by V L McBeath
Eliza watched Archie leave before turning to Henry. “Can you call in at the bowling club on your way home and ask Grandfather to go with you? We might as well see if he saw or heard anything while he’s been there.”
By the time she reached the police station, Eliza’s heart rate had returned to somewhere near normal although the knot in her stomach remained. She pushed open the door to find the inspector standing behind the desk.
“Good afternoon, Inspector. Are you still on your own?”
The inspector grimaced. “I’ve not seen sight nor sound of the other two. I’m hoping they went straight over to the churchyard and they’re still there.”
“I hope they did too, but I’m afraid they’ve been wasting their time.” She raised the branch from her side and dropped it onto the desk. “I think this is what they’re looking for.” The length of cord had remained attached and Connie flicked it up onto the counter.
The inspector looked up. “Where did you get this from?”
“It’s something of a long story and one we haven’t got time for now. Suffice to say, I think I know who the murderer is and it isn’t Robert Hartley.”
“If you have information…”
“I know, I need to share it with you and I will, but first, I’ve a couple of facts I need to check. Dr Thomson’s been with us for the last hour but he’s gone back to the churchyard now. He’ll send Constable Jenkins back to man the fort here but I’ve asked him to keep Sergeant Cooper with him in case the killer strikes again.”
“Again!” Inspector Adams looked as if he didn’t believe her.
“It’s just a precaution, but if James Hartley was murdered because he found out too much, I fear any member of my family or Mrs Appleton could be the next victim.”
“Me!” Connie’s voice squeaked as she turned to Eliza. “I’ve no idea what’s going on.”
“And a good job too, but the murderer won’t know that.” Eliza squinted as she studied the clock behind the desk before turning to the inspector. “I’ll need about an hour to check my facts and then I’ll be in a position to talk to you about what happened. If you’d care to join us for dinner, I’ll ask Cook to put on a few extra potatoes.”
For the first time that afternoon, Inspector Adams smiled. “That’s very kind, thank you.”
Eliza nodded. “Good, I’ll see you at about half past five then … oh, and if you see Constable Jenkins in the meantime, can you ask him how James Hartley was allowed to leave Oak House while he was supposed to be guarding the gate?”
Eliza and Connie walked back around the road towards the shop. As they passed the entrance to the church, Connie stopped.
“Aren’t we going to see if Dr Thomson and Sergeant Cooper are still there?”
“I don’t know if we have time.” Eliza hesitated and glanced up the path. “Maybe we should. Oh, wait, there’s Constable Jenkins. Hopefully, that means Sergeant Cooper’s with Archie.”
“Are you going to ask him what’s he’s been up to?” Connie put a foot on the first step into the churchyard but Eliza moved her gaze towards the shop.
“I wish I could but I’m likely to give him a piece of my mind if I speak to him now. I’ll have to let Inspector Adams talk to him. Come on, before he sees us.”
Eliza was in and out of the shop quicker than she expected and stepped out onto the footpath with a smile on her face. “Well, that was helpful. Shall we go and see Archie now?” She turned towards the church and breathed a sigh of relief. The horses pulling the undertaker’s carriage were tied up outside. “Oh, thank goodness for that. I know it won’t be dark for hours yet, but I didn’t want Archie sitting in that churchyard, even if Sergeant Cooper is with him. Hopefully that means he’ll be home shortly. Let’s go and speak to Henry and Father instead so we’re done by the time he gets home.”
Henry and Mr Bell were sitting on the terrace at the back of the house when they arrived. The table was positioned in the shade and a jug of lemonade sat in the centre surrounded by a selection of glasses.
“How lovely,” Connie said. “I’ve been dying for a drink for most of the afternoon.” She took a seat next to Mr Bell while Eliza poured the drinks. “Did you enjoy your game of bowls?”
“We did, it was very pleasant, but by the sounds of it, we missed all the goings-on.”
Eliza raised her eyebrows. “Has Henry told you about the second murder?”
“I’ve told him what I know,” Henry said, “but I don’t know everything. Have you worked out who the killer is yet?”
“I’ve a fairly good idea, but I want to speak to you both about anything you may have seen. Henry, you were due to meet Benjamin at the Golden Eagle at one o’clock, is that right?”
Henry nodded. “He was waiting for me when I got there. He said I was late but I think he was just saying that because he was early. The church bells struck one as I went in.”
“And how long did you stay?”
“I was there until I met you. I’m not sure what time that was, maybe four o’clock?”
“Yes, I think it was about that time. Was Benjamin with you the whole time?”
“No, he said he’d promised to go through some of Mr Hartley’s papers with his mother and he didn’t want to be late.”
“So what time was that?”
“Quarter to three,” Henry said, without hesitation.
“Quarter to three?” Eliza’s forehead creased as she studied him. “You seem very sure of that.”
“I am. Benjamin checked his pocket watch and when he saw the time, he panicked. He said he was due home at half past two and he was late. He showed me his watch when he finished his pint and rushed out.”
Eliza drew her eyebrows together. “And you didn’t see him after that? Or anything else suspicious?”
“No, I told you. I stayed in the pub to play cards and left just before I met you. Everything was perfectly normal.”
Eliza paused and took a long drink of her lemonade. “Father, you were directly opposite the church entrance while you were playing bowls. Did you see anything unusual?”
Mr Bell’s mouth twisted. “I can’t say I did although we were in the clubhouse for quite a while.”
“Yes, I noticed.” Eliza gave him a half smile. “What time did you go in for afternoon tea?”
A sheepish look crossed Mr Bell’s face. “We were quite early. Shortly after half past two, I would say.”
“A fine practice that must have been! No wonder Archie is so much better than the rest of you. I suppose it explains why the bowling green was deserted when Connie and I arrived at the church.”
“What time do you think the murder took place?” Mr Bell said.
“I can’t say for certain but probably around quarter to three. Certainly not before half past two because we saw James and Robert Hartley walking around the village later than that.”
Mr Bell gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Next time I’ll take more notice.”
“I hope there won’t be a next time.” Eliza pursed her lips. This isn’t going according to plan.
“What’s the matter here?”
Eliza let out a loud sigh of relief as Archie plonked himself down on the chair next to her. “Oh, you’re back, I am glad. Was everything all right at the churchyard when you got back?”
“Yes, as we left it, except that Sergeant Cooper and Constable Jenkins had just arrived. They said it has taken longer than expected to break the news of James’ death.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s never easy.”
“So what’s the matter here? You didn’t sound very pleased.”
“That was my fault.” Mr Bell held up his hands in surrender. “I joined a few of the men at the bowling club for a practice but we spent longer taking afternoon tea than we did on the green.”
“You’ve been practising without me?” Archie reached for the glass of lemonade Eliza had poured him. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Mr Bell stared at Eliza. “Now loo
k what you’ve done. He wasn’t supposed to find out.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Haven’t we got something more important to worry about? I’ve invited Inspector Adams for dinner and he should be here shortly.”
Archie groaned. “Haven’t we had enough of murder for one day?”
“No we haven’t! There’s a killer in the village and they’re very keen to cover their tracks. If they even suspect we know too much, we could be next on the list. We need to get them behind bars.”
“Excuse me, madam,” Iris said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Inspector Adams is here to see you.”
Without further introduction, the inspector stepped onto the terrace. “Good evening, everyone.”
“Inspector, please take a seat.” Archie jumped up and pulled out the remaining chair, which was tucked under the table.
The inspector sat down and accepted the glass of lemonade Eliza poured for him. “So, you think you’ve identified the killer?”
Eliza sighed. “I did, but now I’m not so sure. How did you get on with Constable Jenkins? Did he have anything to say for himself about letting James Hartley leave Oak House?”
Inspector Adams shook his head. “Don’t even ask. He said Georgina Hartley had been walking in the grounds and when she saw him, she invited him into the kitchen for a cup of tea. When I told him he could be indirectly responsible for the death of James Hartley, he claimed he hadn’t been in the kitchen for more than quarter of an hour.”
Eliza closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “How long does it take for someone to walk through a gate? Did he say what time he went into the kitchen?”
“He claims he doesn’t know precisely but I don’t believe he was in there for any less than half an hour.”
“I suppose we could always check with the kitchen staff. They might know.”
Inspector Adams pulled out his notebook. “I’ll make a note to ask them in the morning. Or we could ask Benjamin Dalton. Jenkins said he bumped into him arriving home when he was walking back to the gate.”
“But he doesn’t know what time that was either?”
“He claimed not to.”
Eliza banged her hand on the table. “How did he not hear the church bells?”
“You can hear the bells across the whole village if you’re outside,” Connie said. “I remember hearing them at the garden party myself and so he must have heard something.”
“Actually, he did mention them,” Inspector Adams said. “He said he heard the bells for two o’clock and three o’clock but couldn’t be any more specific because he couldn’t be sure about hearing the chimes for the quarter hours.”
Eliza stared down the garden. “That makes sense. It was shortly before half past two when we saw James Hartley leaving the cul-de-sac, which suggests he waited for Constable Jenkins to go indoors before he left the grounds. If Constable Jenkins didn’t arrive back at the gate until a couple of minutes to three o’clock, he must have been in the house for longer than he said.” Eliza grinned at the inspector. “Thank you. Believe it or not, I think that settles it.”
“You know who did it?” Inspector Adams said. “Well, in that case, I suggest it’s about time you told the rest of us.”
Chapter Twenty
Dinner ended up being a rather hurried affair and as the clocks struck seven, Inspector Adams stood up from the table.
“Once again, I’m sorry to disturb your evening, but I think the sooner we get this killer behind bars, the better. I’m sure Robert Hartley will be glad to get back to Oak House too. I’ll call there now, on the way to the station, and tell them we want to see everyone in the drawing room at eight o’clock. I hope you’ll all be there.”
“Try keeping me away,” Henry said, once the inspector had gone. “I can’t wait to see inside this house you keep talking about, and as for the killer…”
“Well, I need you to play your part,” Eliza said. “If I ask you to agree with me on anything, I expect just that.”
“Do you need me?” Archie asked.
“Of course I do, what a silly question. I need you all, even you, Father. I’m hoping the killer will just confess to everything once we reveal the evidence, but I have a sneaking suspicion they might not.”
Archie pressed the doorbell of Oak House as the church bells rang out for eight o’clock.
“I told you you could hear the bells from here,” Connie said. “You can hear them anywhere in the village and if anyone says otherwise, it usually means they’ve got something to hide.”
“I’ll remember that,” Eliza said.
The front door was opened by Inspector Adams. “Come on in. Despite a few protests, everyone’s here and so the sooner we can get this wrapped up the better.”
Eliza followed the inspector into the drawing room and was immediately reminded of the deep split within the family. Maria Hartley sat with Jane and Benjamin on the settee to one side of the fireplace, while opposite them, at least fifteen feet away on the settee facing the door, Georgina Hartley sat with her daughters-in-law. Inspector Adams guided Archie, Connie, Henry and Mr Bell to some seats immediately behind them.
“Where’s Robert?” Eliza whispered as she stood by the door with Inspector Adams.
“He’s in the dining room with Sergeant Cooper; I wanted to keep him in there until everyone arrived. Constable, can you go and get them?”
Robert Hartley arrived in the room and sat with Sergeant Cooper on the settee facing the fireplace. He gave a fleeting smile to his wife but otherwise his face was expressionless.
Inspector Adams stepped into the square that was formed by the seating and gave a slight bow to Maria Hartley.
“Mrs Hartley, thank you for allowing us to join you this evening. As I mentioned earlier, due to some excellent work by Mrs Thomson and her friend Mrs Appleton, we now believe we’ve identified the murderer of your husband, Mr Edward Hartley and his son, Mr James Hartley.”
Benjamin pointed towards Robert. “You already have him in custody, why the charade?”
Inspector Adams glared at Benjamin with steely eyes. “Because, Mr Dalton, we don’t believe Mr Hartley is the murderer.”
“Of course he is; who else could it be?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Inspector Adams said, “when we originally worked through the evidence, we believed the murderer was James Hartley and indeed, we came here earlier this afternoon to arrest him. As you all know, however, events have taken an unfortunate turn since then and so we’ve been forced to re-look at your statements.”
“I still don’t see how it can be anyone other than him.” Benjamin continued to point at Robert.
“If you’ll give us a little time, Benjamin, hopefully all will become clear.” Eliza joined Inspector Adams by the fireplace. “If you remember back to last Saturday afternoon, my friend and I sat in on the interviews conducted by Sergeant Cooper. It soon became clear that the majority of the family were without confirmed alibis. Maria Hartley was known to have been in the office with Edward five minutes before he was shot, but at the time of the shooting she said she was alone in this very room.
“James was also in the office immediately prior to the shooting but he told us he too had left to go back to the billiard room. He claimed to have witnesses, but as they were only his mother and brother, who may well have had a vested interest in Edward’s death, they were hardly independent.
“Similarly, Jane Dalton had no alibi. She said she had been in her bedroom all afternoon, but there are no witnesses to confirm this. Amongst all of this, as you can imagine, we were spoilt for choice for suspects. The only people with solid alibis were Benjamin and Millicent and Vanessa Hartley, the wives of James and Robert.”
Inspector Adams stepped forward. “The biggest problem we encountered was Edward’s Last Will and Testament. It appears he was a complex man who didn’t like to share his business or private life with anyone, not even his close family. For example, how many in the room are aware that Edward’s relationsh
ip with Maria Dalton, as she was then, had been going on for several months before he unexpectedly announced to Georgina that he wanted a divorce?”
Eliza studied the faces of those sitting around the fire. Most sat wide-eyed with their mouths open, staring at Maria, who hung her head over her lap, causing several loose strands of hair to fall down around her face.
After a sufficient pause, Inspector Adams continued. “Rather than admitting to his own adultery, Edward forced Georgina to accept responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage based on her adulterous relationship with an unnamed man. He insisted on going up to Scotland to complete the formalities telling Georgina it would spare him the shame of her indiscretions. In exchange for her cooperation and silence, he offered her a substantial payout, which unfortunately, Georgina could do nothing but agree to. The thing is, that wasn’t the reason he ruined Georgina’s life, was it Maria?”
Maria’s hair swung from side to side as she shook her head.
“No, the reason was that Edward feared there were people in London who knew of his indiscretions with Maria. He wasn’t a popular man and so there were plenty of acquaintances who would happily have stopped him from marrying her and so he decided that no matter what the cost, Maria Dalton would not be named on the divorce papers. That was why he set off to Scotland with Georgina and filed for divorce as soon as he was able.
“Once the divorce was finalised, rather than returning to London, Edward sent Maria a first-class train ticket so she could join him in Edinburgh. He wanted to marry her as soon as possible, but divorce in Scotland may not be recognised by the courts in England and so he chose a quiet ceremony in Scotland with a couple of locals acting as witnesses. That wedding took place on the eleventh of August 1896. Five years to the day before Mr Hartley was shot dead.”
Robert’s head shot up as he stared at the inspector. “The five-year anniversary’s passed?”
“Yes, indeed, Mr Hartley, but that, I think is the first you’ve heard of it. Whatever else he may have been, your father wasn’t stupid. He knew that you and your brother would be furious with him for marrying so quickly after the divorce, especially when the breakdown of the marriage wasn’t supposed to be his fault. For that reason, he and his new wife stayed in Scotland for a month before they travelled back to London. When he finally told you of the marriage, he swore he had only met Maria the previous month and had married by special licence in London the day before he spoke to you, which was the eleventh of September.”
