“Oh, forgive me,” Dermot said. “I hear congratulations are in order on your engagement to Mr. Seymour. Seems like it is rather sudden, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I was surprised when Richard proposed. He spent the whole day searching for the perfect ring. He came to Selfridges where I work, just as I was about to leave, took me to my flat, and proposed.” She held up her hand and showed Dermot the diamond ring.
Dermot told her that the ring looked beautiful and then asked her when Richard had started painting. Pippa replied that Richard started painting after he had recovered from his injuries in the Great War; after all, he needed money to make ends meet and his government pension was limited.
“I’m lucky he loves me. Women think he’s dishy, but he chose plain-looking me. He sought me out in the art gallery and told me that he noticed me at Selfridges and thought I was someone special… I just don’t understand why my aunts and Miss Carter don’t like him.”
Pippa was about to say something more, when they heard a scream.
“Help… Miss Carter… help me…”
“What was that?” asked Pippa, horrified.
“It sounded like Abigail,” said Dermot as he ran out of the living room. He tried to discern where the screams had come from. Pippa came running behind him and told him they were from the laundry room.
“Quick, show me where it is.”
The two of them ran along the corridor and through a doorway. From the top of the stairs they saw Miss Carter sitting on the landing, leaning against the wall. They ran down the stairs to the landing. They slowly moved Miss Carter, who was moaning in pain, and saw that the back of her head was a bit bloodied. She was semi-conscious and was now slowly moving her lips trying to say something.
Pippa let out a scream and pointed to the bottom of the stairs. Dermot looked and saw Abigail at the bottom of the stairs with the laundry basket next to her and clothes strewn around her. Dermot ran down the stairs and took Abigail’s hand, looking for a pulse. There was none. He looked at her face; her eyes were staring upwards. Her spectacles were on the floor next to her. From the corner of his eye, he saw something move and he looked towards the door. It was the cat that Abigail used to feed.
“I suppose you saw the whole thing,” he said to the cat. The cat looked at him and then ran outside through the open door.
Dermot went up the stairs to where Pippa was trying to help Miss Carter get up. He asked Miss Carter what had happened and she faintly said that a man had come down the stairs and attacked them. They tried to defend themselves and the last thing she heard was Abigail scream as she fell down the stairs.
“Is… is… she alive?”
“No, she broke her neck in the fall. He must’ve gone down the stairs and towards the woods through the open door. Constable Barnaby must be making his rounds. We may be able to catch him.”
Cora and Arthur came down the stairs and looked petrified.
“Oh my God, Miss Carter,” said Cora. She looked at Abigail’s body and let out a faint scream.
“Take care of Miss Carter,” yelled Dermot as he turned to go back down the stairs.
Dermot ran around Abigail’s body and the clothes. He ran past the washing tub and the wringers and out of the door. The bright sunlight hit his eyes and he had to blink a little to get used to it. He looked to his left and saw Barnaby walking down the hill. He called out to him and told him what had happened. Barnaby said that he hadn’t seen anyone run past him, but anyone could’ve run into the woods and down into the meadow.
Barnaby blew his whistle and Jenkins came immediately. Dermot found that Jenkins was the more athletic of the two and he told Barnaby to wait while he and Jenkins went in search of the killer. They ran towards the woods and split apart to cover the area. They entered the woods and ran through them into the meadow and down the hill towards the stream. They saw no one. They converged at the stream, panting heavily. Constable Jenkins told Dermot that due to the lack of rain there were no footprints showing which way the attacker went and so it was futile attempting to find him. Dermot agreed and suggested that they head back.
The two men headed back and went into the laundry room. Dermot looked at the body of Abigail and shook his head in disbelief. A few minutes ago, she was alive and talking to him. She had been just about to tell him something. What was it she was trying to tell him before they were interrupted? Something about the clock when she was in the laundry yard. It just didn’t make sense.
Dermot went upstairs and enquired about Miss Carter. Pippa said that Miss Carter was in her room resting and that Dr. Fielding was on his way. She had also called the police. Cora then became distraught and announced that she wasn’t going to stay in the manor any longer. She was going to take Hector and move into the Meadowford Inn where she would make arrangements to go back to Canada. No amount of convincing would make her stay. When Inspector Enderby arrived, she told him her plans and was adamant that she be allowed to leave the manor. Inspector Enderby finally relented and granted her request.
Chapter 16: The Butler’s Memoir
As Dermot drove home, he began thinking about the events that had unfolded – three murders and two attempted murders, all within the span of a few days. They were connected somehow, but he couldn’t see how. Was he missing any clues? He knew he had to find the killers before more people died. He reached his parents’ house and went in. He barely acknowledged his mother’s greeting and invitation to have dinner. He told them that he was unwell and wanted to go to bed early. He went upstairs to his room and looked at his table. He saw the two files that Oswald Gardner had given him, and then he noticed something else. It was the memoirs of James Slattery. He hadn’t opened it since he had placed it on the table. Maybe, there was a clue in it to be discovered. He took the book, sat on his bed, and began to read.
Slattery described his journey with Lord Fitzhugh on the SS Durban to Cape Town, South Africa. He was excited about the prospect of seeing a new country. The first few pages were about the country, the wildlife, and the scenery. Slattery chronicled in detail Lord Fitzhugh’s meetings with several people who owned diamond mines. Lord Fitzhugh decided to go into partnership with a Boer farmer named Christiaan De Villiers, whom he met at a country club in Cape Town. He and his son, Peter, who was currently studying in Berlin, had discovered the diamond mine accidentally, while clearing a small hill on the land they farmed near Kimberley.
Christiaan was intent on obtaining financial help to excavate the diamonds, as he was a farmer of modest means. When the Boer War began, soon after they agreed to become partners, Lord Fitzhugh had assured Christiaan that although their two countries were fighting each other, he wouldn’t pull out of his financial backing for the mine and that he would protect them.
In the next chapters, Slattery mentioned Lord Fitzhugh accepting an offer from the British Army to lead a small regiment of British soldiers. His military experiences in India and England were sought by the British Army. Slattery also mentioned that a young private from Meadowford, named Percival Havelock, was in the regiment. Private Havelock soon became Lord Fitzhugh’s confidant.
The next few chapters described Slattery’s experiences during the war and some of the battles he had witnessed. He mentioned the bullet wound that Private Havelock received to his leg during a battle and his return to the unit after convalescing in a hospital in Pretoria.
Dermot noticed that the colouring of the ink now looked brighter and realised that this was where Slattery had continued writing his memoirs, a few months earlier.
“So he was writing from memory after almost a twenty-five year hiatus,” Dermot said to himself.
Slattery briefly mentioned how his obsession for getting up in the middle of the night to check the doors and windows began. Lo
rd Fitzhugh and Slattery had stayed with the British family a week before they were murdered. It was determined that the perpetrators had entered through a window. Nobody knew whether the perpetrators who had killed the family were natives or Boers. During the war, Slattery would check whether the tent flaps were secured. When he was in a building, he would check the doors and windows.
He wrote about the ending of the war and how relieved Lord Fitzhugh and he were because they had escaped unscathed. He described witnessing the mine exploding on the day it was to be inaugurated and the subsequent trial brought forth by the insurance company. He had started writing another chapter about Lord Fitzhugh being exonerated and then the memoirs stopped rather abruptly. Dermot realised with sadness that this was because Slattery had been murdered.
By the time Dermot finished, it was close to dawn. As he closed his eyes, he realised that Slattery had not mentioned anything about the De Villiers family. Even after Lord Fitzhugh became sole owner of the mine, Slattery had not written that they had perished. His last mention of them was when the Boer War began.
— — —
After sleeping for a few hours, Dermot drove back to Fitzhugh Manor. He needed to know how much the elderly sisters knew about the mine. Maybe they could tell him why Slattery had not mentioned the De Villiers family again in his memoirs. Constable Jenkins greeted him as he arrived. Dermot went in and found the two sisters in the drawing room, with tea in front of them. Lilian was embroidering, while Flora drank tea. He greeted them and told them why he was there. Lilian looked at him angrily and reprimanded him for being impertinent by barging in while they were having their tea. She demanded to know how the mine could possibly be related to Abigail’s death.
Dermot knew that Lilian was a very difficult woman, but he had been blessed with the patience of a saint. He showed her Slattery’s memoirs.
“Mrs. Endecott, I know they don’t seem to be related, but Slattery wrote about his time in South Africa and I’m afraid there are many questions I need answered to help me with this case.”
The explanation seemed to calm her down and Lilian began sipping her tea.
“Sorry, Detective. Lilian is just upset at what happened yesterday, and also about Cora and Hector leaving. They have moved to the Meadowford Inn and Cora’s planning on taking them back to Canada,” said Flora.
Dermot asked Flora who had informed Lord Fitzhugh of the huge deposit of diamonds in the mine if he was in the veld fighting the Boers.
Flora thought for a moment. “Father told us that he had received a letter from Christiaan telling him about the discovery and that the geologist who examined the mine also confirmed it. That letter from Christiaan and the geologist’s report helped exonerate Father at his trial.”
“That makes sense… Now, Slattery’s memoir doesn’t mention what happened to the De Villiers family. Did your father ever mention how Christiaan and his wife died in the war? He would’ve had to have known that to get ownership of the mine.”
Flora shrugged her shoulders. “Father didn’t want to talk about how they died and forbade anyone from asking about the mine, the war, or the trial. We just respected our father’s wishes and did as he asked. Slattery would’ve known, but he is…”
Dermot nodded disappointingly. He did not get his most important question answered. Was there any particular reason why Lord Fitzhugh didn’t want to talk about his time in South Africa? Maybe he was just interested in putting the past behind him and moving on.
He requested Flora to search through Lord Fitzhugh’s papers and find the letter or any documents related to the trial and the mine. Flora said that she would.
“Did Slattery ever meet the son?”
“No. I distinctly remember Father saying that none of them had met him because by the time they met Christiaan his son had already sailed for Germany. As you know, he came back and perished in the war.”
Dermot nodded. “How’s Miss Carter?”
“She is fine. Thank God. Dreadful being attacked and seeing someone being murdered in front of your eyes,” answered Lilian, which surprised Dermot.
“Yes, she’s the best housekeeper we’ve ever had,” chimed in Flora. “She came in at the last minute too.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dermot.
“We interviewed many women for the position and we had already decided on one when Miss Carter arrived. Strangely, as we interviewed her, we all felt that we knew her. She gave us the feeling that we had met her before. We unanimously agreed that we would hire her,” said Flora.
“Strange… Where had she worked before?”
“She worked for a Mrs. Mable Evans for nearly twenty years. Her employer succumbed to cancer a few months before we hired her. She even showed us Mrs. Evans’ obituary from the London Times and the reference letter from her was most impressive.”
“Where is she? I would like to speak to her.”
“She’s in the living room, polishing the silverware. Even though she had that awful ordeal yesterday, she’s up and about doing her duties as if nothing happened to her,” said Flora.
Dermot thanked them and went to the living room. He found Miss Carter polishing the silverware. She looked up and peered at him through her pince-nez. Dermot greeted her and asked how she was feeling. Miss Carter got emotional and said she was fine but was upset that she couldn’t prevent Abigail from being killed, even though she had cried for Miss Carter to help her. She then composed herself and looked at him quizzically.
“Are you here to question me, Detective Carlyle?” she asked.
“Yes, just routine questions because of what happened yesterday. I suspect that the man who attacked you and Abigail was intending to kill you. He may’ve noticed that you saw him near the stables while you were talking to Constable Barnaby. Now, please think carefully and tell me what you remember seeing when you were talking to Constable Barnaby.”
Miss Carter looked flustered. “You know, Detective, I’ve tried, but I cannot see that far very well, even with these on… I vaguely remember seeing his back. He was wearing a grey coat and a bowler hat. The man who attacked us was wearing the same thing. He was dressed like a vagrant.”
“Maybe that was just a disguise. It is strange that he got into the manor in the first place. The front door is guarded by Constable Jenkins, and Constable Barnaby walks around the manor every hour. Was the laundry door unbolted?”
“Abigail was very scatterbrained; she must have left the door unbolted. All I remember is that he suddenly came running down the stairs from the main floor and pushed me. I fell against the wall and then he pushed Abigail and she…”
“I understand… and he went out through the laundry door, the way he came in. He must have been wandering in the manor and saw you both going down the stairs, then decided that it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of you… Now, there’s something else I wanted to ask you; did you see a knife when you entered Lady Fitzhugh’s bedroom?”
“No. The shock of seeing her Ladyship dead was too much to take and then I saw the empty box. I remember thinking that she was probably killed for the necklace.”
“It must’ve looked stunning on her neck.”
Miss Carter glared at him, as if looking through him. “Yes, it was very beautiful and it looked very elegant on her neck. Now, nobody else will wear it… nobody should… it was meant only for her neck.” She started crying, which startled Dermot, making him uncomfortable. She wiped her eyes and composed herself. “Well, Detective, if you have no more questions for me, I will get back to work.”
“Just one more… Where did you live before coming here?”
Miss Carter seemed taken aback at the question, but she quickly composed herself. “I lived in Cumbria for
nearly twenty years working under Mrs. Evans, a widow with no children. She taught me to be a good housekeeper and I was also her companion. When she died, I was not wanted by her niece as she was travelling to the Far East to be with her husband. Fortunately, I saw the advertisement in the London Times and applied for this job.”
“Thank you, Miss Carter. I will let you carry on with your work.”
— — —
Dermot headed to the kitchen and found Alice chopping vegetables. She looked distraught and her eyes were red like she had been crying. Dermot said that he wanted to talk to her. After obtaining Mrs. Withers’ permission, they headed to the servants’ dining room.
They sat down and Alice stared at the table. Dermot said soothingly, “Alice, I know you’re distraught over the loss of Abigail, but it would help if you can answer a few questions.”
“Yes, Detective Carlyle,” she said softly.
“Was Abigail seeing anyone?”
She looked at him in surprise. “No, Detective, she never said nothin’ about it to me.”
“Now think carefully, did she tell you about anything strange happening on the day that Hector had his accident?”
“We talked just before goin’ to bed that night and she said it was strange that she didn’t see Miss Fitzhugh in front of the library door at the time she said she was there.”
“Is that all she said?”
“She also said that if she’d been in the laundry yard instead of takin’ lemonade to Constable Jenkins, then she would’ve seen the person goin’ into the stables after Charles left.”
A Bloody Hot Summer Page 14
