by Laura Walker
'I didn’t do it.'
'Do you know the combination?'
'No.'
'Where were you on the morning of the twenty first, at ten?'
'I was at home.'
'Can anyone vouch for you?'
'Celia.'
'Have you ever owned a black saloon car?'
'What. No, I have not. Hate saloons. I’m a classic car man.'
'He doesn’t look too happy.' Mr Alan Sanderson said watching the scene through the patio doors in the drawing room. He was stood next to his son George by the fireplace. Aida was sprawled on the divan looking out also, an amused look on her face.
'What are you looking so smug for, Aida? Are you the thief?' George teased.
'Of course not. I think Mr Dukesbury could be though. He looks so angry.' She said with a giggle.
'Oh, you find this all so amusing don’t you. You sassy brat.' Celia Dukesbury cried springing up out of her chair by the patio doors and rushing for Aida. Madame Genevieve pulled her back.
'Calm down, Celia.' She said soothingly.
Celia burst into tears and Aida rolled her eyes at her.
'Inspector. Can I have your permission to take Celia to her room? She needs a sedative.' Madame Genevieve called through the patio doors.
Hadley nodded.
'Celia. Don’t be a fool. I’ve nothing to hide.' John cried standing in the doorway.
'You may go for the time being. I’ve no further questions.' Hadley said and followed him into the drawing room, his hands in his pockets.
'Sir.' Scallop called appearing in the drawing room at that moment.
'What is it?'
'You're needed upstairs. There has been a development.'
Hadley followed him to the second floor where some of the officers were examining one of the empty rooms. The windows leading out onto the balcony were wide open and two officers were leaning out examining something beneath.
'What have you found?' Hadley asked standing behind them.
'Ah, Sir. There are some recent scuff marks here as though someone has climbed the wall. Lady Chalem and Mrs Hutchington say they are new as far as they are aware.' Said the Officer in charge of searching the rooms as he pointed to the wall beneath the balcony.
Hadley leaned over the balcony to take a look.
'I can see them. I’ll go to the bottom and examine the wall from the outside.'
'Right, Sir.'
After examining the wall thoughtfully for some minutes, Hadley searched around the ground.
'There are no footprints around here. The ground hasn’t been disturbed at all. Looks a little too perfectly placed for a break-in but that could be how the thief planned it to look.' He said to Scallop beside him who nodded in agreement.
He spun around and examined the bushes nearby, his eyes coming to resting on something white coiled around one of them. He put on his brown leather gloves and pulled on it. It revealed itself as a long piece of rope, long enough to reach the balcony above.
'Hmm. The thief could have used this but again, it seems too conveniently placed.'
'It does, Sir. I agree.'
He and Scallop walked back to the house and left the rope with one of his officers with instructions to check it for fingerprints. He then went back to the drawing room where the remaining guests were waiting to be interviewed.
'Mr Alan Sanderson. Can I speak with you please?' He asked from the doorway.
Mr Sanderson sprung up as if excited by the prospect and Hadley felt this was a typical reaction to someone who had nothing but contempt for the law, feeling himself above it.
'Ask away, Inspector. I am most interested in psychology and will answer any questions that can help catch this thief.' He said sitting up straight and looking Hadley in the eyes confidently.
'Have you ever owned a black saloon car, Mr Sanderson?' Hadley said looking him straight back in the eyes sternly. He had no time for such gentlemen who felt nothing but disdain for the law.
'Never in my life. What has that to do with anything?'
'Alright, where were you on the morning of the twenty-first?' Hadley asked ignoring his question.
Mr Sanderson folded his arms and looked at him smugly.
'You’re a hard one, Inspector. You think you can put the blame onto anyone because you have a badge, that says you’re a DI.'
'Please answer the Inspector’s questions, Mr Sanderson.' Scallop said from his left.
'Let me see. The morning of the twenty-first. After the party. I was at my club. It’s rather a personal matter, I’m afraid. I would appreciate if my wife wasn’t to find out, if you know what I mean?'
'I know exactly what you mean, Mr Sanderson. Can anyone vouch for you?' Hadley asked.
Mr Sanderson took out a card and placed it on the table in front of him. Hadley picked it up. It had the name: Mimi Haim, written on it.
'Fine. I’ll check with her. Could anyone have found out about this liaison?'
'No, Inspector.'
'Let me take you back to last night, you were absent from the room for about half an hour in all, if I remember rightly. Where did you go?'
'I went outside to get some fresh air. I was only on the terrace but no one saw me.'
'The whole time?'
'The whole time.'
'Why did you leave Hertfordshire? Was it just a coincidence that this move coincided with around about the time the newspapers published an article about the Galitzi diamonds? Did you move here to get close to the Galitzi’s? The liaison at your club must be expensive? Did you need money?' Hadley fired at him interrogatorily.
'Steady on, Inspector. I cannot go into details about why we moved here but I can assure you it had nothing to do with those diamonds.'
'Still, I need you to give me a reason.'
'Does it have anything to do with this?' Scallop put in sliding The Hertfordshire Times newspaper, dated back a few months across the table. Scallop had been doing his homework.
The heading read:
‘Local gentleman In Gambling gaff’.
Mr Sanderson winced as he glanced at the heading.
'You people. You really have to dig the dirt on everyone, don’t you?' He sneered.
'This is your son, George Sanderson, isn’t it?' Hadley asked.
'Yes.' He hissed.
'You needed money to pay off your son's gambling debts and you also needed a fresh start. Where better than where you can get in with the Galitzi’s and see if an opportunity to steal the diamonds presented itself. Here was your perfect opportunity.' Hadley roared banging his fist on the table.
'Ah, you don’t know what you’re talking about, Inspector. You have nothing on me.'
'I would like to speak to your son now. Send him in.'
'Fine but you’ll get nothing out of him. He has nothing to hide.'
'Let us decide that.'
CHAPTER TEN
'I don’t like him, Sir.' Scallop said emphatically while they waited for George Sanderson.
'No, something smells fishy.' Hadley said thoughtfully.
'He didn’t like you mentioning the gambling.'
'No and he was far too keen to be questioned initially. That smacks of guilt.'
'Ah, George. Take a seat, please.' Hadley said when he entered the room.
'What did you say to father? He seemed most put out.' George said as he took his seat.
'I have a fair idea you already know the answer to that, Mr Sanderson. Am I right?'
'You mean about the gambling?'
'Yes.'
'Guilty as charged, I am afraid, but I didn’t steal the diamonds. I have got myself back on track now.' George said good naturedly.
'But you needed money?'
'We all need money, Inspector. I was a gambler, I am no longer a gambler. That is all there is to it. I am no thief.'
'Yet, gambling is the next best thing to theft, Mr Sanderson.'
'That may well be true but there is no law against it, is there?'
&nbs
p; 'You were nowhere near Lord Galitzi’s dressing room then last evening?'
'No.'
'You were nowhere near the Starling bridge on the morning after Galitzi’s party?'
'Is that relevant?'
'Yes.'
'I don’t think so. I had a lazy day. Stayed in all day.'
'Was there anyone else at home who can confirm this?'
'My mother was in bed for most of the morning and Aida was out riding.'
'Right. Can you send your sister in on your way out?'
Hadley waited for Miss Sanderson with some trepidation. It was an awkward meeting for him and he wasn’t sure how to approach it.
She, however, strode confidently into the room and seemed unconcerned. She sat up straight, her head held high and smoothed down her dress, then placed her hands one over the other on her lap. Hadley waited for her to get comfortable before getting started.
She smiled at him to indicate that she was ready.
'Miss Sanderson. Did you know about your brother’s gambling problem?' He asked in a more gentle tone.
