The Inspector Ravenscroft Mysteries Box Set

by Kerry Tombs

  ‘Seems as though our Mr Evelyn is in the clear then?’

  ‘Maybe, but I tell you something odd, Crabb. This case is still locked, but the door to the library is unlocked. There is no way a thief could have got through that door other than by using a key. But this then raises the question: if he had a key to the room, then probably the thief would also have had a key to the case, so why smash the case if he had a key?’

  ‘Perhaps there are more than two sets of keys?’ suggested Crabb. ‘Or maybe the thief stole the set of keys from Evelyn?’

  ‘If that was so, why smash the case?’

  ‘Perhaps Evelyn forgot to lock the door when he left that night, and the thief just walked in and smashed the case?’

  ‘That could be a possibility, but there is another strange thing. Whoever smashed open the case with the candlestick risked damaging the book. The stick itself might have landed on it and some of the smashed fragments would almost certainly have cut the pages. The point in taking the book was that it was a rare item. Whoever took it would not have wanted to run the risk of damaging it. Also look at the way the stick lies in the cabinet: I would say just where it landed. The thief would have had to remove it in order to recover the book. Tell me, Crabb, if you had used this stick to break open this case to get at the book, how would you have done it?’

  Crabb thought for a moment. ‘I would have raised the candlestick like this to break the glass, but would have kept hold of it and probably discarded it on the floor afterwards.’

  ‘Precisely; you would not have risked the stick crashing into the case and damaging the book, you would have kept hold of your weapon.’

  ‘So what do you think happened, sir?’

  ‘I believe that whoever was here that evening, used the keys to open the door of the library, and the case; then he removed the book before locking the case and using the candlestick to break the glass. The thief then left in a hurry, failing to lock the door behind him.’

  ‘This is all rather suspicious, sir.’

  ‘I don’t think we can rule out the possibility that it was Evelyn himself who not only took the book but also smashed the case afterwards.’

  ‘But why go to all that trouble, when he could have just taken the book anyway?’ asked Crabb, looking perplexed.

  ‘Perhaps he wanted it to look as though someone had broken in and taken the item.’

  ‘But if he planned to abscond with the book, surely he would not have been bothered what the authorities would think?’

  ‘Maybe he planned to arrive for work the following day, make believe that he had just discovered the theft, and by raising the alarm would hope to leave himself in the clear?’

  ‘But he did not return the following day,’ added Crabb.

  ‘No,’ said Ravenscroft deep in thought. ‘He did not. I wonder why.’

  ‘He probably thought better of it when he reached home. Thought he would run off with the book after all, while he could,’ suggested Crabb.

  ‘Perhaps; well, I don’t think there is anything else here for us. Just look at his desk. See if there are any notes or letters, or anything else he might have left that may be of interest.’

  ‘Right, sir,’ replied Crabb, beginning to search through the desk, as Ravenscroft busied himself by walking between the library shelves, admiring the rows of books there, and pausing now and then to examine some particular work which attracted his attention.

  ‘Nothing, sir,’ said Crabb, looking up from the desk, after a few minutes.

  ‘Then let us make our way down.’

  The two policemen retraced their steps to the vestry, and after a brief look around there, began their descent to the ground.

  ‘This is interesting,’ said Ravenscroft, crouching down on one of the steps. ‘See here, part of a used candle. I wonder whether our thief dropped it in haste, on his way down? If so, he would have been plunged into darkness. Fortunately we have the daylight from the slits in the wall. At night it would have been completely dark.’

  ‘Lucky he found his way to the bottom without falling and breaking his neck.’

  Upon reaching the ground floor, Ravenscroft and Crabb set off to explore the rest of the cathedral.

  ‘Some building this!’ remarked Crabb.

  ‘Indeed, but it was not all built in a day. The cathedral was obviously built in stages, each generation seeking to continue the work that had been begun by others. Today we can only marvel at such dedication and determination,’ said Ravenscroft, pausing to examine one of the monuments in the chancel.

  ‘King John, gentlemen!’

  Ravenscroft turned round to see who had spoken to them.

