Murder at the Piccadilly Playhouse

by C. J. Archer

  “You gave me a fright.”

  “And you me.” He frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  I showed him the photograph. “Returning this. I borrowed it as part of the investigation. May I come in and talk to you? There has been an arrest.”

  He released a shuddery breath and closed his eyes. “My God. That is wonderful news. Wonderful news, indeed. Thank you, Miss Fox.” He grasped my hand and shook it ferociously. “Thank you for persisting, even after our little disagreement.” He drew me inside and shut the door. “I hope you can forgive me for that. I was in a bit of a state that day, and I took it out on you.”

  I blinked back my surprise. This man confounded me at every turn. Just when I’d made up my mind not to like him, I found that I wanted to forgive him. He’d been dealt a blow recently, and it was understandable that his gentlemanly manners slipped from time to time. We’re all prone to outbursts on occasion.

  We sat in Pearl’s parlor, surrounded by images of her at every turn. It was impossible not to feel a connection with her here, among her things, even though I’d never met her. Yet I felt as though I’d come to know her, in a way. She was a flawed person, certainly, and not someone whose decisions I liked, particularly when it came to Millie, but she was aware of her flaws and tried to do as little harm to those around her as possible. Perhaps Millie was better off with Mr. Larsen than she would have been with parents who didn’t want her. He adored her.

  Lord Rumford listened to my account of how I’d solved the case and of Mrs. Larsen’s arrest. He went a little pale when he learned that Pearl’s own sister had killed her.

  “And all for money, you say,” he murmured. “Dear lord, if only I’d known what would transpire, I’d have given Pearl the money immediately. To think, I could have averted all this.”

  “Don’t blame yourself. Mrs. Larsen was a little mad, I think. If this hadn’t set her off, it would have been something else. She was jealous of Pearl, and angry at her, too. As she saw it, Pearl breezed through life, whereas she felt she had nothing but burdens and troubles.” I shook my head sadly. “If you ask me, she had far more than Pearl. She had a lovely little girl to call her own and a supportive husband who was on her side until the end. If only she could see that her life was as full as Pearl’s, only different.”

  Lord Rumford picked up a photograph of himself and Pearl, staring at the camera. He blinked back tears as he stroked his thumb over Pearl’s image. “She was so lively and so lovely. She didn’t deserve to have her life ended that way.” He released a shuddery breath. “Now she will be forever young, forever beautiful. Forever in my heart.” He kissed the photograph then returned it to the table.

  I sat there, wondering how to broach the subject of payment. People of his ilk didn’t like discussing money, but people like me couldn’t afford not to mention it. “I am sorry to bring this up, my lord, but there’s the matter of my fee. I know we didn’t settle on a sum before this began, and that is entirely my fault, but I’ve had expenses, you see.”

  “Of course, of course.” He pulled out a leather wallet from his inside jacket pocket and fished out some bank notes. “Will this be enough?”

  I smiled, thanked him, and tucked the money into my purse. I gave him the flat key in exchange. “Thank you for trusting me with this investigation.” I rose and he stood too. I put out my hand and he shook it.

  “Thank you, Miss Fox. You have been a revelation.” He followed me to the door, but I could see something else was on his mind. Finally, he got to the point. “Where can I find Pearl’s brother-in-law?”

  After dividing a third of Lord Rumford’s payment among Harmony, Victor, Goliath, Frank and Peter over a cup of tea in the staff parlor, I headed out to the office of Armitage and Associates. I walked in on Mr. Armitage with his feet on the desk, crossed at the ankles, a newspaper in hand. One of Luigi’s coffee cups sat empty on the desk.

  Mr. Armitage lowered his feet and put down the paper. “You no longer feel the need to knock?”

  “I think we’ve gone beyond knocking.” I sat on the guest chair. “I’m practically a member of staff.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  I opened my purse and passed him a bank note.

  He frowned. “What’s this?”

  “A third of Lord Rumford’s fee.”

  He pushed the money back. “Keep it.”

  I slid the note forward again. “You’re entitled to it for all the help you gave me.”

  He picked up the note and rounded the desk. He opened my purse and thrust the note inside before handing me the purse. “If you try to give it to me again, I’ll be insulted. I helped you because I wanted to, not because I expected compensation.” Before I could protest, he continued. “So Rumford came through?”

  “He did. He’s not such a bad sort. He loved Pearl very much, although I’m not sure she deserved it. They were both selfish, in their way, and inconsiderate of others. She of Millie and Mr. Culpepper, and he of his wife.”

  “I feel sorry for her.”

  “Don’t worry about Lady Rumford.” I smiled slyly. “She seems to have found a way to comfort herself.”

  “Oh?”

  “I hear he’s quite handsome, and young.”

  Mr. Armitage laughed softly, not at all shocked. As assistant manager at the Mayfair, I wondered if he’d witnessed similar arrangements between wealthy women and young men. I’m sure those were conducted discreetly, unlike the events of the previous night.

  “Your old position has become vacant again,” I told him. “Mr. Hirst was dismissed for endangering the reputation of the hotel.” At his frown, I added, “He had an arrangement with the procurer of whores that allowed the girls to come and go in the night, with a percentage of their fee going to Mr. Hirst and James.”

  He sat on the edge of the desk and huffed a humorless laugh. “That explains why he was eager to leave his previous employment.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Uncle Alfred wondered why Mr. Hirst wanted to leave a perfectly good position where he would one day take over as manager. It seemed odd that he would go to another position that was exactly the same, not a step up. His references were good, however, and his previous employer spoke highly of him, so Uncle Alfred and Sir Ronald saw no reason not to hire him.”

  “But his previous employer left out the fact he was forced to leave,” I finished. “Most likely because they discovered he had an arrangement with the man known as Tucket to smuggle in his girls. The hotel probably wanted to keep the scandal out of the newspapers so gave him a reference to stop him talking.”

  “Hopefully Hirst won’t stir up trouble for the Mayfair.”

  Mr. Hirst might not go to the newspapers, but he had already stirred up trouble for me with my uncle. I wouldn’t worry Mr. Armitage with that, however. I didn’t want him to feel compelled to change the nature of our friendship.

  Mr. Armitage crossed his arms and ankles. “Two crimes solved. What a day you had yesterday.”

  “It was a most satisfying day.” I rose and put out my hand. “Thank you again, although I wish you’d accept some payment for your trouble.”

  He shook my hand. The pressure was firm but not hard, and I could still feel it after he let go. “Goodbye, Miss Fox.”

  “Good day, not goodbye. I’m sure we’ll see one another soon.”

  “I don’t see why, unless you know something I don’t.”

  I simply smiled and gave him a little wave as I left.

  I made one more stop on the way home, via Fleet Street, then spent the rest of the day avoiding my uncle. While I knew the lecture was coming, I wanted to delay it as long as possible.

  The following morning, Harmony brought in my breakfast tray with a copy of the newspaper I’d requested. A letter sat on the top of the folded paper. She poured coffee from the pot while I read it.

  “It’s from Mr. Larsen. How lovely of him to write.” I scanned the untidy scrawl but struggled to see the end of it through my tears.
“Oh. I shall never say a bad word about Lord Rumford again.”

  Harmony accepted the letter from me and read it. She gasped when she reached the part that had brought tears to my eyes.

  Lord Rumford had called on Mr. Larsen and Millie the afternoon before. He’d given Mr. Larsen a sum to pay for his relocation closer to the school for blind children. Millie would attend all day classes there while Mr. Larsen worked in his new job as a foreman at a factory. Lord Rumford, as an investor in the factory, had obtained the job for him.

  Harmony blinked back tears as she folded the letter up. “I still don’t like that he kept a mistress. But I can forgive him a little.”

  “I think we should. It seems like he loved Pearl. Anyway, by all accounts, his wife is enjoying herself with her lover. If Lord and Lady Rumford’s arrangement works for them, who are we to judge them harshly?”

  She handed me a cup of coffee then sat back, blowing on hers to cool it. “I suppose not everyone is wholly bad.”

  “True. Even Mrs. Larsen had her good points. I think she did want Millie to attend that school or she wouldn’t have asked her sister for the money.”

  Harmony didn’t seem quite so convinced, however. “I reckon she only wanted her to go so she wouldn’t have Millie around all day. It was a way to get rid of her. You know, I’ve noticed that about you.”

  “Noticed what?”

  “That you tend to see the good in people.” She lifted the lid on the platter of breakfast, which was enough for both of us. The kitchen staff knew to add more, now, and not let their superiors find out. “You might want to stop that if you wish to make a go of the detective business. You ought to think everyone’s guilty and wait for them to prove otherwise. It’ll make the task of investigating easier.”

  I pulled a face. “No thanks. I prefer my way.”

  I picked up the newspaper and was pleased to see the solving of Pearl’s murder had made the front page. I quickly scanned the words for names, then re-read it to make sure mine didn’t appear anywhere. It did not. But one did.

  I smiled into my cup as I sipped but Harmony noticed.

  “You don’t happen to know who told the journalist that Armitage and Associates helped the police solve the case, do you?” she asked, oh-so-innocently.

  I sipped so I couldn’t answer.

  “Odd that the only newspaper that mentions Armitage and Associates in relation to the case is this one. The same one you requested to see this morning.”

  “Mr. Armitage refused payment for helping me, so I had to get creative. It wasn’t right that he received nothing for his efforts. This way, I get his portion of the fee as well as my own, and he receives free advertising.”

  “I wager the mention in the paper will ultimately be more beneficial to him than his portion of Lord Rumford’s fee.”

  I grinned. “I hope so.”

  She passed me a plate and cutlery. “He’ll feel like he owes you.”

  “His thanks will be more than enough. However, if he does feel the need to thank me in other ways, I’ll suggest he paints my name on his office door. Armitage and Fox Detective Agency sounds very professional, don’t you think?”

  Harmony did something rare—she tipped her head back and laughed.

  * * *

  Available 7th December 2021:

  MURDER IN THE DRAWING ROOM

  The 3rd Cleopatra Fox Mystery

  A Message From The Author

  I hope you enjoyed reading MURDER AT THE PICCADILLY PLAYHOUSE as much as I enjoyed writing it. As an independent author, getting the word out about my book is vital to its success, so if you liked this book please consider telling your friends and writing a review at the store where you purchased it. If you would like to be contacted when I release a new book, subscribe to my newsletter at http://cjarcher.com/contact-cj/newsletter/. You will only be contacted when I have a new book out.

  Also by C.J. Archer

  SERIES WITH 2 OR MORE BOOKS

  Cleopatra Fox Mysteries

  After The Rift

  Glass and Steele

  The Ministry of Curiosities Series

  The Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy

  The 1st Freak House Trilogy

  The 2nd Freak House Trilogy

  The 3rd Freak House Trilogy

  The Assassins Guild Series

  Lord Hawkesbury's Players Series

  Witch Born

  SINGLE TITLES NOT IN A SERIES

  Courting His Countess

  Surrender

  Redemption

  The Mercenary's Price

  About the Author

  C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She spent her early childhood in the dramatic beauty of outback Queensland, Australia, but now lives in suburban Melbourne with her husband, two children and a mischievous black & white cat named Coco.

  Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter through her website to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways. Her website also contains up to date details on all her books: http://cjarcher.com She loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through email cj@cjarcher.com or follow her on social media to get the latest updates on her books: