Gertrude told them about the figure that dropped them. ‘I clean forgot all about the pouch. It was in my coat pocket.’
‘But where did these jewels come from?’ asked Glenda, resisting the urge to touch them. ‘They must be stolen.’
Gertrude nodded. She had come to the same conclusion. The figure that dropped them had appeared to come from the direction of Castleford Manor, which meant the jewels probably belonged to the Countess. She scooped them back into the pouch, retying the cord. ‘I’ll give these to the Chief Inspector in the morning.’ She put the pouch in the top of her writing bureau, locking the flap and pocketing the key. ‘We’ll just have to pray no one tries to burgle us again overnight.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The first rays of dawn crept through the window of Gertrude’s bedroom, bathing the empty bed with an amber glow. Gertrude watched from the armchair in the corner as more of the room became illuminated with each passing minute.
Having threaded the bureau key onto a hair ribbon and tied it around her neck, throughout the night she hadn’t slept at all, constantly clutching at the key to ensure it was still there. She was used to getting little sleep from her days as the cook at Templemead Hall, so one night without sleep had little effect on her. Every tiny noise within the cottage attracted her attention during the night. She listened constantly for stealthy footsteps, laboured breathing, but heard little save the creaking of the old building as it settled down for the night, and felt relief as the dawn arrived with no further attempted break in.
Gertrude arose from her chair, stretching her aching muscles before moving across the room. She poured some cold water from the pitcher into the bowl on her dresser, splashing her face for refreshment. Any remaining vestige of sleep evaporated as she patted her face dry before heading downstairs.
She was amused to find Geoffrey slumped on the sofa. Clearly he had felt duty-bound to stand guard, but had fallen asleep. He stirred from his slumber when she ruffled his hair affectionately. ‘Good morning, sleepyhead,’ Gertrude said, moving through the parlour. She checked the integrity of the writing bureau, before entering the kitchen where she filled the kettle and put it on the Aga to heat up.
Geoffrey followed her, rubbing sleep from his eyes. ‘I tried to stay awake, but I guess I fell asleep at some point.’
‘We don’t appear to have been burgled again, and the bureau hasn’t been forced.’ Gertrude pulled the ribbon from around her neck, handing it to Geoffrey before putting on her pinafore apron and busying herself around the kitchen. ‘Just check to make sure the jewels are still there.’ She continued fussing in the kitchen, preparing the breakfast things while Geoffrey unlocked the bureau top.
‘They’re still here,’ he called, hefting the pouch. ‘How much do you reckon these are worth?’ He returned the pouch and relocked the bureau, passing the key back the Gertrude.
‘A small fortune, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m sure each diamond is worth more than the ring Herbert Carter gave dear Juliet on their engagement. You didn’t see it, Geoff. It was exquisite. It must have set him back a pretty penny. He must have been saving for years for such a ring.’
Geoffrey chuckled. ‘Well, Juliet’s worth it, don’t you think? She’s pretty and intelligent.’
Gertrude nodded mutely, mulling over in her mind a few facts that didn’t add up. She didn’t like to think badly of anyone whom she hadn’t met, but Herbert seemed an enigma. ‘Do you not think it a bit odd that Herbert gave Juliet a solitaire which was clearly worth more than he can afford, and at the same time there are a number of robberies taking place where expensive jewellery is stolen?’
Geoffrey was shocked at her insinuation. ‘You think Herbert is the thief?’
Gertrude fixed her brother with a meaningful stare. ‘If he had turned up to lunch yesterday I’d have asked him how he could afford such a beautiful piece. I’m sure there are many honest ways in which he could have purchased it, but he’s not around to defend himself.’
Geoffrey returned to the kitchen. ‘Where do you think he was yesterday? If he truly loves Juliet, as you implied by what you said, then surely he would have turned up to lunch? And surely he wouldn’t have given her a stolen ring?’
Gertrude thought silently for a few minutes. ‘I don’t wish to think ill of the lad, but I firmly believe there’s no such thing as coincidence. He’s involved, I’m sure, but I don’t want to tell Juliet that. She quite clearly adores the young man, and I really don’t want to break her heart by informing her that he’s a common thief.’
