Mystery at Oakfield Hall

by Irena Nieslony

  Rachel was relieved that the doctor came in almost immediately afterwards. She didn’t want any more arguing, plus she needed to know exactly what was going on.

  “Ah, Ms. Fisher, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “A bit better than I did before I passed out. I still feel sick and have stomach cramps, but apart from that, I don’t feel too bad.”

  “Could I trouble you then to give us a sample? We need to get these tests done as soon as possible.”

  “Of course.”

  However, as soon as Rachel got out of bed, she almost collapsed. James dashed over to help her and then Mary took over. Rachel thought they were going to come to blows, but surprisingly James handed Rachel over amicably. As they left, Rachel spoke to Taylor.

  “Are you staying, Inspector?””

  ‘Yes, I’ll wait for the results of the tests.”

  Rachel thought that Mary had had a lucky escape. Inspector Taylor was just as miserable as he always was. At least, however, he now seemed to be taking her case seriously. Even though it was the middle of the night, he was back at work and he didn’t seem particularly keen to leave.

  * * *

  Mary shook Rachel.

  “What’s wrong?’ Rachel asked, waking up suddenly. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I drifted off. I feel really tired.”

  ”Don’t worry about it. You obviously need your rest. However, the doctor’s here with the results.”

  Rachel suddenly felt wide awake. She was now going to know if someone had tried to kill her for a second time. She looked at Doctor Farmer expectantly.

  “Well, Ms. Fisher, I’m afraid I haven’t got good news. We found traces of arsenic in both yours and Mrs. Knight’s samples. There was more in yours so her theory of the poison being in the glass of wine is very possible.”

  Rachel was dumbstruck for a few moments. This wasn’t a joke then. Someone really was out to kill her and they weren’t going to give up. It had to be either Arthur or John or even Barbara. They were all pretty well off so they were just plain greedy and wanted more. How could the police prove it though? If nobody saw who put the arsenic in her drink, the person would get away with it. The lighting in the sitting room had been low which made it even less likely that the person would have been seen.

  “It seems we do have a case of attempted murder on our hands then,” Inspector Taylor spoke, interrupting Rachel’s thoughts. ”Which family members were there at the party?"

  “Well, obviously Sarah and her parents, John and Barbara and her brother, Steven,” Rachel replied. “Then there was Arthur Robertson and his wife, Joan, their son Mark and his wife Katie. Uncle Sam wasn’t there, nor was his son Tony. All the rest were Sarah’s friends, mainly from school.”

  “I shall have to get a list of them from Sarah. Somebody may have seen a person messing with your drink.”

  Rachel nodded. Even though she wasn’t hopeful that anyone had seen anything, she was relieved that the detective was taking all this seriously now. She looked over at James who was sitting every quietly on the other side of her bed.

  “Are you alright, James?” she asked.

  “Not really,” he said, moving closer to her. “I feel terrible for doubting you. You were right all along. Someone is trying to kill you. I’m so sorry, Rachel.”

  Rachel’s heart went out to James. After all, it had seemed far-fetched that someone wanted to kill her. Those sorts of things didn’t often happen in real life and she certainly hadn’t expected her own family would want her dead. She wanted to throw her arms around James, but she felt too weak, so instead she took his hand and squeezed it tightly. His eyes lit up immediately and he gave Rachel a radiant smile, one which she found very difficult to resist.

  Chapter 6

  Detective Chief Inspector Taylor was kept busy the following day interviewing suspects, together with his sergeant, Helen Wilson. They both first went to see Arthur Robertson and his wife, Joan.

  “What’s all this then, coming round on a Sunday?” Arthur asked severely. “I’ve worked damn hard all week. I need my rest.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but somebody has attempted to kill Rachel Fisher again,” Inspector Taylor spoke with a quiet authority to his voice. “And I intend to find out who that person is. I shall be interviewing everyone who was at the party last night. Arsenic has been found in Ms. Fisher’s system and we believe it may have been put in her wine. Somebody might have seen one of the guests tamper with her drink.”

  “How do you know it was her wine?” Arthur asked. “It could have been anything.”

  ”It was most likely her wine because Mrs. Knight drank some from her glass and was also sick.”

  Inspector Taylor wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a look of fear cross Arthur’s face. However, it disappeared as quickly as it came.

  “So I take it I’m one of the suspects? And my wife, Joan, as well?”

  Joan was sitting down in an armchair in the corner of the room. Suddenly she burst into tears and everybody looked at her.

  “Oh dear me; I’m so sorry. This is terrible. Poor Rachel. I feel so sorry for her. Such awful things keep happening to her. She must be scared to death.”

  Joan gave another sob and then blew her nose.

  “Actually, she’s doesn’t seem too scared,” Inspector Taylor said. “She’s a very brave woman in my opinion.”

  ‘Or highly stupid. If someone is trying to kill her, they probably won’t stop until they’ve succeeded,” Arthur commented.

  “You’re not confessing to the attempts on her life, are you, Mr. Robertson?”

  “Of course I’m not. Why would I kill a member of my own family for a third of a rundown old house?”

  “Once it’s renovated it’ll probably be worth a great deal.” Inspector Taylor suggested.

  “It’ll cost quite a bit to renovate and my brother and cousin will have to agree. We’d probably come to blows and it’s not worth the hassle. Look, I have my own thriving business, not to mention stocks and shares. I don’t want for anything.”

  “But you were going to contest the will.”

  “More for the unfairness of it. John and I were George’s brothers. We should have inherited Oakfield. Rachel and George fell out years ago.”

  “Perhaps it was his way of making up with her.”

  “Perhaps. Who knows. Nobody really knew what went on in George’s head.”

  “Well, I don’t think I have any more questions for the time being, Mr. Robertson. I presume neither of you saw anybody tamper with Ms. Fisher’s drink?”

  They both shook their heads and Inspector Taylor and Helen took their leave. Taylor felt his visit had been a waste of time. He reckoned the rest of the family would be the same, but he had to go through the motions.

  * * *

  Inspector Taylor next decided to visit Mark Robertson, Arthur’s son.

  “I didn’t poison Rachel. Why would I?” Mark asked as soon as Taylor told him the reason for his visit. “I don’t think she should have got the house, but I’m not going to get it if I kill her so it would be pointless. Same goes for Katie, my wife.”

  Katie, who was sitting in the corner, nodded.

  Inspector Taylor thought how similar father and son were. Both had married weak women who seemed content to stay in the background.

  “Ok, but did you see anyone tamper with Ms. Fisher’s drink?

  “No, of course not. I wasn’t looking at other peoples’ drinks and I wouldn’t have known which one belonged to her anyway.”

  “What about you, Mrs. Robertson?”

  “Oh, she didn’t see anything either,” Mark said quickly.

  “I need to hear it from her if you don’t mind,” Taylor said.

  A flash of anger crossed Mark’s face, but he quickly replaced it with a smile. Still, Inspector Taylor had seen it and wondered how volatile his temper was. One thing he knew was that he didn’t trust him; he couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something not quite right about the man
.

  “I didn’t see anybody tamper with Rachel’s drink,” Katie spoke quietly. “I spent most of the time chatting with.”

  Inspector Taylor thought that must have been an extremely dull conversation seeing what their personalities were like, but then scolded himself for being unkind. They were probably fine when they were away from their overbearing husbands.

  “Well,” he concluded. “That’ll be all for now.”

  “We can get back to enjoying our Sunday then?” Mark asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  Taylor nodded, glad to get out of the house. Neither Robertson, father or son, were particularly nice people, but while Arthur did have a motive for attempting to murder Rachel, Mark didn’t. Of course, the house would add to Mark’s inheritance from his father, unless Arthur was a man who enjoyed spending his money. Alternatively, either man could resent Rachel so much for inheriting the house that it had led to attempted murder. However, he thought that was very unlikely.

  * * *

  “Do you think this Robertson family will be as bad as the last two?” Helen asked her

  boss as they drove towards the home of John Robertson.

  “Well, the kids are fine, but the parents are awful, especially the mother. She’s a bit of a shrew.”

  Helen tried not to laugh. Inspector Taylor didn’t have a great sense of humor unfortunately, despite his looks, which Helen was always admiring.

  “I thought you’d be round,” Barbara said, opening the door to Inspector Taylor and Helen, “You’d better come in. We have nothing to hide”

  The officers went into the lounge where the rest of the family were sitting. Sarah jumped up.

  “I’ve just rung the hospital. Rachel’s doing well. She’s probably coming out of hospital later today.”

  “That’s good.” Taylor remarked. “I hope she goes back to London and doesn’t stay in that awful house.”

  “Why? She’s turning it into a hotel and has lots to do before her next T.V. series, so I expect she’ll stay at Oakfield. It's not horrible anyway. It’s beautiful.”

  Inspector Taylor looked at Sarah incredulously. A hotel? Why? Doesn’t Rachel have enough to do with her acting work? He’d looked her up on the internet since he’d met her and she never seemed to be out of work.

  “Sarah,” her mother shouted. “The Inspector isn’t interested in all that. He’s come to ask us questions.”

  “On the contrary, this is very interesting,” Taylor remarked. “One of you might be opposed to this idea of hers. If Rachel turns the place into a hotel, she could make big changes to the house which you don’t like. If she dies before the year’s up, you’ll be stuck with them and it will cost you a great deal to turn the house into what you want. Better she dies now.”

  “What nonsense,” Barbara exclaimed. “What sort of people do you think we are? Who cares what she does with the house.”

  “I think you do, Mrs. Robertson.”

  “What reason would I have for caring?”

  “Envy,” Taylor replied. “Not only does Rachel inherit the house, but she makes money out of it. Your husband should have had a third of this house.”

  “Do you really think we’re that sort of people? Do you think we need the money?”

  The inspector said nothing. He just stood there, grim faced as usual.

  “Oh come on detective,” Steven spoke, “Dad and Uncle Arthur might have been upset at not getting the house, but they’re not murderers.”

  “If you’re looking for a murderer, you should be looking at Katie, Mark’s wife,” Barbara said.

  “Katie,” Taylor exclaimed. “Why?”

  “She’s Sam’s niece on his wife’s side. Sam wasn’t there last night, but Katie was. He could have offered her money to put the arsenic in Rachel’s drink. After all, he is another one to inherit if Rachel dies.”

  “Ms. Fisher has said that she and her Uncle Sam are close.”

  “It’s amazing what the thought of extra money does to people, don’t you think, Inspector?” John asked.

  As Inspector Taylor and Helen left, he didn’t know where to go next. Should he interview Sam Nightingale first or should he go back to Mark and Katie’s?

  * * *

  In the end Inspector Taylor decided to pay a visit to Sam Nightingale. Even though he would also gain from Rachel’s death, he couldn’t imagine that he, a High Court judge, would be involved in attempted murder.

  As he drove up to Nightingale’s house, he was even more certain that the judge had nothing to do with it. The house was enormous, possibly even bigger than Oakfield Hall and it was certainly in much better shape. It also looked as if it had massive grounds. Of course, Judge Nightingale could be in debt and needed Oakfield to raise funds.

  Reaching the front door, Inspector Taylor knocked. He wasn’t much looking forward to this interview. The upper classes often thought themselves better than most and he disliked their attitude towards the police.

  The door was soon opened by a man who Inspector Taylor could only assume was the butler. He was a little surprised, though he didn’t know why. It was highly likely that the Judge had servants.

  “Oh, I... Well, I didn’t know... I’d like to speak with Judge Nightingale please?”

  “Have you an appointment, sir?”

  “No, bur “

  Inspector Taylor flashed his police badge.

  “You’d better come in, sir.”

  The butler led Inspector Taylor, with Helen following quietly behind, into a study and asked them if he could get them anything while they waited. Taylor replied in the negative.

  While he waited, Taylor looked around the study. It was packed with books and he thought that Sam Nightingale must be a very clever man. He still felt uncomfortable. He was going to have to be very subtle.

  “Do you really think the judge is guilty?” Helen asked her boss.

  “No. not at all, but I have to interview him. Nobody’s above the law.”

  It didn’t take long for Sam to arrive.

  “Ah, it’s you again,” Sam spoke. “Detective Chief Inspector Taylor, right?”

  Taylor nodded.

  ‘So, what can I do for you?”

  “Somebody tried to kill Ms. Fisher last night. She was poisoned with arsenic.”

  “Oh no. Is she alright?”

  “Yes, it seems as if she will recover. She’s in hospital.”

  “Why hasn’t she rung me; I would have been there like a shot.”

  “She’s been a bit out of things and I don’t think she’s thinking straight”

  “Have you any suspects? And where did this take place?”

  “It happened at Sarah Robertson’s eighteenth birthday party last night.”

  “Ah yes, I was unable to attend. I had dinner plans.”

  ‘”I’ve just found out today that Katie Roberson is your wife’s niece.”

  “Yes, she was. My wife is dead. So, what of it?... Ah, I think I see. You think I asked Katie to poison Rachel.”

  Sam shook his head and laughed.

  “This is no laughing matter, sir,” the Inspector said.

  “No, attempted murder on my niece, Rachel, is no laughing matter, but imagining I had anything to do with it, is. She’s been like a daughter to me since her father died. I’d never hurt her. Plus, do you really think I need the money?”

  “You could be in debt.”

  Sam’s initial friendliness was beginning to dissipate.

  “I think you have no evidence. In fact you are clutching at straws, so if you’re not going to arrest me, kindly leave my house.”

  Inspector Taylor knew he was right so he took his leave. This was getting more and more difficult. Somebody was after Rachel, but he had no idea who that person was.

  * * *

  There was little point questioning Tony, Sam’s son, as he hadn’t been at the party the previous evening and he wasn’t set to inherit if Rachel should die. Of course he could have wanted to secure a larger inhe
ritance from his father, but Inspector Taylor thought it unlikely as Sam was already very wealthy, plus he didn’t want to aggravate Judge Nightingale any further by questioning his son.

  The Inspector decided they’d pop in and have a word with Katie Robertson before the tedious round of asking Sarah’s friends if they had seen anything at the party. He doubted it. They had all probably been having too good a time to be taking any interest in somebody meddling with drinks. Didn’t that happen at kids parties anyway?

  Katie Robertson needed to know that it was pointless keeping things from him. He would always find out and then it would look worse for the person who had kept the secret.

  Inspector Taylor knocked at Mark and Katie’s door a couple of times before Mark answered.

  “Not again. We’ve just sat done to Sunday lunch.”

  “I’d like a quick word with your wife if I may.”

  “I’ll answer any questions you have.”

  “This is specifically between me and her,” Taylor said. “Please don’t obstruct the course of justice.”

  “Well really,” Mark exclaimed. “I suppose you’d better come in then.”

  The two officers followed Mark into the house. Taylor marveled at the size if it again. The various Robertson families were definitely not poor. They all lived in desirable properties in the Stoke Poges area near Slough, but while Slough was a built up town with many rough areas, Stoke Poges was very up-market.

  Helen meanwhile was thoroughly enjoying her day. She had never been on an attempted murder case before and was finding it exciting. She was also in awe of Inspector Taylor. He had never been known not to solve a case and he was so good looking. He had deep brown soulful eyes and she could see a lot of sadness in them. She knew he had lost his wife to cancer a year previously leaving him to bring up two small children on his own. She wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him that it would be alright, but he was so distant and he never smiled.