by V L McBeath
“That’s very kind, Sergeant. Thank you.” Connie’s eyes sparkled as she returned the sergeant’s smile. “Have you been talking about the murder?”
Inspector Adams shut the door and sat back down. “I’ve been taking Sergeant Cooper through the evidence since he missed most of it yesterday and we believe we’ve worked out who our murderer is.”
“You have? Oh, well done, Sergeant.” Connie beamed at the sergeant before Eliza kicked her ankle. “Ow!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my foot slipped.” Eliza ignored Connie’s glare. “So, Inspector, how did you work that out?”
Inspector Adams retrieved his notes. “Well, first things first. When we got back to the station last night, I asked Constable Jenkins to take a look at the footprints on the porch. He was sure there had been footprints, but they’d been smudged and there was no clear outline.”
“And did he think they were male prints?”
Inspector Adams nodded. “Yes, he said they were. Let me go and get him and you can ask him yourself.”
Inspector Adams left the room and returned a moment later with Constable Jenkins.
“Did you get a good look at the prints?” Eliza asked once the constable joined them.
“Not as much as I would have liked. They were clearly male but rather indistinct.
“And would you say they were recent?” Eliza asked.
The look of importance that had grown on the constable’s face disappeared. “Well now, it’s difficult to say. We’ve not had any rain for such a long time, they could have been there for a while. I’m not sure how we’d find out.”
Eliza nodded. “You’re probably right. So, Inspector, what do you make of that? Were the prints those of the killer or had someone else made them weeks ago?”
“For the purposes of the investigation, we’ve assumed they are the killer’s prints. It seems too unlikely that the porch roof was used as a regular means of leaving the house.”
“So that means Maria … I mean Mrs Hartley … couldn’t have done it.” Sergeant Cooper smiled. “I didn’t think she would.”
Eliza’s eyebrows drew together as she studied the inspector. “Can we say that on the basis of a few smudged footprints? What if she had an accomplice?”
“Or perhaps someone had climbed onto the porch roof to wash the window and the footprints have nothing to do with the murderer?” Connie added.
Inspector Adams studied his notes. “We can come back to that if our assumptions prove to be wrong, but for now we’ve decided that Maria Hartley was unlikely to murder her husband. There’s the issue of the gun, for one thing. It’s doubtful she could have held it securely enough to kill her husband with a single shot and then escaped from the office without being seen. Given the outfit she was wearing on Saturday, which I believe was very elegant, she wouldn’t have been able to climb down from the porch.”
“But we know she didn’t climb anywhere because she found the body. She could have slipped back to the drawing room, before returning to the office to ‘find’ the body … if she even left the office at all,” Eliza said.
“Someone would have seen her.”
Connie shook her head. “No they wouldn’t, because there wasn’t anyone else there.”
“All right.” Inspector Adams scribbled something onto the side of his notes.
“So I presume you’ve ruled out Georgina Hartley for similar reasons?” Eliza asked.
“No, not quite. You see, she has a different stature to Maria and would be more able to handle a gun. Living in Scotland must have given her plenty of opportunity to practise as well.”
“That’s rather a big assumption; I also couldn’t see Georgina climbing down from the roof of the porch.”
“Ah, but she could have escaped from the scene through the house. The only people likely to see her were James and Robert and they provided her alibi.”
Eliza rubbed a hand across her forehead. “If Maria was in the drawing room, which is where she said she was, she could easily have seen her. She was only at the other end of the corridor and came out of the drawing room as soon as she heard the shot.”
“Yes, quite. We thought of that, which is why, on balance, we don’t think Georgina’s our killer.”
Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear it. So, that leaves us with James and Robert. Are you assuming it was one of them?”
“James.” Sergeant Cooper beamed at Connie. “It has to be.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Inspector Adams said. “Yes, he had the best opportunity, given he was known to be in the office minutes before the trigger was pulled. As a man he would also be much more able to handle a gun and could have climbed out of the window onto the porch. Once there, he could have lowered himself to the ground and walked around the outside of the house to the billiard room where his mother and brother were waiting for him.”
“Surely one of the villagers at the party could have seen him if he’d done that?”
“Not necessarily,” Sergeant Cooper said. “And that would explain how none of the servants saw him walking back through the house.”
“It all seems to fit together rather nicely then,” Eliza said. “Although I wonder if it’s a little too convenient.”
“What do you mean?” Sergeant Cooper stared at her. “You can’t think Maria did it?”
“I’m not convinced she did, but I think you’ve dismissed some of the evidence against her a little too easily. After all, she was the only one who knew the date of her marriage to Mr Hartley and the terms of the will.”
“That’s right,” Connie said. “And don’t forget she used to be an actress. She’s used to deceiving people.”
“How would she have pulled the trigger with such accuracy?” Sergeant Cooper said. “She might be an actress, but they don’t teach women things like that.”
“Maybe her daughter helped her?” Eliza said. “Don’t forget she didn’t have an alibi for the afternoon in question, and from the evidence we’ve collected, they were the only people in the front of the house at half past two.”
Inspector Adams put his papers back on the desk. “I understand what you’re saying, but on this occasion, Mrs Thomson, I disagree with you. I think it’s time we stopped talking and walked around to Oak House to arrest James Hartley so he doesn’t disappear back to London.”
Eliza and Connie left the police station with the inspector and sergeant but turned in opposite directions. Eliza’s walk was slow and distracted as they headed back to the post office.
“Is everything all right?” Connie asked.
“I suppose so, but I can’t help thinking Inspector Adams has come to the wrong conclusion. The troubling thing is, I’m not convinced anyone else could have done it either.”
“Do you think Maria Hartley’s going to get away with it?” Connie’s eyes were narrow as she stared straight ahead.
“Stop worrying about her.”
“How can I when Sergeant Cooper seems so enamoured of her?”
“No, he’s not. Now stop it.” They continued in silence until they reached the surgery. “Are you coming in for a cup of tea? I’ve got some prescriptions to make up, but you can sit and keep me company.”
Connie pouted. “I suppose so. I’ll only be miserable if I go home.”
“Thank goodness Archie wasn’t busy this morning,” Eliza said as she walked into the dispensary and put her bag on the counter. “It would have been awkward if there were patients waiting for their medicines.”
“I’m sure you’d have managed. Do you want me to go and speak to Iris while you get on? A pot of tea for two?”
“And a selection of biscuits,” Eliza said. “I didn’t eat much breakfast this morning.”
Fifteen minutes later, Iris brought a tray into the dispensary and set it on the worktop.
“That looks like a nice one,” Connie said as she poured the tea into the cups. “I’m ready for this.”
No sooner had she sat down than the door to the
dispensary opened and Inspector Adams let himself in.
Eliza’s forehead creased as he approached the desk. “Is everything all right?”
“No, it isn’t.” He paced around the waiting area “We’ve just been to Oak House and James Hartley is nowhere to be found.”
Connie gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “Good grief, has he gone back to London?”
“No, we don’t think so. His wife and daughters are still at the house but the housekeeper couldn’t find him anywhere. His wife said he had been up early this morning and disappeared.”
“So it looks like he is guilty,” Connie said.
“Well, that’s the thing. When we were talking, the housekeeper informed us she’d seen him in the house shortly after half past two, the time he said he was going back to the billiard room. She said she’d been carrying a tray of cakes to the garden and nearly bumped into him.”
Eliza scratched her head. “Why is this the first we’re hearing of it? Didn’t Constable Jenkins question all the staff?”
“He did, but apparently she had the evening off and so she wasn’t there.”
Eliza clattered her cup back onto her saucer. “Well, that put’s a whole new complexion on things.”
“It has, but she could have easily misjudged the time. I don’t think we can count her as a reliable witness.”
“I’m sure we can’t dismiss it quite so easily.” Eliza stared at the inspector. “A man’s life is at stake here.”
“There is another option,” Connie said. “James Hartley could have paid the housekeeper to give him an alibi. We had that earlier in the year if you remember.”
“Yes, I do, but this new information makes me uneasy about arresting him.” Eliza’s eyes narrowed. “What are you going to do now, Inspector?”
“I’ve left Constable Jenkins on the gate so that we can catch him if he returns or stop him leaving if he’s still in the grounds. I’ll go back this afternoon and see what’s going on.”
Chapter Sixteen
Iris cleared the plates away as luncheon came to an end while Eliza held up the teapot and looked to everyone sitting around the dining table.
“Does anyone want another cup?”
“Not for me.” Archie wiped a napkin across his mouth and stood up. “I’ve a couple of house visits to make; I’ll see you all later.”
“Not for me either,” Henry said. “I’ve made arrangements to meet up with Benjamin Dalton at one o’clock. He seems like a nice chap and he’s got more time on his hands since Mr Hartley died.”
“I told you to give him a few weeks.”
“I was going to, but I met him in the village earlier and he asked me if I wanted to go to the Golden Eagle. I didn’t want to be rude.”
“That’s nice that he asked you.”
“I won’t be there long. He said he still has things to do, but we should be able to manage a pint or two.”
“So, that just leaves the three of us.” Eliza poured herself and Connie a cup of tea. “Father?”
“Yes please. I won’t say no. What are you two doing this afternoon? You’ll have more time on your hands now the murder’s been solved.”
Eliza sighed. “You’re right, we’ve nothing much planned. I’ve a few prescriptions left to sort out, and then I expect we’ll go for a walk. We should probably pay Mrs Petty a visit, too, and make sure she’s all right.”
“Yes, of course, I’d quite forgotten. Having a murder to investigate is rather distracting and takes up so much time.” Connie took a sip of her tea.
“It all seemed to be done and dusted pretty quickly this time,” Mr Bell said. “Was it obvious who the killer was?”
Eliza shook her head. “No, not at all, quite the opposite in fact. I’m actually not convinced the police have the right man.”
“Not again!” A look of horror crossed Mr Bell’s face. “The poor fellow. Aren’t you going to help him?”
“I’m not sure what we can do, to be honest. There’s certainly evidence to suggest he’s the killer, and he had a clear motive, but … I don’t know. Something just doesn’t seem right.”
“I still think it could have been Maria Hartley, but the police dismissed the evidence against her far too easily.” Connie’s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists.
Mr Bell laughed. “That’ll be down to Sergeant Cooper, I shouldn’t wonder. Quite taken with her, I’d say.”
“Father!” Eliza shot Mr Bell a glance. “I’m sure the police wouldn’t do anything of the sort, especially not Inspector Adams.”
Connie stood up and walked to the window. “Mr Bell’s right. If you ask me the only reason she’s got away with it is because of Sergeant Cooper.” She swung back from the window to stare at them. “Do you think we should go and speak to Inspector Adams and tell him how infatuated Sergeant Cooper is? If the housekeeper did see James Hartley on the way back to the billiard room before the shot was fired, he’s clearly innocent. The sergeant needs saving from himself.”
Mr Bell finished the last of his tea. “Well, I’ll leave it to you to decide what to do. I’m going over to the bowling club. There’s a practice on this afternoon.”
“Oh, what a shame,” Eliza said. “Archie will miss it.”
Mr Bell laughed. “I suspect that’s the reason it’s on this afternoon. Archie doesn’t need any more practice; he’s already better than everyone else. We’re all just trying to catch up with him.”
Mr Bell closed the door behind him and Eliza stood up and collected the last of the dishes together.
“Will you join me in the dispensary while I finish these prescriptions and then we can go for a walk? I’d better do them in that order or I’ll have Archie complaining.”
“I might as well. I’ve not much else to do.” Connie’s shoulders slumped. “We just need to work out how to prove Maria Hartley killed her husband.”
Eliza opened her mouth but closed it again. If Connie wants something to keep her occupied who am I to stop her?
An hour later, Eliza had finished what she needed to do and locked the last cabinet before slipping the key into a drawer.
“Let me get my hat and then we can go.” She walked to the door, but as she did a movement outside caught her eye. “Is that James Hartley over there?” She shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared out over the village green.
“James Hartley?” Connie joined her by the window. “Goodness, it is. What’s he doing walking around the village unsupervised? Constable Jenkins is supposed to be watching the gate.”
“He is.” Eliza paused as she watched James turn out of the cul-de-sac towards the police station. “Perhaps he’s about to hand himself in? He’s certainly going in the right direction.”
“Still, if he is the killer, Constable Jenkins shouldn’t have let him out by himself. He should be walking with him.”
James disappeared from view and Eliza was about to turn away from the window when Robert Hartley took the exact same route as his brother.
“What’s going on here? It looks like he’s following him.”
“Maybe he is,” Connie said.
A smile crept across Eliza’s face. “Do you think we should head towards the police station? Perhaps even call in to see Sergeant Cooper? I’ve a feeling this could be interesting.”
Eliza jabbed a hatpin into her hat and within a minute they were out of the house. “We’ll be quicker walking around the road I think. I imagine James will be there by now.”
They walked as fast as they could manage but as they approached the post office their pace slowed. Robert Hartley was heading towards them.
“Where’s he going?” Eliza asked. “If he’s still following James, he clearly didn’t go into the police station.”
“He’s going into the churchyard.” Connie stared at Eliza. “Maybe he wants to see the vicar and ask him to pray for James.”
Eliza bobbed her head. “Maybe he does. Why don’t we go and see?”
By the time they reach
ed the steps to the churchyard, Robert had disappeared.
“Shall we go into the church and see if he’s there?” Connie asked.
Eliza hesitated. “I’m not sure; if he is speaking to the vicar, we probably shouldn’t interrupt.” They continued walking but stopped as they saw the vicar and Mr Hewitt leaving the church.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” Mr Hewitt said. “Did you want to see the vicar?”
Eliza smiled. “Good afternoon, no, not at all … not that we’re not pleased to see you, of course, Vicar, but we saw Robert Hartley from Oak House come into the grounds and we wondered if he’d gone into the church.”
The vicar shook his head. “The church was empty when we came out; I checked it myself.”
“Where could he have gone then?” Eliza scanned the churchyard.
“Might he have gone for a walk along the river?” Mr Hewitt said.
Eliza headed towards the shimmering water as it flowed lazily around the bend near the church. “I can’t see him. I wonder where he is.” She turned a full circle but stopped when she was facing the wood. “What’s that? I’m sure I saw something moving in the bushes.” The edge of the wood was at least a hundred feet away and Eliza hurried towards it, closely followed by Connie.
“Ladies, please be careful,” Mr Hewitt shouted after them. “We have foxes in there; they could be dangerous.”
Eliza slowed her pace and caught hold of Connie’s arm.
“What can you see?” Connie whispered.
“I’m not sure, but I think someone’s there.”
“A person?”
The sound of branches breaking underfoot grew louder as they approached.
“Don’t you think we should wait for someone?” Connie was almost at a standstill.
Eliza glanced over her shoulder at the vicar and Mr Hewitt, who remained where they had left them. “No, there’s no time…”
“JAMES!” A guttural roar suddenly erupted from the woods.
“Oh my goodness.” Eliza hitched up the front of her skirt and broke into a run.
“Wait for me.”
