Death of a Footman (Riley Rochester Investigates Book 8)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘But now he’s gone and you hope she will turn to you again,’ Riley said.

  ‘Well, I…’

  ‘You need to tell us what tavern you were in so that we can see if anyone remembers you there,’ Salter told him. James duly obliged and Salter jotted down the details.

  ‘I haven’t told you it all,’ James said, hesitating. ‘What I have said is true. I did need to think long and hard about Molly’s expectations, but it was more than just that. I didn’t know that Ezra had taken the afternoon off, but I did know that the master and mistress had an engagement that evening. Whenever they don’t dine at home, it makes our life easier and we servants gather in the kitchen and…well, talk and have supper. It’s that or going up to our rooms in the attics, and they aren’t made for sitting about in.’

  ‘And you thought Ezra would be there if you got back early?’ Riley said, nodding his understanding.

  ‘Exactly, and he would have made snide little comments about looking his best for an engagement he had later on. I just…well, I didn’t need that, so I went out and drowned my sorrows. But I was not in Clapham. I swear that on my mother’s life,’ James said passionately. ‘Like I say, I didn’t know Ezra would be swanning off to that neck of the woods. When I left for my half-day off he was still in the house. And even if I had somehow found out that he was in Clapham, I wouldn’t have known where to find him.’

  Riley studied the intense young man’s face for several seconds and then nodded. ‘All right, James, you may go for now,’ he said, ‘but if we find that you are still lying to us, we won’t be so lenient the next time.’

  ‘I’m not, sir. Upon my life, I’m telling you the truth now. You have to believe me.’

  The door had barely closed behind James before it opened again and Ida walked through it.

  ‘Ah, Riley, they only just told me that you were here again.’ She smiled at them both but the gesture seemed strained. ‘Have you made any progress, or are you simply here to grill my servants?’

  ‘A little of both,’ Riley replied, returning her smile and gesturing her to a chair. ‘I was told that you were resting and didn’t want to disturb you.’

  ‘I cannot rest. It’s all so horrible, and if that wasn’t enough, the family are cross with me because I might have caused a scandal.’ She lifted one shoulder. ‘You would think they’d be accustomed to my habits by now.’

  ‘By all the family, what do you mean, Ida?’

  ‘Even Philip is annoyed, but I told him that it’s his own fault. If he cannot satisfy my needs then he cannot blame me for looking elsewhere. Sarah, bless her, is as supportive as always, but Gideon and Patrick have joined forces against me. Verity would tell me what she thinks if she dared, but fortunately I never listen to a word she says.’

  ‘Were you aware that Gregg is related to your husband?’

  ‘Oh good heavens yes, why else would I keep the dry old stick around?’ She smiled. ‘Philip is very fond of him and, truth to tell, I rather enjoy offending his sensibilities. Well, I did before poor Ezra…’ She paused to compose herself. ‘I miss him most terribly. He was such good fun and very dear to me.’

  ‘The sporting club that he intended to open. Were you aware that he was in partnership with a man by the name of Reggie Lane?’ Riley asked.

  ‘I knew he had a partner but I didn’t know his name and I never met him. Who is he?’

  ‘A rather disreputable character who controls all the illegal gambling south of the river,’ Riley told her.

  ‘Oh dear, was Ezra getting involved in something against the law? I honestly didn’t know that.’

  Riley wasn’t sure that he believed her. It seemed Ezra possessed the ability to talk her into just about anything. Besides, given Ida’s reckless nature, she probably liked the idea of flouting the law. But even if she did, subsequent events meant that it no longer signified. Riley couldn’t accuse her of a crime that hadn’t been committed.

  ‘Were you aware that Lord Buckingham was also involved in the scheme?’ Riley asked.

  ‘Yes. I suggested him as a matter of fact. He’d been to see me not long before Ezra mentioned that he required a gentleman to get the upper echelons of society interested in his club. Ezra seemed to think that gentlemen would enjoy what he described as slumming it with the hoi-polloi. I recalled Buckingham’s constant shortage of funds and thought he would be the ideal person.’

  ‘He was once one of your favourites, I believe.’

  ‘Oh, in another lifetime, darling.’ A flash of pain passed through her eyes. ‘But that ship has long since sailed.’

  ‘Perhaps he would like to renew the arrangement?’

  ‘I expect he would. I tend to be generously inclined towards any gentleman whose company I enjoy.’ She glanced at Salter’s fixed expression and shrugged. ‘Sorry, Sergeant, I’m being as sensitive as I know how to be, just for your sake.’

  ‘It’s quite all right, ma’am. I won’t swoon, I do assure you.’

  ‘Goodness, now wouldn’t that be a sight.’

  ‘Ida!’

  ‘Sorry, Riley, I tend to gabble when I’m nervous or upset. Now, where were we? Oh, yes, Mark Buckingham. You imagine, I suppose, that he did away with Ezra in a desperate attempt to regain my favour?’

  ‘The thought had crossed my mind, but then I am paid to be suspicious.’

  ‘I suppose anything’s possible, but I rather doubt it. He’s tried several times to rekindle the affair, even before Ezra came on the scene, and I made my position plain. I never go back. Besides, he was very enthusiastic about Ezra’s club, convinced he would make a fortune, which he desperately needs, especially since I have grown tired of bailing him out of trouble.’

  ‘Well then,’ Riley said, standing, ‘we will not detain you any longer, Ida. Be assured that we are doing all we can to get to the bottom of things.’

  ‘I hope you succeed. Not that it will bring Ezra back, but I expect you’re looking closely at my family and I would like to have the satisfaction of knowing that none of them was quite that wicked.’

  Riley smiled and bowed over her outstretched hand. ‘I will let you know as soon as I have any definite news for you.’

  ‘Thank you, Riley. And good day to you, Sergeant. I do hope that I didn’t embarrass you too severely.’

  ‘I’ve been through worse, ma’am,’ Salter said, actually smiling too.

  ‘Come along, Jack,’ Riley said, laughing as he watched his sergeant being charmed out of his curmudgeonly mood by a lady whose conduct offended him. ‘Are you beginning to understand now the effect that Ida has on the men who cross her path?’

  ‘Not you, sir, nor me, but I’ll admit that her wayward character is compelling, even though it shouldn’t be.’

  ‘A subject which is best left unexplored for now. Let’s collect Peterson and the others and see what news they have for us.’

  The detectives left the house together and made their way to a coffee shop, where they took refreshment.

  ‘What did the grooms have to say?’ Riley asked.

  ‘Sir Philip’s coachman is adamant that no one used the carriage after he’d driven the master and mistress back from their dinner engagement,’ Carter replied. ‘He unharnessed the horses and did for them himself. Sorry, sir, we pressed hard but he remained adamant.’

  ‘Don’t apologise for doing your job. Of course, it doesn’t mean that Sir Philip or someone else connected with the place didn’t leave by cab or on foot.’

  ‘One of the other grooms reckons he did see someone leave the house by the back entrance which takes them past the coach house at about ten o’clock, but he didn’t take much notice. The servants come and go by the back entrance all the time. He didn’t see who it was, or notice anyone return.’

  ‘If it was a man, sir, it can only have been Gregg or James,’ Peterson pointed out.

  ‘Or Albert, the other footman. We’ve dismissed him because he claims not to have left the house that night and because he has no obvious
reason for wanting Ezra dead,’ Riley said. ‘We know it wasn’t James, because he didn’t return from his afternoon and evening off until later than that.’

  ‘Unless he was lying about that an’ all,’ Salter said darkly.

  ‘We shall see, although I believed him when he said that he stayed out to avoid Ezra’s cruel taunts. Did the female servants, or Sir Philip’s valet, have anything to say that would interest me?’ Riley asked.

  ‘The women are still right upset, even the old cook,’ Peterson replied. ‘The old biddy was fond of Ezra. She described him as a scoundrel and a popinjay, but said he always cheered her up no end. Sir Philip’s valet remained aloof but he’s an older man, sir, as you know, and walks with a limp. I can’t see him lowering himself to clout anyone over the head, even if he had the physical ability to do so.’

  ‘Thank you, Peterson.’ Riley paused to reflect. ‘I’m starting to build a picture of the victim in my mind. The ladies adored him and he was charmingly disposed towards them all, but he enjoyed taunting the men and making himself unpopular, which was cruel and unnecessary. In some respects, he was responsible for his own grisly end, which is not to imply that he deserved to be killed. Anyway, I need you two, Carter and Soames, to call upon the tavern where James claims to have drowned his sorrows.’

  ‘To work, not to sample their wares,’ Salter said, scowling when Carter’s expression brightened.

  ‘As if we would, Sarge.’

  ‘Describe him to the landlord and see if he or any of the regulars recall seeing him. Salter and I are going to pay a call upon Verity Randall and then her husband at his place of work. Since they have both lied to us about their whereabouts, they have lost the right to expect discretion. Come with us, Peterson. While we interview the lady, I want you to talk to her servants. They have already said that Mrs Randall remained at home on the night in question, but push them on the matter and see if they are absolutely sure that she didn’t slip out after they’d retired.’

  Chapter Eight

  Verity Randall was not best pleased to have Scotland Yard detectives knocking at her door. She made the fact abundantly clear to Riley when she deigned to receive him and Salter in her modestly proportioned yet ostentatiously furnished drawing room in an apartment on the first floor of a tall building in Curzon Street. Riley found the room oppressive, a perfect match for Verity’s personality.

  ‘I really cannot imagine what else you think I can tell you about the man who was killed,’ she said indignantly, taking a chair and folding her hands in her lap in a prim gesture of disapproval. ‘I don’t think I ever spoke to him. Anyway, ask your questions, Lord Riley, and be quick about it. I am due to go out.’

  ‘It will take as long as it takes,’ Salter told her, scowling as he made a show of turning to a fresh page in his notebook before licking the end of his pencil.

  ‘Well, really. I find your sergeant’s manner most offensive, Lord Riley.’

  ‘We are conducting a murder investigation, madam,’ Riley told her. ‘And we don’t always have time to consider the sensibilities of the people we question.’

  ‘Even so, I—’

  ‘A man has lost his life, Mrs Randall. Should I read anything into your disinclination to help us with our enquiry?’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  Riley sat across from her, unsurprised when no offer of refreshment was forthcoming.

  ‘Since you claim to be going out,’ Riley said, allowing his gaze to linger on the grey gown she wore, which was old and shabby and certainly not the type of attire she would be seen outside of the house wearing. Her irritation was either designed to disguise her anxiety or was the product of embarrassment. She hadn’t expected a man of Riley’s ilk to catch her looking like a poor relation. Such considerations, he sensed, would be important to a woman of Verity’s pretentious nature. ‘I shall not detain you longer than necessary and get straight to the point. Have the goodness to explain to my sergeant and me why you lied to us.’

  ‘Lied?’ She sat ramrod straight, and put up her chin as though she had just detected a noxious smell as her small eyes widened with indignation. ‘Did you come here with the intention of deliberately insulting me, Lord Riley?’

  ‘I can play games all afternoon if it suits you, Mrs Randall, and I am probably a lot better at them than you are,’ Riley replied, remaining implacably calm in the light of the lady’s agitation and, he sensed, her growing fear. ‘We know you were in the Plough in Clapham, arguing with Ezra.’

  ‘I do not frequent taverns in poor parts of town, or indeed in any part of town for that matter.’ Her denial lacked conviction and she was unable to look Riley in the eye. ‘I was at home the entire evening, and my servants will confirm that fact.’

  ‘One of my officers is talking to them at this moment,’ Riley replied, ‘reminding them that giving a false alibi will land them behind bars right alongside you. Let’s see how loyal they are when that truth hits home.’

  ‘What…what time was I supposedly at this tavern?’ she asked.

  ‘A little before eleven,’ Riley replied, sure he knew what she intended to say and content to allow her to condemn herself with her own words.

  ‘Then whoever the woman was, it cannot have been me.’ She wore a smile of condescending relief. ‘My husband can verify that I was here. Presumably his word will be sufficient for you. He is, after all, a gentleman.’

