by Jack Murray
At the head of the rise, they were able to survey the grounds. Fresh tracks had been made in the snow from the cottage to the stables and from the stables to the house, so someone had been out earlier. There was no sign of life anywhere now. All was still.
Kit turned to Miller, ‘I hope Lord Cavendish is up. He’s had quite a sleep in.’
‘That’s funny, he was down in the kitchen last night,’ replied Miller.
‘Really, must have been after he left us,’ said Kit. ‘Did he speak to you?’
‘It was late, not sure when. I think he was a bit surprised to see me. He was still looking at me a bit strangely. Anyway, he came down and wished Curtis and me a happy Christmas. Then he did a strange thing. He went over to where the room keys hang on the wall and took a key with him. I supposed it was his bedroom key. He didn’t explain what he was doing and naturally I wasn’t about to ask him.’
‘How odd.’
‘Nothing else to report. Soon after Curtis passed out. He’s not really a drinker that one.’
Kit laughed, ‘We noticed.’ They were picking their way back, retracing their footsteps from the hall. As they neared the house Sam decided it was time to resume his walk.
‘Lazy little beggar,’ said Miller.
Inside the house, chaos reigned.
Chapter 16
‘Lord Cavendish is dead,’ said Miss Buchan.
These were the words that greeted Kit and Miller as they entered from the back. They could see Miss Buchan comforting a tearful Polly. Elsie was sitting with her head in her hands. The water on the stove was boiling over but nobody seemed interested. Miller walked over and reduced the heat.
Recovering from the shock of this announcement, Kit asked Miss Buchan, ‘Where are Lady Esther and Mary?’
‘Upstairs in Lord Cavendish’s room with Doctor Bright.’
Kit said nothing more but went upstairs to the room. Arriving outside the room, he could see the door had recently been forced open. Curtis was sitting outside the room. Seeing Kit, he scrambled to his feet but could not say anything. His red-rimmed eyes spoke of grief as much as the hangover he was unquestionably suffering.
‘The ladies are in with Lord Cavendish, Mr Strangerson and Doctor Bright.’
He knocked the door and went in. On the bed lay Cavendish, only his head was showing. It was pale but very peaceful. Both girls were crying, face down by the bed. Only Bright was aware of Kit’s arrival.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Kit, ‘Esther, Mary, I’m so terribly sorry.’
Both looked up, but neither could say anything. Bright motioned for Kit to join him outside the room so that he could fill him in the about the events of the morning. Speaking in a low voice he said, ‘I know it’s such a shock. He seemed in fine fettle last night. As far as I can tell he seems to have passed away peacefully in his sleep. It’s difficult to establish an exact time but I think, given the progression of rigor it couldn’t have been more than a few hours ago.’
‘Are you sure he died from natural causes?’ asked Kit
‘Good Lord, Kit. What an extraordinary thing to ask.’ said Strangerson.
‘I have my reasons,’ said Kit but added nothing more.
Bright responded, ‘We can’t assume anything of course without a post-mortem. But I should add, the room was locked from the inside. As far as we can tell nobody, except Lord Cavendish could have entered the room last night.’
‘I saw the door had been forced,’ said Kit.
‘We did that when there was no answer from the room,’ added Strangerson, who had joined them also. ‘The ladies were becoming concerned for him,’ he added by way of explanation.
‘Do you believe there was foul play?’ asked Bright.
‘Possibly, but I accept this is something that must wait for a post-mortem. Have the police been informed?’
‘No, there is no telephone line at the moment, perhaps the weather. I understand Devlin has gone into the village to see if there’s a way of getting in contact with the police in Lincoln,’ confirmed Bright.
‘Obvious question perhaps, but Esther and Mary, how are they?’
‘Distraught as you may imagine,’ answered Bright.
‘Where is Lady Emily?
‘She retired to her room. The old girl looked fairly cut up to be fair. I haven’t seen the youngster,’ said Strangerson.
