The Gypsy Hill Murders (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 1)

by P. J. Thurbin

  “By the way, any idea how much that treasure was worth?” Stocker asked casually.

  Ralph did not reply.

  “Well must move on; drinking time is slipping away,” Stocker said. “May see you down there.”

  Jim Stocker had a reputation for being a drinker. Ralph had heard that he also liked to gamble. In any event, Ralph had no intention of joining Stocker and his pals at the bar. It was already nearly six and he just had time to go home and get ready for his dinner date with Jane.

  Ralph decided to go along to Janice’s office and leave the document he had been working on for Granger. He was surprised to find her still there.

  ”I thought you would be long gone by now, Janice. Just brought you this draft of something that Granger wants for the Centenary celebrations.”

  “Just leave it there and I’ll make sure it gets done,” Janice replied.

  Ralph knew better than to be over solicitous towards Janice. He had told her on more than one occasion that he thought she was working too late, and had got short shrift for his efforts. But he always felt a sense of confidence when he handed work to her, so with a ‘goodnight’ he hurried off to get ready for his date with Jane.

  When he passed by the bar he noticed that Jim Stocker was standing next to Jack Welsh who was regaling two of the other caretakers with his war stories. But no time for dallying tonight, he thought as he walked briskly past.

  It was a nice evening, and as he left Kenry House he remembered hearing the clock outside the old stables strike six and smiled. It was perfect timing for his promised rendezvous with Jane. He realized that this was a special evening for them both and he had booked a table at the Mitre Restaurant at Hampton Court, whose windows looked out over the Thames. He had time to get to his apartment and change before heading off to pick Jane up at the Kingston Lodge Hotel where she was staying while doing the site work.

  As they sped along the carriageway towards the restaurant Jane reproved him lightheartedly for his driving.

  “Ralph you seem to be determined to get us killed, or at least arrested for speeding. You haven’t changed a bit from your Cambridge days, except that then you could only do sixty in that old mini Cooper that you had fixed up,” she said with a laugh. And that smell of oil that I always recognized when you walked through the door has now been replaced with after shave. Who on earth has been telling you to wear it”?

  Ralph remembered that Jane had a habit of ribbing him that always precluded a good evening out.

  “Well Jane I put this on especially for you. I thought that after being with those smelly students digging in those trenches all day you deserved a bit of a treat,” he said, ”And all those years of swaying about on camels in Egypt should make swinging around these English roads in my nice comfy Jag a piece of cake.”

  They both laughed as they sped smoothly along watching the orange street lights starting to turn to red as darkness fell. Soon they were passing the Palace at Hampton Court and Ralph turned the car into the forecourt of the Mitre Restaurant. The doorman was ready to open Jane’s door and wished them a pleasant evening.

  Ralph had made the reservation for eight and they were a bit early.

  “Sir, Madam, would you care for a cocktail while your table is being readied?” the maitre d’ asked when they went in.

  Ralph ordered two glasses of champagne, and they strolled out on the balcony with them while they waited for their table.

  “To the future,” Ralph said and held up his glass in a toast.

  “Yes,” said Jane. “And to success for us both.”

  Ralph quickly hid his disappointment that Jane had not interpreted his remark in a more personal way.

  “Quite,” he said cheerfully.

  They stood looking out over the river for several minutes, each caught in his or her own thoughts. Their reverie was broken by the announcement that their table was ready. Leaning on the balcony they both looked out at the sky which had now turned into a deep red glow with patches of mauve and straw yellow beginning to appear.

  “Well lets go in and do justice to the meal and make that chappy happy, “said Jane. “If we stay out here much longer people will begin to talk,” she added, linking her arm familiarly through Ralph’s as they went to their table.

  They were soon seated by the window.

  “There’s nothing quite like the Thames at night,” Ralph said.

  “I love the way the moonlight reflects off the river,” Jane observed. “What a lovely idea to come here for our reunion dinner.” Ralph watched the boats bobbing at their moorings and reassessed what Jane had said on the balcony. Perhaps she too was hoping to rekindle their romance, but was understandably cautious after so many years.

  Ralph had noticed the way that the other diners had looked up as he and Jane had entered the restaurant. We do make a handsome couple, he thought to himself. He even allowed himself to hope that tonight might just be the beginning of a fresh start for Jane and him.

  He pulled his thoughts back to the menu and glanced down.

  “Anything particularly take your fancy?” he asked.

  “You probably know what’s good here,” she said. “Why don’t you just order for both of us?” Ralph was secretly pleased that Jane had not become one of those strident feminists who always had to take charge.

  “We’ll have the sole in white wine to start, and the quail stuffed with sweetbreads for our main course,” Ralph told their server when he came to take their order.

  “How did you know that quail is my favourite?” Jane asked.

  “I wasn’t sure if you still liked it,” Ralph admitted. “But I did recall that you ordered it the one time we splurged on a real dinner out for your birthday when we were at Cambridge.” Ralph noticed that Jane looked pleased that he had remembered.

  Just as they were settling in to begin a conversation, the wine steward approached.

  “Good evening sir and madam, I have the pleasure of being your wine steward this evening. Are you ready to order the wine sir, or would you like me to make some suggestions?”

  Ralph had seen many a beau ruin the evening by trying to laud it over the wine steward.

  “I would be grateful if you could help us to decide as I am a bit rusty at fine dining,” Ralph said.

  The chap was delighted to show off his expertise, and as expected he recommended a sauterne with the fish and a light burgundy with the quail.

  “Ralph, you never fail to amaze me. Well surprise me might be a better word. Here I was thinking that dinner out would be like it was at Cambridge and we would be going down to some pub for sausage and mash with a large glass of beer. Instead, here we are at a posh restaurant overlooking the Thames with glasses of champagne in our hands. You always were able to surprise me and I’m glad that hasn’t changed. And this is definitely an improvement on the pub,” she said, looking up at him.

  As they ate Ralph wanted to ask Jane more about what had happened since they were at Cambridge together, but he didn’t want to appear over anxious or appear too inquisitive.

  “When you went to Egypt that first time did it all seem strange? Anything like you expected it?” he asked.

  “Oh yes. It was like everything that I had always imagined, except that of course I didn’t know anyone, and that made it all feel a bit lonely, I suppose. At least for a while. Coming straight from Cambridge where I had been in a crowd, and of course we had been very close and I had become to depend on you when things got a bit difficult,” she said.

  Ralph noticed that Jane was almost talking as though Cambridge was a thousand years away and any embarrassment that he thought would arise when talking about their relationship was not there.

  “Loneliness must be something that field archeologists all suffer with,” Ralph replied.

  “Yes, it can be an occupational hazard,” Jane said lightly. But then she went on. “Once the dig got underway and the new Director arrived, it wasn’t long before we realized that we had a lot in common. At
first it was all business but eventually we decided to get married.”

  Fortunately for Ralph he was in the middle of drinking some wine and it gave him just those few vital seconds to compose himself before he spoke.

  “So I suppose belated congratulations are in order, Jane. I’m so happy for you that you found someone to share your life with. I’m afraid I have had less success in that department. But tell me more about your life.” Ralph tried to sound happy but inside he was struggling to make sense of what he had just heard. Had he completely misread the situation between himself and Jane or was he overreacting to what was probably a normal situation when two old friends meet for a reunion celebration? He wanted to ask Jane more questions but thought it best to wait to see what more surprises might be in store.

  “So Ralph, how have you managed to stay single when I would have thought every girl in college, not to mention all those single women on the staff, must have their eyes on you? Didn’t I hear someone mention you in connection with someone called Dolly?”

  Looking at Jane now, Ralph couldn’t think what he had been doing with Dolly, apart from finding her fun to be out with and up for an adventure whenever he wanted to kick over the traces.

  “No, I never found the right one to settle down with. Dolly is just a woman I dated from time to time for a bit of fun. Nothing serious for either of us.”

  “Well, I’d hate to think of you sitting alone in your flat night after night,” Jane said, not wanting to appear to be prying.

  “Well there’s not much time for that,” said Ralph “And of course I’m still very keen on sailing and that takes up a lot of my spare time. I did the Fastnet Race last year and I’ve had a few dodgy does crossing the Bay of Biscay delivering people’s yachts down to the Med so that they can avoid paying purchase taxes. And I’m still running. I’ve done the London marathon a few times as well as a couple of others. I even did the Boston marathon a few years back. Then there are the academic conferences and we have a course running in Mumbai, so I go there a lot.” Ralph realised that he was gabbling on and for some reason trying to impress Jane with his exploits.

  “It’s a wonder that you can find time to take me out with all that lot going on,” said Jane. “Since my husband died three years ago I haven’t found anyone I feel comfortable with. Present company excepted,” she quickly added with a small laugh. “Thanks for being my friend again.”

  Ralph was stunned for the second time that night. First married, now a widow. It was a lot to take in.

  “I’m sorry about your husband, Jane. It must have been difficult for you. I wish I had known, I might have been able to help.”

  “Thanks Ralph. But time heals, as they say. Roger caught what they used to call black fever and in spite of all the wonder drugs there was nothing that could be done. Much as I loved my husband, I now see that our relationship was really all based around work and our profession. We were absorbed in the whole thing and never really had the sort of relationship that I had always imagined for myself when I was younger. But here I am and here we are, so drink up and let’s talk about the future. When are you going to finish that blessed brochure for your Centenary and what am I going to do to sort out that skeleton at Kenry House? It’s a spooky place on a sunny day, so gosh knows how you dealt with the death of that poor caretaker. It must have been a terrible shock for you?”

  Their conversation now moved back to subjects that they could both chat about and the evening wore on. Over their brandy and coffee Ralph decided that he wanted to tell Jane how he felt having met up with her after all these years, but he knew he had to tread carefully.

  “Look Jane, you know that I am over the moon that we have met up again after all this time. I hope that we’ll get to see a lot more of each other while you’re here.”

  “It has been wonderful being with you again, Ralph. Maybe we could even get to know each other again.” Who knows, Ralph thought, we might just be able to rekindle some of those embers after all.

