey shook his head. As he was going downstairs, he noticed a pile of old-fashioned sandbags with buckets in an alcove. Dating from the war, perhaps, but the uneasy thought occurred to him that it needn’t have been a professional with a cosh who had slugged Miss Vansittart. Someone in the building, someone who hadn’t wished to risk the sound of a shot a second time, and who, very likely, had disposed of the incriminating pistol after the last murder, could have helped themselves to an innocent-looking but lethal weapon—and possibly even replaced it tidily afterwards!
Chapter 16
The Riddle of the Sports Pavilion
‘My head is bloody but unbowed,’ said Adam to himself.
He was looking at Miss Bulstrode. He had never, he thought, admired a woman more. She sat, cool and unmoved, with her lifework falling in ruins about her. From time to time telephone calls came through announcing that yet another pupil was being removed. Finally Miss Bulstrode had taken her decision. Excusing herself to the police officers, she summoned Ann Shapland, and dictated a brief statement. The school would be closed until the end of term. Parents who found it inconvenient to have their children home, were welcome to leave them in her care and their education would be continued.
‘You’ve got the list of parents’ names and addresses? And their telephone numbers?’
‘Yes, Miss Bulstrode.’
‘Then start on the telephone. After that see a typed notice goes to everyone.’
‘Yes, Miss Bulstrode.’
On her way out, Ann Shapland paused near the door.
She flushed and her words came with a rush.
‘Excuse me, Miss Bulstrode. It’s not my business—but isn’t it a pity to—to be premature? I mean—after the first panic, when people have had time to think—surely they won’t want to take the girls away. They’ll be sensible and think better of it.’
Miss Bulstrode looked at her keenly.
‘You think I’m accepting defeat too easily?’
Ann flushed. ‘I know—you think it’s cheek. But—but, well then, yes, I do.’
‘You’re a fighter, child, I’m glad to see. But you’re quite wrong. I’m not accepting defeat. I’m going on my knowledge of human nature. Urge people to take their children away, force it on them—and they won’t want to nearly so much. They’ll think up reasons for letting them remain. Or at the worst they’ll decide to let them come back next term—if there is a next term,’ she added grimly.
She looked at Inspector Kelsey. ‘That’s up to you,’ she said. ‘Clear these murders up—catch whoever is responsible for them—and we’ll be all right.’
Inspector Kelsey looked unhappy. He said: ‘We’re doing our best.’ Ann Shapland went out.
‘Competent girl,’ said Miss Bulstrode. ‘And loyal.’
This was in the nature of a parenthesis. She pressed her attack.
‘Have you absolutely no idea of who killed two of my mistresses in the Sports Pavilion? You ought to, by this time. And this kidnapping on top of everything else. I blame myself there. The girl talked about someone wanting to kidnap her. I thought, God forgive me, she was making herself important. I see now that there must have been something behind it. Someone must have hinted, or warned—one doesn’t know which—’ She broke off, resuming: ‘You’ve no news of any kind?’
‘Not yet. But I don’t think you need worry too much about that. It’s been passed to the C.I.D. The Special Branch is on to it, too. They ought to find her within twenty-four hours, thirty-six at most. There are advantages in this being an island. All the ports, airports, etc., are alerted. And the police in every district are keeping a lookout. It’s actually easy enough to kidnap anyone—it’s keeping them hidden that’s the problem. Oh, we’ll find her.’
‘I hope you’ll find her alive,’ said Miss Bulstrode grimly. ‘We seem to be up against someone who isn’t too scrupulous about human life.’
‘They wouldn’t have troubled to kidnap her if they’d meant to do away with her,’ said Adam. ‘They could have done that here easily enough.’
He felt that the last words were unfortunate. Miss Bulstrode gave him a look. ‘So it seems,’ she said dryly.
The telephone rang. Miss Bulstrode took up the receiver.
‘Yes?’
She motioned to Inspector Kelsey. ‘It’s for you.’
Adam and Miss Bulstrode watched him as he took the call. He grunted, jotted down a note or two, said finally: ‘I see. Alderton Priors. That’s Wallshire. Yes, we’ll cooperate. Yes, Super. I’ll carry on here, then.’ He put down the receiver and stayed a moment lost in thought. Then he looked up. ‘His Excellency got a ransom note this morning. Typed on a new Corona. Postmark Portsmouth. Bet that’s a blind.’
‘Where and how?’ asked Adam.
‘Crossroads two miles north of Alderton Priors. That’s a bit of bare moorland. Envelope containing money to be put under stone behind A.A. box there at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning.’
‘How much?’
‘Twenty thousand.’ He shook his head. ‘Sounds amateurish to me.’
‘What are you going to do?’ asked Miss Bulstrode.
Inspector Kelsey looked at her. He was a different man. Official reticence hung about him like a cloak.
‘The responsibility isn’t mine, madam,’ he said. ‘We have our methods.’
‘I hope they’re successful,’ said Miss Bulstrode.
‘Ought to be easy,’ said Adam.
‘Amateurish?’ said Miss Bulstrode, catching at a word they had used. ‘I wonder…’
Then she said sharply: ‘What about my staff? What remains of it, that is to say? Do I trust them, or don’t I?’
As Inspector Kelsey hesitated, she said, ‘You’re afraid that if you tell me who is not cleared, I should show it in my manner to them. You’re wrong. I shouldn’t.’
‘I don’t think you would,’ said Kelsey. ‘But I can’t afford to take any chances. It doesn’t look, on the face of it, as though any of your staff can be the person we’re looking for. That is, not so far as we’ve been able to check up on them. We’ve paid special attention to those who are new this term—that is Mademoiselle Blanche, Miss Springer and your secretary, Miss Shapland. Miss Shapland’s past is completely corroborated. She’s the daughter of a retired general, she has held the posts she says she did and her former employers vouch for her. In addition she has an alibi for last night. When Miss Vansittart was killed, Miss Shapland was with a Mr Dennis Rathbone at a night club. They’re both well-known there, and Mr Rathbone has an excellent character. Mademoiselle Blanche’s antecedents have also been checked. She has taught at a school in the north of England and at two schools in Germany, and has been given an excellent character. She is said to be a first-class teacher.’
‘Not by our standards,’ sniffed Miss Bulstrode.
‘Her French background has also been checked. As regards Miss Springer, things are not quite so conclusive. She did her training where she says, but there have been gaps since in her periods of employment which are not fully accounted for.
‘Since, however, she was killed,’ added the Inspector, ‘that seems to exonerate her.’
‘I agree,’ said Miss Bulstrode dryly, ‘that both Miss Springer and Miss Vansittart are hors de combat as suspects. Let us talk sense. Is Mademoiselle Blanche, in spite of her blameless background, still a suspect merely because she is still alive?’
‘She could have done both murders. She was here, in the building, last night,’ said Kelsey. ‘She says she went to bed early and slept and heard nothing until the alarm was given. There’s no evidence to the contrary. We’ve got nothing against her. But Miss Chadwick says definitely that she’s sly.’
Miss Bulstrode waved that aside impatiently. ‘Miss Chadw
ick always finds the French Mistresses sly. She’s got a thing about them.’ She looked at Adam. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think she pries,’ said Adam slowly. ‘It may be just natural inquisitiveness. It may be something more. I can’t make up my mind. She doesn’t look to me like a killer, but how does one know?’
‘That’s just it,’ said Kelsey. ‘There is a killer here, a ruthless killer who has killed twice—but it’s very hard to believe that it’s one of the staff. Miss Johnson was with her sister last night at Limeston on Sea, and anyway she’s been with you seven years. Miss Chadwick’s been with you since you started. Both of them, anyway, are clear of Miss Springer’s death. Miss Rich has been with you over a year and was staying last night at the Alton Grange Hotel, twenty miles away, Miss Blake was with friends at Littleport, Miss Rowan has been with you for a year and has a good background. As for your servants, frankly I can’t see any of them as murderers. They’re all local, too…’
Miss Bulstrode nodded pleasantly. ‘I quite agree with your reasoning. It doesn’t leave much, does it? So—’ She paused and fixed an accusing eye on Adam. ‘It looks really—as though it must be you .’
His mouth opened in astonishment. ‘On the spot,’ she mused. ‘Free to come and go…Good story to account for your presence here.
Background OK but you could be a double crosser, you know.’
Adam recovered himself. ‘Really, Miss Bulstrode,’ he said admiringly, ‘I take off my hat to you. You think of everything !’
II
‘Good gracious!’ cried Mrs Sutcliffe at the breakfast table. ‘Henry!’ She had just unfolded her newspaper. The width of the table was between her and her husband since her weekend guests had not yet put in an appearance for the meal. Mr Sutcliffe, who had opened his paper to the financial page, and was absorbed in the unforeseen movements of certain shares, did not reply. ‘Henry!’
The clarion call reached him. He raised a startled face.
‘What’s the matter, Joan?’
‘The matter? Another murder! At Meadowbank! At Jennifer’s school.’
‘What? Here, let me see!’
Disregarding his wife’s remark that it would be in his paper, too, Mr Sutcliffe leant across the table and snatched the sheet from his wife’s grasp. ‘Miss Eleanor Vansittart…Sports Pavilion…same spot where Miss Springer, the Games Mistress…hm…hm…’
‘I can’t believe it!’ Mrs Sutcliffe was wailing. ‘Meadowbank. Such an exclusive school. Royalty there and everything…’
Mr Sutcliffe crumpled up the paper and threw it down on the table. ‘Only one thing to be done,’ he said. ‘You get over there right away and take Jennifer out of it.’
‘You mean take her away—altogether?’
‘That’s what I mean.’
‘You don’t think that would be a little too drastic? After Rosamond being so good about it and managing to get her in?’
‘You won’t be the only one taking your daughter away! Plenty of vacancies soon at your precious Meadowbank.’
‘Oh, Henry, do you think so?’
‘Yes, I do. Something badly wrong there. Take Jennifer away today.’
‘Yes—of course—I suppose you’re right. What shall we do with her?’
‘Send her to a secondary modern somewhere handy. They don’t have murders there.’
‘Oh, Henry, but they do . Don’t you remember? There was a boy who shot the science master at one. It was in last week’s News of the World .’
‘I don’t know what England’s coming to,’ said Mr Sutcliffe. Disgusted, he threw his napkin on the table and strode from the room.
III
Adam was alone in the Sports Pavilion…His deft fingers were turning over the contents of the lockers. It was unlikely that he would find anything where the police had failed but after all, one could never be sure. As Kelsey had said every department’s technique varied a little. What was there that linked this expensive modern building with sudden and violent death? The idea of a rendezvous was out. No one would choose to keep a rendezvous a second time in the same place where murder had occurred. It came back to it, then, that there was something here that someone was looking for. Hardly a cache of jewels. That seemed ruled out. There could be no secret hiding place, false drawers, spring catches, etc. And the contents of the lockers were pitifully simple. They had their secrets, but they were the secrets of school life. Photographs of pin up heroes, packets of cigarettes, an occasional unsuitable cheap paperback. Especially he returned to Shaista’s locker. It was while bending over that that Miss Vansittart had been killed. What had Miss Vansittart expected to find there? Had she found it? Had her killer taken it from her dead hand and then slipped out of the building in the nick of time to miss being discovered by Miss Chadwick?
In that case it was no good looking. Whatever it was, was gone. The sound of footsteps outside aroused him from his thoughts. He was on his feet and lighting a cigarette in the middle of the floor when Julia Upjohn appeared in the doorway, hesitating a little.
‘Anything you want, miss?’ asked Adam.
‘I wondered if I could have my tennis racquet.’
‘Don’t see why not,’ said Adam. ‘Police constable left me here,’ he explained mendaciously. ‘Had to drop back to the station for something. Told me to stop here while he was away.’
‘To see if he came back, I suppose,’ said Julia.
‘The police constable?’
