The Penny Green series Box Set

by Emily Organ

“He would have done, I am sure.”

  “Did Taylor hear the gunshots?”

  “He says that he did not. He says that he would already have been at the hotel by that time.”

  “Did Sebastian send him the locket?”

  “I don’t know. But we do know that it was someone who knew about Lizzie and Sebastian’s relationship and, most crucially, they knew that something was to happen that night at Highgate Cemetery.”

  “It is eight o’clock!” Mrs Garnett called up the stairway.

  “I am sorry you didn’t have time to have another sherry,” I said to James as I gave him back the locket, letter and envelope. “Here, take the other letters too. They are part of your investigation now.”

  I shuddered as I pondered why the same person had written to, and threatened me, in this way.

  He stood up and put on his coat. “You have met Mrs Colehill before?”

  I nodded.

  “Would you like to visit her with me tomorrow morning? She may be less alarmed by my line of questioning if you are with me. We need to find out whether she can provide an alibi for Sebastian on the night Lizzie died.”

  “Poor Mary, she will be upset about Sebastian’s affair with Lizzie.”

  “She must be. At least if we can rule him out of any involvement in the murder, she and her husband can be left in peace to reconcile their differences.”

  “I am not sure that I am looking forward to it, but I will accompany you when you speak to Mary.”

  “Until then.”

  James put on his hat and bid me goodnight.

  Chapter 41

  Thick fog cloaked Cadogan Square the following morning, and the bare-branched trees loomed like spectres. I couldn’t see the Colehills’ home until I was almost upon it. James was waiting for me by the steps.

  “The locket,” I whispered. “You’re not going to mention it to Mary Colehill, are you? I am certain that it will upset her terribly.”

  “No, I won’t mention it. All I wish to ask is whether she can account for Sebastian’s movements on the night that Lizzie died.”

  The maid told us that Mrs Colehill was at home and showed us into the drawing room. I warmed myself by the lively fire while James inspected the family photographs arranged on top of the harpsichord.

  Mary Colehill entered the room wearing an attractive, brown-coloured ticking day dress. Her waist was tightly laced and a brown and cream ribbon was tied in her hair.

  She smiled at me, but I saw a look of concern in her large blue eyes as she glanced at James.

  “Good morning, Mrs Colehill, I am sorry to trouble you. My name is Inspector James Blakely and I believe you already know Miss Green?”

  Mary nodded and smiled again.

  “Miss Green has been working with me in relation to the sad case of Lizzie Dixie, and she is accompanying me this morning as her familiarity to you will hopefully put you at ease.”

  “Of course, Inspector, I understand. Miss Green has been a guest at our home before and I know her sister well. Do please take a seat and I will ask the maid to bring you some refreshments.”

  “There is no need to go to the trouble, Mrs Colehill. Our visit this morning will be a brief one.”

  “Very well then.” Mary took a seat on the settee and smoothed her skirts while James and I both sat on chairs facing her.

  “Mrs Colehill, you are aware, I am sure, of the terrible murder of Lizzie Dixie.”

  “Yes.” The smile left her face. “A police inspector visited Sebastian recently to discuss it with him. And I hear that her daughter was also shot! Is she expected to make a recovery?”

  “Thankfully, Annie has recovered well and will be returning home from hospital tomorrow.”

  “That is good news!” I said.

  “Indeed it is,” said Mary.

  “Mrs Colehill,” continued James, “you may have heard that an arrest has been made in connection with this awful murder, and I am at the stage where I am ruling out the involvement of anyone else who might have known Lizzie. I would therefore like to ask you just one question, Mrs Colehill, if you are happy for me to do so?”

  “Of course.”

  “It concerns your husband, Mr Colehill.”

  Mary nodded.

  “And in asking this question, I am by no means suggesting that your husband had any involvement with Lizzie Dixie’s death. Is that clear to you, Mrs Colehill?”

  She nodded again and pursed her lips together anxiously as James took a notebook and pencil out of his pocket.

  “I wonder if you could tell me where your husband was on the night of the twentieth of October?”

  “I gave this some thought when the last police inspector visited, and Sebastian and I have established that he was here, just as he is most evenings. He was at the theatre first, of course, but after the performance he came home, as he does every night. Would you like me to fetch my diary to show you?”

  “There is no need, Mrs Colehill, thank you. What time does Mr Colehill usually arrive home after an evening’s performance?”

  “About eleven o’clock.”

  “And has he stayed out any later than that recently?”

  “No, although he occasionally stays overnight somewhere.”

  “So you are satisfied that the night of the twentieth of October was the same as any other? Your husband returned home about eleven o’clock and did not go out again after that time?”

  “That is correct. Would you like to confirm it with the butler? He always locks up the house once Sebastian is home.”

  “Thank you, Mrs Colehill, but your word is enough. You have been extremely helpful.”

  James closed his notebook and placed it back in his pocket along with the pencil.

  “That is all you need from me?”

  “That is all, Mrs Colehill. Thank you.”

  We all got up from our seats.

  “Sebastian could not have had anything to do with this sorry business,” said Mary. “I understand that you have enquiries to make, but he wouldn’t squash a fly, I can assure you. If he ever discovered that he had been considered a suspect, the news would destroy him...”

  “Please be assured that he is not a suspect, Mrs Colehill.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled, but then her face fell and she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe a tear from her cheek. “Please excuse me being rather upset. You will be aware that I have learnt of an indiscretion of my husband’s. It has caused me enormous sadness.”

  “We understand, Mrs Colehill, and we will not trouble you any further,” James replied. “My very best regards to you and your family.”

  “Sebastian has his alibi confirmed,” said James as we walked down the steps of the Colehills’ home. “Now let’s see what he has to say about the locket.”

  “Would you like me to accompany you?”

  “Have you no deadline for today?”

  “It’s not due until tomorrow.”

  “Good, then let’s go directly to Drury Lane.”

  Chapter 42

  Once again, I found myself waiting in a red velvet seat in the auditorium. The gas lamps flickered dim and low, and the air felt close.

  “I remember seeing Lizzie on this very stage in Lady Audley’s Secret,” I said in an attempt to hide my nerves. “She played Alicia and that was the night Gladstone came here.”

  A thud came from the back of the auditorium, as if something had fallen. Startled, I turned around in my seat but was unable to see much in the gloom.

  “Did you hear that?” I whispered to James, although I wasn’t sure why I was whispering.

  “Yes, I did,” he said in a low voice. “This theatre is rumoured to be haunted, isn’t it?”

  “I think all theatres are supposed to be haunted. But where do you think that noise came from?” I looked around again, and felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck.

  “A ghost?”

  “Don’t say that!”

  “You don’t believe
in ghosts, do you?”

  “Of course I don’t!” But the sensation at the back of my neck remained.

  The door at the side of the stage opened and Sebastian strode out, just as he had during my previous visit. He made his way up the steps by the side of the seating and stopped when he reached the row in front of us.

  “Good morning, Inspector Blakely.”

  “Good morning, Mr Colehill.”

  James stood and offered his hand. Sebastian leant forward and shook it, then took a seat in the row in front of us.

  “Miss Green,” he said with little warmth as he sat down.

  “Hello Sebastian.”

  “What can I do for you, Inspector?” Sebastian crossed his long legs and sat sidelong in his seat, so that James had to address his profile.

  James removed something from his inside pocket. “Can I ask if you recognise this, Mr Colehill?” He leant over the seat in front of him and handed Sebastian the locket.

  I held my breath.

  Sebastian’s brow furrowed as he took the locket from James. “I haven’t seen this in a long while.” He held it up by its chain and inspected it. “Are the pictures still inside it?”

  “You do recognise it?”

  “Yes. How did you come by it?”

  “Firstly, can you tell me who it belongs to, Mr Colehill?”

  “It was Lizzie’s.”

  “And when did you last see it?”

  “I don’t remember. A long time ago.”

  “Can you be more exact, Mr Colehill? Was it before or after she was presumed drowned on the Princess Alice?”

  “Tell me where you found it first.” There was a sharp tone to Sebastian’s voice.

  “It was posted to Mr Taylor the day before Lizzie was murdered.”

  Sebastian’s eyes opened wide in surprise, but I couldn’t tell whether his reaction was genuine or false.

  “And who posted it?”

  “That is what I am trying to ascertain, Mr Colehill. Now you see why it is so important that you tell me when you last saw this locket.”

  “It wasn’t me who posted it, that’s for sure!”

  “I am not suggesting that it was, Mr Colehill. If the locket was in Lizzie’s possession, perhaps she posted it?”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “It is a long time since I last saw this locket.”

  “After the sinking of the Princess Alice?”

  “I don’t remember. I’m certain that I gave it to her a long time before then. And then I remember that we had an argument about something. It was nothing important, just a misunderstanding. And that was when she returned it to me.”

  “So the locket was in your possession?”

  “For a while, yes, but I must have put it somewhere. And perhaps I gave it back to Lizzie again, I don’t remember.”

  James held out his hand for the locket.

  “Do you want it back?”

  “For the time being. It is being kept as evidence at the moment. The locket was accompanied by a short note.”

  “What did it say?”

  “It instructed Taylor to visit Highgate Cemetery at midnight the following evening.”

  “Really?”

  “Which was the day and time when Lizzie was shot.”

  Sebastian’s face paled and he turned away. “So it was planned.”

  “What was?”

  Sebastian turned back to face him. “Lizzie’s murder was planned.”

  “We have known that for some time, Mr Colehill.”

  James was still holding out his hand, and Sebastian gently lowered the locket into his palm.

  “Who would do this?” said Sebastian, slowly shaking his head.

  “That is what I am trying to discover, Mr Colehill,” said James, putting the locket back in his pocket.

  “But I thought it was Taylor. I suppose it still is, isn’t it? Someone sent him the locket and the note, so he went to the cemetery, saw Lizzie there and shot her.”