  They were both relaxed and content as they listened to some popular music on the car radio on the way back to Kingston Lodge. Ralph saw Jane to the hotel lobby and then drove up Kingston Hill to the college. He had forgotten to pick up some lecture notes that he had left on the desk in his office, and he wanted to go over them before his lecture on Monday. He decided it was easier to collect them now than to make the trip back in the morning.

  Ralph noticed that the stables’ clock was just striking eleven as he pulled into the college. He suspected that his friend Peter would still be in the college bar, so he decided to pop in and see if he needed a lift home. He also wanted an opportunity to talk to his friend about Jane.

  “Bit late for you Ralph” said Peter, as the two friends greeted each other.

  “You and Janice both working a bit late tonight on old Granger’s Centenary brochure? I saw Janice as I came down and she was still working away. Sometimes I think that you’re a hard task master in spite of your apparent relaxed approach to life.”

  “I had no idea she would be staying this late. It’s just that Janice likes to get any outstanding work done. Bit of a control freak like me, I suppose. I’ve just got back from a great evening out with Jane. Went to the Mitre at Hampton Court.”

  “So”, said Peter, with a grin. “The old flame still burns bright?”

  “Now don’t start planning the wedding just yet,” Ralph said good-naturedly. “You married types just can’t stand seeing a happy bachelor. But, seriously, it was good to be back talking with Jane about the old days. She’s had quite a rough time by all accounts, but she’s still got that sparkle about her that attracted me to her in the first place.”

  “Good for you, pal. Now I expect you’re going to tell me that you’re not going have a night cap with me because you’re driving.”

  “Well sort of, Peter. After the wine and the brandy I have probably just about had my limit. Especially with all the police activity around this place lately. Besides, I expect it’s time you hit the road as well. I really only popped in to see if you wanted a lift home?”

  “Well thanks. It’s been a long session here tonight and you missed seeing Welsh and Jim Stocker having quite a heated little chat. I couldn’t make out what was getting them so worked up. What was even stranger was that they both walked out about an hour ago and the bar was still open. They must have gone to look for another place to drink. Jim isn’t doing himself any favours hooking up with Welsh. It’ll end in tears or something worse.”

  “Well, Stocker’s a big boy. He ought to be able to take care of himself,” said Ralph. Meanwhile, I had better get you home”.

  As they walked down the stairs towards the car park Ralph had just started to tell Peter about the developments over the Centenary celebrations when they met a student who was rushing up the stairs towards them.

  “Quick sir, there’s been an accident in the college driveway and someone has phoned for the ambulance and police. But you need to come quickly.”

  Rushing out to the now darkened driveway, they found a group clustered around what looked at first to be a pile of rags. When they got closer, Ralph saw that it was Janice, and that she was crumpled up part way in the road and part way in the bushes. He knelt beside her and could see by the way that she was lying that she was injured.

  Then in a blur the ambulance arrived and the two young medics asked everyone to stand back so they could attend to the injured person. The police arrived a few minutes later. They moved the crowd back and put a road sign further up the driveway before ushering everyone away.

  Inspector Linham, and his assistant Sergeant Wilson had been attending a suspected robbery at a nearby house and arrived a few minutes later. Linham spoke with the officers who had been first on the scene, then he came across to Ralph.

  “I recognized the injured person as your secretary, Professor Chalmers, and thought you should know that she seems to be seriously hurt. We don’t know yet what caused this, but she may have tripped or even be
en attacked; or it might have been a hit and run driver, possibly one of the students driving too fast. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but we are putting out an alert for anyone seen driving away from the college and are cordoning off the grounds for a search. Time is crucial here and I wanted to know if your secretary was perhaps going to collect her car from the car park, and if so which one?”

  Ralph mumbled that he knew that she always got the K3 bus home and never drove her car in to college. And that she had been working late for him.

  Inspector Linham was experienced at handling uneasy silences in such situations. “We have already contacted her family and we’ll take care of the rest. You had better get along now, and once again, I’m sorry. It must be quite a shock for you.” Turning away from Ralph, he then became the voice of authority. “Can everyone please give their names to the officer here, and then you are all free to go home. You may be required to answer some questions later but for now that’s it. You will all be contacted in the morning when statements will be required.”

  Inspector Linham wondered if they were now faced with yet another crime scene in the grounds of Gypsy Hill.

  Ralph was still in shock at what had happened, but as he and Peter walked towards his car he looked around at who was in the crowd. He noted that neither Jack Welsh nor Jim Stocker was there. He remembered that Peter had noticed them leaving about an hour earlier, and they may well have gone to look for another pub. But that didn’t make sense. All the local pubs would have been closing about then.

  Chapter 8

  Hospitals always held an uneasiness for Ralph, something that probably went back to a bad experience during his early childhood. He found Janice sitting up in bed and fussing gently at the nurses. She told him that on her way to make photo-copies of the report that she had completed for him she saw a light at the end of the corridor. When she went to see if someone was there a figure suddenly ran towards her and pushed her against the wall. She ran down the stairs and towards the bar area, and that was all she could remember until she came round in the ambulance. Ralph could see that she was clearly going to recover, and as her husband Richard came through the door he gave Janice the flowers that he had brought and made his exit.