by C. G Oster
Rose was silent for a while. “No, of course not,” she finally said, but it didn’t feel genuine to Dory. Could this be true? If it was, then Freddy was very much a suspect—with a more robust motive than being cut from the wedding party. But Freddy hadn’t been there. He’d been at a club far away with people who corroborated his alibi.
Dory’s mind was spinning with these new details.
“All I am saying is that Freddy was a little dismayed by some of Corny’s antics,” Rose added.
“Then why was he marrying her?”
“Because he was very fond of her.”
“Fond? Not in love?”
“Of course he was. I mean, he didn’t shout it from the rooftops, but he must have been. They had been an item for quite a while. And I am sure she didn’t act like that around him.”
“Then how would he know about her antics?”
“Charlie Waterman, mostly. Corny really didn’t like Charlie. That is something that policeman should look at, because Charlie certainly didn’t like Corny.”
“Unfortunately he was nowhere near Mr. Harlowe’s atelier at the time. It couldn’t have been him,” Livinia said.
“Who knows. Maybe he bribed someone who works there. It would be the perfect alibi, wouldn’t it?”
Dory stared at Rose for a moment. It was possible. The issue of the knife suggested this was planned. The origin of the knife had not been established. It had come from outside the shop, which suggested pre-meditation.
“When did you first hear of this latest game of Corny’s, her wanting to cut you from the wedding party?” Dory asked.
Rose looked terse again. “Prue mentioned it in passing.”
“During the fitting?”
“Yes, while Corny was in there with the shop people.”
“And you hadn’t heard it mentioned before?”
“No.”
Leaning back in her chair, Dory considered what she’d just learned. If this was premeditated, then it couldn’t be Rose simply reacting to the news that Corny was cutting her. That was if Rose was telling the truth, which Dory had no trust in. The one thing she could trust was that the staff at the atelier had overheard Prudence telling Rose that Corny was cutting her as a bridesmaid, and Rose being upset about it. It did suggest she was hearing it for the first time.
“No, I really must go,” Rose said. “As lovely as it is for you to drop in unannounced, I’m afraid I have to prepare for the evening.”
“It was so lovely to see you again,” Livinia said, rising. “And you too, Mrs. Wentley. It is all such bad business. I hope they catch the culprit soon so we can all put this to rest.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Wentley uttered, her serious expression finally lifting. “It is rather doing our nerves in, isn’t it?”
“Well, we should go. Thank you so much for the tea. It was lovely.”
Dory said a quiet goodbye and followed Livinia around the house to the car.
“Well, that was interesting, wasn’t it? I don’t think we’ll be welcome to drop in again. Do you?” Livinia said as she started the car.
“I’m not sure she did it,” Dory said.
“Why ever not? She seemed to bristle every time Cornelia’s name is mentioned. Mark my words, that girl hated Cornelia.”
“Yes, but the knife was brought in. It didn’t come from the shop.”
“Maybe Rose intended to kill her all along.”
“But why do it there? It makes sense if it was a reaction, but to plan a murder at an atelier? Wouldn’t it simply be easier to accost her on the street and stab her if that was your intent? There would be literally nothing that would link you to it. Everyone would assume it was a robbery gone wrong.”
Livinia remained silent for a while as she drove. “You have a point,” she finally conceded.
Chapter 22
“THIS WHOLE THING seems to get more complicated every time we speak to someone,” Livinia said. “And what do you make of Rose’s suggestion that Charlie is responsible?”
“He didn’t hide how much he hated Cornelia,” Dory replied. “And if he hated his friend’s intended, wouldn’t he much rather make his views known to Freddy, rather than murder the girl? That just doesn’t make sense.”
“True. From the looks of it though, I think Freddy had made his doubts about Corny known to Charlie. Freddy couldn’t have not seen the animosity between them. Maybe he hoped it would pass. I hate it when two of your friends hate each other and you want to be friends with both of them. They just can’t understand why you are still spending time with the person they hate and you are walking a tight rope between them. Just because they hate them doesn’t mean I have to. You know?”
“Yes,” Dory said, but in fact, she didn’t have friends who hated each other. Most of her friends were too busy working to worry so much about hating people.
They drove in silence for a long time, Dory noted the scenery which seemed vaguely familiar and wondered if she had traveled down this road before. They arrived in Prudence Marsh’s village and turned down her long driveway.
Dory surveyed Prudence’s stately Palladian house. Not quite as large as Wallisford Hall, but stately all the same. A fountain spouted water in front of the house.
Livinia got out of the car and walked toward the door, and Dory hurried up to follow her. A man met them as they arrived, a butler. Dory wondered if it was different being a butler in a house like this compared to Wallisford Hall. Perhaps it was less stressful. Then again it would all depend on the family.
“This way,” the man said as he let them in, looking wholeheartedly unimpressed. Livinia didn’t notice or didn’t care.
“Oh, Livinia, what a surprise,” Prudence said, in all looking happier to see them than Rose had. “Come through. Such a pleasure to see you.”
