by Kerry Tombs
‘Why didn’t this person just ask Evelyn to steal the book for him, and then hand it over? Why go to all the business of sending messages and such like?’ asked a bewildered Crabb.
‘Because our blackmailer — for want of a better word — did not want Evelyn to know who he, or she was.’
‘Ah, I see now.’
‘Now we must find out where this place was. My guess is that it is somewhere between the base of the cathedral steps, and just off the towpath, and before the entrance to the canal. We need some men to search that area thoroughly. The book might still be there. Our blackmailer might not have collected it yet. Go back to the station and see if you can round up some men, I’ll meet you all at the bottom of the steps.’
‘Right, men, line up here and listen to what the inspector has to say.’
‘Thank you, Constable Crabb. All of you will no doubt have heard about the theft of a book from the cathedral library some nights ago, and the recovery of the body of the librarian from the river,’ said Ravenscroft addressing the four uniformed policemen who now faced him. ‘We believe that after the librarian came down these steps he made his way along the towpath, and out towards where the canal joins up with the river at Diglis. Somewhere between the two places he hid the book. We don’t know exactly where. As we go along the towpath, I will send each of you inwards away from the river. We are looking for a hiding place, somewhere small where the book might still be hidden. If you find a parcel of any kind, recover it, and bring it to me. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, sir,’ answered the constables in unison.
‘Then, let’s set to it, men.’
The party set off. Eventually, after clearing the outer walls of the cathedral precincts, Ravenscroft brought the group to a halt, by some waste ground. ‘You two search this ground thoroughly. I want every stone turned over.’
‘Like looking for a needle in a haystack,’ muttered Crabb.
‘We must at least try while there remains the outside possibility that the book might still be hidden. Here, you go and look in that empty building over there,’ replied Ravenscroft, instructing one of the remaining two men. ‘And then make your way inwards towards the inn.’
‘Right, sir,’ replied the constable.
The rest of the party continued on its way, until they reached another building, where Ravenscroft despatched the final officer. ‘You and I, Crabb will proceed further on. There are several other places that need investigation.’
The search for the Whisperie continued into the late afternoon. Occasionally one or more of the constables would rejoin Crabb and Ravenscroft, who would then send them off to search in another direction.
‘We seem to be getting nowhere, sir, if you don’t mind my saying,’ said Crabb, wiping his brow with his handkerchief.
‘I think I am inclined to agree. We seem to have reached the canal and have turned up nothing. If the book was out there, it must have been taken long ago.’
‘Oh dear, sir. I think we may be in trouble,’ said Crabb, looking down at the ground.
‘Ravenscroft! What the deuce is going on?’ shouted a familiar figure striding in their direction.
‘Good afternoon to you, sir,’ replied Ravenscroft. ‘We think the Whisperie might be hidden out here somewhere.’
‘The blazes it is! What the devil do you mean by taking some of my men, and tying them up all afternoon here on some useless search? Don’t you know that I need every man I can get to prepare for the Races?’ growled Superintendent. Henderson.
‘I’m sorry, sir, that was my doing,’ said Crabb.
‘Constable Crabb was only acting on my orders, sir,’ said Ravenscroft quickly.
‘Well you’ve overreached yourself this time, Ravenscroft. I told you that you were to keep me fully informed about developments in this case.’
‘Yes, sir, I’m sorry,’ replied Ravenscroft feeling like a naughty schoolboy being addressed by his irate teacher.
‘Damned insolent, I call it! Dammed insolent, taking my men without permission!’
‘I felt we had to act quickly, sir, if we were to recover the book. Acting upon information obtained this afternoon—’
‘Information? What information?’ snapped Henderson.
‘We found the remains of a note at Evelyn’s lodgings, instructing him to leave the book in a prearranged hiding place.’ replied Ravenscroft, hoping to pacify his superior’s anger.
‘And just where is this place?’ asked Henderson, glaring at his junior officer.
‘I believe Evelyn hid the book somewhere between the cathedral and the canal.’
‘Good God, man! You could be searching from now till next Christmas! You’re wasting your time and I’m damned if you will waste any more of my men’s time on this wild goose chase!’
‘Over here, sir!’
The speaker was a uniformed constable who was waving his hands in the air in an excited fashion.
‘Excuse me,’ said Ravenscroft, running over to what appeared to be the remains of an old building.
‘I think I’ve found something.’
‘Well done, Constable.’
‘It was this piece of cloth, sir. It was lying on the ground. Then I found this.’
Ravenscroft knelt down.
‘Well, man, what can you see?’ asked Henderson, peering over Ravenscroft’s shoulder.
‘This slab seems to cover a recess of some sort, in the bottom of the wall of this old building, making a kind of cavity,’ replied Ravenscroft, sliding the stone across. ‘This was undoubtedly the place where the Whisperie was placed that night. Evelyn must have used the cloth to wrap around the book, and whoever later recovered the Whisperie decided to discard it.’
‘That’s all very well, Ravenscroft, but where is the blessed thing now?’ growled Henderson.
‘Taken, sir! Taken!’
CHAPTER SIX
Ravenscroft sat on the seat in the cathedral grounds, his thoughts returning to the events of the previous day. He was unsure which was the most unsettling — the wrath of his superior officer, or his failure to recover the lost book. The former had caused a severe dent in his professional reputation, whilst the latter meant that he and Crabb had to begin all their investigations all over again. Then he remembered that small attic room, in the centre of Worcester where Nicholas Evelyn had lived out his meagre, sad existence for nearly forty years, until the revelation of some disclosure from his past had driven him to commit such a desperate act which had resulted in his demise. How was he ever to discover the librarian’s secret, and would he ever be able to recover the lost book? And it was still not clear whether Evelyn had been murdered, or that he had simply lost his footing in the dark and fallen into the river by accident. It seemed as though the cathedral was not yet anxious to give up its secrets.
He rubbed the top of his head where he could feel the bruise caused by his failure to remember the beam in the bar of the Cardinal’s Hat that morning. Watching a large pigeon searching for food on the ground in front of him, he could not help but feel that perhaps this day was not going to be one of his best.
He had half expected to have seen Ruth Weston and her son on the green, but had been disappointed even in this expectation. In a few minutes Crabb would be joining him; then he would try and think of some new line of enquiry that they could follow, and perhaps slowly they would edge nearer towards the truth.
Looking up he saw the three Tovey sisters closing the door to their house, and walking along the pathway towards where he was seated.
‘Miss Tovey,’ said Ravenscroft, rising from his seat, ‘Miss Emily. Miss Alice.’
‘Good morning, Inspector. Is it true what we have heard about poor Mr Evelyn?’ asked Miss Mary Ann.
‘They say he drowned in the river,’ remarked Miss Emily.
‘Poor Mr Evelyn,’ added Miss Alice Maria.
‘I’m afraid, ladies, that you are correct. We recovered Mr Evelyn’s body from the Severn, the day before yesterday.’
/> ‘Oh how sad. And have you found the book yet, Inspector?’ asked the eldest sister.
‘Alas, no.’
‘Oh dear me.’
‘Tell me, ladies, on the night you saw Evelyn entering and leaving the cathedral, did you notice anything else unusual?’ asked Ravenscroft, feeling as though any possible line of enquiry was worth pursuing.
‘I don’t think so. Can you remember anything Emily?’ asked Mary Ann.
‘No, nothing, Sister,’ she replied.
‘Nothing at all,’ added Alice Maria.
‘Did you see anyone else entering or leaving the cathedral at that hour, or anyone else walking across the Close?’
‘There was Dr Edwards,’ offered the eldest sister. ‘He always goes for a walk at around midnight.’
‘Forgive me, but who is Dr Edwards?’
‘He is the Master of the King’s School,’ replied Mary Ann.
