‘How dare you, Giles,’ said a vociferous Walter. ‘To suggest that one of us contributed to Mark’s death is tantamount to saying that he was denied the help we all tried to give him. You of all people, Giles. I’m shocked. And so should you be. Mark was always warned to stay away from the basement and when he felt ill he was taken to the Green Room and looked after by one of the cast. Everyone, especially his nephews who were always first to rush to his aid, tried their best to assist him in overcoming his phobia. That bloody curse not only affected him but his entire family. I think you should apologise.’
‘That will be no problem, Walter. An apology will be forthcoming if my reasoning proves wrong. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say. The explanation I give for each strange event will be mine and mine alone. I’ll be relaying my own thoughts and it will be you and your cast who’ll decide whether I’m accurate or not.’
‘Oh we’ll listen to you, Professor Dawson,’ said Walter. ‘We’ll listen to what you have to say. But have you given one single thought about what you’ll have done if you’re wrong. You say you came here as a magician. And if you’re wrong that’s how you’ll leave here. As a magician, but despised by a cast who once held you in regard. If you claim that a member of the cast committed murder and you have to apologise for being wrong you’ll have branded an innocent being as a potential murderer. I will never forgive you for that. And neither will the cast.’
There was a pause as Walter took a sip of champagne and Giles was able to note how the actors responded to Walter’s words with their overwhelming applause.
‘Let me remind you Professor, that Mark is dead. According to the hospital he died of fright and that ties in with everything we all knew about him. His innate fear of an Egyptian curse. His aversion to ghosts and his fertile imagination much of which he was able to use when writing The Cinderella Murders. Why can’t things be left like that? Or are you deliberately trying to ruin his play? Whatever your theories as a detective are, you can never prove anything without a shadow of a doubt.’
‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Walter. I have no intention to ruin his play. On the contrary. Without doing what I intend to do could well result in the play being ruined. There would always be the possibility in everyone’s mind that Mark’s sudden death was not what it appeared to be and that would defeat so many things. After all it is now my turn to remind you. So many strange things have happened that require an explanation. An explanation you and your cast might appreciate and an explanation that changes everything. I have already said I’ll apologise if I’m wrong but I’m confident that won’t be necessary. You see, Walter, you say I can’t prove anything. But that’s where you’re wrong. I know who killed Mark and I’ll prove it without a shadow of a doubt. You may be surprised, Walter. And, come to think of it, it may well be you who has to apologise. Drink your champagne to Mark and the success of his play, and I include you as the co-author, Walter. When I go over all the unexplainable happenings I’ll be pleased to answer all questions from you and your cast. By the time I’ve finished I guarantee I’ll have proved why poor Mark’s life ended because he was literally scared to death.’
Chapter 26
THE GAME’S UP
Looking at the astonished and mistrustful faces of some members of the cast Giles quickly became aware that he had a task on his hands. ‘I first met Mark,’ he said, ‘when he arrived at Maskelyne Hall to find out if I was prepared to devise illusions that could be produced on stage. He hoped such illusions could be staged in the play you’ve been rehearsing. My first impression was that he was a man with a serious problem especially when he related the tale of the curse that had bedevilled him for years. When I mentioned that my colleague Freddie and I were members of the Ghost Club he gasped and looked ill at ease. Later, when you all came to Maskelyne Hall for the first reading of his play I was introduced to Jane Ferris, who was to play the Fairy-Godmother, and when I asked Jane if she had a speaking part or if she was to appear as a ghost the colour drained from Mark’s face. We now know that Mark’s apprehension of the curse worsened tremendously the longer we remained in this ghostly theatre. I was curious about this. After living with the dread of this curse for years it appeared to be highly unlikely that a few days in a haunted theatre should provoke such a rapid deterioration in his condition. There had to be another factor that would account for this. But that was the conundrum I was faced with. When a series of strange incidents took place it occurred to me, in hindsight, that they might have something to do with Mark’s decline. So I went back over those trying to get them all in sequence. Here’s what I came up with.
Let me open with two incidents involving the first member of the cast. One happened shortly after Mark’s visit to one of the dressing rooms when he heard female voices but on going into the room he found it empty. No one paid much attention to this as Mark was known to be disproportionately affected by the many strange sounds to be heard in this theatre. But when the Brigadier was to make his first entrance on stage through the open French windows he said he also heard voices causing him to make a hash of his lines. The second occasion involving the Brigadier was when he was back stage waiting to come on. Once again he claimed he heard voices, but from the area on stage where the Brigadier was waiting it was impossible for him to hear voices that were not audible to the other actors on stage. Naturally, the Brigadier was greatly perturbed. I therefore came to the conclusion that the Brigadier has a fertile imagination that on those two occasions got the better of him. Nothing more than that. That imagination is such that it enables him to play the part of the Brigadier with conviction. In other words I believe he was perfectly typecast.’
‘Are you saying I’m not a suspect?’ asked the Brigadier.
‘No I’m not saying that but I don’t include those two incidents as part of what I call the elaborate plot.’
