by Bill Kitson
‘He didn’t.’
My blunt reply stunned Eve into silence, something that is far from easy to achieve, so I basked in the success for several seconds, awaiting her next question.
‘What do you mean by “he didn’t”?’
‘Exactly what you think I meant; that Scott Martin didn’t commit suicide – at least I don’t believe he did.’
‘What made you arrive at that extraordinary conclusion?’
‘It was what Hardy told me on the phone yesterday, the part that I didn’t reveal to you. There were two reasons for that. First of all, I wanted to think over the implications, and second I reckoned that it was better to keep it to myself until after we’d been to Elmfield Grange.’
‘OK, so what was it that Hardy said?’ There was a testy edge to Eve’s voice that told me she was becoming impatient, and perhaps a little annoyed at not having been told earlier.
‘He told me that the pathologist discovered portions of a broken cyanide capsule lodged in Martin’s mouth.’
‘What of it, we already knew he took cyanide?’
‘Where did it come from?’
‘Sorry, I’m not with you.’
‘Right, supposing you decide you’ve had enough of me and you think that rather than having to go through a messy divorce you’ll do me in by poisoning me with cyanide.’
‘Don’t put ideas in my mind,’ Eve muttered. A sideways glance revealed her grin, which reassured me slightly. ‘Given that you’ve made the decision, where would you get the cyanide capsule?’
Eve didn’t need to think about it for too long. ‘I have absolutely no idea, which should comfort you slightly.’
‘Exactly, and that raises the question, where did Scott Martin obtain a cyanide capsule? It isn’t exactly the sort of item a solicitor based in a small market town can acquire easily, and you certainly can’t pop into your local chemist’s shop and buy one.’
‘So tell me, Mr Smart Alec, where did he get it then?’
‘He didn’t, or at least I don’t believe he did. I think his visitor brought it.’
‘What visitor?’
OK, so I was enjoying the suspense, drip-feeding my titbits of information to tease Eve. A man’s got to get his fun somewhere, hasn’t he? ‘Cyanide capsules are the sort of things that were given to spies. Their brief was to bite down on one if they were captured. They were instructed to kill themselves rather than risk giving away vital secrets or betraying fellow agents.’
‘Accepting the fact that you’ve watched too many espionage films, I’ll buy that. Get on with it, because there’s obviously more you’re itching to reveal.’
‘Hardy said Scott Martin stayed later than normal at his office on the night he died because he had an appointment with a new client. And Martin’s secretary said that far from being depressed, he was quite cheerful and upbeat about the possibilities from the meeting.’
‘Why is that relevant?’
‘Because if you connect the cyanide capsule to someone who used to be involved in espionage it becomes pertinent, especially when you learn that the new client Martin was waiting so eagerly for went by the name of Hunter.’
Eve’s loud gasp of astonishment was worth the long drawn out lead up to the revelation. After a short silence, she said, ‘You think Jäger poisoned Scott Martin?’
‘I do, and what’s more I don’t blame him one bit. Sadly, when you think of the number of deaths that can be attributed to Martin’s actions, either directly or indirectly, and the number of lives he ruined both here and in Germany, I reckon he had it coming to him and I’m only surprised that Jäger didn’t inflict far more suffering on him before killing him.’
‘Hang on, though, how did Jäger come to suspect that Martin was the man who betrayed his family?’
‘I told him. Or rather he demanded to know the truth and I hadn’t the heart to deny him.’
Eve looked baffled and asked me to explain.
‘Jäger told me he had managed to learn the “Trade Name” of the agent who betrayed his family, the same man who plotted the death of Devorah and his mother. However, that was all he had with which to identify the double agent. That Trade Name was the one we already knew from Cooper’s list, the one that corresponded with Scott Martin’s real identity. I believe that once Jäger learned that, Martin’s fate was sealed. Do you remember Jäger’s final words to us in the church? He told us that he had “matters from the past that remained unresolved”. I think that business was to wreak vengeance for all the deaths, the misery and suffering Martin had caused. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that finding Chloe alive, well, and happy was an unexpected bonus as far as Jäger was concerned. I believe he came to this country solely with the objective of getting revenge on the person he was convinced was responsible for the betrayal and untimely deaths of his family. He had a great advantage in that he was the only person left alive from East Germany who knew Andrew Kershaw’s real identity. That had to be his starting point, and I reckon the guy we know as Lumsden guessed that if he followed Jäger he might lead him to where the missing masterpieces were. Lumsden also possibly knew about Martin from his time in the Stasi.’
‘If you’re right, what made him so convinced that the paintings hadn’t been sold or disposed of years ago? For all he knew they might have been in some art gallery in San Francisco.’
‘Given the value of those paintings a transaction involving them would have been easy to trace. As there was nothing recorded, it would be perfectly natural to assume that they were still with the original owners. Lumsden probably also knew of the Jäger family connection to the paintings.’
‘That all sounds quite logical, but I still don’t understand when and where you had this conversation with Jäger. Or how did you manage to discuss it for that matter? You’ve only a basic knowledge of German and he doesn’t speak any English.’
‘I’m sorry, Eve, but he managed to deceive you like he did everyone else. I was beginning to have my suspicions, but that evening proved I was right. Isaac Jäger both understands and speaks English perfectly well. He is also one of the finest actors never to have taken to the stage, in my opinion. For him to be able to keep up that pretence in front of many witnesses for such a long time was a major achievement. As for my conversation with him, that took place while you were upstairs getting ready on the evening we took him for a meal at the Admiral Nelson. Jäger came to my study. He knew I had the information he needed. He apologised for the deception and asked me to promise to keep quiet about his knowledge of English until after he had gone.’
Eve was silent for a long time as she pondered this, before delivering her verdict. ‘I can’t honestly say I blame him. I think you were right, Adam, and there was every reason for Jäger to want to take revenge. So as long as you promise to behave yourself, I promise not to betray you to the police as an accessory to murder.’
We had pulled up outside Eden House as Eve was speaking. I got out of the car and as we walked towards the front door asked her, ‘OK, so what do I have to do in order to ensure your silence?’
Eve took my hand and guided me into the hallway. Without releasing her grip on me, she said, ‘Come upstairs and I’ll show you.’
Next day was dark and overcast a complete contrast to the bright, sunny weather of the previous week. The morning paper carried headlines, syndicated from the nationals, announcing the sudden and early retirement of two prominent Establishment figures causing much speculation. I might have wondered as to the reason, had I not known their trade names from Kershaw’s dossier. How many more might there be?
We decided to go shopping in Dinsdale. Having a house guest had depleted our supplies considerably. As we drove past St Mary’s Eve stirred restlessly in the passenger seat.
‘Something wrong?’ I asked.
‘I was troubled by a memory, that’s all.’ She fell silent again and it was only when I’d parked at the rear of the market place that she turned towards me and asked, ‘C
an you recall the day that Michael was attacked in the church?’
I shivered slightly from the recollection. ‘I’ll say I do. I was troubled by that vision until you expounded your theory and debunked the ghost legend.’
‘Yes, well that’s where the problem lies. I believe there’s a flaw in it.’
‘A flaw? How come?’
‘You remember I said the vision is a projection of the image in that window caused by reflection and refraction of the sun’s rays?’
‘Absolutely, so what about it?’
‘Think back to that day, the day you saw that vision. Can you remember what the weather was like?’
Eve had been wise to wait until we were parked up before asking me, because the memory had my senses reeling. ‘It was dull and overcast – just like today.’
‘Exactly, so whatever you saw within the Lady chapel, and I don’t doubt your word for one minute that you saw something, it most definitely could not have been caused by sunlight ...’
For more information about Bill Kitson
and other Accent Press titles
please visit
www.accentpress.co.uk
The Eden House Mysteries
Bill Kitson
Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016
ISBN 9781783757305
Copyright © Bill Kitson 2016
The right of Bill Kitson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN
