The Affair of the Christmas Card Killer (Lord Kit Aston Book 1)

by Jack Murray

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He thought it unlikely either here at the Hall or in the village.’ Mary nodded in agreement. After a few moments Kit added, ‘He mentioned a man named Edmunds, do you know him?’

  ‘Yes, he’s been with us for years. He lost his son. Difficult character.’

  ‘So, I gather, but even with him it brings us back to the same point, why wait until now?’

  ‘Unless it’s to divert suspicion,’ suggested Mary although she seemed skeptical.

  ‘We need to understand motive,’ affirmed Kit. ‘But we also need to understand what has changed? Why now?’

  Esther came over to join them. She wiped her cheek with the heel of her palm. ‘What are you two cooking up?’

  ‘Kit will start an investigation into what people were doing last night while we wait for the Police,’ said Mary.

  ‘Investigate? Why? You don’t think he was murdered?’ responded Esther, clearly astonished.

  ‘I don’t know but we can’t ignore the threats. Nor can we sit idly by if we do have someone in our midst who is a murderer.’ This made Esther gasp involuntarily. Mary hugged her, and they returned to their grandfather.

  ‘I will convene everyone downstairs in the library to tell them what we’re going to do. There’s no need for you to come down. It may be upsetting. I suggest you remain here for the time being,’ said Kit, heading towards the door. The sisters both nodded but said nothing more.

  -

  Kit walked into the library. Miller was already there, which surprised Kit. ‘Oh, I’m glad I found you Harry, can you ask everyone to assemble in the library? The girls have asked me to make some preliminary inquiries. I mean everybody, by the by, guests also, please.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll get to it,’ replied Miller, happy to active.

  A thought struck Kit and he asked Miller as he was leaving, ‘By the way Harry, why were you in here?’

  Miller greeted this with a rueful smile, ‘I wanted to escape from downstairs. It’s rather depressing down there.’

  ‘I can understand. Are Bright and Strangerson still down there?’

  ‘I think they’re in the drawing room now. Do you want me to ask them to come here?’

  ‘Yes, thanks Harry and then get the staff.’ Miller left the room and Kit went immediately to the desk to retrieve the threatening notes.

  They were nowhere to be found.

  He checked the drawers and around the table. Someone had taken them. If it proved not to be Esther or Mary, then this would throw an entirely new complexion on Lord Cavendish’s death.

  The next thing to strike him was that someone had replaced the framed photograph of the Robert’s battalion back onto the wall. Kit was certain it had been left sitting on the desk, last time he had been in the room. Before he could take another look at the photograph the door opened. Strangerson and Bright entered.

  ‘Hello old chap. What’s going on?

  ‘All will be made clear soon. Please have a seat. I’m waiting for the others.’

  Within a few minutes all the staff and guests were assembled in the library. Esther and Mary remained with Lord Cavendish and Devlin was still absent. Kit stood up and addressed the household.

  ‘I know everyone is in shock over the tragic death of Lord Cavendish. Firstly, my sincere condolences. Many of you will have known Lord Cavendish for many years. I have known him but a few, he was someone whom I admired greatly. I wish I could have known him better. I will not detain you long. Lady Esther and Mary are with him at the moment and I think it would be a kindness if you do not disturb them, much as I am sure you wish to express your sympathy. The death of Lord Cavendish was unexpected. We all saw him in such good humour last night. In circumstances such as these it’s natural that the Police will wish to investigate in order to dismiss any possibility of foul play.’

  ‘Good Lord’ exclaimed Lady Emily, ‘Are you really suggesting he could’ve been murdered?’

  ‘I’m afraid this will only be confirmed following a post mortem. But we cannot ignore anything at this stage.’

  ‘But what makes you think someone would do this?’ pressed Lady Emily.

  ‘There are reasons that I cannot disclose at this point,’ responded Kit.

  ‘But how?’ she continued.

  ‘Doctor Bright has made an initial examination and there are no obvious signs of violence. This would suggest two possible causes of death. Either natural causes or poison.’

  Lady Emily gasped unconsciously and grew visibly paler. Kit saw her reaction and reacted immediately, ‘Curtis, water for Lady Emily please. I’m sorry Lady Emily, I recognize how upsetting this must be.’

  Kit continued, ‘The Police will speak to all of you to understand your whereabouts last night or if you heard anything unusual. I need hardly tell you how it is of critical importance that you speak truthfully. I have no doubt Doctor Bright will have conveyed this to you. However, because of the weather, we cannot be certain of when the Police will be able to get here. I would hazard a guess it will be tomorrow morning at the earliest. This is assuming, of course, that Devlin has successfully made contact. In the meantime, and at the request of Lord Cavendish’s granddaughters, I will undertake some initial inquiries in advance of the Police arriving here. I have had some experience in these matters. I hope you won’t take offence at my questions. No one is being accused of any crime. In fact, we can’t be certain any crime has taken place. Until this is confirmed, we must proceed with an open mind.’

  ‘One question Kit.’ This was Strangerson. ‘The implication of what you’re saying is that one of us could be the blighter that murdered Lord Cavendish.’

  Kit groaned inwardly. This was unhelpful and predictably, it brought mild panic among the assembly. Holding his hands up Kit said, ‘Please, please can I have your attention? I repeat, we cannot be certain any murder has taken place. However, it would make sense if we all take certain precautions.’

  He then proceeded to outline some specific things for everyone to do, ‘Please do not go anywhere in the house on your own. If you’re in your room, please lock the door. With regard to preparation of food and serving, this should be done in pairs. Elsie and Polly will continue to prepare food, Curtis and Miss Buchan, if I could ask you to serve. Harry Miller will be helping me in making inquiries, please give your full assistance to him.’

  There was no escaping the fact that one of the people in the library was potentially a murderer. This would cause mutual suspicion which would not cease until it was proven if a murder had taken place and the murderer brought to justice. Kit looked across the library, he saw everyone glancing surreptitiously at everyone else. All except Bright, who calmly kept his eyes firmly on Kit.

  ‘I will spend some time with each of you over the course of today. Thank you for being so patient.’

  The gathering broke up with most returning to their rooms. Evidently no one welcomed the prospect of making conversation with a potential murder suspect. Strangerson and Bright remained behind.

  In a corner of the room, Kit spoke quietly to Miller in order to brief him on key questions to ask the staff. The key would be to ensure a consistent approach so a timeline of everyone’s movements could be constructed and used to cross check responses. Following his briefing to Miller, Kit rejoined Strangerson and Bright.

  ‘Did you mean to scare the horses like that?’ said Strangerson lighting a cigarette. His tone was light hearted, but Kit suspected his mood was not. In fact, the question was a legitimate one if misplaced.

  ‘Strictly speaking it was you,’ smiled Bright.

  ‘Fair point, hadn’t thought of that,’ acknowledged Strangerson.

  ‘Don’t worry. They would’ve worked it out without your intervention,’ said Kit.

  ‘What happens now that we are openly discussing the possibility of murder?’ asked Bright.

  ‘I start to interview…’

  ‘The suspects?’ smiled Bright.

  ‘The household,’ respon
ded Kit smiling. ‘May I start with you?’

  Chapter 17

  Richard Bright graduated from Oxford a year after Kit had left Cambridge. When the War started, he immediately volunteered but was turned down on the grounds that he could be needed in a medical capacity at an unspecified future date. He didn’t have to wait long. Within a year he was in France working near the front. Over the next two years he gained the experience of a Doctor twice his age.

  The intensity of this period almost came at the price of his reason. Several times he was at breaking point as he dealt, on a daily basis, with the horrendous impact of the War on young men’s bodies. It was almost unbearable, but he knew if he relinquished responsibility, the misery would not go away from those injured or tasked with repairing, rebuilding and caring. He chose to push on in the hope that his sanity would outlast the madness of war.

  Following the War, he took several months off to recover, travelling to North Africa and the Greek Islands. As the youngest son of a comparatively wealthy family he had a comfortable income but one that still required him to find a profession, hence his choice of a career in medicine.

  All this he related to Kit briefly. Reluctantly, Kit probed more on the War. Intuitively he felt the death of Cavendish, if it was as a result of another’s hand, might be motivated by the War rather than money. The key would be to use the War, money, inheritance each as a lens through which to view the stories, motivations and actions of the guests and staff at Cavendish Hall.

  Bright confirmed he had not met any of the Cavendish family during the conflict. This could easily be checked with the War Office and Kit’s instinct was to believe Bright. However, he was also conscious that any personal feelings towards Bright should be kept in check. Incontestably, Bright was a good fellow. Kit recognized this was someone who, in other circumstances, could be a good friend. They were of a similar age, both sporting men, cultured and Bright was clearly a gentleman. It was difficult to begrudge his attractiveness to the girls either, even if it represented a threat to him.

  Since returning from his travels, he had been happy to act as a locum in various parts of the country. Again, both recognized this was easily checked and Bright happily supplied Kit with a list of names, places and dates for his employment over the last six months. None of the places, at this stage anyway, put him into contact with the Cavendish family. Again, this would be cross checked over time.

  ‘Incidentally, before today, have you been in this room?’ asked Kit.

  ‘The library, no, just the drawing room and my bedroom’ responded Bright.

  The rest of the interview was confined to helping Kit understand what would happen next with Cavendish. Following the conclusion of their interview, Kit reflected that Bright, ostensibly, had no obvious motive for killing Cavendish. Their paths had not appeared to cross, and he had nothing to gain from either trying to threaten Cavendish or from killing him. The next meeting would be Strangerson.

  -

  ‘A damned bad show,’ said Strangerson by way of initiating the interview.

  ‘Indeed,’ responded Kit non-committedly. He proceeded to inquire about Strangerson’s association with the Cavendish family.

  ‘Well I knew Robert but had never met the old man until this trip. Robert was a Captain in my battalion. I was a sharpshooter for the unit along with Teddy Masters, we all had chums we worked with. One would look and the other would take a pop. We made a very effective team. By the end of the War, the Boche were after me, that’s for sure. I fancy I had a price on my head.’

  Kit nodded, he was familiar with the role Strangerson performed but was uncomfortable with it also. Both sides had used sharpshooters extensively throughout the War. They had been responsible for many deaths and maiming.

  Sensing that Kit was not in favour of such tactics, Strangerson added hastily, ‘But of course Fritz started it.’

  ‘Did Teddy make it all the way through?’

  ‘No,’ said Strangerson and he stopped for a moment to compose himself then continued, ‘He caught one at Cambrai.’

  Kit looked up at this, ‘Like Robert.’

  ‘Yes, by a sniper also. Sadly, an occupational hazard, you might say.’

  ‘You said you were there when Robert was killed. Can you tell me more about what you saw?’

  ‘Certainly, old boy. Remember it vividly. The main stuff at Cambrai had stopped, just the odd empty beating of the gongs by the Hun. I think they were waiting for Christmas like ourselves. Anyway, there seemed to be something happening on this particular night out in No Man’s Land. A few flares were going up and we could see one of our boys was being dragged back into the trench.’

  This made Kit start. ‘Could you see who?’

  ‘No, too far away. Anyway, as the chaps neared our lines, all hell breaks loose. First there was a flare, then a bomb went off near us and Fritz started firing. I let of a few back in the direction of the gunfire. Doubt I hit anything. When I looked back I could see a few of our chaps coming out of the trench and dragging some bodies back. A few minutes later, the word came down the line that Robert had copped it. Poor blighter.’

  ‘You went over to see him?’ asked Kit.

  ‘Yes. Immediately. The sniper had caught him in the head. Professionally speaking I have to say it was a bloody good shot, but my God, who would do such a beastly thing? There are rules, you know. Well, there are no rules but even so, it’s just not done that sort of thing. Typical Hun trick,’ concluded Strangerson.

  Strangerson’s post war activities had been limited to writing scholarly articles for various presses about his experiences in South America and searching for a lecturing job at a university. There were not many in supply as the War had severely drained university intakes.

  They chatted for a few minutes on Strangerson’s experiences in both South America and the Antarctic but neither seemed material to the current circumstances, judged Kit, to make them worthy of detailed discussion. If it were the case that Cavendish was poisoned then the source of the poison, assuming it could be identified, might require further inquiry with Strangerson.

  The last part of the interview checked on Strangerson’s movements over the previous twenty-four hours. They parted soon after and Kit met up with Miller to discuss progress.

  -

  ‘I have spoken with Polly, Elsie and Miss Buchan,’ related Miller, ‘But it’s still too early yet for them. They’re all a bit traumatized and scared now, thanks to your pep talk.’

  ‘Yes, I was unsure how far to push it then, of course, Strangerson jumps in and panic sets in.’

  ‘It seems unlikely any of them could be involved. Polly has never been outside of Lincolnshire and I gather has no relatives in London, so how could she have arranged threatening cards? Both Miss Buchan and Elsie could’ve had someone send the cards as they have family down there, but why? And why wait until now? Of course, working in the kitchen means they certainly would’ve had the opportunity to poison Lord Cavendish.’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Kit, ‘But then how did we avoid being poisoned? Neither Elsie nor Polly served much of the food on Christmas Day. Curtis did most of the serving and I have racked my memory to think of an occasion when he could’ve slipped Lord Cavendish anything but avoid giving it to us. And surely someone would have seen this happen anyway.’

  ‘I see what you mean about Elsie and Polly. Was there no other occasion when he might’ve taken something without us seeing?’

  ‘Of course, it’s very possible. But then we are in the realms of a slow acting agent. At this point I do not see how any of the ladies would have developed enough expertise in toxicology to kill Lord Cavendish. It seems to me, utterly implausible.’

  ‘So, we’ve neither motive nor the ability to carry out the murder then as far as the three ladies are concerned,’ said Miller.

  ‘There are no motives?’

  ‘Not really. They would all possibly lose their jobs if Lady Emily took over the Hall. She’s not well loved, I can tell you.
Now if it’d been her who was killed…’

  ‘Harry, careful with the comments on Lady Emily, it’s a touchy enough situation here without you getting me in hot water,’ laughed Kit.

  ‘Anyway, it’s not obvious what they’d gain from his death. Besides which, and I’m not an expert, but they all seem genuinely grieved. I think they liked the old boy, so I’d be surprised if any would want to harm him.

  ‘What about this room? Has anyone been in here to tidy up?

  ‘No, nobody has been in here since yesterday before lunch.’

  ‘So, nobody moved the photograph?’ continued Kit.

  ‘I asked. Nobody.’

  This was strange and potentially material. Moving on he asked, ‘Anything else you could pick up from them?’

  ‘Nothing I can put my finger on but maybe you should speak to Curtis. I’m certain there’s something they’re not saying about him. He was around for all of the interviews. They might be holding some things back.’

  ‘Very well, let’s get Mr Curtis up and see what he has to say.’

  -

  Miller was right about the sense of grief the staff felt. One look at Curtis revealed a man looking into a void. Kit found it difficult to believe the man was acting. His eyes were tear-stained red, his voice choked with emotion despite his efforts to control it. Kit invited him to sit down and take a few moments to compose himself.

  He spoke of a life of service to the Cavendish family. It seemed he had known barely any other life. His education had finished when he was thirteen. He had lived in country houses since then, working his way up through the ranks.

  Speaking to Curtis, Kit found himself thinking about his own staff. He preferred to spend time either at his flat in London or on his frequent travels abroad. This kept him away from his father and half-brother, which was probably for the best. With a pang of guilt, he realized how rarely he saw the old staff now. He wondered if he still commanded the same degree of affection with them.

  Curtis had seen many changes over the years at Cavendish Hall. When he had joined there was a large family in the house and staffing was double the current level. Never a great country house, it had once upon a time been important. The War and its aftermath had changed things, observed Curtis. When Kit probed about John and Robert, he immediately detected a change in tone from Curtis. He transformed from the grieving manservant into a diplomat. Kit was reminded of Talleyrand’s maxim that speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.