‘Did you see where he was going, or where he had come from?’ asked Ravenscroft, sensing that perhaps his new line of enquiry was about to unfold.
‘He came up the steps from the river.’
‘Just a few seconds after Mr Evelyn had walked down them,’ added the middle sister enthusiastically.
‘They must have passed each other at the bottom of the steps,’ interjected the youngest sister.
‘I see, ladies. That is most helpful. Did you see where Dr Edwards went next?’
‘He made his way back to his house,’ replied Mary Ann.
‘It is over there,’ said Emily pointing to a large Georgian building.
‘I’ll pay Dr Edwards a visit. He may remember seeing something that night. Thank you for your observations, ladies.’
‘I’m glad we have been able to help. Aren’t you going to ask us about the monk?’ asked the eldest sister.
‘The monk. What monk?’ asked a puzzled Ravenscroft.
‘The monk who came out of the cathedral,’ said Mary Ann.
‘Shortly after Mr Evelyn came out of the cathedral,’ said Emily.
‘Just after Dr Edwards went into his house,’ nodded Alice Maria.
‘Did you see where he went to?’ he asked, beginning to think that perhaps today was going to prove more interesting than he had first dared to hope.
‘He went down the steps.’
‘Down towards the river.’
‘And tell me, could you see who this monk was? Did you recognize him at all?’
‘Oh no, he had his monk’s hood up, covering his face,’ replied the eldest Miss Tovey.
‘Are there a number of monks who still worship in the cathedral?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘Oh yes. There are a number who still carry out the services,’ said Mary Ann.
‘I see. Was there anything unusual about him, perhaps in the way he walked, that reminded you of anyone who has business in the cathedral? Can you remember anything at all? Did he move quickly or slowly?’
‘I don’t think he reminded us of anyone,’ replied Mary Ann.
‘He moved quite quickly,’ said Emily.
‘Yes, he was quite quick, as though he wanted to catch up with Mr Evelyn,’ added Alice Maria.
‘Good morning, sir. Ladies,’ interjected a smiling Crabb, arriving on the green.
‘I hope we have been helpful, Inspector?’ enquired the eldest sister.
‘You have been most helpful.’
‘You will let us know when you have recovered the book?’ asked Emily.
‘We should so like to know,’ smiled the youngest sister.
‘Of course, you will be the first to know,’ said Ravenscroft raising his hat.
He watched them as they walked across the green towards the town, busily engaged in conversation with one another.
‘Well, sir. You seem a bit brighter this morning, if you don’t mind me saying so,’ said Crabb.
‘The Tovey sisters have just informed me that on the night in question, they saw Dr Edwards, who is the Master of King’s School, out for his usual nocturnal walk, and that he probably encountered Evelyn at the bottom of the steps down by the river. Furthermore the sisters also saw one of the monks leaving the cathedral and heading down towards the river, shortly after Evelyn had left.’
‘Do they know which monk it was?’
‘Alas no. Apparently he didn’t remind them of any of the regular monks, although they admit they could not see his face.’
‘Could have been anyone dressed up as a monk, to disguise his appearance,’ suggested Crabb.
‘That is a distinct possibility.’
‘Well, sir, where shall we start today?’
‘I think we will call on the Master of King’s School first, after which we will make enquiries in the cathedral regarding this mysterious monk.’
The two men walked across to the master’s house and rang the doorbell.
‘Good day to you. I am Inspector Ravenscroft and this is Constable Crabb. We would like words with your master, if you please,’ said Ravenscroft, addressing the maid who had opened the door to them.
‘I’m sorry, sir, but Dr Edwards is not here at present.’
‘Could you tell me where I might find him?’
‘He could be at the school, sir, although at this time of day you are more likely to find him with the choir in the cathedral,’ replied the maid.
‘Thank you. Then that is where we will go.’
Ravenscroft and Crabb made their way back across the close and entered the cathedral. As they stepped into the cool, dark interior they heard the sound of boys’ voices in the distance, and to Ravenscroft it seemed as though they had entered another world, leaving the sunlight and sounds of the town behind them, forsaking that existence for the ageless sanctity of peace and reassurance of the cathedral.
The two men stood in silence, adjusting their eyes to the half-light, each not wishing to disturb the serenity of the occasion.
Suddenly the singing came to an abrupt stop, and was replaced by a man’s voice. Ravenscroft and Crabb made their way up the nave of the church towards the choir stalls.
‘No! No, boys! That just won’t do. I dread to think what poor Thomas Tallis would think of your feeble attempts to master his work if he were alive today. Mr Taylor, I am sure the choir can do better than this?’
The speaker was a late-middle-aged gentleman, whose learned appearance included a flowing white beard, and a pair of half-moon spectacles perched on the end of his nose.
‘We are trying our best Dr Edwards, I can assure you. I can hear a boy talking in the back row! Tadcaster be silent and report to my study after choir. Now on the third beat,’ instructed the choirmaster raising his hands in the air.
Ravenscroft indicated to Crabb that they should find a place on one of the rows of seats, and the two men listened in awe, as the boys’ voices rose upwards towards the great window at the far end of the cathedral.
‘Much better, boys. That was much better. I think that will be all for this morning. Mr Taylor if you please,’ said Edwards, in what Ravenscroft discerned as a Welsh accent.
The boys began to move away from the choir stalls, talking as they did so.
‘Silence!’ bellowed Edwards in a voice that seemed to echo round the cathedral. ‘Remember where you are!’
The choirboys silently began to make their way down the nave, Matthew Taylor the choirmaster, following on behind them, a collection of music sheets under his arm.
‘The boys sing well,’ said Ravenscroft, addressing the master.
‘When they are in a mind to exercise restraint,’ said Edwards.
‘I believe you are the Master of King’s School?’
‘I am indeed. Doctor Geraint Edwards at your service. Can I be of any assistance to you? You have a son you would like to enrol? Perhaps you would care to view the school? I am sure my—’
‘Alas, Dr Edwards I have no sons to place in any school. No, I am investigating the death of the librarian here, and the disappearance of a valuable book from the library.’
‘Ah, then you must be the famous London detective we have heard so much about?’
‘I am certainly from London, but I cannot claim to be in any way famous,’ said Ravenscroft, smiling and shaking the master’s hand. ‘This is my associate Constable Crabb. I wonder if you could spare us a few minutes of your valuable time?’
‘Of course, Inspector, anything I can do to be of assistance.’
‘How well did you know Nicholas Evelyn?’
‘I hardly knew the man at all. I knew he was the librarian of course, but other than that we had very little contact with one another, except when one or two of the more senior boys undertook research in the library. He always seemed the kind of person who kept very much to themselves,’ replied Edwards removing his spectacles and cleaning them with his handkerchief.
‘So we have discovered,’ added Ravenscroft.
‘I have been the master here at King’s for the past twelve years, and during all that time must have only spoken to him on perhaps three or four occasions.’
‘I understand, sir that you are in the habit of taking a late night walk every evening?’
‘Yes that is correct, Inspector. I usually find that a late night turn of the cathedral precincts clears my mind of the business of the day before retiring.’
‘Were you undertaking your usual walk on the night the librarian disappeared?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘I was indeed.’
‘What time was that, sir?’ inquired Crabb making notes in his pocket book.
‘Sometime between half past eleven and twelve o’clock,’ replied Edwards replacing his glasses.
‘That was rather late to be out, sir,’ said Ravenscroft.
‘I had been working on some papers late into the evening. I usually like to go out about half past ten or so.’
‘Did you go down by the river?’
‘Yes, I believe I did, but what is all this to do with the disappearance of the librarian?’ asked a puzzled Edwards.
‘During your walk, Dr Edwards did you encounter anyone?’
