A Drowning in Bath

by L. A. Nisula

  His confusion did not seem to lessen. “Why would you want to know that?”

  “I was in the baths when Miss Caldwell drowned. Mr. Mulgrove wasn’t there. He says because he was here reporting a crime. I wanted to be certain that was the case, that’s all.”

  Inspector Humphries pinched the bridge of his nose. “So this is part of that mess, is it? Yes, Mr. Mulgrove was here Tuesday afternoon to report a theft. He was very cooperative and gave us all the information we asked for. He filled out a complete report and then waited while we had it typed up for his signature. It was not a large crime, but he insisted that it was his duty to report it in case someone else had something more valuable stolen by the same thief.”

  That was the most information I’d gotten out of the police in Bath. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “So he was here all afternoon?”

  “Yes.” Inspector Humphries turned to the papers behind him and extracted a folder from the stacks that was marginally thicker than Inspector Sanders’s one on Miss Caldwell. “He arrived at 1:12, waited twenty minutes to see me, gave me the full report from 1:32 until 2:17, then he saw one of the constables to give him further details on and description of the items stolen which took one hour and ten minutes, most of it waiting for someone to be free to take his statement, and then he sat in that very chair for another thirty minutes while the report was typed up. He left the station a little after 4:10, which is when the report was signed. He could have left at any time before that, but he did not. As I said, he thought it was his duty to report the crime.”

  That was almost exactly what he’d told me. I wondered if our mysterious third party had sent some random person an invitation here to confuse things, but why would Mr. Mulgrove have accepted? He ought to be too old to accept mysterious random holidays. “Could he have left and returned?”

  “I suppose, but he didn’t, not for any significant period of time. I felt bad making him wait as much as I did, taking up his holiday time, so I checked on him a few times, offered him tea, that sort of thing. He was there every time I went to look for him, except for the period he was with the constable taking his statement.”

  “What did he report stolen?”

  “Nothing of great value. A watch, a little money, cufflinks.”

  “Is it usual for people to spend an afternoon reporting a crime like that?”

  “I’ve had people who wouldn’t stay half-an-hour to report a diamond necklace stolen, so yes, I did think it unusually civic-minded of him, particularly as he was on holiday.”

  I was beginning to think Inspector Humphries was in need of a holiday himself considering how many times he mentioned Mr. Mulgrove’s. “But he was here.”

  “Yes, he was here. Was there anything else?”

  “That was all I needed to know. Thank you, you’ve been very helpful,” I said as sincerely as I could.

  “I suppose I’ll be dragged into this mess now, hmm? Oh, don’t look so apologetic. It won’t be your fault. I think we’ll all end up dragged into it in the end.”

  I wasn’t quite certain what he meant, but I could tell he was ready for me to leave, so I thanked him again and started back to the hotel.

  Inspector Humphries had been the most helpful policeman I’d encountered in Bath; unfortunately his help proved my best suspect couldn’t have done it. Intellectually, I knew I should be grateful that he had stopped me from chasing the case against Mr. Mulgrove too far down that dead end, but now I didn’t know where to start looking for my next suspect. I very much wanted to drop the whole case in someone else’s lap, but Inspector Sanders seemed determined to think that it was an accident, and, if I wanted Miss Caldwell’s killer caught, there was no one else I could trust with the investigation. I was stuck.

  When I returned to the hotel, I found Milly waiting for me in the lobby with a pot of tea—no doubt supplied by Mr. Waterhouse; we hadn’t been using his offer of free room service nearly enough—and her chocolates from town, although she couldn’t have been waiting very long as she hadn’t unwrapped the parcels from the confectionery yet. She waved as soon as I entered, so I knew it was me she was waiting for and not one of the gentlemen.

  When I was seated beside her, Milly asked, “Did you find out anything?”

  I nodded. “Inspector Humphries is much more forthcoming. I wish he’d drawn the murder case. Mr. Mulgrove was there from 1:12 until almost a quarter past four. And as it would take him a good twenty minutes to get there, I think we can say he has an alibi.”

