by M A Comley
“I thought we’d have a takeaway for dinner, if you’re up for it?”
“Yum, only if it’s Chinese.”
“Deal. Now let me see.”
“I took a risk getting them, Ruth. In all seriousness, I’ve put my neck on the line for you. I need to get these back first thing before the inspector realises they’re missing.”
“Why didn’t you use your camera instead of bringing the actual crime scene pics home? Never mind.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m dying to see them. She wouldn’t allow me up in the turret on the day.”
James groaned, opened the file and spread the photos out on the table. They studied them one by one. Ruth gasped when she spotted what might be a vital clue in the fourth picture. “There. Look at that. Tell me what you see?”
James stared long and hard and eventually shook his head. “Nothing. What am I looking at?”
“The silver tray. That’s it. I’m going back there tomorrow to question the staff again. I was there today and barely got a few words out of them. Someone knows more than they’ve let on. I intend to find out what that is.”
“Be careful, Ruth. Why don’t I pass on what you know to Inspector Littlejohn, let her and the team deal with it from here?”
“No way. I’m not going to let her bask in the glory. This is my case to solve. She’s done precisely nothing up until now. Please, don’t rob me of the satisfaction of rubbing her face in it again, James.”
“All right. Now, let’s have some dinner, and then you can show me how grateful you are.”
Chapter 13
After a restless night, Ruth showered, pulled on a pair of cropped beige trousers and a colour-coordinated T-shirt, washed down a piece of toast with a strong cup of coffee and raced out of the house, eager to begin her day after she’d walked Ben.
While she watched Ben chase the other dogs and the squirrels at the park, her mind was working overtime, wondering how she should approach Lady Falkirk about what she’d discovered.
Fifteen minutes later, she harnessed a panting Ben in the back seat and bit the bullet. She arrived at Carmel Cove Hall a few moments later. The place seemed deserted. No cars in the drive, no sign of life at all. Damn! I should have called first. She decided to take a chance and rang the bell anyway. It wasn’t long before Mr Wells opened the door. His eyes narrowed for a fleeting second as he studied her.
“Miss Morgan, can I help?”
“Hello, Mr Wells. I’d like to see Lady Falkirk if it’s all right? I know I should’ve called ahead but I was passing and thought I’d drop by on the off-chance.”
He stepped out and pulled the door to behind him. “Lady Falkirk is expecting guests today. They should be arriving within the next hour or so. You’ll have to come back another time, Miss Morgan.”
“Sorry, that’s not convenient for me. If you’d like to tell Lady Falkirk I’m here, I’m sure she’ll accommodate me for a few minutes.”
He sighed. “If you insist, I’ll go and see if Lady Falkirk can spare the time.” He left her standing on the doorstep.
Ruth waited until he dropped out of view then entered the hallway. A loud crash stopped her in her steps. Several people emerged from different areas off the hallway to see what the commotion was, one of them Lady Falkirk herself. “Oh my, what on earth?”
Belinda, who was walking through the hallway, had let slip a tray of drinks.
“Well, don’t just stand there, girl, get this mess cleared up immediately. My guests are imminent. I want this place spotless for their arrival. Ruth, what are you doing here? Did you forget something yesterday?”
“Hello, Lady Falkirk. Something came to my attention last night, and I wondered if you had time for a brief chat.” She turned to look at Belinda who was visibly shaking and appeared to be frozen in time. “Why did you drop the tray, Belinda?”
“I…umm…I’m sorry,” she stuttered, her gaze darting between Lady Falkirk, Mr Wells and Ruth, settling on her father, as if pleading with him to intervene. Suddenly she bolted.
Ruth tried to go after her, but Mr Wells blocked her path.
“What is going on here, Wells?” Lady Falkirk demanded.
“You need to get out of my way, Mr Wells. I have a suspect to catch.”
“Suspect? What do you mean, Ruth?” Lady Falkirk gasped as the truth dawned on her. “No. I don’t believe it.”
Ruth took a few steps to her left, trying to outfox Belinda’s father, but he was wise and immediately cottoned on to what she was up to.
“Get out of her way, Wells. Whether she’s your daughter or not, let Ruth do her job.”
Wells’s frame grew in stature, making it even harder for Ruth to get past him. Ruth had no other option than to stamp on the man’s foot. He hopped around, and she slipped past him.
She was almost at the end of the hall when he shouted, “It wasn’t her. It was me. I killed him.”
“What? Killed who?” Lady Falkirk shrieked and then gasped as she seemed to register what was going on. Her mouth dropped open, and her gaze landed on Ruth.
Ruth was equally shocked by the revelation. She asked one question. “Why?”
The pain in his foot forgotten, Wells stood upright, although his shoulders drooped in resignation. “I’ll tell you why, because he abused my daughter. The man was an animal. Someone had to intervene. He saw her on duty on Saturday. I caught him—he had her cornered in one of the rooms as she prepared the drinks. I entered the room, and he backed off. Belinda was a mess. She couldn’t stop shaking. I couldn’t let him get away with treating my daughter like that. I got her to drop a note in his pocket, asking him to meet Belinda upstairs in the turret. Of course, he jumped at the chance.”
Ruth walked back towards him. “What? You’re telling us you used your daughter as bait?”
“Not really. I would never have put her in that position. He thought he was going to meet her up there, but I took her place. Someone had to deal with him. The stories I’ve heard about him have been flying around town like no one’s business.”
“Why kill him? Why didn’t you hand him in to the police?”
“It wasn’t my intention to kill him. All I wanted to do was warn him off. Things got out of hand. Anyway, the police are run off their feet nowadays, they don’t care. They’re too busy ‘chasing real criminals’ not sex pests. Look how long that bloke who worked for the BBC got away with abusing sick people and the children he was supposed to be raising money for.”
“Okay, I’ll accept that, but why kill him?”
“I didn’t mean to. He kept backing away from me while I was arguing with him. In the end he lost his footing and plunged to his death. You have to believe me, it was an accident.”
The sound of gravel being torn up on the drive drew Ruth’s attention. Flashing blue lights filled the hall. Ruth’s heart sank when Inspector Littlejohn barged through the front door.
James must have told her, fearing that something might happen to me when I confronted the killer.
“I’ll take it from here, Morgan,” Littlejohn dismissed her abruptly.
Two uniformed officers stepped from behind the inspector and grabbed Wells. He didn’t put up a fight. His gaze wandered to behind Ruth, and she turned to see Belinda standing there, tears streaming down her face.
“Please, it wasn’t his fault. Don’t arrest him.”
“And you are?” Littlejohn demanded.
“She’s his daughter. You’ll need to take her in for questioning, too. In my eyes, they’re both innocent,” Ruth replied, her hackles up because of the way the inspector was speaking to everyone.
“I’ll be the judge of that, Miss Morgan. You may leave now.”
Ruth shook her head and grinned. “I’m here to see Lady Falkirk. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yes, yes, Ruth is my guest. I will not let you speak to her like that, Inspector. You have the suspects; you may leave my house now.”
Seething, the inspector turned on her heel and exited the house w
ith the two uniformed officers, Wells and his daughter, Belinda.
Ruth let out a huge sigh of relief once she and Lady Falkirk were alone. “Well, that was a shock.”
“I should say so. What will happen to them both?” Lady Falkirk asked, appearing relieved as the pair of them crossed the hallway to the front door and watched the police cars drive off.
“I wouldn’t like to say. Sorry to cause a disruption when you have guests arriving, Lady Falkirk.”
She waved away the apology. “No problem. I don’t suppose you know any unemployed butlers, do you? I fear I will be in need of one in the near future.”
Ruth laughed. The tension that had gripped her shoulders moments earlier seeped away. “I’m sorry, I don’t. I’d better go and break the news to Geraldine.”
“Yes, yes, you must. Go quickly before she hears it from someone else.” Lady Falkirk patted her on the back. “Well done, Ruth, for solving the mystery. One thing… What led you to believe that Belinda was involved in the crime?”
“Let’s just say that something came into my possession last night that drew me back here. I didn’t know Belinda or her father were involved until Wells confessed.”
“Remarkable events. The whole affair has been quite unsettling for me.”
“I can imagine. I’m sorry that the murder, or accident as Wells maintains the incident was, occurred on your doorstep.”
“Thank you, dear, for being an excellent sleuth. I’ll surely be recommending your services to my friends in the future, you can be certain of that.”
Ruth shook her hand. “That, Lady Falkirk, would be extremely helpful in growing my business. Thank you.”
“Now go and pass on the information to your dear friend.”
“I will. I’ll see you soon, no doubt.”
Ruth sat in the car outside Geraldine’s house for several minutes before plucking up the courage to face her with the truth.
Geraldine opened the door, her faint smile slipping quickly when she saw Ruth’s serious expression. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Yes and no. I could do with a coffee. Are your parents around?”
“No. They went home yesterday. Come through to the kitchen.” Geraldine shuddered and walked through to the small kitchen at the rear of her quaint terraced house.
Ruth held off starting the conversation until they were both sitting at the table. She reached across, placed her hand over Geraldine’s and smiled. “The case has been solved, sweetie.”
“You did it? I can’t believe it, I thought it would never be solved. Who did it? Have they been arrested? What was their reason behind killing Bradley? Sorry, I’m bombarding you with questions.”
“I can understand your eagerness. Let’s start with who the guilty party is and work back from there. It was the butler.”
Geraldine burst into laughter. “Stop messing about. This isn’t a game of Cluedo or an Agatha Christie novel. Who really did it?”
Ruth inclined her head and nodded slowly. “It truly was the butler.”
“Oh, goodness. Why?”
“Before I tell you, I need you to prepare yourself for what you’re about to hear. It’s not good news. I’d love to keep the information from you, but I think you have the right to know the type of man you married.”
“Crap, I’m not liking the sound of that, Ruth.”
“Neither did I when I learned the truth, I promise you. Where do I begin? Ah yes…are you aware that Bradley bullied the members of the local football team?”
“No. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ve spoken to several people over the past few days who have pointed the finger at him in that respect. That’s the reason his best friend fell out with him, you know, John Calshaw.”
“Never. Bradley told me that they’d simply drifted apart. I can’t believe what you’re telling me.”
“That’s only the tip of the iceberg, Geraldine.” She picked up her mobile lying on the table beside her and flicked through the photos. She angled each one towards Geraldine before moving on to the next.
Geraldine frowned. “I don’t understand, what am I supposed to be looking at?”
“The expressions on their faces, don’t you see it, Geraldine?”
“They seem angry. Why? What were they looking at?”
“These photos were taken on Saturday, and each of the women were glaring at Bradley. That’s a look of hatred, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I suppose you’re right. Why? I thought they all liked Bradley. This is news to me.”
“I have a bigger blow coming up, brace yourself. Bradley either tried it on or abused each of these women.”
Geraldine flung herself back in the chair. “What? I don’t believe you. He wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“It’s the truth. I had to force the information out of one or two of them, but their stories were basically the same. They also referred to him as being a sex pest.”
“What? No way. Bradley was a pure gentleman.”
“Maybe to you, Geraldine. My guess is that he was hiding very dark secrets from you. Who knows where that would have led to once your married life began?”
Geraldine shook her head in disbelief as Ruth continued to reveal the facts in all their glory.
“How did you find out it was the butler?” Geraldine finally asked after letting the truth settle for a moment or two.
“I asked James to get me the crime scene photos. I saw a silver tray in one of them, and Richard Knox mentioned he thought he saw a black dress cross the landing at the top of the stairs. I put two and two together, although I initially showed up at the Hall to question the staff again. It all kicked off when Belinda, the butler’s daughter, saw me. She ran, I tried to chase her, and that’s when her father admitted it was him.”
“Are you sure he’s not just saying that to protect his daughter?”
Ruth shrugged. “Maybe. It’s up to the police to find out the truth now. I’ve done my bit.”
Geraldine reached for her handbag and extracted her cheque book. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. I told you this one was on me.”
“No, I can’t accept that. I employed you to find out who the culprit was.”
“We’ll discuss it later then, if you insist. Are you going to be okay?”
“I think so. I’ll probably lock myself in the house for a few days, wallow in self-pity for the years I’ve wasted on that vile man, but I’ll survive. I have to. Life goes on, right?”
“It does, love. We’ll all be here to support you. Make sure you don’t distance yourself from us.”
She gasped. “What will happen about the funeral now? That’s going to stick in my throat having to pay for it after all he’s done wrong.”
“Let me have a word with James, see what he can come up with. I’ll get back to you later. Come on, give me a hug.”
They left their seats, hugged each other and then parted.
Geraldine showed Ruth to the door. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Ruth. I’ll never forget it.”
“Hey, it was nothing. I know you’d do the same for me if the boot was ever on the other foot. My advice would be for you to forget about him now and get on with your life.”
“I will, eventually.”
Epilogue
Over the following months, life was frantic for Ruth and those around her. The Go Fund Me account reached a whopping eighty thousand pounds and enabled Carolyn, Keith and the boys to be in their home for Christmas, thanks to the expertise of a builder who had recently finished a large barn conversion in the next town. This meant James and Ruth got their house back to enjoy the festivities without having to feel obliged to care for Ruth’s sister and her family.
For his part in helping to crack the case, James received a warning from his superiors, but then, so did the inspector for not treating the crime as an important one. She and her team were guilty of missing the one blatant clue that Ruth had s
potted the instant the photos had come into her possession.
It took another three weeks before Geraldine plucked up the nerve to go ahead with the funeral. Unfortunately, the costs were indeed down to her in the end as the couple were legally married. She was initially annoyed but accepted the decision. However, the Am-Dram club put on a small show, and the proceeds went directly to Geraldine to help with the cost.
Once Bradley was six feet under, Geraldine made a declaration to all at his wake that she was back on the market and eager to get on with her life. Since the funeral, Geraldine had been on dozens of dates with numerous men, far too many for Ruth to keep up with.
The case came to court before Christmas. The biggest surprise of all was that twenty other women from the town came forward to give evidence relating to Bradley’s shady past. Geraldine was once again beside herself, but Ruth sat alongside her throughout the proceedings. The judge took all the startling evidence into consideration when she passed down the sentences to Wells and his daughter. Wells was imprisoned for seven years for manslaughter, and Belinda was given a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice because she knew her father had been present when Bradley had died. Whether it was deemed an accident in their eyes or not, she should have informed the police—she didn’t.
In spite of the disruption to the town, the Am-Dram club put on one of their best shows the townsfolk had ever seen. The Sound of Music went down well with the locals, both young and old. In the end, it proved to be the feel-good factor for a town damaged by the truth.
THE END
Note to you, the reader.
Dear Reader,
Well that was a surprise outcome, wasn’t it?
Ruth is a determined character, I hope you agree? Being up against her nemesis, DI Littlejohn makes her life tough at times.
Won’t you come on another journey with Ruth and her group of trusted friends by grabbing a copy of MURDER AT THE HOTEL now?
