A Drowning in Bath

by L. A. Nisula

  “Very kind of you.” As it had been overcast from the moment we left the hotel and Milly had spent most of her time in the shops, I knew Milly’s illness was an act; the only question was if it was intended to get time alone with Mr. Langley or Mr. Douglas.

  Mr. Douglas offered me his arm and led me towards the hotel. “So you were meeting with the doctor. Not feeling poorly yourself, are you?”

  I’d guessed that Milly had been hoping to send Mr. Langley after me so she could spend time with Mr. Douglas, but if she hadn’t mentioned my reason for visiting Dr. Gaines to him, perhaps I was mistaken. “Dr. Gaines was at the baths when Miss Caldwell...” I wondered how to mention her death to him.

  “Died?” he offered.

  “Precisely. So I was hoping to find out if he saw anything.”

  “And did he?”

  “Only the Bates sisters.”

  “Pity. It would be nice to know exactly what happened. Why was he watching them?”

  “It seems he’s looking for a wife with money.”

  “Not an unusual hobby. I wonder if anyone saw him at the time.”

  And I wondered what Mr. Douglas’s interest in the case was. “There’s the hotel. Thank you for walking me back.”

  “Perhaps I can take you and your cousin out again while you’re here.”

  “Perhaps.” If I needed to question him again, it was good to keep the option open. I hurried inside before he could ask if we wanted to have dinner with him. I was certain Milly would have said yes, but I was tempted to take a tray in our room and ignore everyone.

  But Milly would have none of that. When I got back to the room, she was already looking through the clothes she’d brought, intending to dress for dinner. “Do you think it’s appropriate if we don’t have mourning?” I asked. I doubted it would work, but I thought I’d try.

  “Oh, don’t be silly, Cassie. Of course it is. It’s not like we knew her.”

  In the end, I changed into one of the nicer dresses I’d brought along and put some fancy pins in my hair, more because it gave me something to do while Milly fussed than because I thought it was necessary. When she still hadn’t finished dressing, I collected up our discarded bathing costumes and brought them downstairs.

  When I got to the shop, the rental counter in the back was closed, but whether because of circumstances or the hour, I couldn’t be certain. The gentleman minding the till promised to put the costumes back for me and wrote out a receipt for their return. He also had the things that had been left in the changing rooms. I identified what belonged to Milly and me, and he promised to have them sent up to our room.

  The lobby was still nearly deserted when I left the shop. It seemed everyone had decided to hurry about their own business, not stay around and chat to whoever happened by. Normally, I would have considered this a good thing in a hotel, but after the day’s events, it only served to make things more depressing. Mr. Langley was there in full evening wear, speaking to Mr. Fredrickson in a low voice, although in the empty lobby I managed to hear him say, “It’s just around the corner. The chop is very good, so is the fish and chips. Plenty of families; you won’t feel out of place, and several police beats cross nearby, so very safe.” Apparently the Fredricksons wanted to take their children out of the hotel for dinner. I didn’t blame them. The gloomy atmosphere couldn’t be good for them, and their boisterous behavior wouldn’t be appreciated by the other guests.

  As Mr. Fredrickson left the hotel, I was tempted to go back upstairs and wait for Milly in our room. It seemed preferable to the empty lobby. I was eying the staircase when Mr. Langley approached me. “Was Dr. Gaines helpful?”

  “He was watching the Bates sisters.”

  “I should have known. Not to speak ill of a regular guest, but he is an old letch, even if he isn’t old.”

  I smiled a little. Apparently Mr. Langley felt he could tell me what he really thought.

  That theory was confirmed when he asked, “Did he say why he didn’t help?”

  “He claims he saw nothing could be done for her.”

  “Protecting his reputation, I suppose. Is Miss Prynne coming to dinner?”

  “Yes, she’s still changing.”

  He nodded. “Several people have decided that they would prefer to be alone tonight. Miss Morrison, naturally, is taking a tray in her room. And the Fredricksons asked me to recommend a pub nearby. I think I see Miss Prynne now.” He made a formal bow and started towards the lounge.

