Miss Matilda Hayward and the Freak Show (Miss Matilda Hayward series Book 1)

by Helen Goltz

  Again, Amos concurred.

  ‘Right then. Tell me about your movements last night if you would be so kind,’ Thomas requested, and Amos did not interfere.

  ‘It was a usual night for me,’ Mrs Tufton said. ‘I had dinner with the others in the dining tent, returned here, went for a walk around eight o’clock, then undertook my evening bathing and read for some time before turning in around ten o’clock.’

  ‘Did you see your husband last night on the premises, or hear him for that matter?’ Thomas asked.

  ‘Neither. The last time I saw and spoke with Carl was here in this caravan for our separation discussion with Mr Hayward present,’ she said with a nod towards Amos who again confirmed he was present on that day.

  ‘So, you do not know why he was here last night?’ Thomas asked.

  She shook her head. ‘When I heard they found here him this morning, I couldn’t understand it.’

  Thomas shuffled uncomfortably – the giantess’s small caravan felt too closed in. He moved towards the window and looked out. His officers were making their way along the row of caravans to inspect them.

  ‘You mentioned to Miss Hayward that there had been some items stolen?’

  ‘Missing, perhaps,’ Anna corrected him. ‘Two walking sticks – Mr Burnham’s and Mr Jo-Jo’s, which is quite special and of sentimental value, I believe.’

  ‘Yes, has anything else gone missing since that you are aware of?’

  ‘Not that has come to my attention,’ Mrs Tufton informed him.

  Amos moved restlessly, keen to leave but required to endure the interview so he too could talk with his client afterwards about her newfound independence and the required paperwork to achieve it.

  Thomas finished, ‘Is there anything else relevant that either of you can recall?’

  Neither party could offer any insights, and so Thomas bade them both a good day. As he reached the caravan door, Mrs Tufton stopped him.

  ‘Oh, Detective Ashdown, Mr Jo-Jo said the walking stick was not the one he used every day, but an ornate stick. It is likely someone who worked here must have known of it for it to be missing. Perhaps they stole it to sell it?’

  ‘Thank you, that’s interesting,’ Thomas said, and the thought crossed his mind that perhaps if Mr Jo-Jo did not rely on this stick, he would not miss it if it were used on Mr Burnham’s head the night of the murder.

  He bade them goodbye again and got as far as two steps down from the van before he turned and went back into the giantess’s caravan again.

  ‘Mrs Tufton, did Mr Jo-Jo tell you this information himself?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ she said and looked confused.

  ‘Do you speak Russian?’ Thomas asked.

  ‘No,’ she said, surprised. ‘Mr Jo-Jo speaks Russian, but very good English too,’ she added.

  Thomas’s eyes narrowed. ‘Does he now? Thank you, that has been most helpful.’ He turned and left; his pace quickened. Why then did Mrs Wilks need to be with him to translate on the first day they interviewed Mr Jo-Jo? She wasn’t just there to comfort or support him or because Mr Jo-Jo was nervous. Thomas distinctly remembered her saying he needed a translator and her acting in that capacity.

  He intended to speak with Mr Jo-Jo right this minute. He muttered to himself, ‘Is there anyone here able to tell the truth or give me the full picture in one sitting?’

  Thomas passed two constables who were on their way to search the giantess’s caravan as they made their way through the exhibition and rows of residents’ vans.

  ‘Be thorough,’ Thomas said to them in a low voice.

  Chapter 25

  Early afternoon, Matilda and Alice alighted from the omnibus near the entrance to the Freak Show grounds. Passing through the curious crowds watching from afar, they made their way to the large tent. Their editor, Mrs Lawson, had no objection to them continuing their interviews as long as they were constantly in each other’s company, including coming and going. Matilda wasn’t sure if the Freak Show’s manageress, Mrs Wilks, would see them today given the murder of Mr Tufton on the premises, but she preferred to make a wasted trip than to not try.

  The two ladies looked resplendent and accidentally matching – both in shades of blue which were dark enough to withstand the mud and dirt of the exhibition grounds. They were not dissimilar in height but were not similar enough to be confused for sisters.

  ‘There’s your detective.’ Alice nudged Matilda and nodded towards Detective Ashdown heading away from the caravan area. Tall, handsome and walking with purpose, he was hard not to notice.

  Matilda felt a stirring of pride that he was hers, but not officially. He also “belonged” to whomever he chose to see when he went to the clubs with Daniel and his work colleagues.

  ‘Do you think you will make it official?’ Alice asked, reading her mind.

  ‘I’m not sure Thomas feels that way, but if I did, then I expect I’ll have to play the dutiful housewife and next thing I’ll be at home looking after babies. I imagine Thomas won’t want me writing for the newspaper in case it reflects on his career.’

  ‘It could help his career, too,’ Alice suggested, and then gave a small shrug. ‘But you are probably right. Most men in his position are conscious of how they are perceived, but I don’t know the detective to say whether he is one of those men.’

  ‘He must have been to see Anna,’ Matilda said.

  They watched him walk away from the row of residents’ caravans, turn and make his way to the main tent entrance where they were heading, although he would be there in a matter of moments and the ladies were still halfway across the grounds.

  Thomas looked around briefly and then he saw the two ladies. Even from afar Matilda could see the look of surprise, then frustration that crossed his face. He doffed his hat and continued walking, disappearing inside the tent.

  They had been so busy watching the detective that at the last minute, Matilda grabbed Alice’s arm and steered her away from a large muddy hole and back onto a firmer grass path as they continued across the grounds towards the tent.

  Alice lowered her voice. ‘Do you think there’s any chance she might have… you know, killed her husband?’

  Matilda shook her head. ‘I confess it crossed my mind, but she just got what she wanted, so I don’t know why she would. And, if it is the same killer, then she had to have killed Mr Burnham as well. With Mr Wilks looking to continue the show, I can’t see how that would have helped her.’

  Alice smiled at her. ‘Yes, you’ve given this some thought.’

  Matilda laughed. She looked around just in time to see Amos leaving the area and knew he too must have been visiting Anna this morning. She gave him a wave and he reciprocated, but indicated he had to keep going.

  ‘Now who is that? You know every good-looking man in Brisbane!’ Alice exclaimed.

  ‘That’s another of my brothers, Amos. He’s the eldest and also Anna’s solicitor.’

  ‘Oh, yes, I can see the resemblance. You two do look alike, unlike yourself and Daniel. How many of you are there?’ Alice asked.

  ‘Four brothers and me.’

  ‘Goodness.’ Alice’s eyes widened.

  ‘It is not too hard to remember them. Fortunately, my mother had the good sense to name them alphabetically in order of age, with Amos being the eldest, then Daniel, Elijah and Gideon,’ Matilda said.

  ‘How eminently sensible,’ Alice said, and sighed. ‘How lucky you are to have family and brothers. Some days I feel quite alone here.’

  ‘Do you have siblings back home?’ Matilda asked.

  Alice nodded. ‘Two elder sisters back in Kent, both married and with young families. I am here on a grand adventure but some days I worry I am just missing out.’

  ‘Then you must come to lunch on Sunday and immerse yourself in my family,’ Matilda insisted. ‘We do it every week after mass and after a few hours exposed to my four brothers, plus Thomas if he makes it along, his nep
hew Teddy, my sister-in-law Minnie, my charming and sensible father, and my outspoken aunt, your homesickness will be cured I have no doubt. Will you come?’

  ‘I would love to, thank you,’ Alice said, pleased at the chance to see Daniel again, not that she intended to admit that to Matilda. ‘Are you sure there will be room for me?’

  ‘Fortunately, we have a large dining room. We’ll make room.’

  ‘How delightful, thank you,’ Alice said, excited at the prospect of an engagement to look forward to on Sunday.

  They both adopted serious countenances as they approached the entry to the exhibition. Mr Wilks was standing there alone watching as the police officers came and went from different areas.

  ‘Ladies, this is a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you today, but I’m sure Mrs Wilks will be happy that you called in. She’s inside keeping an eye on the police officers,’ he said and waved them through.

  The ladies thanked him and found Mrs Wilks only too happy to talk. She was preened and proper, in a dark gown that highlighted a lean figure, and seemed fitting for a matronly woman of managerial discipline. She was an attractive woman but had a hardness about her, as if life had worn her down over the years. She also had an imposing presence and Matilda could understand how the gentle conjoined sisters and the vulnerable Mrs Tufton would be wary around Mrs Wilks.

  ‘No illustrator today?’ the manageress asked.

  ‘No, unfortunately. There is so little room for a drawing in our article and as he has another appointment, we will make do with the images of the twins and Mrs Tufton,’ Matilda explained. What she did not say was that Daniel had his interview for the court illustrator role and Matilda and Alice were confident that the readers would rather see the illustrations of the sisters and giantess then Mrs Wilks, not that they intended to make that known to her.

  As the interview unfolded, Matilda tried to pay attention, but all she could think about was Anna being questioned by Thomas. She pulled herself back into the moment and directed a few questions to Mrs Wilks so that Alice did not carry the whole load.

  ‘What would you say is the most difficult part of your job?’ Matilda asked after Alice spoke of Mrs Wilks’ Russian heritage.

  ‘The loneliness,’ Irina Wilks answered. ‘When you are on the road as often as we are, you miss your family, and you don’t make friendships except amongst ourselves.’

  ‘Are there many ladies working here other than the artists we’ve met?’ Alice asked.

  ‘No. We had a housekeeper for a while, but Mr Wilks thought that was an unnecessary expense. The ladies of the exhibit are not inclined to go out and socialise, so as you can imagine it can get very isolating at times.’

  Matilda smiled, thinking of the conjoined twins. ‘They are enjoyable company though, especially Ella and Elvira.’

  ‘Really?’ Mrs Wilks asked, surprised. ‘They barely say a word when I am around them.’

  ‘Perhaps because you are the manageress, they are a little in fear of you or your position,’ Alice added with diplomacy. She glanced at Matilda, encouraging her to move along quickly with the next question.

  ‘I imagine you miss the owner, Mr Burnham,’ Matilda said, sympathetically, and hoping not to appear too transparent.

  To her surprise, Mrs Wilks became quite emotional.

  ‘Forgive me,’ she said and reached for a small white handkerchief that she used to dab her eyes. ‘I admired him a great deal.’

  ‘We are so very sorry,’ Alice said.

  Matilda stored that away to share with Thomas. Did Mrs Wilks miss Mr Burnham just a little too much, perhaps?

  *****

  Thomas found his partner, Harry, studying a collection of items on a table in the dining tent. They were all shaped with some semblance of a heavily rounded end – a potential death weapon that may have made the indents in the head of Mr Burnham.

  ‘This is as good as it gets,’ Harry said, picking up each item one after the other.

  Thomas studied them. ‘None of them have quite the weight to do the job. And according to the coroner, there was a distinct wave pattern, like an engraving that also left a mark on the flesh.’

  Thomas caught Teddy’s eye in the kitchen and gave him a barely discernible nod, to not break his undercover persona. He called a constable over to the items.

  ‘Thank you, Constable. None of these items appears to be what we are looking for, so you can return them or let Mr or Mrs Wilks know they can be collected.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ the young man said, and hurried off to find either of the Wilkses.

  Harry sighed. ‘Chasing our tails.’

  ‘No necessarily, c’mon, we need to speak with Mr Jo-Jo,’ Thomas said.

  As they strode away from the dining tent back to the main arena to seek Mr Jo-Jo, Thomas briefed Harry on his conversation with the giantess.

  ‘So Mrs Wilks, while translating, could have given us a completely different answer to what Mr Jo-Jo was saying?’ Harry shook his head.

  ‘Or since he speaks English and understood the question, she could have been telling him exactly how she intended to answer.’

  Chapter 26

  Matilda and Alice returned to the office of the Women’s Journal to develop their story from the interview with Mrs Wilks. They had interviewed all four ladies now – Mrs Wilks, Mrs Tufton and Ella and Elvira – and the story was almost completed.

  ‘Should we drop into Daniel’s work and see if he has finished the two illustrations?’ Alice asked, her intent obvious.

  ‘Unfortunately, he has no fixed abode,’ Matilda explained. ‘He works at the office of whoever assigns him work. Some days he is on site for a merchant, or for a newspaper, and with luck, if his interview goes well today, he will be a regular at the court.’

  ‘Wouldn’t that be an exciting career!’ Alice exclaimed. ‘Imagine all he will hear!’

  ‘I shall give him a hurry along tonight and bring the drawings in with me tomorrow, if he is finished. We can give Mrs Lawson the completed article and illustrations and we will be three days ahead of our deadline,’ Matilda said.

  ‘I hope we get to work together on more stories, it’s been fun.’

  ‘Well, we will be firm friends, regardless,’ Matilda assured her, and Alice smiled with pleasure.

  They concentrated on their work and within a few hours, they were both happy with the resulting copy.

  ‘I shall be off then,’ Alice said. ‘My guardian has a recital he wishes to attend this evening and has invited me along. Well, invite is not quite the right word, insisted is more like it.’

  ‘That sounds lovely, though,’ Matilda said. ‘Are you reporting on it for the Arts Pages?’

  Alice shook her head. ‘Mrs Lawson is not a fan of the artist. He’s quite obnoxious to quote her.’

  Matilda chuckled. ‘Heaven forbid.’

  Fifteen minutes after Alice departed, Matilda heard the receptionist call her name and turned to find Daniel there with papers in his hands. She waved him through to her desk, introducing him to the nearby ladies whom he charmed with little effort.

  ‘Tell me, how did your interview go?’ she asked.

  ‘Very well, I believe, but I won’t know until later in the week. They have a few more artists to see and then references and letters of recommendation to consider.’

  ‘I want this so badly for you,’ she said.

  ‘Me too!’ he said. ‘I brought the two illustrations; I wasn’t sure how soon you needed them, and I finished them while I was waiting to be called in for the interview. I showed them as part of my portfolio of commissioned work. I hope you don’t mind?’

  ‘Not at all and I’m sure Mrs Lawson wouldn’t mind either.’

  Daniel handed them over, and Matilda inhaled.

  ‘They are perfect, you’ve captured them as they are to the letter,’ she said and looked up at him gratefully. ‘And your bill?’

  He produced another piece of paper and han
ded it to her.

  ‘I shall give them all to Mrs Lawson. Thank you, Dan.’

  ‘Thank you, Tillie.’ He looked around. ‘Where’s your partner in this crime?’

  ‘Who might that be?’ she teased, and he made a face.

  Matilda laughed. ‘Alice left about fifteen minutes ago but it will disappoint her to have missed you.’

  ‘Really?’ he asked.

  ‘I assure you she has asked after you,’ Matilda informed him, to Daniel’s obvious pleasure. ‘Alice is a little homesick for her family, so I invited her to lunch on Sunday.’

  ‘Excellent. Poor Cook will need to start now, there’s so many coming!’ Daniel exclaimed.

  ‘Do you think Pa will mind?’ Matilda then worried.

  ‘Absolutely not. He loves a crowd. I suspect Cook won’t mind, either, but Harriet will be busy having to set and clean up after so many,’ Daniel said. ‘We’ll offer to help, and Teddy’s pretty handy around a kitchen, too. So what did Alice ask about me?’

  Matilda put her head on the side and looked skyward as she thought. Daniel rolled his eyes, and she laughed.

  ‘She might have said she was looking forward to coming to lunch and meeting all my brothers. And she did ask could we call on you today to check the progress of your illustrations.’

  He grinned. ‘Good. Righto then, got to run.’ With that, he pecked a kiss on her cheek and rushed off with the same energy that he arrived with.

  Matilda watched him leave and considered what a suitable match the energetic Miss Alice Doran would make for her brother. Then she turned her attention to his drawings. She sighed as she studied the illustrations of the ladies – so well captured and so memorable. Poor Ella, Elvira and Anna, what hardships they have entered this life with.

  Chapter 27

  For a man who was – according to Mrs Irina Wilks – fearful of the police and strangers, Mr Jo-Jo seemed remarkably composed. Thomas suggested they meet in the far corner of the dining tent, where he could ensure no one was in proximity. Teddy served the gentlemen some morning tea, all the time keeping up the ruse that he did not have an acquaintance with his uncle.