The Statue of Three Lies

by David Cargill

  ‘Many magicians are opposed to allowing their secrets to be known and that is certainly understandable, but I have always been a great believer that the knowledge of how an illusion is performed does not necessarily detract from the enjoyment of that illusion so long as the stage presentation is of the highest.’

  He cleared his throat again. ‘I am always prepared to be baffled when, even though I know how it’s done, I am completely unable to see the trickery take place. All the great illusionists of the past have my utmost admiration simply because of the sheer quality of their act. As soon as people thought they knew how a certain illusion was done along came another magician with a different version to baffle and entertain the audience. Entertainment has always been the keyword. The child in me wants to be baffled; the adult in me cries out to be entertained. What happened in this room on the night Jack Ramsden was shot was not entertainment by any stretch of the imagination. The illusion that allowed the crime to take place was baffling in the extreme.’

  The Prof’s words were being delivered like a barrister addressing a jury. ‘I’m tempted to say this is the most baffling case I’ve ever had - and as this is the only case I’ve ever had that would certainly be true.’ He paused and looked at the faces that watched him intensely. Then he smiled. ‘You see how some statements can be misinterpreted.’

  He reached into a pocket and produced a cigar. ‘Isabella, I wonder if I may be allowed to smoke?’

  ‘Certainly, Giles.’

  ‘So the great detective is churning inside is he?’ Victor bellowed as Giles started to light the cigar. ‘Well if you feel like throwing up please try not to be sick or George might have to clear it up. Where is he by the way? That makes three missing, Edgar, Sally and now George. Surely to God if you’re going to wave your magic wand and name one of us as the bloody murderer they should be here.’

  ‘I’m sure I heard a car drive off a few moments ago!’ Mabel announced. ‘What are you up to, Giles?’

  ‘All in good time!’ Giles said, looking around for an ashtray.

  ‘I want to take you back several years to the weeks before Jack died,’ he said taking a puff from the cigar. ‘He was, I understand, preparing a special illusion for Isabella’s annual birthday extravaganza and, since he’d returned from the United States in June, Jack and his assistant had been rehearsing a Jekyll and Hyde transfiguration to be called Metamorphosis. That is,’ he paused, ‘until he and his assistant had, according to Isabella, an almighty row in this room during one of the rehearsals.’He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and consulted it. ‘September you said,’ reading from his notes, ‘it seemed they were disagreeing about money.’

  ‘That’s right!’ said the matriarch of Maskelyne Hall. ‘That was the last of Jack’s assistant. We never saw her again!’

  ‘So you said, Isabella! So you said!’ A thin smile played for a moment on his lips as he consulted the notebook. ‘You also mentioned, when questioned, that your Jack had always worked with a female assistant and that his assistant had always remained cleverly disguised or kept out of sight during rehearsals and, more importantly, that you were never aware of her identity.’

  ‘That is so!’ exclaimed the silver-haired lady.

  ‘Well then it is surely not too difficult to assume that Jack would possibly turn to one of his family as soon as he knew he was without his regular assistant.’

  He looked around for any sign of disagreement. ‘After all it would appear that a great deal of spade work had already gone into making his birthday illusion something to remember, and it was much too late to start interviewing someone from outside.’

  At this point Giles paused as if considering another possibility.

  ‘Or could it just be that his assistant with whom he was having a heated argument was already a member of his family and the entire break up was a stage-managed charade as a lead to what he’d planned would follow. As he always chose a female for the role of assistant that left me with only five to consider; his wife Isabella; Mrs. Gardner the housekeeper; daughter Laura; Mabel his daughter-in-law, and Sally who was soon to be Edgar’s wife.’

  Giles looked at his cigar before taking a long and measured puff.

