The Penny Green series Box Set

by Emily Organ

  “Miss Green.” Cullen stood up immediately and Sir Edmund and Hugh Dowdeswell followed suit.

  “What the deuce are you doing here?” asked Cullen. “Whatever has happened? You look as though you have just run across London.”

  “There is a man here whom we need to apprehend. It is the same man who was seen climbing over the fence of Highgate Cemetery the night Lizzie died. Dark suit, tweed cap. I have just been chasing him, but he got away, I think he could still be in the hotel if we are quick enough. Come, Inspector, let’s find him so you can make the arrest.”

  “Hold your horses,” replied Cullen. “I have no idea what you are talking about. Which man?”

  “You will find his details in the case file. He was seen on the night Lizzie died. Climbing over the fence.”

  “Yes, yes, you said that. But I still don’t understand what you are doing here.”

  “It’s Beth, isn’t it?” said Sir Edmund.

  “Miss Penny Green,” Cullen corrected him. “A scribbler on the Morning Express.”

  “A news reporter?” said Sir Edmund. “Well that makes everything as clear as mud. I knew there was something not quite right about you the other evening. Trying to work undercover again, are you? Just what exactly are you trying to do, woman? Can’t a man dine in peace?”

  “We need to arrest this man! Please, Inspector, will you come with me?”

  “Arrest him on what grounds? For bearing a resemblance to a man seen climbing over a fence in Highgate a month ago? Do you realise how many men there must be in London with dark suits and tweed caps?”

  “It’s not just his clothing that has aroused my suspicion; it is the way he was behaving.”

  “Give the man a break,” said Sir Edmund. “I think I would be quick to run myself if you began chasing me.”

  “He is acting suspiciously.”

  “And so are you,” fumed Sir Edward. “Now please excuse me, my mussels are getting cold.”

  He sat down in his place again and tucked a serviette into his collar. Hugh Dowdeswell also sat down, staring at me in a manner which made my blood run cold.

  I appealed to Cullen. “Please, Inspector, he looks just like the man who was seen on the night of Lizzie’s murder. And when we attended her funeral in Kensal Green Cemetery we saw a man matching his description there and he ran away.”

  I could feel my conviction waning as Inspector Cullen fixed me with his narrow, steely eyes.

  Perhaps I had been mistaken. Perhaps I was losing my mind.

  “Where did you last see this man?”

  “He got out of the lift on the second floor.”

  “So the lift operator must have seen him?”

  “I don’t remember seeing a lift operator.”

  “I would sit down yourself, Basil. I am grieved to say that your lemon sole won’t keep its heat,” said Sir Edmund. “The woman is clearly deluded. She’s trouble. You need to speak to Sherman at the Morning Express about her.”

  “I already have,” sighed Inspector Cullen.

  A search of the Midland Grand Hotel yielded nothing. Maids, bell boys and porters were asked to search each floor and staircase, while the lift operator had been discovered talking to a maid in the laundry room instead of being on duty. He knew nothing of the man in the lift. Inspector Cullen was bad-tempered with me for ruining his lunch and wasting his time.

  I took a train from King’s Cross to Ludgate Hill Station and walked along foggy Fleet Street, feeling embarrassed and somewhat ashamed about the whole episode.

  But I also felt angry. I was certain that Cullen could not understand the relevance of the man who had run away from me. If he had read James’ case notes he would have realised that the man seen climbing over the fence of Highgate Cemetery around the time of Lizzie’s death was a crucial witness.

  What had the man been doing at the hotel, and why had he run away?

  These were important questions; questions which couldn’t be answered.

  Perhaps the man had wanted to see someone in the restaurant: perhaps Sir Edmund, Hugh Dowdeswell or Inspector Cullen. Perhaps he had a keen interest in the case, which might explain why he had been hanging about in Kensal Green Cemetery.

  Perhaps the young man had been hired by Sir Edmund or Hugh Dowdeswell to shoot Lizzie.

  Wild theories occupied my mind and I couldn’t begin to make sense of which were the most feasible, if any at all.

  I felt the need to speak to James. He was the only person I could think of who might help me understand what was happening. As soon as I arrived at the Morning Express offices, I went to the telegraph room and sent a telegram to Scotland Yard asking him to meet me the following evening.

  Chapter 37

  My thoughts were so consumed with the chase around the hotel the previous day that I didn’t listen properly to the newspaper boy as he cried out the morning headlines.

  “Mr Joseph Taylor arrested for murder!”

  I had already passed him before I realised the meaning of his words.

  “What did you say?” I stopped and asked.

  The boy had a grubby face and wore a faded necktie and a patched-up jacket fastened with string. He thrust a copy of The Star at me.

  “Mr Joseph Taylor arrested for murder!”

  “Lizzie Dixie’s murder?” I asked.

  He nodded at the paper in his out-thrust hand, so I gave him a ha’penny and took it.

  I stopped to read:

  Mr Joseph Taylor, the famous showman, has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the murder of his wife, Lizzie Dixie (Mrs Taylor). Mr Taylor was apprehended on Thursday at his home in Mile End, London...

  I didn’t stop to read any more.

  This was a mistake.

  Or a cover-up.

  I rolled the newspaper under my arm and marched to the Morning Express offices to find out what Edgar knew about this latest development.

  “I said it was him all along, didn’t I?” Edgar had his feet on his desk and a pipe in his mouth.

  “But it can’t have been him! I visited Mr Taylor with Inspector Blakely and he told us that he was performing in the show that night.”

  “He may have been. But Lizzie was murdered at midnight, remember? The show had finished long before then.”

  I thought of how fondly Annie had spoken of her stepfather when I had visited her in the hospital. I didn’t like Taylor, but I struggled to believe that he could be a murderer.

  “He pulled the wool over the schoolboy inspector’s eyes, that’s for sure. Blakely should never have discounted him from the investigation.”

  “He didn’t discount him, he was still gathering evidence. He was working steadfastly before Cullen removed him from the case.”

  “Working on it too slowly.”

  “So what information does Cullen have on Taylor?”

  “A new witness has been found who says he saw Taylor near Highgate Cemetery on the night Lizzie died.”

  “That’s all he has?”

  “I’d say it was a good start, wouldn’t you?”

  “How does he know the witness is reliable? Someone could be making it up.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He could have been asked to pretend that he saw Taylor in Highgate that night.”

  “A cover-up?”

  “Yes, Lizzie had connections with Westminster. With powerful men.”

  “Lizzie was known for her connections.” Edgar wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.

  “Someone with power may have wanted her silenced and, to divert attention from what he did, he could have paid someone to say he witnessed Taylor close to the scene. That is probably all he had to do. And a close friendship with the detectives investigating the case also helps.”

  “You are implying that a politician murdered Lizzie, paid someone to frame Taylor and is currying favour with Scotland Yard to avoid any repercussions?”

  “Yes.”

  Edgar laughed. “You should write fiction, Miss
Green.”

  I felt my teeth clench. “This is not a laughing matter, Edgar.”

  “No, you’re right. It is not.” He removed his feet from the desk and sat up straight in his chair. “And your theory might have been a possibility if Taylor hadn’t admitted to it.”

  “Admitted to what?”

  “To being in Highgate the night that Lizzie died. That blows your cover-up idea out of the water, doesn’t it?”

  “Taylor says he was in Highgate when Lizzie died?” I felt as though I had been knocked sideways by Edgar’s words.

  “Yes! So the witness isn’t even needed now. Taylor fully admits that he was there.”

  “But he doesn’t admit to her murder?”

  “No, but it is only a matter of time, isn’t it? They’ll get it out of him. He will be taken to Bow Street Magistrates’ Court this morning. Cullen should have been on this case from the start, shouldn’t he? Then we needn’t have wasted so much time.”

  I couldn’t muster the energy to argue with Edgar any further. I walked over to my desk and sat down.

  Then a thought occurred to me.

  “What about Annie?” I called over to Edgar. “Even if Taylor shot his wife, he would never do that to her daughter! And besides, he couldn’t have done it. He was in the same performance as her at the time!”

  Edgar shrugged. “Someone different. Inspector Lloyd is working on that case.” He pulled the pencil out from behind his ear and began to work. “Busy day today. Heard about the murder in Wandsworth?” I shook my head. “The body of a man has been found under the floorboards in a house in Red Lion Street, next to the brewery. The husband and wife who live there are missing. I will need to get down there shortly.”

  I sat at my desk with my fists clenched, thinking about Taylor, the anonymous letters and the young man I had chased around the hotel.

  It seemed that Lizzie’s murder case was solved and Cullen would take all the credit. He had made the case seem so simple, but I believed there was far more to it. My problem was finding the evidence.

  Chapter 38

  James was waiting for me beneath a gas lamp outside the Museum Tavern that evening. The sight of him cheered me, as if I were meeting an old friend.

  “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see you!” I said breathlessly as I hurried up to him. “So much has happened!”

  “Taylor?” he said with a wry smile.

  “Yes, and there’s more.”

  “Goodness, let’s sit somewhere warm then.”

  He pushed open the tavern’s swing door for me and we stepped into the warmth and pipe smoke, just as we had on the evening we first met.

  We sat with our drinks at a table close to the fireplace. James wore a grey suit and removed his jacket to reveal rolled-up shirt sleeves. There was something less boyish about him now. Perhaps he had always had the faint lines beside his eyes, but there was more definition around his cheekbones, as if he had lost some of the boyish plumpness in his cheeks.

  He noticed me eyeing him as he folded his jacket and placed it on the bench next to him. I quickly occupied myself with my sherry, embarrassed that he had seen me looking.

  “Has Cullen told you much?” I asked.

  “Not a great deal.” He took a gulp of his stout. “Taylor is rather obviously the big surprise. And I hear Colehill has returned.”

  “He visited me and was angry at me for losing the diaries.”

  “Is that so? How unreasonable. I hope you weren’t too frightened by him.” James looked concerned.

  “Not really. He seemed understanding once I explained what had happened. I think he was more bothered about his wife discovering that he had been visiting Lizzie.”

  “It sounds as though he could be in a peck of troubles there.”

  “And had you guessed that he is Annie’s father?”