  “Are we pleased by that or disappointed?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “Neither, I suppose. It’s a fact, and it should narrow things down eventually.”

  Milly nodded. “Then what do we do next?”

  That was the question, wasn’t it? “Think, I suppose. Or perhaps leave it in Mr. Rivers’s hands. He was her fiancé; he can pursue the issue with the authorities if he thinks it’s worth it.” I knew that thinking was Milly’s least favorite part of investigating. Seeing her expression, I changed the subject. “How was your walk with Mr. Douglas?”

  “Non-existent. He still hasn’t come back from returning the carriage.”

  So perhaps she hadn’t been waiting for me after all. “I hope he didn’t have any trouble.”

  Milly shrugged. She didn’t seem to want to discuss that either.

  I gathered up my handbag. “I’m going to go up to the room and put my things away.”

  “I’ll come with you. There isn’t much to do down here.”

  So she was tired of waiting for him. Good. If she was annoyed, there was less chance of her telling Mr. Douglas everything about my investigation.

  We were halfway to the stairs when we heard, “Miss Prynne! Wait, Miss Prynne,” and Miss Grangeway came darting across the lobby.

  Milly stopped to wait for her. It seemed rude not to do the same.

  “Oh, Milly, I was hoping I’d run into you. Mother wants to take Miss Morrison into town to get her out of the hotel, which is very kind, of course. I want to be nice to her, but she’s...well, she’s not the most exciting company at the moment. So I thought maybe you could come and... I don’t know...”

  “Liven things up a bit?” Milly offered. “Keep everyone’s thoughts away from the tragedy here?”

  I wasn’t certain that Mrs. Grangeway would appreciate some of Milly’s more enlivening ideas, but Miss Grangeway nodded enthusiastically.

  “That’s exactly what’s needed. If there’s more than one person bent on having fun, it will make things so much more interesting. And better for her, I would think.” Then she seemed to remember I was there. “And of course you’re invited, Miss Pengear.”

  I knew that was an afterthought out of politeness, so I didn’t feel bad saying, “No, I have some things I wanted to do around here. Postcards to write, that sort of thing.”

  Miss Grangeway smiled. “We quite understand. We’ll miss you. Come along, Milly. Mother already has a carriage engaged.” She darted off without a second thought for me. Milly did glance over as she gathered up her parcels of chocolates, and I nodded for her to follow Miss Grangeway. The pair of them would certainly be a distraction for Miss Morrison.

  As I returned to our room, I considered what I had told Milly. Perhaps I wasn't as stuck as I'd thought. Mr. Rivers was the appropriate person to press for a more thorough investigation, and one whom Inspector Sanders was more likely to listen to, and he was now in full possession of what facts we knew and so in a position to do as he saw fit. And now that I’d gotten rid of Milly and discharged my obligation to Miss Caldwell, I was free to start enjoying my holiday. If Mr. Rivers didn’t manage to get Inspector Sanders to listen or find anything new on the case, I could always start poking around again.

  Settling in the room with a book seemed like a proper way to start my holiday. I got my hat and coat put away and found the parcels from our trip to Leighwick. I was debating whether it was worth the trouble to send down to Mr. Waterhouse
for a pot of tea and some cake as I opened my parcel, only to discover that I’d gotten one of Milly’s boxes of chocolate by mistake. As she’d brought the others with her to share with Miss Grangeway, they were most likely unwrapping my copy of Pride and Prejudice and feeling as disappointed as I was. At least I could do something about my disappointment. There had been a small selection of books in the shop where we’d rented our bathing costumes; surely there would be something there that would suit my mood.

  I was halfway across the lobby when I heard my name called. As it was Miss Emmaline calling, I only briefly considered pretending I hadn’t heard her. I turned and smiled in her direction. She and Miss Bates were sitting by the window, Miss Bates with her knitting and Miss Emmaline with some embroidery. I crossed to them to say hello.

  “Miss Pengear, we won’t take but a moment, but I thought you should hear the latest news.”

  “News, you note,” Miss Bates said with a smile, “not gossip.”

  “Certainly not. I wouldn’t waste her time with gossip.” Miss Emmaline turned back to me and leaned in to say, “Mr. Caldwell arrived this afternoon.”

  “Really?” I asked before I reminded myself that I had passed the case off to Mr. Rivers.

  “On the two o’clock train, although I think there are at least four today alone that could have brought him here sooner.”

  “Of course, everyone says what a busy man he is, so I suppose that must be why he had to delay.” But it was quite obvious Miss Bates did not approve, even if she did think she knew the reason.

  “Is he in the hotel?” I asked, even though it was no longer my concern.

  “Staying here, yes, but he arrived, left his secretary to get them settled, and went straight to the police station.”

  “And he hasn’t gotten back yet. The secretary followed once he’d seen to the rooms.”

  So there was no reason at all for me to feel an obligation to Miss Caldwell’s case. If Mr. Caldwell had been at the police station since shortly after two, he was certainly trying to get something done. And judging from the number of policemen I had seen milling about, he was at least annoying someone fairly high up. And if Inspector Sanders would listen to anyone, it was Mr. Caldwell. “Thank you, ladies. I’m glad to hear someone Inspector Sanders will listen to is finally involved in this.”

  Miss Emmaline nodded. “We thought it would be a relief for you to know that someone else is taking it seriously. You really haven’t had much of a holiday since this started.”

  Miss Bates patted my arm. “We’ll let you return to enjoying yourself now.”

  I was going to make up some polite lie about talking to them being enjoying myself, which would only have been half a lie really, but they rose and started towards the lounge before I could think of how to phrase it. I made my way to the shop in the lobby instead.

  The shop did have a small selection of books, and I began hunting for something that seemed appealing. After the combined drama of Milly and Mr. Rivers, I found I was not in the mood for Mrs. Bennet’s matrimonial machinations or Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill’s deceptions. I poked around the shelves until I found some Jules Verne. No romance at all there. It seemed just the ticket. I was in a hurry, so I grabbed Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea despite having at least two copies at home. Saving my sanity seemed worth the small expense.

  However, my respite from romantic machinations was short lived. As I went back into the lobby, I saw Milly returning already, with Miss Morrison right behind her. Miss Morrison went straight for the staircase, but Milly spotted me and came over. “I had one of your books with me.”

  “And a box of your chocolates is in the room. It was fine though, I bought another.”

  “Oh. Well, if you needed two.”

  That comment didn’t seem worth answering. “You’re back early.”

  “Mrs. Grangeway was planning on taking us somewhere improving, so Miss Morrison and I both developed headaches. I don’t think she suspected a thing.”

  Or she wanted to be rid of the pair of them before they became too much of an influence on her daughter. “I think they’re still serving tea in the garden. I’m going to go upstairs to start on my book.”

  Milly barely heard me. “I wonder who that is.”

  I turned to see who she was looking at. It was a young woman I hadn’t seen in the hotel before. She didn’t have any luggage, but she was speaking to the man at the reception desk. “Maybe she came down with Mr. Caldwell.”

  “Is he here now? Miss Morrison might want to know that.”

  I supposed she would, as she had been the one helping his daughter sneak away to whatever she’d come to Bath for. She might like a timely warning if only to get her story straight.

  Milly went on without noticing my silence. “When did he get here?”

  “According to the Bates sisters, on the two o’clock train and went from here to the police station.”

  “How is that going to effect your investigation?”

  “It closes it, as far as I’m concerned. He’ll be able to do far more to get Inspector Sanders to listen than I ever could.”

  “Oh my, she’s coming this way. I wonder why.”

  I was beginning to wish I’d waited until we were safe in our room before I told Milly the latest news. “Who is?”

  “The new person, who else?”

  I kept my focus on the staircase. Perhaps if I didn’t turn around, we would discover that the newcomer was heading for the staircase or the lounge or...

  “Miss Pengear?”

  I was beginning to wonder if there was another way to get around the hotel that avoided the lobby all together. I turned and looked at the young woman approaching us. She was pretty, blond, blue-eyed, wearing the sort of cheap but fashionable outfit that was common in London. I very much wanted to deny that was my name, but I doubted Milly would let me get away with it, so I answered honestly. “Yes?”

  “I’m Miss Jeffries, a friend of Mr. Rivers.”

  I recognized that as the name of the maid who’d told him about the book by Miss Caldwell’s bed and found myself wondering if she was the one he would have been engaged to if the families hadn’t been so mercenary. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Mr. Rivers said you’d help. You just have to help. I mean, it’s ridiculous to think that he would have done anything to poor Miss Caldwell.”

  “Who thinks he did something to Miss Caldwell?” Milly asked, sounding completely shocked.

  “Why the police, of course. That’s why they’ve arrested him.”

  That was something I hadn’t heard yet. “I thought they were convinced Miss Caldwell’s death was accidental.”

  “They were, until the detective Mr. Caldwell sent to see what she was up to convinced them otherwise.”

  A detective? I ran through the guests in my mind, trying to figure out which one could be the detective. It couldn’t be... “You mean Mr. Douglas?”

  “That’s right.”

  Leave it to Milly to begin stepping out with the detective, and then to tell him every step of our investigation. I supposed I should be glad he probably wasn’t the murderer if he’d been hired by her father. Unless her father...

  Milly didn’t seem bothered by that revelation. She leaned over and said, “Of course Cassie will help him.”

  Miss Jeffries smiled at us both. “I’ll tell him that he has allies here, after all. Thank you.”

  As soon as she was gone, Milly turned to me. “So, how do we begin?”

  “I’m going to begin with some answers. Do you know where Mr. Douglas is?”

  “I know he likes the gardens, if he’s back from returning the carriage.”

  I wondered if returning the carriage had merely been an excuse to avoid Milly, or if he’d been at the police station with Mr. Caldwell this whole time. “Then I’ll try there.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll get my other hat.”

  I knew telling her I wanted to question him alone wouldn’t work, so I tried d
istraction. “No, why don’t you try the lounge. He could be there.” I highly doubted he was, but Milly might get distracted speaking with the Bates sisters or Mr. Langley, all of whom could be counted on to be there.

  “All right. I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”

  I waited until Milly was on her way to the lounge, then hurried for the garden doors before she changed her mind.

  Chapter 16

  I FOUND MR. DOUGLAS on the lawn near the entrance to the rose garden. I considered sneaking up on him, but I decided it wasn’t worth the effort and let my steps crunch along the gravel path.

  He turned as I approached and smiled when he saw me. “Miss Pengear, how are you and Miss Prynne doing after our excursion this morning?”

  I ignored the question. “You’re a detective.”

  At least he didn’t try to deny it. “How did you know?”

  “Miss Jeffries told us.”

  “Miss Caldwell’s father hired me to keep an eye on her. Apparently, he thought she was a bit wild. And he was right.”

  “And you were spending time with Milly instead of her because?”

  “Miss Prynne seemed like the sort of girl she would be friends with, her and Miss Morrison, who was never her governess, but I suppose you’ve already deduced that.”

  “It was rather obvious. So you hoped that by spending time with Milly...”

  “I would also be spending time with Miss Caldwell, that’s correct, only I would be less obvious.”

  “And the day at the baths?”

  “I suppose you think I’m not a very good detective, and you’re correct, I failed miserably on that occasion. But I didn’t know there was that sort of danger. I was looking for fortune-hunters and insincere gentlemen. I had no idea that someone would try to kill her.”

  “Did you know her fiancé was in town?”

  “Not until the police decided to arrest him. I did go to Inspector Sanders when you convinced me that there was more to her death than he thought, and then I wrote to her father when Inspector Sanders wouldn’t listen to me. But I had no idea Mr. Rivers was here, and to be honest, I wouldn’t have considered him a suspect if I had. He was quite reconciled to the marriage.”