‘No. I mean, the murderer. They do, don’t they? Come back to the scene of the crime. They have to! It’s a compulsion.’
‘You may be right,’ said Adam. He looked up at the serried rows of racquets in their presses.
‘Whereabouts is yours?’
‘Under U,’ said Julia. ‘Right at the far end. We have our names on them,’ she explained, pointing out the adhesive tape as he handed the racquet to her.
‘Seen some service,’ said Adam. ‘But been a good racquet once.’
‘Can I have Jennifer Sutcliffe’s too?’ asked Julia.
‘New,’ said Adam appreciatively, as he handed it to her.
‘Brand new,’ said Julia. ‘Her aunt sent it to her only the other day.’
‘Lucky girl.’
‘She ought to have a good racquet. She’s very good at tennis. Her backhand’s come on like anything this term.’ She looked round. ‘Don’t you think he will come back?’ Adam was a moment or two getting it. ‘Oh. The murderer? No, I don’t think it’s really likely. Bit risky, wouldn’t it be?’
‘You don’t think murderers feel they have to?’
‘Not unless they’ve left something behind.’
‘You mean a clue? I’d like to find a clue. Have the police found one?’
‘They wouldn’t tell me.’
‘No. I suppose they wouldn’t…Are you interested in crime?’
She looked at him inquiringly. He returned her glance. There was, as yet, nothing of the woman in her.
She must be of much the same age as Shaista, but her eyes held nothing but interested inquiry.
‘Well—I suppose—up to a point—we all are.’
Julia nodded in agreement.
‘Yes. I think so, too…I can think of all sorts of solutions—but most of them are very farfetched. It’s rather fun, though.’
‘You weren’t fond of Miss Vansittart?’
‘I never really thought about her. She was all right. A bit like the Bull—Miss Bulstrode—but not really like her. More like an understudy in a theatre. I didn’t mean it was fun she was dead. I’m sorry about that.’
She walked out holding the two racquets. Adam remained looking round the Pavilion. ‘What the hell could there ever have been here?’ he muttered to himself.
IV
‘Good lord,’ said Jennifer, allowing Julia’s forehand drive to pass her. ‘There’s Mummy.’
The two girls turned to stare at the agitated figure of Mrs Sutcliffe, shepherded by Miss Rich, rapidly arriving and gesticulating a
s she did so.
‘More fuss, I suppose,’ said Jennifer resignedly. ‘It’s the murder. You are lucky, Julia, that your mother’s safely on a bus in the Caucasus.’
‘There’s still Aunt Isabel.’
‘Aunts don’t mind in the same way.’
‘Hallo, Mummy,’ she added, as Mrs Sutcliffe arrived.
‘You must come and pack your things, Jennifer. I’m taking you back with me.’
‘Back home?’
‘Yes.’
‘But—you don’t mean altogether? Not for good?’
‘Yes. I do.’
‘But you can’t—really. My tennis has come on like anything. I’ve got a very good chance of winning the singles and Julia and I might win the doubles, though I don’t think it’s very likely.’
‘You’re coming home with me today.’
‘Why?’
‘Don’t ask questions.’
‘I suppose it’s because of Miss Springer and Miss Vansittart being murdered. But no one’s murdered any of the girls. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to. And Sports Day is in three weeks’ time. I think I shall win the Long Jump and I’ve a good chance for the Hurdling.’
‘Don’t argue with me, Jennifer. You’re coming back with me today. Your father insists.’
‘But, Mummy—’
Arguing persistently Jennifer moved towards the house by her mother’s side. Suddenly she broke away and ran back to the tennis court. ‘Goodbye, Julia. Mummy seems to have got the wind up thoroughly. Daddy, too, apparently. Sickening, isn’t it? Goodbye, I’ll write to you.’
‘I’ll write to you, too, and tell you all that happens.’
‘I hope they don’t kill Chaddy next. I’d rather it was Mademoiselle Blanche, wouldn’t you?’
‘Yes. She’s the one we could spare best. I say, did you notice how black Miss Rich was looking?’
‘She hasn’t said a word. She’s furious at Mummy coming and taking me away.’