  ‘I had no difficulty in eliminating Isabella Ramsden and Doreen ‘Gardner,’ he said, as he slowly exhaled, ‘for the simple reason that, apart from the fact that Jack could hardly ask his wife to assist him when the illusion was for her entertainment, neither of the two ladies concerned fitted the type one normally associated with a magician’s assistant. Sally had not yet been introduced although Edgar and Sally had been meeting for some time. It was Edgar’s intention to introduce her as his fiancee on the evening of his mother’s birthday. That left Laura and Mabel! Both girls matched the profile required but Laura was a professionally trained dancer and had theatrical experience. That clinched it for me! She fitted the bill admirably but I required further proof before I could be sure.’

  The Prof took another puff from the cigar and brushed a few specks of ash from the lapel of his jacket. Holding the cigar aloft he looked around at his audience.

  ‘This cigar should have been the catalyst I required all along,’ he said. ‘I should have known better! After all the riddle in Laura’s original letter to me - the one that brought me here in the first place was alleged to be the work of Sigmund Freud, and I was informed by a Harvard Professor of Criminology of a story about the eminent man, who, when asked by one of his students about the significance of the size of the large cigars he smoked replied that “ Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!” You see we often place too much importance on trying to answer questions about extraneous matters that, in fact, have little or no significance and the distraction can prevent us from concentrating on things that really are relevant. The problem we have is how to differentiate between what is and what is not the important question that, if answered honestly, can lead to a solution to the puzzle.’

  He took another puff of the cigar.

  ‘The whole concept was a puzzle though. There was one question that had to be answered...how could an accomplice be admitted to a room that was, to all intents and purposes, locked and guarded from the outside,’

  He paused. ‘There was yet another complication to this scenario...the Lee Enfield rifle on a stand! Why was this in the room intended for a Jekyll and Hyde illusion? Could it be that Jack meant to do the Chung Ling Soo Bullet Catching Trick but then changed his mind after the visit to America when he saw something at the Convention of the Society of American Magicians in Boston? Or did he decide to link both illusions into one very special act? If so that would certainly explain why the rifle was in the room. It would also explain why he chose Laura to be his assistant...for Laura was single and unattached and, more importantly, she was a blood relative and the only female that met that criteria! Jack might have considered her to be a safety device against accident! His insurance policy! Unfortunately he did not heed the warning given to Houdini by the magician Harry Kellar!’

  Giles glanced across at Isabella Ramsden sitting straight-backed between her sons Victor and Conrad. She was pale but otherwise showed little or no emotion.

  ‘Don’t try the bullet-catching trick,’ Kellar warned. ‘There is always the risk that some dog will job you. Don’t do it! No matter what precautions are taken there’s always the chance for an accident -or worse!’

  ‘How dare you, Giles!’ Quivering with rage the matriarch of Maskelyne Hall glared at him. ‘You have the gall to imply that my only daughter may have violated the trust placed in her and caused her father’s death. How dare you indeed! I wish you had never returned!’

  ‘You are putting words in my mouth, Isabella. I suggest you hear me out and please remember who brought me here in the first place!’

  ‘Surely that’s just the point.’ The buxom housekeeper entered the conversation for the first time. ‘If Laura had shot her daddy why would she open the whole thing up by bringing you here to try and solve things? Have you tho
ught about that?’

  ‘Of course I’ve thought about it! It was one of the first things I did think about. The whys and wherefores of her intentions had several possibilities but I had to examine everything that might point me in the direction of a killer. Who would know there was a rifle in the library? Why...the assistant who was to help the magician, of course! A rifle without a bullet though would hardly provide an effective murder weapon so who would make sure to carry a bullet? Why...the same assistant, of course! But just supposing someone other than the assistant entered the room intent on murder, without being certain there was a gun there, he or she would have to take a weapon into the room unless...that person was aware that another weapon, capable of ending Jack’s life, was among the Dr. Jekyll props lying on that table...the stiletto dagger that I found in the safe; the one used in the portrait of Isabella! So if someone, bent on murder, was unaware of a rifle in here it really wouldn’t have mattered. A murder could still have taken place.’

  ‘What makes you so sure it was murder?’ Laura said questioningly. ‘What about the findings at the fatal accident inquiry.?’

  ‘Oh, it was murder all right, Laura! A cunningly-planned premeditated murder by an evil being. The Procurator Fiscal and the police could hardly have arrived at any other conclusion than an open verdict of “death by misadventure". After all the only fingerprints on the gun were those of the magician...the windows were locked and guarded...and so was the only door!’

  ‘What about the other voice heard in the room? Plus the blood found on the safe?’ Mrs. Ramsden had come to life again.

  ‘Your own testimony suggested that one voice - and one voice only - was heard. The belief that Jack was talking to someone else was inconclusive as no reply was heard. Why?’

  The word reverberated around the hushed library. ‘There could be several reasons for this. The other person in the room might have been dumb, a theory so implausible as to be instantly rejected. Much more likely - the person did not wish to be recognized by the magician in the room or did not wish to be recognized by those outside! Or both!’

  ’And the blood on the safe? How was that explained?’ Conrad and Mabel spoke in unison.

  ‘As it was Jack’s blood it could conceivably have been left there any time he’d used the safe - end of investigation!’

  ‘Did you believe that explanation?’ Victor asked in a more civil tone.

  ‘No - and I’m just about to explain why.’

  ‘The fingerprints on the gun were Jack’s and only Jack’s. Explain that, clever clogs!’ Conrad ventured tauntingly.

  ‘Simple!’ Giles announced confidently. ‘The person that fired the gun wore gloves as part of her costume...as Laura has just done in the illusion we’ve all been watching!’

  His eyes narrowed as he searched for reaction to his statement.

  ‘Everything began to point in one direction...Laura!’ he said. ‘It made sense that Jack and his daughter had agreed to work together and, if that were so, it meant that she was equipped with the knowledge of how to enter the room without anyone else knowing! Jack had planned the whole thing out and he was such a stickler for detail he wasn’t likely to let things go wrong.’

  Giles took another puff of the cigar.

  ‘I required corroboration; yet something was wrong!’ he said. ‘All the planning and preparation depended on Laura co-operating with her father and from the evidence I was given Laura had seemingly decided, at the last minute, to go upstairs and take a bath. Why? Had they agreed that Jack should work on his own or was the bath part of the plan?’

  Laura, who had carefully been removing her black gloves as she listened to the theories propounded by Giles, made an attempt to interrupt but was cut short.

  ‘Not yet, Laura!’ he said, ‘You’ll get your turn to explain!’

  ‘In examining the possibility that Laura was to be the assistant she had to know how Jack had planned entry to the room so perhaps the pretence of taking a bath was her way of ensuring that she could disappear and be on her own; after all the bathroom is one place in a house that is left undisturbed when it is common knowledge that someone wishes it to be kept clear; it is also the one room in a house where the door can be locked without causing suspicion.’

  Giles paused, licking parched lips, before continuing.

  ’Not only did Laura make her intention known but she also advised Edgar, in the presence of others, to tell Sally not to use the main bathroom when she was washing her hair. Why make such a fuss? To establish an alibi, of course, and then head for the hidden entry to...why this very room! The question that still had to be answered was where? How was entry made? The windows could conceivably have been doctored but that implied deception by George and his wife. The door was obvious but that would have required collusion between Isabella and Edgar who were waiting outside. None of these satisfied the premise that entry was to be the way it was always intended - and by the assistant! It wasn’t until an arranged meeting with a racecourse security friend of Freddie that another point of access could be explored. This ex detective superintendent came up with the idea of a priest-hole...!’

  ‘A what?’ Mabel screeched with girlish delight. ‘Tell me you’re not serious Giles!’ she giggled behind raised hands. ‘This really is a

  hoot!’

  ‘On the contrary, Mabel, I’m deadly serious! Let me explain.’

  ‘I can hardly wait!’ Conrad announced jocularly.

  ‘The priest-hole was a small hidden room or space used as a hiding place in English Mansions for Roman Catholic priests and others trying to escape persecution after the English Reformation. Ex detective superintendent Drummond, nicknamed ‘Bulldog’ by his friends and now living in Dumfries, put forward a theory that the large fireplace with the built-in safe might provide just such a refuge; not the safe itself you understand but the space behind the safe with possible access from below. That would also explain the large Japanese screen, which would hide all movement of the safe itself, and also any person hiding behind it.’

  The Prof looked around for the ash tray.

  ‘The magician’s props room in the cellar would have been an ideal place to have a secret entry to the library and any number of people had opportunity to find their way there unseen. Isabella and Edgar, who were stationed outside the door, were the only ones that really could be left off the list of suspects. Gaining access to the fireplace might be within the capabilities of most on that list but I doubt if many would lull Jack Ramsden into believing his assistant was visiting him. No...no...no! It all hinged on the assumption that Jack’s assistant knew all the answers and that she.!’The woman in black lunged at Giles in frenzy.

  ‘Do you really know what you’re saying?’ she screamed. Restrained by Freddie and ably assisted by Conrad, who had rushed to his assistance, Laura shouted through her struggles. ‘You idiot - you bloody fool! You haven’t been able to understand - have you?’ Her struggles subsided and she started to sob. ‘I couldn’t tell you! You wouldn’t have believed me! You wouldn’t have listened!’

  A trickle of blood ran down the Profs right cheek where Laura’s fingernails had caught him with some force.

  ‘Yes, Laura, I know exactly what I’m saying! I suggest you sit down,’ he dabbed at his cheek, ‘there, beside your mother. I’m sure Conrad won’t mind.’

  He dabbed at his cheek once more, then, discovering that, despite the events of the last few moments, he still held a cigar in the other hand, moved across to the ashtray and deposited the Havana that had long since gone out.

  ‘Now where was I when I was so rudely interrupted?’ he said with a faint smile on his face. ‘Ah yes, I was talking about Jack and his assistant.’ The smile lasted only seconds before a puzzled frown creased his forehead and he started talking in riddles again.

  ‘The whole thing didn’t add up,’ he said. ‘At least not until I visited Boston and saw an eighty-two year old statue and heard a tale about how a bottle-opener can open more than bottles! The
statue alerted me to the lies, half-truths and fabrications, which I’ll come to shortly; the bottle-opener illusion gave me the answer I desperately needed. Two answers come to that; how the murderer entered this room via the fireplace and.’ he pointed an accusing finger at the woman in black, ‘.why Laura decided to take a bath!’

  Laura was about to get to her feet again when the library door was thrown open.

  George stepped into the room. He was breathing heavily as if he’d been running hard and the shotgun he carried was pointing straight at Giles!

  Chapter 20

  EVIL UNMASKED

  The calming voice of Giles was in sharp contrast to the dread emanating from the others in the room. ‘You can put the gun down, George! I think we have everything under control!’

  Giles walked towards the old retainer and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘Is there a problem?’ he asked gently. George shook his head slowly. ‘So everything is ready, old friend?’ George nodded as the Prof gently took the gun away from him.

  ‘We’re now ready to tell the whole story so I suggest you all sit down.’

  Giles looked at Freddie and made a slight movement of his head that was enough to suggest he assist the groom to an empty chair. That done he broke open the shotgun, removed two cartridges, and laid the gun on the oak floor in front of the poster of Chung Ling Soo. He looked at the poster as he straightened up.

  ‘I did mention the warning Harry Kellar gave to Houdini about not trying the bullet-catching trick. To my knowledge Houdini never did try, yet I fear that Jack really did intend to ignore that warning. You see, after Chung Ling Soo’s tragic death, rumours even started that he had been murdered or had committed suicide. Nothing was ever proven. It was classed as an accident! Regrettably, on the night of Isabella’s birthday fourteen years ago, Jack Ramsden kept...his appointment with fear!’

  There was a noisy clatter from below the library floor that caused everyone to jump. It seemed to come from the depths of the cellar where the stage props were stored.