The three men spoke for another few minutes and then Kit went in to see the girls. Bright went to the kitchen with Curtis to update them on what had happened and what to expect over the next few days.
Esther and Mary were holding one another as Kit returned to the room. He told them again how sorry he was. Then Mary asked, ‘What do you think happened? It’s inconceivable he could just pass away like that. I don’t believe it.’
The emphasis she put on the word ‘believe’ and the way she looked at Kit told him that Lord Cavendish had shared the strange Christmas cards with them.
Mary continued, ‘You saw those vile notes?’
‘Yes, Lord Cavendish showed them to me. I agree they were despicable.’
‘And now he’s dead.’
Mary began to cry again, hugging Esther even harder.
‘Yes, we can’t rule out foul play,’ admitted Kit reluctantly.
‘We should tell Richard about the notes,’ said Mary.
Kit noted Mary’s familiarity with the Doctor but refocused on the death of Cavendish.
‘Forgive me Mary, I’m not sure that’s a good idea just yet. I spoke with him just now and alluded to circumstances that suggest we are dealing with a murder here, but I didn’t go into detail.’
Mary seemed to see the sense of this, but Kit could also recognize her unwillingness to accept he could be involved. She looked at Kit and said, ‘I understand. We need to get the police.’
‘I gather Devlin has gone into the village, to see if there is a telephone line working.’
‘Is this wise?’ asked Mary.
There was a steely look in Mary’s eyes as she said this. Kit understood what she was thinking because he had felt the same when first told of Devlin’s mission.
‘If your grandfather was murdered then you’re right, Mary. We’re all suspects.’
-
In the silence of the kitchen, the dripping of the tap was deafening. Miller felt uncomfortable in an atmosphere as heavy as it was cold. Not the sharp cold of outdoors but rather a damp intense sensation. Around him sat Miss Buchan, Elsie, and Polly. All were shocked beyond tears, most probably fearful of the future, concluded Miller.
To move from his seat, it seemed to Miller, would be to intrude on the grief around him. Therefore, he remained seated, unable to say anything. He could think of nothing to say that would console or reassure. It was unbearable. He prayed Kit would come down soon and release him from the torment of inaction.
Cavendish’s death was suspicious. The threatening notes sent to Cavendish, had been brought up by Kit the previous evening and he was under instructions to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. It seemed implausible there was not a connection between the sudden death of Cavendish and these notes. For the time being he waited. The tap continued to drip.
The door of the kitchen opened. Curtis with Doctor Bright walked in. Everyone looked up, thankful for something to break the oppressive atmosphere. Curtis sat down but Bright remained standing. For the next few minutes, he briefed them on what had happened and what to expect next. Following this, Miller used Bright’s arrival as an excuse to escape the kitchen.
-
Mary walked over to the window of Cavendish’s room with Kit and looked out. The whiteness of the snow was unbroken save for some distant hedges and trees. She turned to Kit saying, ‘We must assume he was killed.’ Tears welled in her eyes as she said this. Kit moved towards her, she shook her head and regained control quickly. ‘It may be another day before the police are able to come. You’ve done this before. We all saw the newspapers. Can you make some inquiries, Kit?’
/> ‘This means questioning everybody. The key is to understand, where everyone was last night. Who could have gained access to the room? Did anyone hear anything suspicious during the night? We also need to understand possible motives. Mary, you must understand how this places everyone under a degree of suspicion and your staff, never mind Strangerson and Bright may be offended by being even the lightest of investigations.’
‘I realize this. Will you help us?’ asked Mary.
‘Of course, I‘ll try to help.’
‘I want to help also. I want to catch this person.’ A thought struck her, ‘Do you think they might attempt to kill someone else?’
‘Once I start to interview people, it will put whoever did this on their guard. The first thing we need to do is understand motive. Why would someone do this?’
Mary looked troubled but could offer no ideas. Then a thought occurred to her, ‘When you spoke to grandpapa, did he have a view on who had sent those Christmas cards?’