‘Do you think perhaps she already knows?’
Gertrude laughed incredulously. Juliet was the most pious member of this family, and certainly no fool. Gertrude knew that the hypocrisy of knowingly accepting a stolen ring would eat away at her niece’s conscience. From the adoring manner in which Juliet proudly displayed her engagement ring yesterday, Gertrude knew the girl was under no illusion that it might be stolen.
‘Herbert is either a very good liar or strictly honest, but until I meet him in person I cannot tell which.’
Geoff knew from first-hand experience that his sister possessed an innate talent for sensing honesty in a person from their body language and tonal inclination. It would take only a single hour in Herbert’s company to reveal the truth.
‘I’ve asked Juliet to bring Herbert over when he finally turns up,’ Gertrude said, setting out the breakfast things to put on the table. She pulled a freshly laundered tablecloth from the linen drawer and Geoffrey helped her cover the table. ‘Could you lay the table for four, Geoff? I’m expecting the Chief Inspector to call early, so he can stay for breakfast.’
As if on cue, a sharp rapping sounded at the front door. Geoffrey vanished, and reappeared quickly with Chief Inspector Lennox in tow.
‘Good morning, Gertrude. I’ve not caught you too early, have I?’
Gertrude smiled, wiping her hands on her pinafore apron. ‘Not at all, Chief Inspector. You’re just in time to join us for breakfast.’ She indicated the breakfast table. ‘Glenda will join us when she finally wakes up. She’s always the last to rise.’
‘That’s most kind of you,’ said Lennox, seating himself on the chair closest to the hall door. ‘I’ve already eaten breakfast, so perhaps just a cup of tea, but only if you’re making one.’
‘It wouldn’t be breakfast without a pot of tea now would it Chief Inspector? Geoff, perhaps you’d fill the Chief Inspector in on the other events of yesterday.’
Lennox inclined his head and waited for Gertrude to finish her chores, listening as Geoffrey told him about the burglary. ‘That’s awful,’ he said, making notes. ‘Did they take much?’
‘Jewellery, mostly, including our mother’s sapphire ring.’
Gertrude poked her head through the doorway. ‘I don’t care so much about the other things, but I do want Mother’s ring back.’
‘Glenda thinks it might be Pegasus,’ said Geoffrey, ‘but Gertie disagrees.’
‘Well, I’ll add it to the list of robberies to investigate. I hope we’ll have made some progress soon.’
Geoffrey vanished into the kitchen to assist Gertrude, and when they settled at the table to eat breakfast, Glenda finally joined them.
‘Have you told the Chief Inspector that we were burgled yesterday?’
‘Yes, Glenda. He’s taken the details,’ said Geoffrey. ‘We’ve moved on to the other stuff now.’
‘How did Lady Castleford take the news about her husband?’ Gertrude asked, pouring the tea.
Lennox sighed deeply. ‘As you would expect, she was distraught. She’s the next of kin, so I’ve had to ask the poor woman to come in to formally identify the body this afternoon.’
Whilst Geoffrey and Glenda ate their breakfast in silence, Gertrude and the Chief Inspector compared notes on what had so far occurred. They talked through their thoughts and theories, and Gertrude was somewhat relived that they came to the same conclusion concerning the number of people who might be involved.
/>
‘It doesn’t make it any easier trying to discover who the guilty parties are though,’ said Lennox.
‘Well, that leads me on to the other reason that I’m glad you’re here, Chief Inspector.’ Gertrude stood and unlocked the bureau, passing the small pouch to Lennox, who whistled when he tipped the contents into his hand. ‘We don’t know how much they’re worth, but I’m guessing a small fortune.’
‘Where did you get these?’
Gertrude told Lennox about the other events of last evening. ‘I’m fairly certain the man had come from Castleford Manor. I know poor Lady Castleford has already had some appalling news, but I really do think you ought to ask her about these.’
‘You spoke of your niece’s fiancé, Herbert Carter. Do you think it was him that you saw running from the house?’
Gertrude shrugged. ‘I have yet to meet the young man, so I couldn’t comment. I’d say the man who dropped these was slightly built, and probably only my height.’
Lennox regarded Gertrude as she sat down. She was only five foot three, which made the thief rather on the short side. ‘Are you certain it was a man?’
‘I’m quite certain – he had a masculine gait. Were it a woman trying to disguise her appearance she would have had to assume someone had witnessed her getaway, which I doubt from the person’s reckless haste. I therefore stand by my assertion that it was a man. But I agree, since the fellow was quite short, it will make identification somewhat easier.’
‘How tall is Herbert Carter?’
‘I have no idea. That’s something I shall ask Juliet when I next see her. Maybe I should visit her again today?’
Lennox nodded, snapping shut his notebook. ‘I think perhaps I should have a word with your niece myself, Gertrude. If you’d permit me to offer you a lift?’
Gertrude glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. It was just after nine. She felt certain Grace and Juliet would be up by now, so she agreed. She crossed to the chair in the hall to fetch her cape, which had dried quite nicely, and fastened it securely. Turning, she stared at Lennox. ‘It’s looking more and more likely that Herbert is involved, Chief Inspector. I’m hoping we can break the news gently.’
Lennox smiled at her, pocketing his notebook and the pouch of gems. ‘I’m sure we’ll do our best.’
‘If he is found to be guilty, Juliet’s going to have to give up her ring, isn’t she?’
The Chief Inspector was forced to sadly agree. ‘We shall cross that bridge when we come to it.’
*
The journey to Upper Castleford was much quicker than Gertrude imagined. She seldom accepted a lift from anyone when visiting her relatives, and when she did, she was usually too preoccupied to notice the journey.
This time, however, her preoccupation was concern for Juliet, and how much she would be hurt upon learning that her beloved Herbert was most likely the jewel thief known as Pegasus. She wanted to speak to her niece as soon as possible in order to get the unpleasant task out of the way.
Chief Inspector Lennox parked his car outside Grace’s cottage, and as he opened the passenger door to assist Gertrude out onto the roadside, Grace opened the cottage door and stepped out into the sun dappled garden.
‘Gertrude, what are you doing here?’
‘Gracie, we’re here to see Juliet. It’s very important that we speak with her.’
‘She not here. She’s gone to Brigadier Barrington-Smythe’s home. Herbert didn’t show up at all yesterday and she’s really worried about him. I don’t suppose you know where he is?’
Gertrude glanced at the Chief Inspector. ‘Should we tell her?’
Lennox nodded. ‘Please, may we come in?’ he said, motioning Grace back towards her home.
Grace’s face took on an anxious expression as her sister guided her in through the front door. Gertrude sat beside her on the Chesterfield whilst the Chief Inspector remained by the door.
‘Gracie, you must tell us everything you know about Herbert.’
Grace looked perplexed. ‘Juliet really hasn’t told me much about him. I’ve only met him a couple of times, but he seems a nice enough young man. What’s going on? Is he in some kind of trouble?’
‘Have you heard of the jewel thief known as Pegasus?’ said Lennox.
‘Hasn’t everyone? He’s burgled around a dozen houses near here.’
‘Gracie, where did Herbert get the money to buy Juliet’s engagement ring?’
Grace stared at her sister as though she’d said something incomprehensible. ‘Herbert is a very hard working young man,’ she said defensibly. ‘He has been saving every penny he can since he first started working, but that ring didn’t cost as much as you’d think.’
‘Is that what he told you?’
Grace glanced up at Lennox. ‘Are you implying that he lied to Juliet?’ She gasped. ‘You think he gave my daughter a stolen ring, don’t you?’
Gertrude touched her sister’s arm. ‘We’re trying to piece together a puzzle, that’s all. We think this Pegasus could be connected to the death last night of Lord Castleford.’
‘So now you think Herbert’s a killer too?’
Gertrude pulled her hand away. She had seldom seen Grace this angry, and her anger seemed to have clouded her judgment. She appeared to be more outraged that Herbert was under suspicion than she was concerned that the Earl of Castleford had been killed.
‘Gracie, no one is accusing Herbert of anything yet, but we need to find him so the police can cross him off their list of suspects.’
Grace stood up sharply. ‘Well you can cross him off that list right now! Do you really think my daughter would have anything to do with a thief?’
Gertrude sighed. This was not progressing as she had hoped, but was just as she had feared. Grace had always been extremely defensive of her children since her husband’s death. They could do no wrong in her eyes, and whilst Gertrude liked to think that truly was the case, she wasn’t so sure about Herbert. He was marrying into the family: that did not make him automatically trustworthy, no matter what Grace might hope and wish.
‘I’m confident that Juliet is an excellent judge of character, Gracie,’ she said, trying to choose her words with care, ‘but thieves are by their very nature excellent liars. The cleverer the thief, the better they are at concealing the truth.’
‘Thieves don’t come any cleverer than Pegasus,’ said the Chief Inspector. ‘Therefore it stands to reason that he’d be an excellent liar.’
Grace slumped back onto the Chesterfield, deflated. She looked up at Gertrude, an earnest look in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was quiet with regret. ‘I told Juliet that there was no way Herbert could have afforded that ring.’
‘What did your daughter say to that?’
Grace looked up at Lennox. ‘She implied that the stone was new, but the setting was old. Herbert told her the ring was his grandmother’s and that it originally had some cheap stone set in it – I forget exactly what Juliet said. Apparently Herbert wanted something special for Juliet, so he had another diamond set in the ring.’
‘Did he say where he acquired the stone?’
Grace shook her head. ‘He was quite secretive about it, actually, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Juliet wheedled the truth out of him.’ She stared into Gertrude’s eyes. ‘You should know that I don’t really think Juliet would have cared whether it was stolen or not, much as it pains me to say such a thing about my own daughter.’
Gertrude smiled reassuringly. ‘None of us are perfect when it comes to matters of the heart. True love can blind us to the truth. I’ve no doubt that Herbert’s love for Juliet is real enough. He would probably have done anything to show her how much he loves her.’
‘Including giving her a stolen ring?’
‘Well, perhaps not a stolen ring, but it seems likely that the diamond was stolen. I suspect he was telling the truth about his grandmother’s ring.’
Chief Inspector Lennox said: ‘Could you describe Herbert for me please? What
his build is? How tall he is? Hair colour?’
Grace sighed. ‘He’s tall – I’d say getting on for six foot. And skinny as a rake – not an ounce of fat on him. Hair – I’d say dark brown, with matching eyes.’
The relief on Gertrude’s face didn’t pass unnoticed.
‘It would appear then that he is not Pegasus,’ said Lennox, ‘however, that doesn’t let him off the hook completely. He could still be mixed up in things.’
Grace nodded, finally conceding to the fact that she really didn’t know enough about her intended son-in-law to exonerate him. ‘Well, I hope Juliet finds him then, so we can clear things up once and for all.’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Brigadier Barrington-Smythe could feel nothing but relief that the rain had finally stopped. Five days solid was more than enough. As much as the ground may have needed it after such a stupendous summer, the damp affected his sciatica and the pain bordered on unbearable.
He thumped his leg and rubbed it rhythmically for five minutes in readiness for his morning walk. His daily routine had been disrupted by the weather, but he was determined not to make a habit of it. The weather wasn’t going to improve dramatically over the coming months: indeed, it was likely to get worse.
Dr Gillespie had instructed him six months ago to maintain a strict diet and to exercise regularly. He’d complied with the doctor’s orders as best he could, but the past few days had been an ordeal to say the least.
Heading out on the aborted partridge shoot yesterday and then walking over to Castleford Manor had not been his best move. Although the exercise had been good, the damp was hardly beneficial, and he had finally slumped into bed at ten o’clock last night unable to sleep because of the pain.
Pain was one thing he had always been able to block; his army training meant he was able to work through such trivialities and he hadn’t taken an aspirin for a headache in years. The sciatic pain, however, was something altogether new. He didn’t think he’d be able to work through it. At a time in his life when he should be winding down, he should not be gearing up for more agony than he could bear.
Death on Swift Wings (Gertrude Harrington Mysteries Book 1) Page 12