by Kerry Tombs
‘I am sorry,’ said the governess looking down at the floor.
‘Miss Petterson did not want anyone to learn of our association. Chilton is a spiteful, revengeful man. He would have taken great pleasure in ruining us both,’ added Russell.
‘That’s as may be. One more question, Mr Russell. How long have you and Miss Petterson been meeting like this?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘We have been meeting for the past three months. Why do you ask?’ replied Russell.
‘No particular reason. Thank you.’
* * *
An hour later Ravenscroft and Crabb made their way back towards Vines Lane.
‘Nothing sir. No sign of the girl in any of the outbuildings,’ said Crabb.
‘It would appear so, Tom,’ sighed Ravenscroft.
‘Of course they could be holding her elsewhere.’
‘They could, but I still do not see why they would have taken the girl. At least we now know why Miss Petterson made up that story concerning the hymn books. The only reason she went into the church was to meet her lover. The fact that she then remained in the church for longer than she said, gave ample time for whoever took the girl to effect an escape. If only she had admitted the truth earlier, it would have saved us all a great deal of time,’ said an annoyed Ravenscroft.
‘We could arrest her for wasting police time,’ suggested Crabb.
‘Our Miss Petterson seems to be making quite a habit of not telling us the truth. First, all that nonsense about going into the church to see what hymns had been chosen, then her deception in using her sister’s references to secure employment, and now we find that she has been carrying on an association with Mr Russell. We have more than enough to take her in for closer questioning, but I don’t believe that would get us anywhere. All we can hope is that she has now finally told us the truth. There is one thing that still puzzles me though.’
‘What is that sir?’
‘If Russell and the governess are romantically attached, why does she not leave Sir Charles’s employment and marry Russell? I know that Russell and Chilton are enemies, but surely that would be of no matter.’
‘Perhaps Russell has no money to marry the woman, or he has not summoned up enough courage to propose to her yet?’
‘You could be right.’
‘There is always the possibility that Mildred caught Russell and the governess in the church, and that she then had to be silenced?’ suggested Crabb.
‘You mean they killed her because they feared she would tell her father all about their secret meetings?’
‘After they killed the girl, Russell could have taken the body somewhere, whilst the governess raised the alarm at the house?’
‘That is possible I suppose, but there would seem to be two things against your idea, Tom. Firstly I cannot see them killing the girl just to keep their assignation secret, and secondly if Russell had killed the girl how would he have transported the body from the churchyard and along Vines Lane in broad daylight?’
‘He could have hidden the body in undergrowth and come back for it after dark and buried it somewhere.’
‘No Tom, I just cannot accept that. I believe we can discount the theory, for the time being, that Russell and the governess are behind this abduction of Mildred Chilton. Whoever was responsible for her abduction, merely took advantage of the fact that the couple were inside the church for several minutes. One thing we have learnt however, is that Old John was in the churchyard when Russell arrived there and, although he was not there when Russell and Miss Petterson later searched for Miss Chilton, he may have witnessed the abduction of the girl.’
‘He could have taken the girl himself?’ suggested Crabb.
‘I cannot see why.’
‘He could have been sacked all those years ago from Hill Court, and is getting his own back?’
‘If that were the case, why wait all these years? If he was harbouring some grudge against his former employer he would surely have acted sooner. No, I don’t think Old John took the girl, but he may know who did. We must find him as soon as possible.’
‘Where do we look sir?’
‘The churchyard — that is where he spends most of his time. If Old John did see the girl being taken, he could prove a valuable witness.’
CHAPTER NINE
LEDBURY AND DROITWICH
‘Crabb and I have searched every inch of that church and churchyard for that wretched man and nowhere could we find him,’ said a frustrated Ravenscroft throwing his spoon down into the empty soup bowl.
‘Samuel, I have never seen you so annoyed,’ replied Lucy seeking to placate her husband.
Ravenscroft had returned home to Ledbury later that evening, and he and Lucy had just finished the first course of their dinner.
‘Where is the wretched man? Yesterday he was everywhere; now he has just vanished. I have left two of the men in the churchyard in case he shows up there overnight. They won’t thank me for being deprived of their families on a night like this.’
‘I am sure he will turn up tomorrow,’ said Lucy trying to sound reassuring.
‘Confound the fellow!’
‘Shall I ring for the mutton?’
‘Yes. I’m sorry. I have been entirely selfish, being involved so dreadfully with this wretched case, that I have neglected the anxiety that you must have been feeling, after your visit to Droitwich. It must have been awful for you to have discovered the suicide of that other woman.’
Lucy said nothing, but looked down at her plate.
‘My dear, I know that you, above all others, sympathize with these women, that you feel for their predicament, that you want to do all that you can for them—’
‘Oh, Samuel, I did so much want to find those poor children, and reunite them with their mothers, but one mother is already dead — committed suicide, the newspaper report said,’ cried Lucy. ‘Now it has all come to nothing!’
‘There, my dear. Please do not cry,’ said Ravenscroft rising from the table and drawing his wife closer to him, resting her tear-stained face on his chest. ‘I promise you that once this case is over, I will do all that is within my power to resolve the question of these missing children. If your Mrs Huddlestone is nowhere to be found in Cheltenham, there must be other towns where she can be located. Perhaps Mr Shorter will be able to find his missing piece of paper, and all will be well. In the meantime, you must remain hopeful.’
‘Yes, I suppose so, but what am I to tell Miss Corbett? That she may never see her child again? That she has been the victim of some cruel hoax?’
‘I know. I know,’ said Ravenscroft trying to sound reassuring. ‘Let’s wait another day before we contact Miss Corbett. As you said, this John fellow might well be found tomorrow and then we shall learn who has taken Miss Chilton. Perhaps there is some connection between all these missing children?’
‘Oh, do you think so?’ asked Lucy drying her eyes.
‘I know the Huddlestones have taken babies who have been only a few weeks old, and the Chilton girl is nine years old; there does not seem to be an obvious connection, except for the fact that the maid who committed suicide after giving her baby to the Huddlestones worked at Hill Court. Nevertheless, it may be that the Huddlestones learnt about the Chilton family through their association with Belinda Parkes and decided to kidnap their daughter. Everything is possible I suppose, and until we have caught Old John we won’t know the truth of the matter.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ said Lucy recovering her composure.
‘Let us see what tomorrow brings, my dear.’
‘Yes. Of course. You are quite right. We are being unduly pessimistic. You must be hungry and the mutton will be getting cold,’ said Lucy picking up the bell and ringing it.
Ravenscroft returned to his seat, knowing that he had done everything he could to address his wife’s fears, but also keenly aware that unless he found the old man by the next morning he would be no nearer to solving the mystery of the missing children. He real
ized that time was now against him, that there were no further lines of inquiry available, and that each day’s delay only increased the probability that the children would not be found alive.
* * *
As soon as Ravenscroft alighted from the trap, he knew that the case had taken a turn for the worse. A group of uniformed officers were huddled together at the side of the canal near the lock gate. He prayed that it was not the Chilton girl they had found. No, not the girl. It must not be the girl.
‘Inspector,’ said one of the men stepping back from the huddle of men. ‘We fished him out of the water this morning.’
Ravenscroft knelt down and pulled off the body’s covering.
‘Old John!’ exclaimed Crabb.
‘Been in the water all night, I would say,’ said one of the group.
‘Sorry, you are?’ asked Ravenscroft of the soberly dressed man standing nearby.
‘Doctor Staples. I have a practice here in Droitwich. One of your men summoned me this morning; we did not want to move the body until you had arrived.’
‘Doctor Staples, I am pleased to make your acquaintance,’ said Ravenscroft standing up and shaking the practioner’s hand. ‘I am glad you are here, and grateful you left the body where it was until my arrival. You say he must have been in the water all night?’
‘That is my opinion,’ replied the grey haired physician.
‘Death by drowning then,’ observed Crabb.
‘I don’t think so, Constable. There is evidence of a rather nasty blow on the back of the head. Here,’ said Staples indicating a large area of discoloured red stain on the deceased man’s head.
‘He could have hit his head on the side of the lock gate when he fell into the water?’ suggested Ravenscroft, but knew that this was improbable.
‘There is always that possibility, of course, but in my opinion someone dealt him a heavy blow before pushing him into the water.’
‘I am inclined to agree with you, Doctor Staples,’ said Ravenscroft staring down at the dead man’s injuries.
‘Poor old fellow,’ said Crabb. ‘He never did anyone any harm.’
‘As you say, it must have been done when it was dark. If he had been killed during daylight someone who was walking along the towpath who would have seen the crime.’
‘Will it now be in order to take the body to the mortuary?’ asked Staples.
‘Yes of course,’ replied Ravenscroft giving instructions to the men. ‘Doctor, I wonder if you would allow me a few more minutes of your time?’
‘Certainly. How can I help?’
‘I assume you have been a doctor here for a great number of years?’
‘Dear me, do I appear to be that old?’ smiled Staples.
‘No. I’m sorry. I did not mean any offence.’
‘There was none taken. Yes, I have practiced in the town for the past forty years. I wish I could say that it felt only like yesterday that I first came to Droitwich, but no, it certainly feels like two score years.’
‘Then you know most of the people in this neighbourhood?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘Yes, I suppose so.’
‘What can you tell me about Old John?’
‘Harmless enough fellow. Completely unhinged, of course.’
‘Had he always been in that condition?’ asked Ravenscroft as the two men walked away from the towpath.
‘No. He worked as a groom at Hill Court for many years, but then he lost his employment there, about ten years ago if I remember correctly. After that he just seemed to shut himself off from everybody and everything. He became something of a recluse and quite lost his mind, the poor fellow.’
‘Do you know why he was dismissed?’
‘Sorry, Inspector, I cannot help you there.’
‘Was Miss Belinda Parkes one of your patients?’
‘Ah, the maid at Hill Court. Why do you ask?’
‘The disappearance of her infant child may have some bearing on this case.’
‘I cannot see why,’ said Staples, a perplexed look on his face.
‘I would be obliged if you could tell me all you know about Miss Parkes,’ smiled Ravenscroft, hoping that the doctor might provide some useful information.
‘Miss Parkes was certainly a patient of mine. She had felt compelled to give her baby away, and became very distressed when she was unable to recover the child.’
‘Did she tell you anything about the people to whom she gave the baby?’
‘No. She never mentioned them by name. A very sad case. The next we heard was that she had thrown herself into the canal.’
‘Did you examine the body when it was recovered?’
‘Yes certainly, Inspector, but no, there was no foul play, if that is what you are suggesting. The girl had clearly committed suicide due to a deranged mind.’
‘What can you tell me of Sir Charles Chilton?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘Well, you have met Sir Charles, so you know what he is like. Let us say that he is a man who does not tolerate fools gladly.’
‘A self-made man?’
‘Partly so. He inherited the family business from his father, Sir Christopher. It was he who really established the business. There is a tragedy there, of course.’
‘Oh, what is that?’ asked Ravenscroft his curiosity aroused.
‘Well, there was an elder brother, Peter Chilton. A perfect gentleman on all counts, very easy going, liked by everyone, but he died tragically young, and so the business eventually passed to his younger brother, Sir Charles.’
‘The servants said that Peter had died quite suddenly?’
‘Yes. I did not attend him of course. I believe he died on a business trip whilst in London. The body was bought back to Droitwich, and rests in the family vault in Dodderhill churchyard.’
‘I understand, Doctor, that Lady Chilton was once engaged to Peter?’
‘That was indeed so, but as you know she married Sir Charles.’
‘Do you attend Lady Chilton?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘She is one of my patients indeed, but you must appreciate I cannot discuss her illness with you,’ replied Staples defensively.
‘I understand, doctor. How long has her illness persisted?’ queried Ravenscroft.
‘I am sorry, I cannot discuss this any further. You must excuse me. I have patients to attend to,’ replied the doctor abruptly, before striding away in the direction of the town.
‘I think I may have upset the good doctor,’ said Ravenscroft as Crabb joined him.
‘Oh, why was that, sir?’
‘I asked about Lady Chilton’s illness, but no matter, have the men taken Old John to the mortuary?’
‘Yes sir. Do you want to follow on, sir?’
‘No. I don’t think we can gain anything by further examining the corpse. I wonder why Old John was killed?’
‘Perhaps the killer thought that the old tramp had seen him abduct the girl, and if we found him first he would tell us all he knew?’ suggested Crabb.
‘I think you are probably right, Tom. Killed before he could tell us the truth. One thing is now certain.’
‘What’s that sir?’
‘We now know that whoever killed Old John must still be in the area — and if the killer is still in the vicinity, and not on some barge half-way to Birmingham, then Mildred Chilton must also be quite close. Tom, I want you to see that every available man is despatched to search all the empty buildings around the town. The girl must be somewhere, and I am determined to find her. I fear that if we do not find Miss Chilton soon it may be too late. The person who took her has already killed once; he may well do so again.’
‘What will you do sir?’
‘I will go back to the house. I am interested to know why Old John left his work at Hill Court.’
* * *
As Ravenscroft made his way through the gate that led into the kitchen garden, he observed the cook standing by one of the vegetable patches.
‘Good morning to you, Mrs Greenway. Are
you choosing some vegetables for the table?’
‘Good morning, Inspector. I am indeed. These carrots should be ready for digging quite soon. We have just heard the news about poor John.’
‘News travels fast. I was hoping to have a few moments of your time, if I may,’ said Ravenscroft.
‘Certainly sir. How can I be of assistance to you?’
‘I understand that Old John used to work here?’
‘Yes, he was employed as a groom, for many years. I cannot tell you much about him though. He always kept himself aloof from the rest of us servants, preferring to spend most of his free time in the stables. He even had a room there. I think the only person he struck up any kind of relationship was with young Master Peter. They spent a lot of time with each other. They often went riding together.’
‘What kind of boy was Master Peter?’
‘Lovely boy he was. Liked by everyone he was. I did not have that much to do with him of course, being only the cook. He was bought up by Nanny Jones, but she retired many years ago to her cottage in Elmbridge.’
‘Can you tell me why Old John was dismissed from his employment?’ asked Ravenscroft anxious to know more.
‘It was shortly after the death of Master Peter. We could not understand why he was asked to leave so suddenly. I suppose Sir Charles took a dislike to him,’ replied Mrs Greenway.
‘I would be obliged if you could try to remember. It may be important for our investigations.’
The cook looked down at the ground, deep in thought for some moments, before speaking. ‘I remember that Master Peter went up to London on business, and that shortly afterwards Sir Charles received news that his older brother had died quite suddenly. Old John and Sir Charles immediately went up to London, and returned three days later with the coffin. It were a very sad time, sir. All the house was in mourning. The old master, Sir Christopher, was very infirm by that time, and took to his bed. He never got over the death of his beloved son. Master Peter was buried in the churchyard, and a few days later we were told that Old John had been cast out. That is all I can remember of what happened.’