  ‘I see you have found our monument to wicked King John. You must be Inspector Ravenscroft? Let me introduce myself: Matthew Taylor, choirmaster of this noble edifice, at your service.’

  The two men shook hands. Ravenscroft observed that the speaker was a young man of untidy appearance and wayward hair. ‘I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr Taylor. This is my associate Constable Crabb.’

  ‘I hear you have come from London to help us recover the old Whisperie.’

  ‘We can but try,’ said Ravenscroft. ‘We are also looking into the disappearance of the librarian.’

  ‘Ah, old Evelyn; you think he ran off with the book?’ smiled the younger man.

  ‘We are keeping an open mind.’

  ‘I doubt that he is your thief, Inspector,’ replied the other, in a casual, light-hearted manner.

  ‘Oh, why do you say that, sir?’ enquired Ravenscroft.

  ‘The man was as dull and as cold as that stone over there — completely lacking in any form of imagination or initiative. Such an act as bold as that of the stealing of the Whisperie was beyond his enterprise.’

  ‘You did not think much of Mr Evelyn then?’ asked Ravenscroft, intrigued to learn more from the young choirmaster.

  ‘To tell you the truth, Inspector, I don’t think that I ever exchanged more than a dozen words with him. He was the sort of person who always seemed to be there, like one of the old tombs, merging into the background. I always thought it best to ignore him. He was rather a sad person I suppose. No, Mr Ravenscroft I think you will have to cast your net a little wider.’

  ‘And where do you suggest we “cast our net”, sir?’

  ‘Far be it for me to cast aspersions or blight anyone’s character by rumour and whisper, Inspector. But I suppose you might begin in the direction of Dr Silas Renfrew.’

  ‘Silas Renfrew?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘Antiquarian and scholar of this parish; he lives in a rambling old house up towards Fort Royal. He has plenty of money at his disposal, and has a fine collection of old books and manuscripts, by all accounts. He was always visiting the library here. I know he particularly admired the Whisperie. He spoke to me about it once, saying he would gladly like to possess it if it ever came on the open market. Perhaps he took it to enhance his collection.’

  ‘I thank you, Mr Taylor. We will be interviewing Dr Renfrew during our enquiries.’

  ‘Well, if you will excuse me, gentlemen, I have yet another dreary choral rehearsal to conduct at the King’s School. I leave you in the safe hands of the blessed saints, Wulfstan and Oswald.’

  ‘Who?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘Dear me, Constable, you must really do your homework. They were both early bishops of Worcester. If it was not for them, there would be no cathedral and we would not be standing here today. That is Wulfstan over there, and Oswald is on the other side,’ said Taylor, pointing to two stone shrines that lay on either side of the chancel. ‘Until we meet again, Inspector.’

  Ravenscroft nodded, as the choirmaster set off at a brisk walk down the main body of the church.

  ‘Which one is Oswald?’ asked Crabb, looking down at the worn effigy. ‘This one seems to have been knocked about a bit.’

  ‘It was probably vandalized at the time of the Civil War. Interesting character our Mr Taylor,’ said Ravenscroft, beginning
to make his way down the aisle towards the nave of the cathedral.

  ‘He seems very young to be the choirmaster.’

  ‘He also seemed quite anxious to tell us about Renfrew.’

  The two men made their way out of the cathedral and into the Close.

  ‘Where to now, sir?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘I think I should pay my respects to your Superintendent Henderson at the station here in Worcester, and then perhaps we will visit the librarian’s lodgings and see what we can find there. But first, if I am not mistaken, Crabb, someone is intent on attracting our attention.’

  ‘Good day to you, sir, we were rather hoping we would catch you before you left the cathedral. You must be the policeman arrived from London.’

  The speaker was a tall, thin, elderly lady. Two other ladies of similar appearance stood behind her.

  ‘I am indeed. My name is Inspector Ravenscroft, and this is my colleague, Constable Crabb.’

  ‘Allow me to introduce myself. Miss Mary Ann Tovey,’ said the elderly lady nodding in Ravenscroft’s direction.

  ‘Miss Tovey,’ replied Ravenscroft.

  ‘And this is my younger sister, Emily.’

  ‘Inspector,’ smiled the lady of that name.

  ‘Miss Tovey.’

  ‘And this is my youngest sister, Alice Maria,’ said the lady, completing the introductions.

  ‘We live in the house, just over there,’ said the first Miss Tovey, turning round and indicating one of the Georgian buildings behind her. ‘Number five.’

  ‘We live at number five,’ repeated the second Miss Tovey.

  ‘Number five,’ added the third.

  ‘A fine building,’ said Ravenscroft, wondering why the three sisters had sought to engage him in conversation.

  ‘It was left to us by our late father. He was a schoolmaster at King’s School for forty years, until his untimely death thirty years ago,’ said Mary Ann.

  ‘He was the schoolmaster at King’s School, you know,’ said Emily.

  ‘Until he died thirty years ago,’ added Alice Maria.

  ‘I am very sorry,’ said Ravenscroft, not knowing quite what to say to the three elderly sisters who now faced him.

  ‘We saw him that night,’ said the first Miss Tovey.

  ‘Saw who, my dear lady?’

  ‘Why, the person you are looking for, Inspector, the librarian, Nicholas Evelyn.’

  ‘Nicholas Evelyn,’ repeated her younger sister.

  ‘The librarian,’ added the third.

  ‘When did you see him exactly?’ asked Ravenscroft, as Crabb took out his notebook.

  ‘I was just retiring to bed for the evening, when I saw him creeping along the side of the building in a rather furtive manner, as if he was up to no good. I remember it was exactly eleven o’clock, because I had just heard the church clock strike and I always retire exactly at that time of night,’ said Miss Mary Ann in an excited manner.

  ‘Exactly at eleven o’clock,’ said the second sister.

  ‘And I saw him as well, Inspector,’ added the youngest sister, anxious not to be excluded from the conversation.

  ‘You say that he was acting in a furtive manner?’ asked Ravenscroft, addressing the eldest sister.

  ‘Yes, Inspector. It was as if he did not want to be seen. He went in through the door over there.’

  ‘Through that door,’ said the second Miss Tovey, pointing to the cathedral.

  ‘Was Mr Evelyn in the habit of coming back to the cathedral late at night, ma’am?’ asked Crabb.

  ‘Not usually. That’s why we thought it so odd,’ said Mary Ann.

  ‘Very strange indeed,’ added Alice Maria.

  ‘Did any of you ladies happen to see him come out of the cathedral?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘Why yes. I remember looking at the clock. It was a quarter to twelve exactly,’ replied the elder sister.

  ‘I saw him as well, Inspector,’ said Miss Emily.

  ‘He was very secretive,’ added her younger sister.

  ‘How do you mean, secretive?’

  ‘He kept looking around him, to see if anyone had noticed his presence there,’ said the elder sister.

  ‘Did you see what happened next, ladies?’ asked Crabb, making notes in his book.

  ‘Yes. He made his way across the lawns there, before he went down the steps at the end, towards the river. We all thought it rather strange that he should be going down to the river at that time of night,’ replied Miss Mary Ann.

  ‘It was very dark,’ added her younger sister.

  ‘Did you see whether Mr Evelyn returned later?’

  ‘No, Inspector,’ replied Mary Ann, a puzzled expression on her face.

  ‘Well, this is all very interesting,’ said Ravenscroft, smiling. ‘You have been most helpful, ladies.’

  ‘I am glad we have been of assistance,’ said Miss Mary Ann, looking rather pleased.

  ‘We always try and help the authorities as much as we can,’ remarked Miss Emily.

  ‘I do hope you find Mr Evelyn — and the book,’ said Miss Alice Maria.

  ‘We will endeavour to do so,’ said Ravenscroft.

  ‘You know where we are, Inspector, if we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call upon us,’ said the eldest Miss Tovey.

  ‘Perhaps you would care to take tea with us, when you can spare the time,’ said the second sister.

  ‘You would be most welcome, and your constable as well, of course,’ added the third sister smiling, as they began to turn away.

