Murder at Downton (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 6)

by P. J. Thurbin

  “It’s quite interesting,” Ralph assured her. “Stanley Spencer was a medical orderly in WW1 and he painted the murals inside as a memorial to the thousands who died in the War.”

  “I’d be interested in seeing it,” Arthur interjected. “I’ve read a lot about the First World War. There were a lot of American’s killed as well as Brits.”

  “One thing I would like to see,” said Betty. “When we were at the first hotel you said something about the place that Watership Down was supposed to be modelled on somewhere around here. Can we see that as well?”

  “I don’t see why we can’t make a day of it,” Ralph agreed. “I’ll ask the hotel to make packed lunches for us to take with us and we can just do a round trip. We’ll spend some time at the Festival and then circle around so we can visit Sandham and see the Watership Down area as well. There are plenty of nice spots for a picnic along the way. Something for everyone.”

  Everyone seemed happy with the plan.

  “Look folks, I don’t want to be a party pooper but I want to see the cottage where my Mother was born and where my Grandmother used to meet my Grandfather,” said Liam. “I know you said that the railway station at Highclere is closed, Ralph, but I’d like to go there just the same, just to feel the atmosphere.”

  “That’s not a problem, Liam. I could get Jim to drop us off at Burghclere on the way. Then he can take everyone else for their day out and sweep by the Carpenter’s on the way back and pick Liam up.”

  “What about you?” Arthur asked. “How will you get back?”

  “I had hoped to have a nice long hike today, if you folks don’t mind being left to your own devices for a few hours,” Ralph admitted.

  “It sounds good,” said Liam. “You’ll get your training done and I get to go down memory lane, and we won’t get in the way of anyone else’s plans. Perfect.”

  “I’ll give a chap I met down at the Carpenter’s a ring,” said Ralph. “He might be free for a chat. If so, maybe he’d agree to meet us. It could save you a lot of time if you want to find that old railway station. We can start at the cottage where your Mother was born and walk back to the Carpenter’s Arms and meet him there.”

  “Yes. Thanks, Ralph. That would be great.”

  Katie would be away with a friend from Reading University all day. Katie and her friend planned to visit Reading Museum and she wanted to try and find out more about the wedjat eye amulet. Ralph had also asked her to get some information about Charles Edington from her friend if she could.

  ***

  It was a beautiful morning. Temperatures were expected to hit 80, rare for England in the spring, but the hotel receptionist warned them that storms were forecast for the late afternoon and evening. The hotel had pulled out all the stops for their American guests and provided a hamper and cooler for their picnic. When Ralph peeked inside and saw that they had included three bottles of their best champagne, he had second thoughts about his training regime. Then he remembered his goal was to knock 5 minutes off his previous best time. Champagne and egg and cress sandwiches followed by strawberries and cream were unlikely to help him achieve his objective.

  It was just before noon when the coach dropped Ralph and Liam off at Burghclere. Jim promised to be back in time to collect Liam at the Carpenter’s Arms around 5:00.

  The village was deserted. It looked as though the people who had lived there back in his Grandmother’s time had vanished and nature was now reclaiming her land. Liam had been told that Rose Cottage was at the edge of the village. They eventually found an old, rundown, thatched cottage with wild red roses trailing across the front. The rickety wooden gate was broken from its hinges and what was left of the flagstone path was cracked and covered in moss. Well-worn lace curtains covered the windows. They knocked tentatively on a door that was long past due for a new coat of paint. Ralph was relieved when there was no reply. Liam seemed happy to assume that this was the cottage where his mother was born. Having recorded his pilgrimage with snapshots on his Iphone, he agreed that it was time to head for the Carpenter’s Arms.

  It was dark and quiet as Ralph and Liam entered the pub. Shafts of yellow light from the windows highlighted the dust that floated in the air and there was a delicious smell of food coming from the kitchen. The lunchtime regulars had not yet arrived, but they found Justin leaning against the polished counter of the bar, staring at the embers of a wood fire that was still smoldering from the previous evening’s blaze.