  ‘And gentlemen don’t ever lie,’ Salter muttered. ‘Everyone knows that.’

  Verity glowered at him but said nothing.

  ‘Think very carefully, madam,’ Riley said in a mordant tone, ‘before you dig yourself into a deeper hole.’

  ‘Ask Gideon.’ There was a desperate edge to her voice. ‘He will tell you.’

  ‘Do you sleep in the same room as your husband?’ Riley asked.

  ‘What on earth is that to do with the matter?’ Verity looked scandalised. ‘Besides, it’s none of your concern.’

  ‘Did you wait up for your husband to return from his engagement?’

  ‘Certainly I did,’ she replied, sounding a little less sure of herself.

  ‘What time did he arrive home?’

  ‘At about ten o’clock.’

  ‘Another lie, Sergeant,’ Riley said, sighing. ‘I will ask you one more time, madam. Do you and your husband occupy the same bedchamber?’

  ‘We do not. My husband is an early riser and doesn’t like to disturb me, but it doesn’t signify since he saw me here in this very room when he arrived home, and we went up together.’

  ‘Arrest her, Sergeant,’ Riley said shortly.

  ‘Arrest?’ She finally appeared to understand the gravity of her situation. ‘On what charge?’

  ‘Lying to a police officer, giving false witness and murder.’

  She looked unnaturally pale, and the bluster had disappeared. ‘I did not lie about Clapham. I was not there, I swear that on my life. I said Gideon was here because I was protecting his career.’

  ‘You know where he actually was?’ Riley asked.

  ‘He was not killing his mother’s lover, if that’s what you mean to imply. I dare say he was too busy enjoying the comforting embrace of his own paramour,’ she added bitterly. ‘In fact I know that he was. I always know when he has been with her. He comes home reeking of cheap perfume. I didn’t tell you because I feared it would get out and ruin his career prospects.’

  Riley took a moment to consider her statement. She had told the truth about Gideon but failed to realise that it left both of them with the vital hours between nine and eleven unaccounted for; ample time for them to get to Clapham and back.

  Verity, he understood, had called upon Ida on the afternoon of Ezra’s death and would probably have known that he’d gone to Clapham because she would have noticed his absence and made some acerbic remark about it. Even so, could Gideon have been persuaded to take the opportunity to whack Ezra over the head, send Verity home and then calmly visit his mistress? He was far from stupid and would h
ave seen the need for them to account for one another’s whereabouts, so it seemed implausible—yet stranger things had been known to happen.

  This was clearly a loveless marriage held together by mutual ambitions of a political nature. Verity wanted to be accepted and have her husband admired for his astute political brain. Riley had met women like her before; women who had risen from humble origins. They were tenacious and didn’t allow anything to stand in their way.

  ‘You were seen, Mrs Randall,’ Salter said, ‘in that tavern, arguing with Ezra.’

  ‘Not I,’ she said with so much self-assurance that Riley began to doubt whether it had actually been her. ‘You have been misled.’

  ‘You disapproved of Lady Randall’s behaviour, yet you appear to tolerate your husband’s infidelities,’ Riley said.

  ‘I don’t approve, but men will be men, and Gideon is at least discreet. Lady Randall was carrying on with a footman.’

  ‘Your father was a cooper, I understand,’ Salter said, grinning when the reminder caused Verity to flush. ‘Seems to me you ain’t in no position to put on airs.’ He glanced around the small room to emphasise his point.

  ‘I won’t apologise for aspiring to better things, Sergeant,’ she said haughtily.

  ‘We shall leave matters there for now, Mrs Randall, while we continue with our enquiries. However, I think it only fair to warn you that I am not satisfied with your explanation and fully intend to discover the identity of the woman seen arguing with Ezra. If it was you, now is the time to tell me and explain what you were doing there.’ He paused to fix her with a gimlet gaze. ‘This is your only chance.’

  ‘I have nothing to say to you, Lord Riley. You will not be able to prove that I was in that tavern, so I have nothing to fear and shall wish you a good afternoon.’

  She rose to ring the bell. Peterson emerged from the back of the apartment and the three of them left the premises.