‘You mean you’ve been hiding upstairs out of his way?’ Flora’s smile hid unease. Had the Inspector come to arrest Ed, or did he have some more evidence to share?
‘I wasn’t hiding, waiting.’ Ed tapped a fingernail repeatedly against the barometer on the wall until Flora wanted to slap his hand away.
‘Come on then, we’d better get this over with.’ Bunny herded them both along the hallway, one hand on Flora’s lower back and the other gripping Ed’s shoulder.
Inspector Maddox occupied Bunny’s chair; a studded leather contraption with a mechanism which allowed its occupant to half recline. Maddox had taken full advantage of this facility and sat with both feet inches off the floor, his slender, almost feminine hands folded flat over his midriff.
‘I see you are having a knot garden installed.’ He swivelled the chair a half turn away from the window, facing them. ‘Quite an authentic design, if I may say so. Unfortunately, it’s too late to enjoy the spring flowers, but perhaps the summer display will be impressive.’
‘They’ll no doubt delight us next year.’ Bunny’s expression tightened, as if he resisted the urge to order the man out of his chair; a liberty even Flora hesitated to take without permission. Since Bunny had learned Napoleon III had owned a similar piece, he was especially proud of his custom-made possession. Almost as proud of it as he was his motor car.
‘My, you look very elegant this evening, Mrs Harrington.’ Maddox’s gaze travelled slowly over her cornflower gown. ‘Nice to see the reappearance of lighter clothes in springtime colours. Quite lifts one’s spirits after a cold winter.’
‘Er, thank you, Inspector.’ Compliments from the Inspector, whatever next? ‘We’re sorry you had to wait, but we’ve been at a wedding.’ She rubbed her upper arms at a sudden chill, debating whether to summon a maid to lay the fire, but decided against it. Hopefully Maddox wouldn’t stay that long.
‘No matter.’ Maddox smoothly set the chair in its upright position. Too smoothly, which told Flora he had been experimenting during their absence as the thing always stuck on first try. ‘Ah, Lord Trent, do join us.’ He smiled and gestured to Ed, who stubbornly remained by the door; an act of defiance not lost on the Inspector, whose eyes glinted with amusement.
‘What have you come to tell us, Inspector?’ Bunny asked, taking charge of the conversation. ‘I assume this isn’t a social call?’ He too pointedly remained standing.
‘It is not.’ Maddox cleared his throat. ‘Firstly, the body on the train has now been formally identified as that of Leo Thompson, who was born Leonard Hunter-Griggs.’
Ed cleared his throat and Flora chewed her lip nervously, not daring to look at Bunny or Ed.
‘I’m sure I don’t have to explain to any of you what this means? The policeman directed a speculative look at each of them in turn.
‘The man staying at The Dahlia Hotel is an imposter,’ Flora replied, relieved to be able to say it aloud.
‘Exactly.’ Maddox shifted on the leather, making it creak. ‘Since his mother’s death Mr Thompson must have decided to revert to his birth name.’
‘Or he didn’t,’ Flora said. ‘It was the imposter who is using it. Leo never did.’
‘Precisely.’ His steady gaze swivelled to Ed. ‘Do you still maintain you were not acquainted with Mr Thompson, sir?’
‘I uh… I have an apology to make, Inspector.’ Ed inched forward. ‘I haven’t been as straightforward as I should have been.’ He licked his lips nervously. ‘We weren’t what you might call friends, but we both attended Marlborough College and it was there an incident occurred which—’
Maddox held up a hand to silence him. ‘If you are referring to a certain cross-country race, I already know about it.’
‘You know?’ Ed gaped. ‘But how?’
‘I’m a professional, my lord. I have my ways of—’
‘It was the Marlborough College tie, wasn’t it?’ Flora interrupted what she suspected was going to be one of his lectures about their being amateurs. ‘You said a colleague recognized Mr Thompson was wearing one when he was found. That’s how you made the connection?’
‘Uh… yes, well. As I was saying,’ the inspector cleared his throat. ‘My line of enquiry included a visit to that establishment, where a schoolmaster recalled a long-standing feud you had with Mr Thompson.’
‘It wasn’t a feud! Well, not really.’ Ed’s scowl displayed more shame than disapproval. ‘It was two years ago.’
‘Even so.’ Maddox raised an enquiring eyebrow. ‘Are you sure there existed no lingering resentment between you when you met again by chance last Tuesday?’
‘Not at all. We even shook hands that day he… on the train.’
‘Shook hands?’ Scepticism stood in the policeman’s eyes. ‘After the dreadful prank he played on you? Sending you and your friends off on a false trail so you got lost for almost an entire day? The way I heard it, when you and your chums finally returned, it was to open ridicule from the entire school which lasted the rest of the term.’
‘Not the entire school,’ Ed protested. ‘Only our year.’
Flora sighed, irritated that Ed still felt the need to keep secrets as he had made no mention of that.
‘Did the three schoolmates who shared your fate have the same opinion?’ Maddox rocked gently back and forth making the chair creak, oblivious to Bunny’s clenched jaw and his careful study of the ceiling.
‘Or,’ Maddox began in attempt to extract every ounce from Ed’s humiliation. ‘One or more of your friends sought their own revenge on Mr Thompson? Perhaps I should ask them?’
‘You can’t question the other chaps about this.’ Ed’s voice rose in panic. ‘I’d never live it down. Besides, they weren’t involved in Leo’s murder, how could they have been? I was the only one on the train.’
‘Is that a confession, my lord?’ He dragged out Ed’s title in open disrespect.
‘Of course not!’ Ed gasped. ‘I’ve already told you, I didn’t kill Leo Thompson.’
‘Inspector,’ Bunny interjected, ‘surely you don’t suspect this was a conspiracy between four young men to murder an ex-schoolmate over a prank?’
‘I cannot say, Mr Harrington.’ Maddox narrowed his eyes at Ed. ‘I’ve already been misled as to the details of this case; therefore, I intend to examine every possibility.’
‘Are you going to arrest me?’ Ed backed against the wall beside the door as if preparing for a physical onslaught.
‘Not yet, but believe me, I will if I have to.’
‘What about the man at The Dahlia Hotel?’ Flora demanded. ‘You know he’s an imposter, so why haven’t you locked him up?’
‘A small thing called proof, dear lady. I need to put the imposter on the train with Mr Thompson to make a case for murder. At the moment, I can only charge him with fraud and deception.’
‘Isn’t that enough?’ Bunny crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. ‘Surely you aren’t going to risk this individual getting away?’
‘Have you even interviewed him?’ Flora fidgeted. ‘Do you know his real name?’
‘No, on both counts.’ Maddox sighed, evidently unaccustomed to being questioned. ‘And to make things more complicated, this man has an alibi for the day of the murder.’
‘Is it a strong one or can it be broken?’ Bunny asked with the confidence of someone who knows how the police operate.
‘Not without showing my hand,’ Maddox shook his head. ‘The person calling himself Leonard Hunter-Griggs was recovering from a heavy bout of late-night revelling on the day of the murder. The staff all claim he didn’t leave the hotel all day and the chambermaid who cleaned his room said he was sleeping.’
‘Which means he couldn’t have killed Leo.’ Ed’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. ‘Which still leaves me as the main suspect.’
‘For the time being, it would appear so. However, I have more enquiries to make.’
‘Enquiries with my former classmates, which will embarrass me no end when
this gets out.’
‘A situation of your own contrivance, my lord.’
‘Are the Hunter-Griggs twins aware this man is pretending to be their half-brother?’ Flora interrupted, her frustration mounting, though she had some sympathy for the Inspector. He couldn’t ignore Ed’s part in the affair even if he wanted to.
‘Not as yet. He’s done a thorough job of ingratiating himself with the family. They’ve formed an attachment to the man. It won’t be easy convincing them he is not who he claims to be.’
‘You might find it easier than you think, Inspector,’ Flora said. ‘Especially if they have employed this man to impersonate their half-brother?’
‘Employed him? To what purpose, Mrs Harrington?’ Maddox heaved a resigned sigh.
‘The Colonel cut off the money they wanted to renovate the hotel. Perhaps they thought bringing the Colonel and his youngest son together again after so long would soften him towards them. To make him more amenable to their demand for money.’
‘I shan’t ask exactly how you obtained this information, Mrs Harrington, however, we have no evidence Frederick and Francis Hunter-Griggs are involved, any more than is the Colonel.’ He released a slow breath, slapped both hands on the chair arms and pushed himself to his feet, signalling the interview was over.
‘I apologize if you think we’ve interfered, Inspector.’ Flora rose, blocking his path to the door. She suspected he had got what he came for, an admission from Ed and had no intention of sharing information with them. ‘But please understand, Ed means a lot to us and we couldn’t just stand by and let this misunderstanding ruin his life. I understand you have your own methods, but could you answer me this? How did this man know Leo Thompson was Colonel Hunter-Griggs’ son if the family had no contact with him for years? Ed didn’t know, did you Ed?’
‘No.’ Ed splayed his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘I knew him all through school as Thompson. We all did.’
‘In all honestly we’re still puzzled down at the station. Although it’s possible this case is far simpler than you imagine?’ Maddox adopted a familiar patronising tone which infuriated her. ‘In my experience, villains are like magpies. They see something shiny and reach for it without paying too much attention to the consequences. This man saw a chance to pass himself off as a wealthy man’s long-lost son and took it. Sylvia Thompson might have told her son about his father, who in turn told others.’ He narrowed his eyes again at Ed. ‘And in case you believe you have this entire crime solved, I’m still not convinced his lordship didn’t have a personal grudge against Mr Thompson which turned into a fierce argument on that train.’
‘That’s ridiculous! I told you how our meeting went. It was quite amicable.’ Ed placed his foot on the fender of the tiny fireplace and glared sullenly into the empty grate.
Flora was about to defend Ed again, when Bunny’s warning look and the slight shake of his head changed her mind.
‘We understand you have procedures to follow, Inspector,’ Bunny said reasonably. ‘But we hope you understand this affair involves family, therefore taking a pragmatic stance is not easy.’
‘Which is perfectly understandable, Mr Harrington.’ Maddox nodded. ‘However, I assure you I will employ every resource at my disposal to find out the truth of this matter.’ He turned towards Flora. ‘Perhaps your time would be better employed caring for your husband and baby. Chasing round the city looking for criminals is my job.’
‘You’ve made the same observation before, Inspector.’ Flora enunciated each word through a clenched jaw. ‘I shall pay it as much attention now as I did then.’
His wry smile indicated he knew exactly how his advice had been received. ‘I’ll bid you all a good evening.’ With a sad shake of his head, he headed off down the hallway to where Stokes had positioned himself beside the open front door. The three of them followed like a family of agitated geese and watched him descend the front steps to where a young constable stood beside a waiting hansom.
‘Do you think he paid any attention to what we had to say?’ Ed asked, despondent as the cab pulled away. ‘Or has he made up his mind?’
‘Don’t underestimate him.’ Bunny replied gently one hand raised to wave and an amiable but false smile on his face. ‘I’m sure he knows far more about this case then we do, but isn’t prepared to reveal it to us. He still regards us as amateurs.’
‘Which we are, I suppose.’ Flora sighed as the cab disappeared round the corner. ‘By the way, where did that cab come from? It wasn’t there when we got home.’
‘He probably told the driver to park in the next street in case we took one look and stayed away for the rest of the evening.’ Bunny sniggered.
‘Which wouldn’t surprise me. He’s the most frustrating man,’ Flora snapped.
‘I need a sherry,’ Ed mumbled as he stomped back into the house. ‘Anyone care to join me?’
‘Good idea,’ Bunny replied, though Ed had already disappeared into the house and he addressed thin air.
‘You have to admit he’s good at his job.’ Bunny encircled Flora’s waist with an arm. ‘I suspect he’s being pressurized by his superiors to make an arrest, but he’s holding off as a favour to us.’
‘I’d like to believe he’s being so obliging. Though perhaps we should have showed him Reverend Bell’s letter?’
‘No.’ Bunny guided her back to the sitting room where Ed had made himself comfortable in one of the wing-back chairs beside the fireplace. ‘He has all the information we do regarding the school. He’s also made it clear we weren’t to do his job for him.’
‘I notice he didn’t tell you to go back to your legal papers and leave the policing to him. He wouldn’t dare speak to a man like that.’
‘You unsettle him, Flora. You always have. He likes to think of the female sex as delicate flowers in need of protection from superior, more capable men. Not crime-fighting termagants.’
‘And I’m not a termagant.’ Shivering in the cool evening air, she took the sofa closest to the fire which Stokes had thoughtfully set while they were with the Inspector.
‘You’re a force to be reckoned with.’ Bunny laughed. ‘Maybe his wife is a mousey little thing who does as she’s told?’
‘He’s not married.’
‘And I hope that isn’t envy in your eyes.’
Still smiling, Bunny strolled to the sideboard, an eyebrow raised at the full glass in Ed’s hand.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Ed took a large gulp of Bunny’s vintage Fino. ‘I found that rather stressful.’
‘Don’t take it to heart, Ed.’ Bunny poured for himself and Flora. ‘If Maddox really thought you were guilty he would have arrested you by now.’
‘I wish he would hurry up and find out what really happened.’ Ed slung one leg over the arm of the chair making it creak. ‘I’m a bag of nerves these days waiting for the axe to fall.’
‘I believe Inspector Maddox is closer to a solution than we think, Ed. Otherwise he would have been far angrier at your deception. My guess is, he’s working on how to prove this imposter killed Leo and managed to give himself an alibi.’ His glass in one hand and the evening paper in the other, Bunny lowered himself into the twin of Ed’s chair with a sigh.
‘I know you don’t believe in coincidences,’ Flora took a sip of the dry sherry, savouring its yeasty, nutty undertones on her tongue. ‘But suppose Leo planned to attend the conference at the hotel without knowing anything about the Colonel being his father?’
‘Then why did the imposter have to kill him?’ Ed asked.
‘Fear of being found out and having all his plans disrupted? He couldn’t take the risk that even if Leo was ignorant, he might not stay that way.’
‘There is another scenario,’ Bunny interjected. ‘Maybe someone didn’t like the idea of Thompson spreading Bolshevik propaganda among the good folk of Cheltenham and decided to dispose of him? He was carrying a copy of Iskra if you recall.’
‘What’s Iskra?’ Ed’s brow furrowed
. ‘Maddox said something about that the first time he came but it made no sense.’
‘It’s the Russian Socialist party newspaper,’ Flora replied. ‘It’s being printed here in London by the Russians to avoid the scrutiny of the Okhrana.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Ed peered at her over his glass and slung one leg over the chair arm. ‘What does all this have to do with Leo?’
‘Er, never mind,’ Flora caught Bunny’s warning expression and winced, almost forgetting her promise not to tell Ed about William’s involvement. ‘We might be getting side-tracked.’
‘I wish your policeman would get on with it and not keep me hanging—’ Ed broke off flushing. ‘Sorry, slip of the tongue, but you know what I mean. I’m going to my room. I might as well get used to being confined for the immediate future.’ He launched himself from the chair which creaked ominously, giving Flora some concern for the strength of the furniture.
‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself.’ Bunny slapped Ed playfully with his folded newspaper as he passed. ‘There’s still a good chance we can solve this. Provided there’s nothing else you’ve kept from us?’
‘I’ve told you everything now, I promise.’ Ed halted and looked back at them from the door. ‘Look, I know I’ve been pretty stupid about all this, but it was only because I was scared.’
‘We understand, Ed. Truly.’ Flora rested her head on the back of the sofa, her neck arched to look at him.
‘I’m so selfish. I didn’t even ask you how the wedding went.’
‘You didn’t get much chance,’ Flora said, softening towards him. ‘Lydia was the perfect bride, Harry drank too much and your Uncle William was the handsomest man in the room.’
‘What about me?’ Bunny peered at her over his newspaper. ‘I spent hours having my suit fitted in a tiny, draughty room in Saville Row. Some appreciation would be in order.’
‘You always look handsome.’ Flora blew him a kiss.
‘I’m glad.’ Ed smiled for the first time since they arrived home. ‘You both deserve to enjoy yourselves. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’re doing. I didn’t mean to bring all this trouble to your door, and I would be in a cell right now if it weren’t for you.’
The Bloomsbury Affair Page 23