  ‘That is most kind of you, ladies. If you will excuse us now, I wish you good day.’

  ‘Good day, Inspector,’ said the eldest sister, a remark that was repeated by her two companions.

  Ravenscroft and Crabb watched them as they walked back, towards the house across the green, deep in conversation with one another.

  ‘Well, they certainly seem to know what is going on,’ remarked Crabb, closing his notebook.

  ‘It is fortunate for us that they were so observant. So we now know that it must have been Evelyn who returned to the cathedral that night to steal the book.’

  ‘Why did he just not take it during the daytime?’

  ‘Because he wanted it to look as though someone had broken in during the night and taken it. If he had smashed the glass during the day, there was always the possibility that someone in the distance might have heard the sound of the glass breaking, or that he would have been caught in the act by someone suddenly entering the library. No, he had to undertake the robbery at night, when he knew he would be alone and undisturbed.’

  ‘Why did he then go down to the river, at that time of night?’ asked Crabb, looking puzzled.

  ‘Perhaps he was meeting someone. He might have kept an appointment with someone who wanted the book. Let’s follow in his footsteps and go down there and see what we can find.’

  ‘Just the river, I should think, sir.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I would be most interested to see whether there is a towpath, and to see where it goes.’

  ‘I think one of our constables is looking for us, sir. I’ll give him a shout. Over here!’ said Crabb, gesturing to the officer.

  ‘Ah, there you are, sir. You must be Inspector Ravenscourt?’ said the breathless constable.

  ‘Ravenscroft,’ corrected the detective.

  ‘Begging your pardon, sir, Superintendent Henderson sends his compliments and has asked me to see that you get this note, sir.’

  ‘Thank you, my man,’ said Ravenscroft, taking the piece of paper and reading its contents.

  ‘Something serious, sir?’ enquired an anxious Crabb.

  ‘Apparently they have recovered a body from the River Severn down at Upton. They think it might be Evelyn. We are to go to Upton right away and meet Henderson there,’ replied Ravenscroft, refolding the piece of paper.

  ‘This way, sir, I’ve got a trap waiting,’ said the constable.

  ‘Then we’d best be on our way, Officer.�
�

  As the group of three men made their way out of the cathedral precincts, they failed to notice the forlorn hooded figure, who gazed down upon them from the ramparts of the tower of the great building.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘There is no doubt, I suppose, that it is Nicholas Evelyn?’ asked Ravenscroft, staring down at the body on the river-bank.

  ‘Everything seems to fit his description, sir,’ answered the constable.

  ‘Blessed if I see how you can tell, after the fellow has been in the water for the past few days,’ remarked Crabb.

  ‘When was the body discovered?’ continued Ravenscroft.

  ‘Early this afternoon. A fisherman found the body at the side of the river. Apparently he had been swept into the bank by that tree over there.’

  ‘Tell me, Constable, this is the River Severn, which I believe flows through Worcester and down here to Upton, before eventually making its way to Bristol?’

  ‘That is correct, sir. Next place after here is Tewkesbury, then Gloucester.’

  ‘So it seems most likely that either Evelyn fell into the river at Worcester whilst it was dark, or that someone killed him. Either way, the body then made its way down here to Upton.’

  ‘Seems most likely, sir, as you say,’ replied the constable.

  ‘Where is Superintendent Henderson?’ asked Ravenscroft.

  ‘Over there, sir, in the inn. Shall I tell him you have arrived?’

  ‘Not for a while. Tell me has anyone looked in the pockets of the deceased man, or examined the body?’

  ‘I don’t think so. Tell you the truth, I don’t think anyone quite liked the idea of taking a close look at him!’ said the constable shaking his head.

  ‘Well, Constable, I think we need to,’ said Ravenscroft taking out his handkerchief as he bent down towards the corpse. ‘The body seems to have quite a number of cuts and marks on the head and face. Someone could have hit him on the back of his head I suppose, or the wounds could have been caused by the body hitting various obstacles on his way down the river. There is no way of telling. We need to turn him over so that I can remove his coat. Can you help me, Constable?’