  “Thanks for agreeing to see us, Justin”, said Ralph as he introduced Liam.

  “Not a problem. Pleasure to see you, Liam. I’m glad to be of help. The farm runs itself. Well, to tell the truth, sometimes it is just good to get away for a bit. Pints all round?”

  As Justin led Liam to a corner table, Ralph whispered to Silas that he would only have water. Saying that he had a ‘jippy tummy’ was his favourite way of avoiding a drink at lunchtime. He took the drinks over to the table where Liam was showing the pendant to Justin. Ralph took a closer look and had to admit that it was exquisite. The blue enamel set off the gold of the eagle’s beak perfectly. He could see how it had got its name. The baleful look of the eye was mesmeric. He could understand why over the years people had treated it as a healing symbol, even if the story about the Greek gods was a bit apocryphal.

  “I can see why your family have kept this,” said Justin. “It’s really fantastic. I just wish Anton could see it. Perhaps we could all meet here one evening for another of your sing-alongs and make a night of it.”

  Liam told him that they were going back to London the next day. He explained that his Iphone wasn’t working for some reason, but promised to send Anton a photo when he got home.

  “Ralph wanted me to tell you a bit about the old railway and some of the relics from that era that are still here. Why don’t we do that over lunch?” he suggested.

  “Well, I’m sorry I won’t be able to join you,” Ralph said. “I’ve heard that specials here aren’t to be missed. But you know how it is, got to keep the old body ticking over. Especially now that I have a ‘Tin Man’ coming up.”

  “More for us,” Justin laughed as he summoned Silas over.

  “Give my friend Liam here your quail special,” Justin ordered.

  “Same for you?” Silas asked.

  “No, not today,” Justin said. “I think I’ll have my usual steak pie and chips.”

  “And you? Quail as well?” Silas asked Ralph.

  “No. Our friend Ralph is just off to get his workout in. He wants to break the four minute mile or some such nonsense as that. So just give him a rub down with a wet sponge and he’ll be on his way.” Justin let out a loud guffaw and slapped Ralph on the arm.

  Ralph recognized the style, and the intentional good humor and took it in good spirit, although with a wry smile. But he had to admit that he felt the pangs of hunger as the smells of quail and steak pie wafted over from the kitchen. He was eager to be off on his hike, but he felt it would be impolite to rush off as Justin launched into his explanation about the railway.

  “They chopped the old railway out, back in the early 1960’s to cut costs. The line you’re going to look at used to run from Newbury through Highclere, Burghclere, and Litchfield and all the way to the Southampton Docks on the South Coast. During WW2 it was used to transport freight, and of course troops for the D Day invasion. You said your Grandfather was in the 101st Airborne. Well he would have been based up at Newbury and needed a pass to come down on Saturday nights to see your grandmother. The old station is still there, although it’s a bit run down now.”

  “I thought I saw some routes marked out on one of the Ordinance Survey maps back at the hotel,” Ralph remarked.

  “That’s right,” Justin confirmed. “The lines have all gone, but local walking clubs use the viaducts and cuttings. The paths are all marked out on this map.” He handed Liam a large Ordinance Survey map with paths marked on it in felt tip pen. “It’s best if we start here. It’ll lead us straight to the
old Highclere station. I know this area like the back of my hand.”

  “It’s really great of you to go to all this trouble, Justin. I really appreciate the offer, but if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to see the old station by myself.”

  “Not at all. It’ll force me to do some work at the farm while you two do your thing. Anyhow, here’s our lunch. Woe, this looks terrific. Tuck in Liam while it’s hot.”

  Ralph saw it was a good time to make his exit. When he left they were laughing and chatting over their meal.

  The hike turned out to be further than he had planned, but he was still the first back to the hotel. By the time he had finished a long indulgent shower, answered a few emails and changed, it was time to go down to dinner. Everyone was in high spirits. They told him about the picnic and how much they had enjoyed the music festival. As they joked over cocktails, Ralph noticed that Liam had not joined them.

  “We called in at the Carpenter’s,” Debbie explained. “The landlord told us that Liam must have finished looking around the village and decided to catch the local bus back to the hotel. He’s probably fallen asleep in his room. I’ll ask someone at the front desk to give him a call.”

  Ralph noticed that Ethan was also missing.

  “Oh, Ethan decided that he had some last minute gifts he needed to buy to take home,” said Betty. “Jim dropped him off at Newbury after he had dropped us at the Festival. There he is now. He must have got a taxi back.”

  Ralph checked again at the front desk. The night clerk told him that Liam had not collected his room key and there was no answer when he rang the room. Walking back in to the bar area, he saw Justin talking to Barry. Justin, made a theatrical gesture as he gripped Ralph’s arm.

  “Steady on old chap. That walk must have been a bit of a marathon. You look knackered, if I may say so. Quick let me get you a drink,” he shouted.

  Ralph explained that Liam had not got back to the hotel yet.

  “Why don’t I call Silas?” Justin suggested. “Maybe Liam strayed off the track and took longer than he anticipated getting back to the pub. Those pathways can all look the same if you don’t know them.”

  A brief exchange quickly ascertained that Liam had not been seen since he left the pub at lunchtime.

  “That’s funny. He was talking to Silas when I left to go back to the farm. Silas knows the area. If Liam had any questions about the track-way he would have explained it to him. And he had the map. I can’t see how he could get lost, but it happens.”

  Arthur and Jim came over to where they were talking.

  “No Liam yet?”

  “Not so far,” Ralph explained.

  “Anything I can do to help?” Arthur asked. Ralph liked the way that Arthur, no doubt from his years in the military, got straight to the point.

  “It looks like Liam has got himself lost,” said Ralph as a clap of thunder heralded the oncoming downpour that had been forecast.

  “He did tell me that he’d crooked his knee recently, Barry interjected. “ He told me he’d done a charity run, in Chicago I think he said. He probably overdid it and is stuck somewhere and can’t get back. I know his Iphone wasn’t working. Wrong Sim card or something.”

  “Look chaps, I feel responsible for this. I should have insisted on going with him. If anyone else wants to come they’re welcome, but I’m going out there to see if I can find him,” Justin announced.

  “It’ll be pretty rough out there with all this rain,” Ralph said.

  “It’ll be a bit bumpy, but the old girl will get through the muddy ground. With this storm coming on the woods will soon be a quagmire. These old Land Rovers are the best at that sort of thing. Anyone else coming?” Ralph, Tom and Arthur followed him out to the Land Rover as a streak of lightning lit up the blackening sky. Barry said that he was waiting for a call from his agent and had better wait there.

  After what seemed like hours of driving through muddy paths in the forest and honking the horn, followed by spells of sitting silently waiting for a voice or shout, they had drawn a blank. Justin was quiet as they drove back to the hotel. Ralph thanked him for his help. Justin tried to reassure him that it would all look a lot better in the daylight, and that Liam was sure to turn up. Everyone had waited to hear the news of their search. He told them that the police had been informed and he was certain they would soon find their colleague.

  The local police did not usually consider it an emergency when people went missing in the forest. But now, with the escaped prisoner still at large, they decided to alert Inspector Roberts. The Inspector saw little point in sending a search party out until first light. His rationalization was that whoever was lost would stumble across one of the many farmhouses in the area, or take shelter in one of the old disused railway buildings. In truth, he had not wanted to be distracted from the report he was preparing for his Chief Superintendent. He needed to come up with some plausible reason why a dangerous criminal had been on the loose for weeks without any sign of being caught or how the gold pendant stolen from the Tutankhamen exhibition had vanished into thin air. He was not used to making excuses, but he was stumped on this one; and he had still not recovered from the stomach pains that he attributed to some fly-blown meat he had eaten on his visit to Cairo. A phone call about some Yank lost in the woods while looking for his Grandmother’s birthplace, or something equally bizarre, was not high on his agenda.

  Ralph found it hard to sleep. He wanted to call Katie but thought better of it. She was no doubt deep into conversation with her friend. In any case, he couldn’t really do anything before morning. Ralph had finally fallen asleep when he realized that a telephone was ringing.