'Of course, Inspector. It was a big scandal in Hertfordshire. That is why we came here.' She said still smiling.
'So, you're saying that is why you came to London?'
'That is correct. You can disappear to a certain extent in London, can’t you?'
'Was it your father’s idea to move to London?'
'I believe so, yes. I just did as I was told.' She said giggling.
'This is a serious investigation, Miss Sanderson. Though you seem to find it so amusing for some reason.' Hadley said irritated by her casual manner.
'Sorry. No one has died though, have they, Inspector? You need to lighten up a little. You're so buttoned up all the time.' She said a little playfully.
'The diamonds mean a lot to the Galitzi’s, they are a family heirloom and are worth a great deal of money.' He said firmly.
'I know that, Inspector. I am not stupid.' She said vexed.
'You left the room at least once last evening?' He asked ignoring her last statement.
'Twice, Inspector, actually. Don’t you remember?' She teased.
'That doesn’t count, Miss Sanderson, as I can vouch for you. Did you go anywhere near Galitzi’s dressing room?'
'I don’t make it a habit of going near men’s dressing rooms, actually.' She said placing a hand on her chest with offended dignity.
'That’s a no, then?'
'Of course.'
'I need to ask you what you were doing on the morning after Galitzi’s party.' Hadley said avoiding her gaze for the first time during the interview. He didn’t feel comfortable with the thought that she had tried to kill him.
She fell silent for a moment as though trying to remember.
'That’s right. I remember I had a headache that morning which is unusual for me. I am not as frivolous as Celia Dukesbury, having to go to bed on the first sign something is wrong. I went out riding to clear my head.'
'Where did you go?'
'Just along the country lanes. Don’t ask me where.'
'Did you see anyone?'
'Not a soul, I’m afraid.'
'You were nowhere near the Starling bridge?'
'I wouldn’t know where that was. Why do you want to know this?'
'Because, Miss Sanderson. Someone, who I believe to be the thief, tried to gun me down on the bridge that morning.'
There was silence and when Hadley looked up her face was ashen and the smile had gone from her face. She became agitated for the first time since he had seen her.
'You were nowhere near the bridge?' He repeated.
'You actually think that I could be responsible for that? That I would wish to harm you?' She said in a whisper.
'I don’t know, Miss Sanderson. I have to ask these questions.'
'You think that it was the thief, because?'
'Whoever stole the diamonds has been on the lookout for the perfect opportunity to get their hands on them. They must have found out that I was posted by Galitzi to watch out for anything suspicious and tried to get rid of me, so their plot could go ahead.
'How do you suppose they would have found out?'
'I can’t discuss it anymore with you, Miss Sanderson, as you are a suspect.'
She started to fiddle anxiously with the sleeve of her dress.
'Is there anything else you’d like to tell me that you think would be relevant to the case?' Hadley asked.
She avoided his gaze and took a deep breath before replying.
'I don’t think so. Can I go now?'
Hadley nodded and she hurriedly left the room.
'I think she is hiding something, Sir.' Scallop said.
'My thought exactly, Scallop. Though what, I can hardly make out.'
Hadley retreated into deep thought and Scallop stayed respectfully still and quiet to give him time to think.
Why was she weeping on the balcony before I came upon her? There is another reason. Either she knows something about the case or who did it and she’s too afraid to say or she has a secret she would like to keep hidden.
Mrs Sanderson was called in next and she also reluctantly confirmed her son’s gambling problem and also admitted that was the reason they left London.
She had said she was at home in bed on the morning after the party and that her son was in the whole morning.
'Well, Scallop. These are proving a tricky list of suspects.' He said once she had left.
'They are, Sir. Do you have any one of them in mind?'
Hadley rubbed his face in his hands in frustration.
'Any of them could have done it, Scallop. None of them have alibis for either trying to run me down or for stealing the diamonds. All of them have motive too. Some we know and others, it seems, are hiding it.'
'You don’t think it could have been a break-in?'
Hadley shook his head.
'It was not a break-in, Scallop. I am almost certain the thief made it look like a break-in. Everything was just too perfectly placed.'
'Where do we go from here then, Sir? Shall we interview the remaining guests?'
'Not yet, Scallop. I think we need to see what, if anything, the search of the guest bedrooms has come up with.'
'Right you are, Sir.'
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The officers dispatched to search the guest’s rooms had found nothing of interest. They found no fingerprints on the rope as Hadley had expected. The diamonds were nowhere to be found and Hadley wondered where they could have been hidden yet, he knew that hidden they were. Unless someone had slipped away in the middle of the night but that wasn’t possible as a sergeant had been posted at the door to stand guard.
*
Hadley, who had supposedly retired for the night, sat at a desk in his room deep in thought. He wore a shirt over his trousers and slightly unbuttoned at his chest. There were papers pertaining to the case spread in front of him.
Where could they have hidden the diamonds? It must be somewhere secure. Did they manage to sneak out in the night? Not likely.
We are dealing with someone very clever.
Who was the spirally haired gentleman? Was he watching Galitzi? We need to trace his car. I think the secret lies with him?
What about Aida? What was she hiding? Could she have tried to kill me? Maybe she is trying to get close to me to throw me off the scent?
A knock at the door startled him out of his reverie and he went to answer it. Swinging open the door he expected to see Scallop or one of his officers stood behind it, but he was startled to find that it was Aida Sanderson. She was dressed in a flimsy white cotton night gown and thin white dressing gown and her face was as pale as both. She had a look of guilt about her.
'Miss Sanderson?' Hadley said surprised.
She turned and looked up and down the corridor uneasily.
'Please can I step in a moment? I need to speak with you.' She said in a quivering voice.
'I’m not sure that is a good idea.'
>
'Please, it won’t take a minute.' She pleaded.
'Alright.' He said stepping aside for her to enter, his hand was still on the door so she had to duck underneath his arm to enter.
Hadley rushed in behind her and covered the papers on his desk before she could see them, then turned to her. She had seated herself on the edge of his bed hugging herself and looking down at the floor.
'Have you come to tell me what you're hiding?' Hadley asked folding his arms.
She looked up surprised.
'Oh, I know you're hiding something, Miss Sanderson. I will find out eventually so you may as well be honest with me this time.'
She fidgeted agitatedly and tried to speak but she found she couldn’t. She didn’t feel comfortable under his penetrating gaze. She couldn’t look into his lovely grey eyes that were once so attractive to her. Now they filled her with dread.
'What were you crying about on the balcony, the night the diamonds were stolen?' Hadley prompted.
'I. um. Well, I was crying about you. You were not paying me enough attention.' She said hesitantly.
'That’s what I thought, at first, but since the diamonds have gone missing I can’t help but think there was more behind it. Something to do with the diamonds. You like diamonds, don’t you? You wear plenty of them. Either in your hair or on your dress and they do say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. The thief could most likely be a woman.'
'You are good at this detecting, aren’t you?'
'So I’ve been told. What was behind it, Miss Sanderson?'
She took a deep breath before plunging into her story.
'It was years ago, I was just a kid when it happened. I had just turned sixteen to be precise. I was staying at a friend’s house. A very rich friend. You are right, diamonds are a girl’s best friend and she had plenty of them. I however, had none. We were quite poor back then, you know? It is only in recent years that we have made our fortune. So, I didn’t see any harm in taking a few. She wouldn’t miss them. That is how I justified it to myself. There they were in a draw. It couldn’t have been easier. I slipped a few in my pocket.'
Hadley’s eyes narrowed. He could hardly bare to hear this! The woman he loved to confess to such a crime! He turned away in anger.
'You should have told me this before. You must imagine what I must think. This makes you the prime suspect, especially as you tried to conceal it from me.' He roared pacing the room.