  “It is possible, although Taylor says he didn’t go into the cemetery that night because the gates were locked. A young man was seen climbing over the fence of the cemetery shortly before Lizzie was shot. Did Lizzie know someone who might fit that description? Perhaps he visited her at her home in Highgate or she mentioned him to you?”

  “No, never. She didn’t see anyone. I allowed her to meet Annie once a month, but that was all. She was supposed to be dead and that was why she kept herself hidden away. Perhaps Taylor paid him to do it.”

  “Who?”

  “The man you mention. Perhaps Taylor paid him to shoot Lizzie.”

  “We cannot rule that out, and we will continue to speak to Taylor about that night.”

  “Good, good.”

  Sebastian turned his attention to me. “How much of this conversation will appear in the newspaper, Miss Green?”

  “None of it,” I replied. “As you know, Taylor has been arrested and it would be untoward to publish anything further at this time.”

  “Taylor has been arrested and you would think he hadn’t by the way you are chasing me over this. I had nothing to do with it! If those blasted diaries hadn’t been lost, you would have known the truth by now. Would you like to hear exactly what happened?”

  Chapter 43

  “Once I have explained this, I expect you to remove me from your enquiries, do you hear?” said Sebastian. “You have full assurance of my honesty now. Please don’t ignore what I say and maintain some foolish notion that I killed the woman I loved!”

  James and I remained silent. Sebastian removed his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the back of his neck.

  “Lizzie hid because she was desperate. She had spent a lifetime working to get to where she was, and once she got there she realised it wasn’t what she wanted at all. Her husband treated her deplorably, her career was fading and younger actresses were being offered the best parts. Most frustratingly for her, she had realised that she would never have what she really wanted.”

  “Which was what?”

  “Me, of course!” Sebastian laughed. “I met her first when she was nineteen years old, and a fetching young thing she was too. She was my secret for a while. Perhaps we should have married, but you knew what sort of girl she was. She had already found herself in trouble with Mr Burrell. I did the Burrell family a favour by taking her under my wing. And just as I was there for her in the beginning, so I was there for her at the end. When it all became too much, I took her under my wing a second time. I placed her in that house and she became my secret once again.”

  “But after the sinking of the Princess Alice... how did you know that she was still alive?” I asked.

  “It was mayhem down there at Woolwich, an absolute tragedy. I had been due to meet her off the boat at Swan Pier by London Bridge, but when I got wind of the sinking I had my carriage take me down to North Woolwich Pier. Have you ever watched six hundred souls drown? It is not a pretty sight. Of course, I feared the worse as I fought my way through the crowds to the water’s edge. I helped drag people out of the river and saw some of them die right in front of me. The screams. The panic. And the speed of it all! The boat was already fully under the water by the time I got there. Lizzie had managed to get into one of the Bywell Castle’s lifeboats. I found her wandering among the crowd, shivering and bewildered. I don’t think she fully realised what had happened. I knew she had been on the boat with one of the men who paid her for companionship, but he was already dead by then. He had helped her onto the rescue boat. You knew she was a whore, didn’t you?”

  I winced at his use of the word and said nothing.

  “Yes, she was a whore all right.” Sebastian became more animated as he relaxed into the flow of his words. “Taylor turned a blind eye because her clients paid a lot of money. I told her she would have to stop all that once she was mine – that there was to be no one else – and I think she was happy to leave that life behind. I have always felt
it was providence that I should have found her in that crowd. It was one of those moments when I knew that she wanted to come to me. And she could finally have me, so long as she did what I said. She didn’t want to be in the limelight any more, but she was too well-known to do anything else. Even if she had retired, she would never have left it. The only way to leave was to die. I explained that to her. I told her she could still see Annie if she made her swear to secrecy, and it worked. They even pulled someone out of the water who they believed to be her! It was such luck!”

  He laughed again.

  “It worked perfectly for five years. I told her what her funeral was like and she was amused to hear me describe Taylor’s tears. She cared nothing for him, of course. I was the only man she ever loved, and I was the only one who could control her. She needed it, of course. She couldn’t exactly control herself, could she?”

  I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t like the way he spoke about Lizzie. She had loved him and he had clearly enjoyed the power he had over her.

  “I saw her the day she died. She wasn’t in her best mood. And now I shall continue to be honest with you, just so you understand that every word I tell you is the truth. Lizzie was not an easy woman to get along with. We argued often and we argued on that day. Ah ha! I hear you cry. What a perfect motive for murder! But no, I could never sink to such depths, tempting though it was at times. I loved her deeply. She drove me half mad most of the time, but when I found out she was really gone...”

  Sebastian trailed off. He turned his head away and looked at the scarlet curtains, which had been pulled across the stage.

  “It was as if my world had fallen apart,” he said quietly. “I was plunged into a grief I could never admit to or show. I had to return to my wife and family each day, pretending that nothing had happened!”

  He turned to face us again. “Can you imagine what that was like? And when I found out she had been killed, I realised that someone else, someone other than Annie, had known that she was still alive. I have wracked my brains over and over, but I cannot decipher who that person could be!”