‘No,’ replied Kit, ‘he was mystified although he wondered if it could be someone who had a family member who died during the War.’
‘Why wait until now?’ said Mary.
‘My thought also. I asked if it could be someone closer to home.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He thought it unlikely either here at the Hall or in the village.’ Mary nodded in agreement. After a few moments Kit added, ‘He mentioned a man named Edmunds, do you know him?’
‘Yes, he’s been with us for years. He lost his son. Difficult character.’
‘So, I gather, but even with him it brings us back to the same point, why wait until now?’
‘Unless it’s to divert suspicion,’ suggested Mary although she seemed sceptical.
‘We need to understand motive,’ affirmed Kit. ‘But we also need to understand what has changed. Why now?’
Esther came over to join them. She wiped her cheek with the heel of her palm. ‘What are you two cooking up?’
‘Kit will start an investigation into what people were doing last night while we wait for the police,’ said Mary.
‘Investigate? Why? You don’t think he was murdered?’ responded Esther, clearly astonished.
‘I don’t know but we can’t ignore the threats. Nor can we sit idly by if we do have someone in our midst who is a murderer.’ This made Esther gasp involuntarily. Mary hugged her, and they returned to their grandfather.
‘I will convene everyone downstairs in the library to tell them what we’re going to do. There’s no need for you to come down. It may be upsetting. I suggest you remain here for the time being,’ said Kit, heading towards the door. The sisters nodded but said nothing more.
-
Kit walked into the library. Miller was already there, which surprised Kit. ‘Oh, I’m glad I found you Harry, can you ask everyone to assemble in the library? The girls have asked me to make some preliminary inquiries. I mean everybody, by the by, guests also, please.’
‘Yes, I’ll get to it,’ replied Miller, happy to be active.
A thought struck Kit and he asked Miller as he was leaving, ‘By the way Harry, why were you in here?’
Miller greeted this with a rueful smile, ‘I wanted to escape from downstairs. It’s rather depressing down there.’
‘I can understand. Are Bright and Strangerson still down there?’
‘I think they’re in the drawing room now. Do you want me to ask them to come here?’
‘Yes, thanks Harry and then the staff.’ Miller left the room and Kit went immediately to the desk to retrieve the threatening notes.
They were nowhere to be found.
He checked the drawers and around the table. Someone had taken them. If it proved not to be Esther or Mary, then this would throw an entirely new complexion on Lord Cavendish’s death.
The next thing to strike him was that someone had replaced the framed photograph of the Robert’s battalion back onto the wall. Kit was certain it had been left sitting on the desk the last time he had been in the room. Before he could take another look at the photograph the door opened. Strangerson and Bright entered.
‘Hello old chap. What’s going on?
‘All will be made clear soon. Please have a seat. I’m waiting for the others.’
Within a few minutes all the staff and guests were assembled in the library. Esther and Mary remained with Lord Cavendish and Devlin was still absent. Kit stood up and addressed the household.
‘I know everyone is in shock over the tragic death of Lord Cavendish. Firstly, my sincere condolences. You will have known Lord Cavendish for many years. I have known him but a few; he was someone whom I admired greatly. I will not detain you long. Lady Esther and Mary are with him at the moment and I think it would be a kindness if you do not disturb them much as I am sure you wish to express your sympathy. The death of Lord Cavendish was unexpected. We all saw him in such good humour last night. In circumstances such as these it’s natural that the police will wish to investigate in order to dismiss any possibility of foul play.’
‘Good Lord’ exclaimed Lady Emily, ‘Are you really suggesting he could’ve been murdered?’
‘I’m afraid this will only be confirmed following a post-mortem. But we cannot ignore anything at this stage.’
‘But what makes you think someone would do this?’ pressed Lady Emily.
‘There are reasons that I cannot disclose at this point,’ responded Kit.
‘But how?’ she continued.
‘Doctor Bright has made an initial examination and there are no obvious signs of violence. This would suggest two possible causes of death. Either natural causes or poison.’
Lady Emily gasped unconsciously and grew visibly paler. Kit saw her reaction and reacted immediately, ‘Curtis, water for Lady Emily please. I’m sorry Lady Emily, I recognize how upsetting this must be.’
Kit continued, ‘The police will speak to all of you to understand your whereabouts last night or if you heard anything unusual. I need hardly tell you how it is of critical importance that you speak truthfully. I have no doubt Doctor Bright will have conveyed this to you. However, because of the weather, we cannot be certain of when the police will be able to get here. I would hazard a guess it will be tomorrow morning at the earliest. This is assuming, of course, that Devlin has successfully made contact. In the meantime, and at the request of Lord Cavendish’s granddaughters, I will undertake some initial inquiries in advance of the police arriving here. I have had some experience in these matters. I hope you won’t take offence at my questions. No one is being accused of any crime. In fact, we can’t be certain any crime has taken place. Until this is confirmed, we must proceed with an open mind.’
‘One question Kit.’ This was Strangerson. ‘The implication of what you’re saying is that one of us could be the blighter that murdered Lord Cavendish.’
Kit groaned inwardly. This was unhelpful and predictably, it brought mild panic among the assembly. Holding his hands up Kit said, ‘Please, please can I have your attention? I repeat, we cannot be certain any murder has taken place. However, it would make sense if we all take certain precautions.’
He then proceeded to outline some specific things for everyone to do, ‘Please do not go anywhere in the house on your own. If you’re in your room, please lock the door. With regard to preparation of food and serving, this should be done in pairs. Elsie and Polly will continue to prepare food, Curtis, and Miss Buchan, if I could ask you to serve. Harry Miller will be helping me in making inquiries. Please give your full assistance to him.’
There was no escaping the fact that one of the people in the library was potentially a murderer. This would cause mutual suspicion which would not cease until it was proven if a murder had taken place and the murderer brought to justice. Kit looked across the library, he saw everyone glancing surreptitiously at everyone else. All except Bright, who calmly kept his eyes firmly on Kit.
‘I will spend some time with each of you over the course of today.
Thank you for being so patient.’
The gathering broke up with most returning to their rooms. Evidently no one welcomed the prospect of making conversation with a potential murder suspect. Strangerson and Bright remained behind.
In a corner of the room, Kit spoke quietly to Miller in order to brief him on key questions to ask the staff. The key would be to ensure a consistent approach so a timeline of everyone’s movements could be constructed and used to cross check responses. Following his briefing to Miller, Kit re-joined Strangerson and Bright.
‘Did you mean to scare the horses like that?’ said Strangerson lighting a cigarette. His tone was light-hearted, but Kit suspected his mood was not. In fact, the question was a legitimate one if misplaced.
‘Strictly speaking it was you,’ smiled Bright.
‘Fair point, I hadn’t thought of that,’ acknowledged Strangerson.
‘Don’t worry. They would’ve worked it out without your intervention,’ said Kit.
‘What happens now that we are openly discussing the possibility of murder?’ asked Bright.
‘I start to interview…’
‘The suspects?’ smiled Bright.
‘The household,’ responded Kit smiling at Bright. ‘May I start with you?’
Chapter 17
Richard Bright graduated from Oxford a year after Kit had left Cambridge. When the War started, he immediately volunteered but was turned down on the grounds that he could be needed in a medical capacity at an unspecified future date. He didn’t have to wait long. Within a year he was in France working near the front. Over the next two years he gained the experience of a doctor twice his age.
The intensity of this period almost came at the price of his reason. Several times he was at breaking point as he dealt, on a daily basis, with the horrendous impact of the War on the young men who fought. It was almost unbearable, but he knew if he relinquished responsibility, the misery would not go away from those injured or tasked with repairing, rebuilding, and caring. He chose to push on in the hope that his sanity would outlast the madness of war.