Giles could see by the look on the Brigadier’s face that he was instantly relieved. ‘The first major incident that was extremely difficult to explain was the shooting by an unknown person that apparently resulted in Cyril being shot. He was pronounced dead and DS Miller and DC Watson were called in. When they went to examine the body it had disappeared and as that baffling event requires a lot of explanation I would prefer to leave that until later as it has a significant part to play in what I’ve described as an elaborate plot.’
‘Can I ask you a question, Giles?’ It was the Fairy Godmother, still holding her glass of champagne.
‘By all means.’
‘When I alerted everyone that I thought Mark had seen a ghost, Mark was in a state of shock and told everyone that he’d seen someone who looked like Cyril with a pale face and blood all over an arm. Was he hallucinating or do you think he was actually telling the truth?’
‘A very good question my dear. As that incident occurred while Cyril was missing after the shooting, when he was declared dead and then disappeared, I’d rather leave that also until later, as both happenings were connected.’
‘I’m sure you must know what you’re doing.’
‘Thank you Fairy Godmother. Indeed I do. Indeed I do.
Let me now deal with the first major incident after the shooting and subsequent disappearance of Cyril. This happened during the second attempt of the newly introduced illusion using the identical twins as a double act. The illusion was the vanish and return one when someone disappears on stage followed immediately by the same person reappearing from somewhere quite a distance away in the theatre. Using look-alikes this can be quite dramatic and when Dicky was to fall through the trap door Cyril was to appear at the back of the auditorium as if by magic. When Cyril failed to appear from the door to the foyer it was found that he’d been struck on the head by a person or persons unknown. While Mark and Walter, who were first on the scene, were discussing who had the opportunity to commit such an aggressive act they came to the conclusion that only the Fairy Godmother, Grizelda, Cindy or the Brigadier had the opportunity. At that point I stated
that I knew of one other person who had the opportunity.’
‘That’s right. I remember you saying that.’ The Fairy Godmother prompted.
‘But you never revealed the name of that person, did you,’ said Walter, his tone of voice showing how sharp-witted he thought he was.
‘No I didn’t. I thought that if you used your intelligence you might come up with the same name.’
‘I suppose that was another of your magic tricks Mister Magician when you make a statement that appears impossible and then refuse to give an answer. That leaves everyone thinking there may be an answer that defies the capability of everyone except the person making the statement.’
‘But that’s where you’re wrong, Walter. You missed the one person who had the best opportunity.’
‘And who was that? The invisible man?’
‘You could say that Walter. You don’t know how close you are to the truth,’ said Giles smiling. ‘The one who had the best opportunity was Cyril himself.’
The audible gasp from the cast was explosive.
‘What the hell do you mean by that, Giles?’
‘Simply this. I was there when Cyril appeared to be dazed. And remember he is a good actor. In fact a very good actor. We listened to everything he had to say and accepted everything he said about being struck on the head. But did anyone examine his head? No! We took everything at face value. But look at the facts. He could easily tell a pack of lies and get away with it.’ At that Cyril got to his feet, glared at Giles and shook his head.
‘But for what purpose?’ asked Walter, looking rather deflated.
‘Ah, the motive,’ said Giles. ‘I think he wished to put the blame on those other than himself. It could serve as an alibi. A possible attempt to be excused from any involvement in what I continue to refer to as an elaborate plot. A plot I intend to reveal later when the real motive for a deadly crime will rear its ugly head. Whatever his motive it certainly worked. For the one person that no-one considered as having opportunity was Cyril. He wished everyone to believe that someone had a grudge against him. I’m sure of that and believe there was an ulterior motive behind it.’
Giles waited to see if there were any questions from the group but they all seemed nonplussed at what they were hearing.
‘I now come to the next incident that happened soon after Cyril’s putative bump on the head. Cyril had gone to the Green Room to recuperate and Mark had taken his place in the vanish-and-return illusion. On this occasion it was Mark who failed to appear from the foyer door at the rear of the auditorium. He was in a state of collapse and appeared dumbstruck. When he eventually could speak he said he’d been talked to by a ghost. A ghost who told him his time had almost come and that the curse would avenge all that had gone before. I’m sure everyone thought he was hallucinating again or, for some of you, you may even have believed that indeed a real ghost had talked to him. But a ghost in this theatre would never have talked about a mummy’s curse. Mark must have been talked to by someone alive and of flesh and blood but that was inconceivable as everyone in the theatre who had the opportunity to speak to Mark was already on stage or in the auditorium. That of course wasn’t true. There was one person recuperating in the Green Room from a so called blow on the head. His name was Cyril. I leave you all to make your own deduction as to who might have voiced such devastating words to Mark. To help you make your mind up let me just say that when Laura, Freddie and I went to the Green Room to see how Cyril was before we came to the auditorium to hear of Mark’s ghostly experience Cyril was apparently asleep but was flushed and out of breath as if he’d been running. Cyril was the one person who could have had the opportunity to be the ghostly voice and still get back to the Green Room giving the appearance he’d been there all the time.’
The gasp of disbelief from Walter and the cast was more marked than before and was followed by a stunned silence as the actors gazed at each other with consternation. Giles didn’t wait for any questions and hurried on to the next questionable incident.
‘What happened next was Mark’s frothing at the mouth while he rested in the Green Room. This was brought to the attention of those on stage by the Fairy Godmother who had relieved Dicky and Cyril from their watch with Mark. It was you Walter who asked if Mark was now going mad but I believe I dismissed this without any explanation. If Mark was not having some sort of fit what could possibly have caused him to froth at the mouth? The obvious answer to that is simply this. He could have been given a tablet to swallow by someone in the room with him. And that person with the perfect opportunity was the Fairy Godmother.’
‘How dare you, Giles. How dare you suggest that I gave Mark a pill or tablet that could make him froth at the mouth? I’m deeply offended. As you can see.’
‘I don’t doubt that you would be, Fairy Godmother, if I’d suggested you gave him a tablet. But I didn’t say that. All I said was that you had the perfect opportunity. But there were two others in the Green Room before you relieved them. Dicky and Cyril had the opportunity to perform such an act and could have done so just before being relieved and Mark would never have been suspicious of anything given to him by his nephews. Would he? And lo and behold once again the name of Cyril looms large.’
Giles glanced across the room to watch if Cyril was showing any adverse reaction. There was nothing untoward except a tightening of lips and the impassive stare of eyes. But underneath Giles could detect a loathing. Etched on his face was a profound hatred of Giles’ every word.
Looking away and clearing his throat with a characteristic cough Giles went on to describe the next incident that had occurred. ‘Poor Cyril,’ he said, his shake of the head appearing forlorn. ‘Poor Cyril was once more involved when he again failed to appear from the foyer door during a re-run of the double illusion. When the doorway was checked Cyril had apparently disappeared but was afterwards found slouched on the floor. The area was poorly lit. He claimed he’d lost the power of his legs for some reason and was unable to take an active part in the illusion. He wondered if the Egyptian curse was now causing problems with every member of Mark’s family. Did Cyril actually lose the power of his legs? I doubt it and at the time we only had his word for it. Cyril’s name jumps out at us once more I’m afraid.’
‘Aren’t you being unjust at singling out Cyril in each of the questionable incidents, Giles?’ said Cindy. ‘After all I remember you saying that his motive was to show that someone had a grudge against him. Perhaps he was right and someone does have a grudge against him. And in each case it seems to me that,’ Cindy paused, overcome with anger, then, with an effort, added ‘or are you accusing someone else?’
‘At the moment, Cindy, I am making no accusations. I am stating facts and giving you all what I consider to be logical conclusions. All my statements will prove to be justified, I assure you. Just bear me out for the time being.’
There was no comment from Cindy. Just a nod of the head from her as if to say she’d wait but was as yet unconvinced. As there were no questions from any of the others Giles pressed on.
‘During the run-through of the play there was a very strange incident during the illusion scene when one of the twins stabbed the other with a dagger causing blood to ooze from the wound. Instead of it being stage blood it turned out to be very real blood indeed because the trick dagger had been substituted by a faulty theatre dagger. This time it was Dicky who was injured. On examination I found this dagger was unable to be fully retracted. Though blunt, it was capable of inflicting injury if sufficient force was used. Someone had to have changed the daggers but who had done so? I said at the time that the twins should have realised the difference as the dagger intended to be used in my illusion was unlike any of the ones belonging to the theatre. Who had changed the daggers? The obvious person would be the one who stabbed Dicky. And that person of course was Cyril. On the other hand it’s entirely conceivable that the switch was made by both of them. Cyril and Dicky.’
‘But why, for God’s sake, would they do t
hat when they knew one of them would get hurt?’ Walter’s outburst was exactly what Giles was waiting for.
‘Quite simply this, Walter. It was the perfect ploy to throw suspicion on anyone but themselves. A small wound might have been considered to be a price to pay for getting them off the hook. And it almost worked. In fact the same devise took place towards the end of the run-through when Cindy had to shoot Cyril. She didn’t fire the gun because she knew it wasn’t the same gun she had previously used in rehearsals. The guns had been switched in the same way as the daggers and it seemed that once again Cyril and Dicky might have been trying to throw blame on others.’
‘Were our two young actors playing a childish prank?’ asked the Brigadier. ‘Did they think they could have a laugh at our expense?’
‘Quite the opposite. There was a purpose behind everything that took place and Cyril was at the forefront. But that brings me to the shattering incident that occurred a few hours ago. The sudden death of your playwright, Mark Armstrong. Undoubtedly he died of fright. The pathologist’s report is unequivocal. But I go further when I say I’m sure he was murdered. I know he was murdered and I can prove it. But this may come as a surprise to you after all I have said about Cyril. The person who murdered Mark was not Cyril. But that person is still in this room and is listening to me now. For someone – the game’s up.’
The Cinderella Murders Page 22