  “I hadn’t, but to hear you say so does not surprise me now that we know he was Lizzie’s visitor at her home. The relationship between them must have endured for a number of years.”

  “He says he will comply with the police.”

  “Very wise. He has quite a bit of tidying up to do now. I understand that Taylor has admitted to being in Highgate the night that Lizzie died. I was unable to extract that information from him, wasn’t I?”

  “You would have discovered it soon enough if you hadn’t been taken off the case.”

  “I like to think I would have done. But who knows? Perhaps I wouldn’t. Inspector Cullen is a good detective.”

  “And so are you.”

  “I have a lot to learn yet.” He took another large gulp of his drink and I noticed only half of it remained when he placed his glass down on the table. I hoped he wasn’t feeling inadequate because he hadn’t uncovered the evidence against Taylor himself.

  “You laid the groundwork for Cullen. He showed me the case file you left him. He didn’t manage this all by himself.”

  “Perhaps not, and thank you for trying to make me feel better. The question is, do you think Taylor did it?”

  “No, I do not.” I told him about my visit to Annie and how she had spoken charitably of her stepfather.

  “He could still be a murderer, even if Annie likes him,” said James.

  “But how do we explain Annie’s shooting? I have always been convinced that the same person who shot Lizzie also shot Annie. Taylor would never have done such a thing.”

  “So if he didn’t, then who did?”

  “Perhaps Sir Edmund or Hugh Dowdeswell hired someone.”

  I told James about the young man I had chased around the Midland Grand Hotel and he listened intently. “It has to be the same man, doesn’t it?” I said. “The one who was seen climbing into Highgate Cemetery and the one who was watching us in Kensal Green Cemetery.”

  “The description is certainly the same.”

  “I think this man could have been hired to kill Lizzie and Annie. Cullen doesn’t seem to think this man is important, unless he already knows what happened and is helping Sir Edmund and Hugh cover something up.”

  “I cannot imagine Cullen being involved in a cover-up.”

  “But he is friends with Sir Edmund!”

  “I will ask Inspector Lloyd if he has a description of the man who shot Annie yet. If it turns out to be similar to the man you chased, you might be on to something.”

  “If Westminster is behind this, it makes sense that Annie would be targeted because she might have known about Lizzie’s work and clients. Perhaps they found out that Annie was meeting with her mother regularly. Perhaps the two women knew something they shouldn’t have.”

  A story began to build in my head of what or who could be at work in all this.

  Lizzie had been the paid companion of rich and powerful men. Perhaps her supposed drowning on the Princess Alice had been a reassurance to them that their secrets had died with her. To discover that she was still alive and meeting with her daughter could have been a grave cause for concern.

  “I think the same person has to be behind Lizzie’s murder and the attack on Annie. A revolver was used in both cases. Taylor couldn’t have done it.”

  “Even if you are right, Taylor needs to provide an innocent explanation as to what he was doing in Highgate.”

  “He must have somehow discovered that Lizzie was still alive. I wonder if he found out that Sebastian was visiting her.”

  “Hopefully we will know more once Cullen has interviewed him further. However, if he did murder Lizzie he will be extremely cagey on many subjects as he won’t want to incriminate himself.”

  “It could be the end for Astley’s Amphitheatre! And poor Annie. She wouldn’t have been expecting this at all. How awful for her. I must visit her again and find out how she is.”

  “You need to be careful.”

  “Now you have reminded me, I received another letter.”

  I took the letter out of my bag and handed it to James. He read the envelope and then the letter inside it.

  “What do yo
u think?” I asked.

  “It is difficult to know whether this threat should be taken seriously or not. I wish I could identify the handwriting on the envelope from the first letter you received. Do you still have it?”

  I nodded.

  “It could be from Taylor, Colehill, Sir Edmund, Hugh Dowdeswell or someone else connected with them. Don’t take it personally. They all have reputations to protect and they are rightly suspicious of hacks; even nice hacks like you.”

  I smiled at the vague compliment. “I don’t know whether I should be worried.”

  “I could pass it to Cullen and ask him to look into it.”

  “No, that shouldn’t be necessary. I can’t see him making it a priority. He doesn’t have a great deal of time for me.”

  James handed the letter back to me. “I’ll see if I can get hold of handwriting samples from each of the men. Sir Edmund and Hugh Dowdeswell should be quite straightforward as politicians write many letters.”

  “You are busy enough as it is, James. Don’t worry yourself about this.”

  “I should like to work on it; I like a challenge.”

  “Cullen seems determined to pin this on Taylor. Do we know if he has considered Sebastian at all?”

  “I think he should, but Taylor’s admission seems to rule anyone else out.”

  “Even if Sebastian shot Lizzie, he wouldn’t harm Annie, would he?”

  “I know it sounds improbable to you, but these things do happen. Fathers sometimes lose their minds and murder their families. It is difficult to understand why some men do such things, but it is not unheard of.”

  “Perhaps he grew frightened about people finding out about the affair.”

  “That is a possibility.”

  “And among all this, there is the young man at the hotel. He has to be involved, but I cannot work out how. If only we were able to find out who he is and speak to him.”