“Of course not. Spying is not something that is held in high regard in a proper household.”
“Nonsense. I’m sure spying, intentional or otherwise, is commonplace amongst the servants of this house as well as the wealthy family who has little to pass the time of their long days, unencumbered by such commonplace things as work.”
She straightened up, attempting some of that stoic resolve. “Perhaps Mr. Dunning simply has a cough that he is attempting to remedy.”
“Miss Tripti,” I smiled at her, “I am all too familiar with the signs of narcotic addiction both from encounters in my professional life and in my personal one as well. His addiction is not only truth but it has been for some many years now.”
“It does little to change the character of the man in question.”
“You’ll get no disagreement there. Even the most good-natured man can fall victim to the irresistible temptation of drug or drink.” I leaned in slightly hoping to get her to look me in the eye, she did, “For what it means I apologize for startling you with that revelation. I found your demeanor quite relaxed for someone under questioning and needed to see if I were capable of provoking an emotional response.”
“For what purpose sir?”
“Our emotions tell the truth that our words may be attempting to conceal.”
“We were only speaking of my background and how I came to be here at the estate. Surely nothing I would have cause to lie about.”
“Indeed. Still, I have witnessed falsehoods spoken of matters of even less importance. Also there are half-truths. You yourself have just spoken one to me. Your reason for leaving India involved a forbidden romance did it not?”
She did not speak for a moment then quickly changed the subject, “Would we not have smelled it at some point, the laudanum?”
“He disguises it my dear.”
“How?”
“With a very clever two-fold approach. Firstly he always indulges out-of-doors so that the scent does not linger. Secondly he draws heavily from his pipe immediately afterwards to cover what little might remain.”
“Mr. Dunning has smoked a pipe for years Inspector, there is nothing out of the ordinary about that.”
“Have you ever watched him smoke?”
“As I said spying is not the hallmark of pleasant society.”
“Have you ever seen him smoke, even in the house?”
“He does smoke in the house, in this library to be precise.”
“Only at night after everyone else has retired for the evening?”
She sat motionless for a while, deep in thought. “You are a clever one aren’t you Mr. Carson?” there was something mildly coquettish about her smile.
“Indeed,” I began, “I am. Therefore like everyone to whom I will be speaking I suggest nothing but honesty from you. I am a hard man to deceive.”
“Well then, that shall work out just fine for I have no cause to deceive you.”
“It is my sincere desire that what you say is indeed the case Madame. Contrary to what some may believe I am not here to prove anyone’s guilt or culpability in the matter at hand. Once I have examined the facts, should they show that no criminal deeds whatsoever have transpired, then I will be on my way all-the-merrier with the knowledge that no one of murderous disposition resides at this manor.”
“Have you not been well received sir? Your demeanor suggests to me that you’ve thus-far had a difficult time.”
I shook my head, “I have not been molested or harassed my good lady, however I have not been welcomed with open arms either.”
“I would imagine that is a rather typical reception for you Inspector.”
“Indeed. All men from royalty down to the lowliest of laborers keep their secrets, ones they prefer not ever come into the light of day. What’s more, your reaction to the revelation of Master Dunning’s opium addiction demonstrates the inclination of those near and dear to the accused to fail to notice small details, unknowingly of course.”
“An insult Mr. Carson?”
“Of course not Miss Tripti. Simply a fact.”
She sat quietly for a moment, expecting another question. I posed none.
“Do you truly believe that Mr. Wright’s death was anything but a foul turn of luck? Surely it was an accident just as was reported by everyone who came upon the scene.”
“Did you, Miss Tripti, come upon the scene?”
“No sir. They wished me not to see.”
“You act as nurse upon the estate do you not?”
“Colin had been long-dead by the time he was found sir. Master Dunning and his boy wished to spare me the horror of such a sight.”
“I see.” I rubbed at my side-whiskers in thought. Out in the hall I could hear the noises of the youngest Dunning, Cyril, reveling in the freedom he was seldom afforded. I saw his teacher turn to the sound and for a moment thought that she would rise and go to scold him but she did not.
“I apologize Inspector.” she smiled at me, “The young master is a bit precocious.”
“I have yet to make his acquaintance. Pray tell me, is he a good student?”
“Oh yes sir. He is remarkably bright as are all of the children.”
“What of Miss Elizabeth. Do you believe her decision to become romantically involved with someone as far below her station in life as the groom to have been an example of good decision making?”
She appeared to take offense at the question just as I had intended her to. Then the anger cleared from her face and she responded, “Sir I will answer your questions truthfully but I will not engage in a psychological battle of wills with you. You will find that years of dealing with children have made me keen on the subtleties of deception.”
I must admit that she had caught me completely off my guard. Very few individuals had ever been clever enough to see through my process of interrogation. I rather admired it if I had to be above-board.
“Forgive me my dear, it is rare occasion that I am greeted with a will or intellect that rivals my own.” I paused, realizing how grandiose my ego must have sounded at that moment, “Please understand that it is not vanity...”
“The average person is simply not that competent.” she finished my sentence with a devious smirk.
“Fascinating.” I uttered, almost below my breath. The lady smiled enchantingly and waited kindly for me to continue. “Well, now that we’ve discovered that my usual methods have no place in our interaction I will modify my inquiry to consist of nothing more than a simple string of questions.”
“I appreciate the consideration Mr. Carson.” said she.
I would not be able to manipulate her emotional state and use it against her, it had taken only a few moments for her to see through that particular tactic. Nevertheless I was confident in my ability to detect bald-faced lies. Besides, in some perverse manner I seemed to have gained her confidence.
“Tell me about Mr. Wright. What was your opinion of him?”
She spent a moment collecting herself. I did not perceive that she was steadying herself to tell a falsehood but rather settling in to answer my questions in a calm and informative manner. “Colin was a very gentle man. He seemed to always be concerned for others. From what little I saw of him performing his duties he appeared to be diligent in them. I heard no complaints of his service from either my masters or any of the other staff.”
“He was concerned for others, so he was a sociable chap?”
She shook her head, first at the sound of her pupil once again making noise in the hallway and then at my question. “I would not venture to call him that sir.”
“So he was unsociable?”
“Not exactly. He simply seemed to be a quiet man who preferred his solitude.”
“Save for the late-night company of Miss Elizabeth.” I remarked.
With the wag of a finger she reminded me that my attempts to fluster her would be fruitless.
My apologies miss. You will forgive me if I momentarily forget myself.”
> She bowed her head, communicating that I had her exoneration.
“Would you say that he was unusual?”
“In which ways do you mean sir?”
“Oh in any ways that may have made an impression upon you. His mannerisms, his appearance, his behavior...”
“I have found that most men of lower classes tend toward the boisterous so I would say that his thoughtful and silent demeanor was something that struck me as peculiar but I can think of nothing else.”
“Was he evasive? Did he avoid questions?”
“To be honest Inspector it was rare occasion when I spoke with him at all so I could not say.”
“Do you take dinner with the servants or with the family?”
“Oh with the family of course. I always have sir.”
“I see, so you did not socialize with him in the servants’ area?”
“No sir. I do not even reside there, my room is near the children.”
“I see. It comes to my attention that Mr. Wright may have partaken in night-time walks, perhaps into the woods or around the grounds. Did you ever have chance to witness this?”
“If you are alluding to the fact that he visited Miss Elizabeth almost nightly then you are attempting another one of you manipulations as you are no-doubt aware that I knew very well of the affair.”
“No Miss Tripti it was not my intention to stir you. My question is genuine and unrelated to his rendezvous with Elizabeth Dunning.”
She shook her head in confusion. “I am afraid not Inspector, I have no knowledge of any such events. My nature compels me to bed at an early hour.”
“What about strange lights or sounds from the forest at night? Have any such happenings ever woke you from your sleep?”
She pursed her chocolate-hued lips in thought for a moment then spoke, “Not that I can recall. You will understand if I inquire as to why you would ask such a strange question.”
“The boy, Kwame, related to me that one evening he followed young Mr. Colin into the forest upon where he observed the man sitting alone on a fallen log and making no sound or movements whatsoever. What’s more, he claimed that upon turning back to the servants’ quarters a series of sounds he could not identify drew his attention back to the forest where he was greeted with the sight of strange lights flashing through the trees from the general vicinity that he’d last seen Mr. Wright.”
“If what he says is true and not merely the fanciful imagination of a young boy then it is indeed peculiar but I cannot see what bearing such an instance would have upon the investigation into the stable-boy’s death.”
I brought my right foot to the floor, down from where it had been crossed upon my left knee, and turned in my chair so that I could mirror the position. I then reached into my pocket and pulled free the pipe which still contained a small amount of tobacco. “Do you mind?”
“As a matter of fact I do sir. I do not find tobacco smoke to be agreeable.”
“Then say no more, I wish not to put you out in any way.” I returned the small wooden object to the pocket in which it had come from. “I shall enlighten you Miss Tripti but first pray answer one more question. Would the dealings of Mr. Dunning or any of his associates who frequent the house be of interest to a spy?”
“A spy?” she seemed astonished, “None that I could conceive sir. The master’s business is only that of the estate itself. Are you declaring that you suspect Mr. Wright of espionage?”
“I am only attempting to be as thorough as possible with the information that has come into my possession Miss. As you yourself have said it is entirely possible that the stories of the servant boy are simply that, stories, and no more. Nevertheless the events that Kwame described would most closely identify with the clandestine rendezvous of a spy with his handler. You say that Mr. Dunning deals with no matters of import save for those of the estate. To your knowledge does any of your master’s influence upon industry stretch beyond the simple farms and mills of his property?”
“I do not believe so....however I cannot be certain as he is a rather secretive man in his own right.”
“As I have discovered.”
“You have spoken with him?”
“Indeed. More accurately I would say that I spoke to him and that he occasionally grunted or groaned in acknowledgment.”
She smiled and held back a small laugh, out of respect I assumed.
“Are any of the business associates that come to meet with him recognizable to you?”
“I am afraid not sir but I am not exactly a gazetteer when it comes to knowledge of wealthy industrialists and financiers.”
I allowed myself a small chuckle before proceeding. “Of course not. Should you have recognized any of them, however, it may have been deserving of my time to look into their affairs to rule whether or not their secrets would have been worth anything in the eyes of Mr. Wright or whomever it was that he may have been working for.”
“An industrial spy, that is what you are suggesting is it not?”
“I am suggesting nothing at all, however it is my duty to pursue all avenues. Were your stable-boy indeed an agent for a competitor of one of Mr. Dunning’s colleagues and he were to have been found out that could very well have led directly to his meeting such an unfortunate ending.”
“Do you truly have any evidence that his death was anything but accidental?”
“In a word...no. Not as yet, at least. At the present the facts do not point to murder but there is still more than enough peculiarity in the circumstances to warrant the continuation of my investigation into the matter.”
“Other than Kwame’s stories what peculiarity do you refer to Inspector?”
“Do you not find it odd that neither you nor Miss Elizabeth were allowed to see the body?”
“He was in a terrible state, the men simply wished not to put such stress upon us.”
“What of the remains after they had been taken from the stable? Surely there would be no harm in allowing you to see his body once it had been prepared for burial.”
She said nothing.
“What of the act of burying him in extreme haste with no wake and in a location which was kept confidential? Does that not strike you as extremely peculiar?”
“If I were to say that I did not find it unusual at all I would be telling an untruth Inspector, still it does not necessarily make me conclude that the details of his death were of a nefarious nature. Despite having begrudgingly accepted the relationship between Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Wright the entire affair was still quite scandalous and I believe that the haste in which he was buried had more to do with attempting to keep the matter private than anything else. The Dunnings are one of the richest families in the county and as such are keen to keep their affairs to themselves.”
“Understandable, indeed. Still the possibility of Mr. Wright meeting an unsavory end remains. Let me ask you another question. Were there any cross words between the stable-boy and his lover, