Death of a Milliner: Riley Rochester Investigates Book 9 (Riley ~Rochester Investigates)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘And you expect us to believe that?’ Salter asked incredulously.

  ‘Believe what you like, Sergeant. I am finally being entirely honest with you.’

  ‘Carry on,’ Riley encouraged. ‘We don’t get a lot of complete honesty in this establishment. It makes for a pleasant change.’

  ‘After telling me what she thought of me, Mother turned on Alfred and let rip, telling him that he was pitiful. It was beyond time that he stopped feeling sorry for himself, and I couldn’t help agreeing with that assessment. She claimed that others had survived and prospered following far worse upbringings that his. He had never been cold or gone hungry. She said she couldn’t abide his lack of ambition, and that he should make something of himself without expecting handouts, from which I assumed he’d been asking Mother for financial help. Then she said that at least she had one child whose achievements she could be proud of, and that she had changed her will, or was in the process of changing it, in favour of our sister.’

  ‘Which came as something of a shock, I imagine,’ Riley surmised.

  ‘I was dumbfounded, as you can imagine. So was Alfred. We had absolutely no idea that she’d had another child.’

  ‘Did she give you that child’s name?’

  ‘No. Naturally we asked, but she told us we’d find out soon enough. And that, Chief Inspector, was the last conversation I had with my mother, and the last time I set eyes on her.’ He fixed Riley with a transparent expression. ‘Now you know our family’s murky secrets. And before you ask, yes, I was aware that Mother was going to Madame’s shop on the morning of her murder. She told us herself, thinking we would be interested in her petty attempts to lure Maureen away from Madame after the explosive nature of our conversation. I told her once that I thought her vendetta with Madame was foolish, taxing and expensive, and I also told her I thought it was very risky to consider opening premises in such a swanky part of town. There is too much established competition and she was almost sure to fail…’

  ‘Squandering your inheritance?’ Salter suggested.

  Bernard chuckled. ‘I had long since given up expecting anything from her. That, as I have already explained, is why I continued with my lucrative arrangement with Hatchard. Anyway, as far as Ma’s new premises were concerned, she was convinced that with your daughter working alongside her, Sergeant, she would be a sensation. I tried to tell her otherwise. Talented as she no doubt is, your daughter is still learning the trade, but for all the good it did me I might as well have saved my breath.’

  ‘Very well. Stay here.’ Riley stood and left the room without another word.

  ‘Do you believe him, sir?’ Salter asked, following Riley from the room.

  ‘I think he has been honest, completely honest with us, for the first time since we’ve had the dubious pleasure of knowing him. He is not a likeable person, Jack, but that is not against the law.’

  ‘Well, it ought to be. You think it was Alfred what done it then?’

  ‘Oh yes, it was Alfred. No question. Now all we have to do is get a confession. Not that it matters if we don’t. We have enough evidence to charge him and get a conviction without him admitting to the crime, but you know me, Jack, I like to get all the answers.’

  Riley and Salter swept into the room where Alfred was being held.

  ‘You are in trouble,’ Riley said. ‘We now know that you were not outside the grocer’s establishment at the time you said you were. It was an hour later. Care to tell us where you were before that? And this time we would appreciate the truth.’

  ‘We know you was shoving a pair of cutting shears into your mother’s chest and we know why, but we’d like to hear your side of the story,’ Salter added.

  Alfred sat, shoulders slumped, and said nothing.

  ‘Fine. I don’t have any more time to waste.’ Riley stood. ‘Charge him with murder, Sergeant, and have him locked up again. We have enough evidence to ensure that you hang,’ Riley added, addressing Alfred, ‘unless you can convince us that you didn’t go to that shop with the intention of killing your mother.’

  ‘Mother? Ha! She weren’t nothing but a selfish, nagging shrew who never forgot a slight and never put anyone else’s comforts ahead of her own.’

  Riley resumed his chair. ‘Tell us what happened.’

  ‘She finally acknowledged that she’d neglected us as kids. I was clever, far cleverer than Bernard, but she never gave me a chance. She took no interest in us until we were old enough to fetch and carry in her damned shop. There was no time or money for books. My future was blighted by her ambition and I finished up driving a damned train for a living, whereas I’m capable of so much more. She owed me!’

  ‘And she fulfilled her debt to you by promising to make you her heir.’

  ‘Aye, which is no less than I deserved. Then, calm as you like, she had a change of heart and told me and Bernard that we had a sister who would cop the lot.’

  ‘How did that make you feel?’

  ‘How the hell do you think it made me feel? I needed to make her think again, remind her of her obligations as a mother, before she made the changes. I knew she was going to Madame’s on the morning she was killed to try and talk Maureen into returning to the fold, so I saw an opportunity to get her alone and plead my case. But she laughed in my face. Told me she’d had to make her own way so I should do the same. She mocked me, told me I was a miserable excuse for a son, always whining about how unfair my life was. She said that life was unfair, that being born didn’t mean that life owed me a living and all sorts of other stuff like that. Then she turned her back on me and I saw red. It was one insult too far. There was this pair of cutting sheers on the worktable. I don’t remember deciding to pick them up, but I found them in my hand anyway. I still remember the weight of them. I wasn’t sure what I intended to do but the sound of them hitting against my palm made her turn round.’

  Riley held his breath when he paused, waiting for him to make the vital admission. ‘What did she do?’ he asked.

  ‘She laughed in my face again, told me I didn’t have the backbone, and something inside of me snapped. I’d taken all the insults I could tolerate. Next thing I knew, she was lying on the floor with the sheers sticking out of her chest, a surprised look on her face and blood oozing everywhere. I froze for a moment, wondering who’d done that to her. It took a while for the truth to sink in. Then I heard footsteps on the stairs so I scarpered.’

  ‘You killed your own mother?’

  Alfred dropped his head into his hands. ‘As God is my witness, I didn’t go there with that intention. She just goaded me once too often.’

  ‘Are you aware of the identity of her daughter?’

  ‘No. She wouldn’t say. I’m not even sure that she exists. It was probably just another one of Mother’s cruel games.’

  ‘Oh, she exists.’ Riley stood. ‘Haven’t you ever wondered why she was so opposed to your relationship with Miss Cornish?’

  His mouth fell open. ‘Doreen? No.’ He shook his head emphatically. ‘It’s not possible.’ Then he did the most unexpected thing. He threw back his head and roared with laughter.

  ‘Charge him with murder, Sergeant,’ Riley said, leaving the room.

  ‘He’s gone back to the cells, still chuckling,’ Salter said, joining Riley in his office. ‘I think he’s lost his senses. He certainly doesn’t seem to realise the pickle he’s in. He’ll hang, in all probability, won’t he, sir? Even if the crime wasn’t premeditated.’

  ‘That or spend the rest of his days behind bars. Hanging might be preferable. Anyway, we’d best have a word with Miss Cornish. She’s still here, I take it.’

  ‘Right.’

  Miss Cornish looked up when they entered the room.

  ‘I apologise for the delay,’ Riley said, not unkindly, ‘but we have a confession.’

  She widened her eyes. ‘You know who done it?’

  ‘We do, and I’m very sorry to tell you that Alfred has confessed to killing his mother in a moment of blin
d rage.’

  ‘No!’ Her face paled and she clutched her cheeks between her hands. ‘It’s not possible. He was starting to get on with her better. I encouraged him to heal the breach and put the past behind him.’

  ‘There’s more shocking revelations, I’m afraid,’ Riley said, ‘but first, I need to ask you a personal question. Please don’t take offence since I have a valid reason for asking it.’

  ‘Go ahead,’ she said, staring into space.

  ‘Your friendship with Alfred and Bernard. Did it ever go beyond that?’

  She sat a little taller. ‘I might be a foundling, but I’m no whore. You grow up quick in them places. I saw girls as young as twelve thinking they’d found a way out ’cause some man had smiled at them. Nine times out of ten they finished up in the family way, producing more kids to be looked after in that ungodly place.’ She shuddered. ‘No, Chief Inspector, I didn’t let either of them touch me—although Bernard tried.’

  ‘That’s a great relief.’ Riley smiled at her. ‘Prepare yourself for another shock.’

  Doreen looked dumfounded when Riley explained about her parentage and her inheritance. Already disappointed with life, and far too worldly wise for her years, she clearly thought there was some catch and couldn’t seem to speak for several minutes. Riley and Salter remained silent, giving her time to absorb the news.

  ‘I get all her money?’ she asked in a faint voice. ‘You sure about that?’

  ‘You do. I will give you the name of the solicitor you need to see about it.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’ She shook her head. ‘How did she…wait—’ She threw up her hands. ‘This ain’t some kind of cruel joke, is it?’

  ‘Not at all, Miss Cornish,’ Riley assured her. ‘You are now a wealthy young woman in your own right but you would be best advised to take investment advice from Mr Lipton to avoid being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous.’

  ‘One of the few benefits of growing up the way I did is that you learn to recognise bogus individuals and you aren’t so easily taken in.’

  ‘Well then, we shall let you go.’

  Riley stood, Salter opened the door and summoned a constable to show the shocked young woman out.

  ‘Another satisfactory conclusion, sir,’ Salter said, as he joined Riley in his office.

  ‘Indeed, Jack.’ Riley pulled his half-hunter from his waistcoat pocket and consulted the time. ‘It’s Friday afternoon and I intend to go home and see my wife. I suggest you do the same thing and reassure Maureen. All the paperwork can wait until Monday.’

  ‘Good idea, sir. Enjoy your weekend.’

  ‘You too, Jack. My regards to Mrs Salter and Maureen.’

  Riley wished Barton a good afternoon but knew as he made his way to the railway station that his weekend would be far from relaxing. He still had the business with Henry’s latest female companion to attend to. Given what Danforth had told him in that regard, he knew it couldn’t be delayed and that he would have to go to Chichester the following day and resolve it in person.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Amelia, learning that the case had reached a satisfactory conclusion, didn’t press Riley for particulars.

  ‘I wonder what will become of Maureen’s career,’ she said instead. ‘Will she remain with Madame?’

  ‘If Jack has his way, she will abandon the profession altogether.’

  ‘That would be a travesty.’

  ‘Oh, I am sure Mrs Salter will make him see things that way, but as a father myself now, I can understand his concern. Madame was not responsible for Mrs Faulkner’s death, but she is a ruthless person who was involved in an affair with a married man, which will offend Jack’s Christian sensibilities.’

  ‘There are other milliners. Mrs Jacobson is situated in Knightsbridge, close to the Harrod’s department store, and is making quite a name for herself. I am sure she is aware of Maureen’s talent and I’m equally sure that if Olivia and I offer her our custom, she would be happy to offer Maureen a place.’

  ‘You have hit upon the ideal solution, my love.’ Riley leaned across to kiss his wife. ‘Thank you. I will make the suggestion to Jack on Monday.’

  They spoke of other matters after that and enjoyed a relaxing evening. Only as they were about to retire did Riley tell his wife of his plans for the following day. He also explained why it was so urgent for him to go in person.

  ‘Poor Riley,’ Amelia said, sympathy in her tone. ‘So much responsibility and now a thoughtless brother who shouldn’t be allowed out on his own to add to your concerns.’

  ‘It would help if Henry thought with his brain for a change, but there you have it.’ He smiled at Amelia and kissed her. ‘I hope to be back in time for dinner and at least we will have Sunday to ourselves. We have no engagements, I hope.’

  ‘No, none.’

  Riley spent the train journey into Chichester the following morning dwelling upon his tempestuous relationship with his elder sibling. He recalled Henry describing him as a sanctimonious prick during their confrontation a few days previously, and wondered if there was any truth in the accusation. He lived very differently from Henry nowadays, but he’d sowed his share of wild oats and made mistakes of his own during his younger days. Now, with a wife he adored, a career that challenged his intellect and a growing family to support, he had matured and was entirely satisfied with his lot. If that made him sanctimonious then he could live with it.

  Henry had married a woman who’d dazzled him with her beauty, until she got her ring on his finger. Then everything had changed. Henry hadn’t stopped to consider their compatibility or Celia’s suitability as a marchioness before he insisted upon marrying her. Even Riley’s mother, keen to see her elder son married and embracing fatherhood, had expressed doubts. But Henry could be stubborn when he chose to be, and was now paying the price. Even so, dabbling with a woman of low morals on his own doorstep simply wasn’t the done thing. Standards had to be maintained.

  Riley could only thank providence that Danforth himself had looked into the woman’s background, otherwise her true identity and purpose might never had come to light.

  He found the small establishment in Chichester high street, within the cathedral’s environs, from which the woman calling herself Felicity Hopgood sold her pottery. Riley paused outside the establishment and inspected the goods on display. Henry was right. They were unusual and eye-catching, but not to the extent that there were any customers in the shop itself at that particular moment. The prices too seemed artificially high, deterring all but those with the deepest pockets.

  Riley pushed the door open and a tickling bell summoned an attractive woman with blonde hair styled in a flattering fashion from the back room. The smile on her face faded when Riley turned the open sign dangling from the door to its closed side.

  ‘What on earth…’

  ‘Good morning, Ruby,’ Riley said.

  ‘Oh!’ The attractive former courtesan scowled. ‘It’s you.’

  ‘I was unaware that you had altered your profession.’ Ruby had been apprenticed to a courtesan whose murder Riley had investigated two years previously, one who had specialised in dominating her clients and inflicting pain. His former senior officer, Danforth, had been a keen supplicant in that regard, accounting for the fact that he had immediately recognised the woman calling herself Felicity Hopgood, even though she’d reinvented herself.

  ‘Walloping your boss’s flabby arse for a living lost its appeal,’ she said, shedding the refined edge to her voice.

  ‘So you thought you would fleece my brother instead, right here on his own doorstep.’ Riley shook his head. ‘Why? Whatever did you think you’d gain by making a spectacle of yourself?’

  She lifted her shoulders. ‘Why not? I heard he was dissatisfied with his domestic arrangements.’

  It took a moment for the penny to drop. ‘You still keep in touch with some of your former friends in the whoring business,’ Riley said savagely. This was no time to spare her feelin
gs.

  ‘Henry is a well-known figure about town.’

  ‘And let me see if I’ve got this right, you knew you could entice him into an arrangement, but you wanted something more permanent than a temporary contract for a shop and a few pennies here and there.’

  ‘He’s on the point of offering it to me, an’ all.’ She straightened her shoulders. ‘Divorce ain’t anything to be ashamed of nowadays.’

  Riley shook his head at her naiveté and didn’t bother to put her straight. ‘Why pottery?’

  She shrugged. ‘It’s made on the cheap by a friend of mine. The toffs round here love it. It was a way to insert myself into the local community.’

  ‘I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. You will close these premises now, today, and leave the district or I will arrest you for soliciting under false pretences.’ There was no such charge, but the girl didn’t know that, and Riley would throw her in a cell for a night or two, regardless. She was being hopelessly unrealistic, for which he blamed Henry. ‘Henry might enjoy the company of doxies but no matter how much he complains, he will never desert his wife, and he most definitely would never consider marrying someone of your stature. I am going to see my brother now. If these premises have not been vacated by the time I return, I will carry out my threat. Never doubt it.’

  ‘Damn you!’ The woman’s face turned red with anger. ‘I’m doing good business here.’

  ‘Do it elsewhere,’ Riley replied, leaving the shop, thinking it telling that she had expressed more regret about giving up her livelihood than she had at the idea of parting with Henry.