“Well, we were passing and thought we’d drop in. Dory’s been back to Mr. Harlowe’s and there were some interesting observations bandying around. We’d thought we’d come discuss it with you.” Livinia spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Oh?” Prudence said as she sat down.
“Well, it seems as though that dreadful detective has been asking questions about Freddy. Why he should do that I have no idea, but some quite pointed questions.”
Prudence sat with a frown, not speaking. “I don’t see why they should be asking questions about Freddy.”
“Naturally the spouse is considered heavily in an investigation. Statistically speaking, there is often culpability.”
“But that’s ridiculous. Freddy is the sweetest man in the world. He could never do such a thing.”
“What about Rose? We did hear mention something about Corny cutting Rose from the wedding party.”
“Well, that, unfortunately, is true. It was something Corny was considering.”
“Only considering?” Livinia asked.
“Corny did seem to enjoy having people on their toes. Just these little games she played.”
“That would be quite a public cut, wouldn’t it?” Dory asked.
Prudence shrugged. “Rose seemed to have this infatuation with Freddy, and Corny was sick of it.”
This was something new. “What do you mean?” Dory asked.
“Well, she was always trying to get his attention, talk to him. Corny said she couldn’t have a bridesmaid that was positively salivating over the groom. Unseemly, she said.”
“And how did Rose take this?” Livinia asked.
Biting her lips together, Prudence didn’t say anything for a moment. “Clearly she wasn’t happy.”
“What did she do after you told her?”
Again she shrugged. “It wasn’t as if I watched her in case she went and murdered someone.”
“But you think she did,” Dory asked.
“Like I said, I don’t know. I didn’t see anything. I just know I didn’t. Who does that leave?”
“This is a really serious allegation,” Livinia cut in with a frown on her face.
&nbs
p; Livinia and Dory looked at each other. Without a doubt, Prudence thought Rose had murdered Cornelia. “Why didn’t you tell DI Capshaw?”
“Because I didn’t see anything, and I certainly wasn’t going to do his job for him.”
“Do you know where she got the knife?” Dory asked.
“She must have picked it up somewhere. I’m sure the place is full of knives and scissors.”
“Where were you in the shop when you told her?”
“The salon,” Prudence replied.
“And after?”
“I stayed in the salon, looking through some of the cloth. You were there,” she said to Livinia. “You saw me. I was there until I heard the scream. She must have snuck off into the dressing room and stabbed—" Prudence paused as if overcome by emotion. Looking down, she pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket and dabbed the corners of her eyes. “Well, you know the rest.”
Stunned silence descended around the table. What else was there to say? It all seemed pretty cut and dry.
“Well, that is quite something,” Livinia finally said. “I suppose we had better get a move on.” Again Dory and Livinia exchanged looks. “Thank you for the tea. Really refreshing ahead of our long drive.”
“You’re most welcome,” Prudence said with a wan smile, but she didn’t follow them out to the car as they walked away from the table.
“Prudence clearly thinks Rose is responsible,” Livinia said.
Sitting down in the passenger seat, Dory closed the door and Livinia started the engine. “There’s still no proof. I suppose Prudence can confirm that Rose wasn’t with her right after the period she was told about being cut from the wedding party. DI Capshaw knows this, though. I told him, so we haven’t actually learned anything new.”
“Except that Prudence actually thinks Rose is guilty, and so do I.”
Biting the inside of her cheek, Dory considered what to do. “I think we need to have a chat with Capshaw again to reiterate how important this is. But there is nothing to say he’ll give us more credence than before. If we only had some proof.”
“I don’t think there is any proof to be had,” Livinia said.
“Did you actually see Prudence in the salon like she said?”
“I think so. Like she said, I wasn’t expecting to be a witness to a murder, but I recall seeing her there, looking through the materials. The satins, I think. I remember her holding some of it to her legs.”
“And Rose wasn’t there?”
“Well, I can’t tell for certain, but I didn’t note her being there if that makes sense. But I did see her when the scream happened. She was definitely there because I was looking around.”
“That was the shop girl,” Dory said, “who discovered the body. Cornelia must not have screamed, or a hand had been held over her mouth, because we did not hear the actual murder. It must have gone straight into her heart and she had no time to react. It looked like it did.” It had gone into her gut, but in an upward thrust, so it was very much possible it had gone into her heart.
“Oh shivers,” Livinia said with displeasure. “Just so awful. I think maybe you should speak to your man before we do anything. See what he says.”
Ridley came into her mind. Yes, maybe it was good to go over the details with him, and then he could advise her how to approach Capshaw. “Good idea. I will go see him tonight after you drop me off.”
Exhaustion was nipping at her, making her shoulders feel heavy and her mind sluggish. There was so much they had learned that day, but her mind had had enough. Maybe her heart too, trying to conceive of friends killing each other.
Livinia dropped her off in front of Ridley’s apartment building and continued her journey back to Wallisford Hall. Taking a deep breath, Dory stared after her and then up at Ridley’s building, hoping he was there. She didn’t know his schedule well enough to be certain. If not, she would take the train back to Swanley.
Livinia would probably inform Lady Pettifer about the developments later that evening. Trudging up the stairs, she knocked on Ridley’s door and smiled when he opened. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? The way she felt when he opened the door and let her in.