  “Sorry to wake you, sir.” He wondered for a moment if he was teaching and had dozed off in a lecture. It had happened to a colleague of his. He must have grasped the bedside phone while he was half still half asleep. The unknown voice continued, as he struggled back to the real world. “The police have just phoned and asked if whoever is in charge of the American party would give them a call. You’re listed as their host, sir.” Ralph sat on the edge of the bed and dialed the number the desk clerk had given him. He was put through to Inspector Roberts. He introduced himself as Professor Chalmers. He knew that whatever they wanted, it would cause the police to take him more seriously.

  “Thanks for getting back to us, sir. I’m afraid we have some bad news about one of your party.”

  Ralph stood up.

  “I’m Inspector Roberts, Reading Constabulary. There appears to have been an accident involving someone in your group, sir.”

  “What kind of accident?” Ralph asked, although he knew already that it must have involved Liam.

  “One of our constables received a call from a local farmer. His dog had been barking, and after the storm and he went to look in case it was a fox or an intruder. I’m afraid that when the constable arrived at the scene it was too late. The person was already dead. From the documents that were on his person, it appears that he is a Mr. Liam Wilkes. I understand he was a member of your party?”

  “That’s right. He was with a group of Americans who are over from Michigan. Kingston University is hosting them. That’s terrible news, Inspector.”

  Ralph managed to regain his composure and explained to the Inspector what had happened that day. The Inspector said that someone would need to come down to the morgue and identify the body, first thing in the morning, if possible. Ralph told him that he would be prepared to come in and asked how Liam had died. The Inspector said that it looked as though Mr. Wilkes had suffered a severe heart attack. He said that he had probably only been dead for a few hours when his body was discovered. The Inspector said that they would send a police car to pick Ralph up at 9:00 the next morning, if that was convenient. Ralph said that would be fine and thanked the Inspector for the call.

  Having rung off, he sat back to think things through. His first thoughts were for Liam’s family and his colleagues who were at this moment still asleep, blissfully unaware that
they would awaken to the staggering and awful reality that one their colleagues was dead, and that he had died alone, and thousands of miles from home.

  Ralph waited until eight to telephone the University.

  When Margaret picked up the telephone in Rupert Granger’s office, Ralph briefly explained what little he knew and asked her to let the Dean know what had happened. He told her that he would telephone again as soon as he got back from the police station at Reading and that he should know more then. Ralph knew that Granger would have apoplexy when he heard the news, but that once it sunk in he would calm down and do what was required. Granger’s ability to handle a crisis was one of the few characteristics that Ralph admired in his boss.

  As soon as he hung up he went downstairs to break the news to the rest of the group. As expected, there was some crying, as well as a demand for more information about what had happened. Just as the police arrived to take Ralph to the station Jim came up to him.

  “I just heard about that poor Mr Wilkes. Life can be a bummer, Professor Chalmers,” Jim whispered. “One minute everything is hunky dory then wham you’re on your back. I saw plenty of it in Iraq. Some of my best mates. Do you want me to come with you to talk to the police? It’s not easy looking at someone who has died. You never get used to it no matter what anyone tells you.”

  Ralph thanked him for the offer but said that he thought he would be fine. He asked him instead if he would tell the group that it was unlikely that the police would let them leave for London until everyone had been interviewed, so to plan for a few more days stay at the hotel.

  The police car sped through the country lanes as Ralph tried to think through what had happened. Was it possible that it was not a heart attack as the police thought? Could Liam have been killed? But he could think of no one who had a motive to do such a thing. No it must be as the police said; a heart attack. A lot of men seemed to keel over for no apparent reason, even those who were apparently fit. Obesity he knew was a killer and smoking and excessive drinking, but Liam scored a zero on all those counts. And he did not appear to be the worrying type. Ralph’s reverie was broken as the car pulled up in front of a rather unattractive glass and brick building and he was shown into the Reading Police Station. The sergeant on duty asked Ralph to take a seat while he notified Inspector Roberts that Ralph was there.