Millicent looked into the old woman’s eyes, noting that they were filled with remorse and compassion. She shook off Gertrude’s hand and laughed incredulously. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Herbert can’t be dead. He and I are leaving this place at the end of the month. That’s why he was calling off his engagement to Juliet. We’re leaving Upper Castleford and never coming back.’
She refused to believe what Gertrude had said, even when the old woman repeated her gentle statement. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she realised Gertrude was serious. ‘What – what happened?’
Gertrude sighed. ‘I really hate to be the bearer of such ill tidings, my dear, but it seems your brother died in the woods between this property and that belonging to Brigadier Barrington-Smythe.’
Millicent’s hand flew to her mouth, stifling a squeal of despair. ‘Do you know who killed him?’
Gertrude fixed the maid with a penetrating stare. ‘Now, I never said he was killed, did I? I just said he died in the woods.’
‘I – well, it’s kind of obvious he was killed, isn’t it,’ Millicent blustered, wiping her eyes.
Gertrude arched an eyebrow. ‘Really? I don’t see how you can jump to that conclusion, just because I’ve said he died in the woods.’
Millicent remained silent, not trusting herself to respond. Gertrude was fishing for answers, and Millicent wasn’t going to make it easy for her.
‘I shall make it easy for you, Miss Carter,’ said Gertrude sharply as though echoing the maid’s thoughts. ‘For the past few weeks the Honourable Henry Clarendon has been living in the woods. He told us – that is Chief Inspector Lennox and myself – everything, and now I need you to tell me things from your perspective to corroborate his version of events.’
‘Did Henry kill my brother?’ gasped Millicent.
Gertrude shook her head. ‘I don’t believe so.’ She reached into the pocket of her cape and withdrew the small pouch of diamonds and emeralds, watching Millicent’s reaction as she tipped them into the palm of her hand. ‘Now, why don’t you tell me everything, from when you discovered Henry sleeping rough in the woods, right up to your involvement with these jewels?’
*
Gertrude left the room some while later, closing the door once more behind her. As she walked along the landing towards the stairs, she heard the door reopen behind her. She turned and saw Millicent exit Lady Castleford’s bedroom. The ashen faced maid glared at her, but walked along the landing in the opposite direction without a word.
As the maid opened one of the other bedroom doors to go about her business, another opened to reveal Henry Clarendon, followed by his mother. The young man looked clean and presentable, having bathed and changed into clean clothing.
‘I thought you were going to have a sleep after your bath,’ Philippa said to her son as they came towards Gertrude.
Henry shook his head, his blond locks flopping with cleanliness. ‘I’m not tired,’ he said. His trajectory took him directly towards Gertrude. He stopped right in front of her. ‘I believe you want to speak to me, don’t you?’
‘What makes you think that, young man?’ said Gertrude.
‘Well, you’ve spoken to Millicent, haven’t you?’
Gertrude nodded. ‘Indeed I have. What she told me is quite illuminating, really.’
‘I can imagine. She probably only told you half the story though, didn’t she?’
‘She told me enough to be able to put the rest together. Maybe you can tell me your side of things, though? There are a couple of things I’m not clear on.’ Gertrude turned to Lady Castleford. ‘Do you think it would be all right to ask your son a few questions?’
‘About what?’
‘About the places you went foraging for food, for instance. And the dead pigeons, and the diamonds.’
‘What diamonds?’ demanded Lady Castleford. ‘What does foraging for food have to do with anything? In fact, what does any of this have to do with my Henry?’
‘Well, if I could sit down alone with your son, with your permission of course, then I could find out for certain how everything is linked.’
Henry turned to Philippa. ‘It’s all right, Mother. I have to do this.’
Lady Castleford seemed uncertain. ‘Are you sure?’
Henry nodded. ‘Why don’t you get Cook to rustle up something to eat, Mother? I shouldn’t be too long.’
When Lady Clarendon departed, Gertrude turned to Henry. ‘Now then, young man, why don’t you start by telling me about the diamonds.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Chief Inspector Lennox watched through the rain as the police car, with Wilkins at the wheel, disappeared through the gates of Castleford Manor. Lennox had asked Lady Castleford’s chauffeur to drive Sergeant Callaghan to the hospital in Kingworthy to get his injury checked out. According to Denham, Callaghan had hit his head on a rock during the tussle with Henry. The head wound wasn’t severe, but the concussion Callaghan had suffered concerned Lennox.
Lennox turned as he sensed a presence behind him, to find Gertrude in the doorway, a sad smile playing on her lips. ‘What are you smiling for,’ he said with a frown. ‘Two murders and another near death should leave little to smile about, Miss Harrington.’
Gertrude came out into the rain, ignoring the fact that her hair was quickly plastered to her face. ‘I’ve had words with the maid, Millicent.’
‘Herbert’s sister?’
‘Yes. I’ve also had a chat h young Henry Clarendon. I suppose he’s the new Earl now, isn’t he?’
Lennox looked hard at Gertrude. He could see the twinkle in her eyes. ‘You know who did it, don’t you?’
‘I have a fair idea, yes. Millicent and Henry told me from their own points of view certain events from recent weeks, including a very important fact concerning someone we have all rather overlooked.’
‘Who?’ demanded Lennox, knowing full well that Gertrude wouldn’t immediately tell him.
‘All in good time, Chief Inspector. First we need proof. Perhaps you’d be good enough to fetch Constable Denham. I feel the need for a brisk walk, and I should like some company.’
Lennox issued forth a low growl of disenchantment from his throat. At times Gertrude was the most annoying old busy body, whilst at other times her sharp mind and keen insight could be a godsend to an investigation. Put the two facets of her personality together, and Gertrude was just plain insufferable.
Lennox adored her for it.
She was someone who kept him on his toes at all times, and without her, any number of crimes might still be unsolved. Sometimes it was just asking the right question of the right person at the right time that revealed the final little piece of the puzzle, and Gertrude had both the personality and the knack of asking that perfect question to make a person open up to her.
‘Would you not prefer to go for a drive rather than a walk?’ Lennox said, disinclined to venture far in the rain.
‘Certainly not,’ said Gertrude almost cruelly. ‘I find the rain greatly stimulates the mind. Go and find Constable Denham.’
Muttering a little more belligerently than he would have liked in the circumstances, Lennox wandered off in search of Constable Denham.
I’m supposed to be in charge of these investigations, he thought. Why am I allowing Gertrude Harrington to boss me around – again?
Oh who am I kidding? She’s clearly cracked the case, proof or not. She’s so much smarter than anyone else here, myself included, that she should have joined the Force!
Gertrude Harrington is in charge of these investigations, and we’re just her flunkeys.
He found Denham still wandering around by the edge of the copse, presumably looking for further clues. ‘Miss Harrington has solved the case.’
Denham turned at the Chief Inspector’s voice. ‘She has? Well I’m not entirely surprised to hear that. So, who did it then?’
Lennox sighed. ‘Do you really think that’s something she’s told me? She wants us to accompany her into the vi
llage, but I’ve no idea why. I think she wants to check something out. Has the body been removed yet?’
Denham nodded. ‘Yes. He was taken to the mortuary about ten minutes ago. I was just checking to see if we’d missed any vital clues.’
‘Well I shouldn’t bother. Come along, Constable – best not keep Miss Harrington waiting.’
They moved back to the driveway, where they joined Gertrude, and the trio walked towards the gates.
‘Are we not taking your car, Chief Inspector?’ asked Denham.
‘Apparently not,’ Lennox sighed. ‘Miss Harrington thinks we should walk in the rain.’
Gertrude chuckled. ‘Oh do listen to yourself, Chief Inspector. It’s just a light shower. It’s nothing compared with what we’ve had in recent days.’
‘I don’t know,’ said Denham, casting his eyes heavenward. ‘It is getting heavier.’
‘Don’t you start, Constable. As I told the Chief Inspector, rain stimulates the mind and makes things clearer. Clarity of thought will bring everything sharply into focus.’
Denham wasn’t convinced. ‘How can rain make things clearer? It just makes me wet and cold.’
‘Being cold and wet makes one concentrate more,’ said Gertrude irritably, as if it was the most obvious answer. ‘Honestly: two men moaning like schoolgirls really is too much.’
Lennox touched Denham’s arm. ‘Let’s grant Gertrude the benefit of experience here. I’m sure she knows what she’s talking about. I’ve learned to trust her judgment, no matter how shaky it might appear to me.’
Gertrude laughed. ‘Benefit of experience, Chief Inspector? Is that your tactful way of saying I’m old?’
Lennox enjoyed the banter, and kept it up with Gertrude for some time, while Denham remained silent.
When the mindless chit-chat finally abated, Denham said: ‘So, where are we going, Miss Harrington?’
‘We’re going into Lower Castleford. Henry and Millicent both told me something that needs a little investigating. It should resolve everything.’
‘Any clues you’d like to give before we reach the village?’ asked Lennox as they crossed the bridge over the River St James and came into view of Lower Castleford’s village green.
‘Well, they both mentioned something about a motorcycle,’ Gertrude said. She left the statement lingering, waiting for the two men to latch on.
‘The same motorcycle that almost ran me down?’ said Denham. ‘And you too!’
Gertrude sounded an affirmative. ‘And have either of you seen a motorcycle in the village?’
Denham and Lennox exchanged glances, and then said that they had not.
‘Henry has. He told me where he saw it, and that’s where we’re going. Millicent also saw one too, whilst going about her – business.’ Gertrude emphasised her last word, giving both men the impression that there was something not quite legal about Millicent’s activity.
‘What has that maid been up to?’ demanded Denham.
Gertrude remained tight lipped. She strode purposefully across the village green, Lennox and Denham right behind her. She passed the public house, veering off to the left instead of continuing on down the lane which was signposted to Lympton-on-Sea, and took the second turning on the right. A short row of terraced houses lay before them, each with neatly tended front gardens, the farthest of which, by far the loveliest garden, was fronted with a neatly clipped yew hedge. This cottage also had side access from the track alongside the River St James, which continued its meandering way along the backs of the gardens and on towards Kingworthy.
‘This is the one,’ said Gertrude, pushing open the side gate.
They found themselves in an immaculate rear garden at the end of which they could see neat rows of vegetables; shrubs had been neatly pruned back and flowers dead-headed, and the lawn was neatly mown. About two-thirds of the way down the garden, a rather ramshackle wooden shed nestled unobtrusively beneath draping fronds of the weeping willows that grew along the river bank.
In front of the shed, an unmistakable shape was covered by a tarpaulin, held down at the corners by a number of bricks.
‘There you are gentlemen,’ said Gertrude, waving her hand triumphantly.
Denham kicked off the bricks and grabbed the nearside corner of the tarpaulin. He hurled it back to reveal the black body of a motorcycle. ‘It’s an Alcyon,’ he said.
Gertrude remembered something her brother had said just before the burglary at Spring Cottage. He’d seen a black motorcycle with its engine running, parked right by the War Memorial. He’d said he thought it said Halcyon on the red petrol tank. She peered at this bike’s red petrol tank, and sure enough it said Alcyon. ‘Constable Denham, I’m most impressed. You clearly know your motorcycles.’
Denham shook his head, offering a wry smile. ‘Not really. Like you, I just read the make on the petrol tank. So, do you think this is the same one that almost ran us both down?’
Gertrude nodded emphatically. ‘Oh yes, Constable, without a doubt.’
Lennox tapped the handlebar. ‘So this is also the one involved in Lord Castleford’s death?’
‘Yes.’ Gertrude faced Lennox. ‘Chief Inspector, I must ask a favour.’
‘Certainly, Gertrude.’
Gertrude took a deep breath. ‘I need to get into the house.’
‘To what end?’
‘I know it’s breaking and entering, but I believe its end justifies the need. Think about what was missing from Lord Castleford’s car.’
Denham snapped his fingers. ‘The blackmail money!’
Gertrude nodded. ‘Precisely. Two thousand pounds in Five-Pound notes.’
Lennox motioned towards the house. ‘And you think we’ll find it in there?’
‘I know we’ll find it in there, Chief Inspector.’