“How are you?” he asked as he walked with her into his living room.
“Tired. We dropped in on those friends of Livinia’s,” she said, hoping he wasn’t going to tell her off for interfering again. “And although I informed DI Capshaw about what I learned with regards to Cornelia wishing to cut Rose from the wedding party, he wasn’t all that interested.”
Ridley sat down in what appeared to be his usual armchair and picked up his glass of whiskey.
“Well, he hasn’t been to see the girls at any rate,” she continued.
“He might not have gotten around to it.”
Dory sat down on a leather footstool and placed her head in her hands. “It seems one of the girls, Prudence, quite firmly believes that the other, Rose, was responsible for stabbing Cornelia Vellsted. She mentioned something about Cornelia being upset at Rose’s interest in the fiancé. Enough so that Cornelia threatened to cut her out as a bridesmaid. According to Prudence, Rose was absent for a while before the murder was discovered, although she was present in the salon during the actual discovery.”
“It could be that the murder happened without anyone noticing and the girl slipped back to be present when it was discovered.”
“It seems this girl is guilty. The only thing, though, is that everything suggests the murder was a reaction to this news of being cut and potentially being publicly humiliated as a result, and her actions were a reaction to this news, but there is still no indication where the knife she used came from.”
“None of the staff at the atelier can account for it?”
“No. No one had ever seen it before. It made me believe that the murder was more deliberate and planned, and that the murderer brought it with her. Sorry them. But it doesn’t fit the unfolding story.”
“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t just picked up and used. Witnesses can be unreliable, and frankly, not everyone pays that much attention to a knife. It could even be something a previous visitor had left behind.”
Dory considered his words, supposing he was right. She wouldn’t pay attention to knives. She might be able to identify the main knife she and her mother used at home, but would she be able to identify a rarely used one that was pulled out of a drawer? Or worse, one that came from the shed. No, probably not. Absently, she nodded.
“How about we put all this to side,” he suggested, “and go out for dinner?”
“That sounds marvelous,” Dory responded.
“Sometimes it’s best to let the mind rest and return to it with fresh eyes.”
For a moment, it sounded as if Ridley was accepting her investigating this case, or maybe helping DI Capshaw investigate the case—unwillingly on DI Capshaw’s side.
Chapter 23
IT HAD GOTTEN LATE THE previous night and Dory had stayed the night in Ridley’s apartment. Nothing untoward had happened, although there might have been some kissing involved. A blush crept up Dory’s cheeks at the memory. But in the end, Michael had slept on the sofa, while she had been on the bed. Admittedly, she was both nervous and curious about what they had restrained themselves from doing. The wedding was fast approaching, as was the wedding night.
Her mother wouldn’t be too alarmed about her staying the night, being quite modern in that regard, and had a high regard for Michael. Dory loved saying his name, and also Mrs. Dorothy Ridley. It sounded so... lovely.
But lovely thoughts to side, it was time to tackle DI Capshaw and she waited in the receiving room at the Marylebone police station. They had asked her to wait until DI Capshaw was ready to receive her. It took a good fifteen minutes before he appeared, having divested of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. It was early in the morning, but he already looked rumpled. Perhaps he was a bachelor, Dory wondered. No, there was a wedding band on his finger. She hadn’t noticed before.
“Miss Sp
arks,” he said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. “What have you been up to now?”
“Just here to inform you what we have heard through the grapevine and otherwise.”
“By otherwise, I think you mean interrogating my witnesses.”
“Just having a nice cup of Darjeeling. You know, of the kind they serve in dainty cups with primroses painted on them.” That was perhaps tart, but she wanted to convey it as a scenario he distinctly didn’t fit into.
He sighed. “And what have you learned at your little tea parties? Why don’t you come back to my office and tell me all about it.”
Dory followed as he led her back into the bowls of the police station to the office she remembered. A small fan sat on the file drawers, blowing fruitlessly in the overly warm room. His office seemed to get the morning sun and it was quite stuffy in there even this early.
“Well,” she said, sitting down in the wooden chair by the desk and waited for him to seat himself. “We had tea with both Rose and Prudence at their residences. Rose confirmed being told that Cornelia was cutting her from the wedding party. Prudence said it was because Rose was paying too much attention to the groom. Prudence also said that Rose was not present in the salon for a while before the murder was discovered. She clearly thinks Rose is responsible.”
Capshaw was chewing on the inside of his cheek and his finger tapped on the desk. “Unfortunately that doesn’t represent proof.”
“I know, but it does provide motive, means and opportunity. With acknowledgment that the origin of the knife has not been identified as far as I know.”
“You do fashion yourself quite the little private investigator, don’t you?”
“No, actually I don’t. I just recognize that Livinia Fellworth has legitimacy with these people that you and I could never have. And I think you know this. You interviewed Prudence Marsh and she didn’t mention her suspicions about who murdered Cornelia at all. And even if you re-interviewed her, I don’t think she would. Girls like that don’t talk to men like you.” Again she was being extraordinarily blunt, but it was perhaps best that they didn’t beat around the bush.