  “You don’t take dinner with the rest of us?”

  “In the staff dining room.”

  “Well, thank you for waiting with me.”

  He bowed again and disappeared into the lounge as Milly approached.

  “Was that Mr. Langley?”

  “Yes, he was keeping me company. It’s so empty here.” I knew that would make Milly eager to be in the presence of other diners.

  “It is, isn’t it? Let’s go through.”

  Chapter 8

  THE DINING ROOM WAS FAR LESS crowded than the breakfast room had been. From Mr. Langley, I knew the Fredricksons wouldn’t be there, nor would Miss Morrison, but it seemed Mrs. Grangeway and Miss Grangeway had also decided not to attend. Neither had Mr. Mulgrove, but I had the impression he didn’t like to eat in company, and after Milly had accosted him at lunch, I wasn’t really surprised. Mr. Douglas was a surprising absence, though. The Misses Bates—both dressed for dinner—were seated at a small table by the window. They smiled at us as we entered. Mr. Longridge, Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Gibson were all seated together at the larger table that would have sat the Fredricksons most nights, all three behind the evening editions of their newspapers. Milly and I were shown to another small table similar to the one the Bates sisters were at, and given menus. Apparently the hotel was trying to make the room look as full as possible. It was a very quiet dinner, the silence broken only by the sounds of silverware and china and the occasional sound of food being ordered.

  After the silent dinner was finished, I was hoping Milly would decide to return to our room for the evening, but she turned towards the lounge as soon as we left the dining room. I didn’t want to leave her alone, and not only because she would most likely tell everyone we thought that Miss Caldwell’s death was murder in the most inopportune way possible, so I followed.

  The same people from dinner were in the lounge, and the ones who had stayed away had not come down. Milly scanned the room twice before I grabbed her arm and steered her towards the Bateses. Miss Bates smiled and patted the chair beside her. “A very quiet evening, isn’t it?”

  “But hardly surprising,” Miss Emmaline added.

  We both nodded.

  “There weren’t many people at dinner,” Milly said, almost making it sound like a complaint.

  “Well, we couldn’t expect Miss Morrison, could we?” Miss Emmaline answered.

  “And Mrs. Grangeway hasn’t the constitution for it,” Miss Bates added. “As for the others...”

  I could tell she was fishing for gossip, so I gave her a bit. “I heard Mr. Langley directing the Fredricksons to a pub.”

  “Probably best for the children,” Miss Bates said, nodding.

  “Most thoughtful of him,” Miss Emmaline added.

  Milly didn’t want to be left out. “I was surprised not to see Mr. Douglas at dinner.”

  “That was odd,” I agreed. “We just saw him. He walked me back from the shops.”

  “He had more telegrams to send,” Miss Emmaline said. “At least that’s what he told Mr. Gibson in the lobby.”

  “For a gentleman of leisure, he sends quite a lot of telegrams.” Miss Bates gave Milly a significant look. “One would almost think he was reporting in to his employer or something of that nature.”

  Milly ignored her. “Here comes Mr. Langley.”

  We all glanced in the direction she was looking. The other three gentlemen were standing by the card table, most likely discussing what sort of game three people could play. Mr. Langley was indeed co
ming towards us. He bowed when he arrived and said, “I hope you ladies will allow me to join you.”

  “Not interested in cards, then?” Miss Bates asked.

  “I’m afraid I don’t like to play for more than I can lose, and I think they are planning to ask me unless I am otherwise engaged.”

  “Most sensible of you,” Miss Emmaline said. “Gentlemen should not be foolish with their money.

  “Thank you.” He turned to me. “I am glad to see you returned safely, Miss Pengear.”

  “Thank you for sending Mr. Douglas for me,” I said so the Bateses wouldn’t think he’d abandoned me somewhere. They were watching us with identical raised eyebrows, so I added, “Mr. Langley was kind enough to take us to the shops.”

  “That was kind,” Miss Bates said. “Did you find anything?”

  “Oh yes,” Milly said, happy now that the conversation had turned back to areas she could participate in. “All sorts of lovely things. Even one of Mr. Langley’s postcards. Show it to them, Cassie.”

  From the way Mr. Langley blushed, I was quite glad to be able to say, “I’m afraid it’s in my handbag upstairs.”

  Milly sighed and went on to describe every shop she had been in and every item she had considered purchasing, which filled the time until we could retire, at least.

  ~ * ~ * ~

  At breakfast the next morning, everything seemed to be returning to normal, although that might have been due to the fact that the Fredricksons were there, and the children were their normal, boisterous selves. I thought it a refreshing change after the silent dinner, although Mrs. Grangeway did not seem to agree. After a particularly rambunctious display of energy by the younger girl, which seemed to be an imitation of a horse galloping to the finish at some derby and nearly upseting every table in the room, she got up from her chair and ushered Miss Grangeway out of the room. I herded Milly over to the vacant table before she could decide to try sharing with the gentlemen behind their newspapers again.

  Once we were seated with our food, I glanced around the room. All of the gentlemen seemed present, except for Mr. Mulgrove as usual. Miss Morrison was also absent, but that was hardly surprising. The Bates sisters were nowhere to be seen either, which I did find surprising. Before I could comment on it, Milly sighed dramatically and said, “It’s going to be so dull around here today.”

  “You could join young Miss Fredrickson in whatever game she’s playing.”

  “And what would Mr. Douglas think?”

  Probably that it looked like a good bit of fun, but I didn’t say that. I also didn’t offer to entertain her. This was supposed to be the first proper day of my holiday, although I had the feeling it would be spent investigating. I’d found my mind wandering to what we’d seen in the baths more than I would have liked, although I still couldn’t come up with any way we could have gotten to Miss Caldwell sooner. “Perhaps Miss Grangeway will have some ideas. I would think things would be dull for her here as well.”

  “But then I would have to endure Mrs. Grangeway as well.”

  I shrugged. “Perhaps you could suggest you’re a suitable chaperone?” I wasn’t quite certain she was, but if they stayed around the hotel, how much trouble could they get into? I decided not to think too carefully on that answer.

  “I suppose. Were you investigating something today?”

  “Thinking about the case,” I said before she could volunteer to help.

  “Oh.” Apparently Milly had no interest in helping with that part of investigating.

  As Milly returned to her food, I glanced around the breakfast room again. Perhaps the Bates sisters had been up early and already eaten. Or perhaps they were avoiding the Grangeways. I risked a glance at the gentlemen’s table, hoping Milly wouldn’t notice, and spotted one of the waiters bringing Mr. Douglas another telegram. I remembered what Miss Bates had said about the large number he received and wondered whom his correspondent was. If it wasn’t business, perhaps he already had some young lady somewhere, but then why was he here? Milly interrupted my thoughts by putting down her fork. “I’m going to see what Miss Grangeway has planned for the day. I can always say I have plans for that particular moment if I don’t want to go along.”

  “That sounds like a very good idea. Why don’t you do it while you’re thinking of it?”

  Milly nodded and left me to finish my food in peace.

  I hadn’t heard anything about Milly’s plans by the time I had finished my breakfast. I wasn’t sure if that meant she had made some with Miss Grangeway and didn’t think she ought to let me know, or that I would find her in our room, bored and ready to try to get me to amuse her. As I passed through the lobby, I glanced into the lounge, hoping I could deduce what Milly’s plans were by who was there. Neither the Grangeways nor the gentlemen were there, but the Bates sisters were. Miss Bates spotted me as I glanced around the door, so I couldn’t very well walk away without saying something. Besides, they might have noticed where Milly had gone.

  Miss Bates nudged Miss Emmaline as I approached, and they were both smiling at me as I took the seat across from them. “Good morning, Miss Pengear.”

  “A lovely morning, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose it is.” I hadn’t so much as glanced out the window yet.

  “Of course, it is hard to notice the sun when things are so difficult here,” Miss Emmaline said.

  I nodded, as I couldn’t think of another response. I’d been distracted trying to decide if it would be worth going to see Inspector Sanders and making another attempt at convincing him to look more closely at Miss Caldwell’s death, which I didn’t think was what she meant.

  Miss Bates sighed. “Very sad, particularly for Miss Morrison. When you reach our age, a death isn’t so shocking, but as young as that, and on holiday, well.”

  “We went with her to the funeral parlor this morning,” Miss Emmaline said. “So very sad. They police needed her to make a formal identification before they contacted the family, and she wanted to say farewell, you know. And they did such a nice job of it. If it hadn’t been for the bruising, she would have looked quite peaceful.”

  That caught my attention. “Bruising?”

  Both sisters turned to me. Miss Bates spoke first. “This is more than friendly interest, isn’t it?”

  I decided to take them into my confidence. I highly doubted they could have swum the length of the pool or been the figure we saw, and Dr. Gaines and Mr. Langley had both seen them. I leaned in and murmured, “Milly and I saw someone push her under.”

  “You think she was murdered?” Miss Emmaline whispered.

  “Have you told the police?” Miss Bates asked.

  I nodded. “Constable Marchcliff and Inspector Sanders.”

  “And weren’t listened to by either, I suppose,” Miss Bates said ruefully.

  “Oh if only we had been looking in that direction too,” Miss Emmaline said. “Four people are harder to ignore than two. In any case, if there’s any way we can help. Now I said bruising, but it wasn’t really bruising, just redness around her mouth.”

  “Almost a burn,” Miss Bates offered. “I suppose it’s a symptom of the drowning, or of the struggle to prevent it, although she didn’t seem to struggle much, did she?”

  The answer struck me all at once. “Chloroform,” I said without realizing I’d spoken aloud until I noticed both ladies were staring at me. “It’s a side effect of chloroform if it’s held to the skin. That must be what Milly and I saw, someone giving her a dose.” I’d almost been dosed with it once myself and had borrowed a book from Inspector Burrows to read up on the symptoms to be certain I would suffer no ill effects.

  Miss Emmaline nodded. “And why she didn’t struggle. But wouldn’t she have floated if she were unconscious?”

  “One would think,” I agreed, “but at least it’s one part of the puzzle solved.”

  “We’re glad to have been some help, then,” Miss Bates said.

  “If you can think of anything else we can do, we’d
be happy to assist you,” Miss Emmaline added.

  “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” I wondered if Miss Morrison might have noticed anything unusual, and if she’d be in any mood to discuss it with me, particularly after rising early to go identify the body of her friend. “How was Miss Morrison when she returned?”

  Miss Bates considered her answer. “Upset, but not unduly so.”

  Miss Emmaline nodded. “I had the impression that she was not a close friend of Miss Caldwell, more of a schoolmate or something of that nature.”

  “She went up to her room as soon as we returned. I thought of offering to accompany her, but I wasn’t certain she wanted to spend more time with a pair of spinsters.”

  “However, she might, now that she’s had a bit of a rest, want to see someone closer to her own age.”

  So they thought visiting her would be all right. “Then perhaps I’ll see if she’d like someone to talk to. Do you happen to know her room number?”

  “312,” Miss Bates said at once. “And please tell her we’re at her disposal should she need any assistance.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be grateful.” I took my leave of the sisters and went to find Miss Morrison’s room.

  Chapter 9

  MISS MORRISON’S ROOM WAS on the floor below ours and faced the back garden. I paused at the door and listened, but I didn’t hear anything that suggested she had another visitor or was crying alone. It seemed safe enough to announce my presence, so I tapped on her door. There were a few moments when I heard her footsteps crossing the room, then she opened the door and peered around the edge. “Miss Pengear, right?” She didn’t seem bothered by my arrival.

  “I wanted to say how sorry I was.”

  “Please come in. It’s so quiet in here now.” She held the door so I could enter.

  The room was larger than the one Milly and I shared and still looked like it was inhabited by two people. Miss Morrison looked around as I entered. “I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mess. I haven’t started packing her things away yet.”