Lennox weighed up the legality of what Gertrude had requested with what would happen should the guilty party return to the house and remove the money – were it actually in the house. ‘Very well,’ he said, making the difficult judgment call. ‘You’ve never been wrong before, and I hope this isn’t the first time.’
Gertrude smiled reassuringly. ‘Don’t worry, Chief Inspector, I’m not wrong.’
Denham cleared his throat. ‘Why don’t you let me do the honours, Chief Inspector? If it all goes wrong, then you can blame me.’
Lennox waved the constable forward. He wasn’t about to argue with his subordinate’s logic. He and Gertrude maintained a discreet distance while Denham tried the back door. Considering the bounty that allegedly lay within, the door was, unsurprisingly, locked. Denham scanned the windows, and noticed one upstairs was slightly ajar. He judged the pitch of the roof of the outbuilding attached to the back of the house, and thought he might just be able to get a purchase on the outbuilding’s roof and manoeuvre himself into a useful position.
After some difficulty, slipping precariously in the rain, he finally managed to grasp hold of the window ledge and levered himself up. He reached through the small open window and unlatched the larger one, which allowed him access.
Gertrude and Lennox, who had both been holding their breath, sighed with relief when he finally scrambled into the house, and they hastened forward waiting for him.
They heard the key turn in the lock, and Denham opened the back door from within. They entered the dingy house, which was not as pristine inside as the garden outside. The owner was obviously more at home tending the garden than inside keeping the house clean and tidy.
‘Thankfully, there appears to be no one home,’ said Denham.
Lennox said: ‘Where do you suppose the money will be hidden?’
‘I suggest we split up and search the house from top to bottom,’ said Gertrude. ‘I’ll take the upstairs, Chief Inspector, you can take this floor, and Constable Denham can take the cellar.’
Denham chose not to argue. As much as he didn’t want to go down into a dark, dank cellar, he felt it was actually the most likely place to stash the large amount of cash. He gue
ssed correctly that the door beneath the stairs led to the cellar, and pulling the light switch that swung before his face, he descended into the gloom.
Twenty minutes later he yelled in triumph and called for the Chief Inspector to assist him.
Gertrude waited in the kitchen as the two men came back up the cellar steps carrying a heavy looking wooden chest. They set it down on the table, and Denham flung open the lid of the chest with a flourish.
Neatly stacked on one side of the chest was a large quantity of Five-Pound notes. Even without counting them, the trio knew there would be almost two thousand pounds.
There were also a large number of broken down pieces of jewellery casually thrown into the chest, and a large cloth bag.
Lennox withdrew the bag and emptied it onto the kitchen table. It was filled with dozens of small pouches, much like the one that Gertrude had found. He tipped the contents of one out into his hand and gasped at the sight of a dozen glittering sapphires and rubies.
Denham opened another, revealing diamonds.
‘I think we’ve found the lair of Pegasus,’ said Lennox proudly. He glanced at Gertrude, noting that she didn’t seem at all surprised by the find. ‘But then, you already knew that, didn’t you?’
Gertrude nodded. ‘Of course I did. Put everything back into the chest. We must return to Castleford Manor, and bring this with us.’
As they tipped the jewels back into the pouches, Lennox said: ‘You know whose house this is, don’t you?’
Again, Gertrude nodded. ‘Yes, Chief Inspector, I do.’ She turned to Denham. ‘I need you to gather together Lady Castleford and her son, all of her staff, Juliet and also the Brigadier and his staff too. Now that we have this evidence, the time has come to confront the guilty parties.’
CHAPTER THIRTY
-1-
With everyone gathered in the drawing room of Castleford Manor, the grand room appeared moderately cramped. Juliet sat unobtrusively at the grand piano, whilst Mr and Mrs Grainger, along with Thomas Sugden, Hester Bloomberg and Sally from Brigadier Barrington-Smythe’s household staff stood uncomfortably by the window. From Castleford Manor, Mr Jackson, Millicent, Wilkins and Parkes stood to the side of the fireplace
Death on Swift Wings (Gertrude Harrington Mysteries Book 1) Page 20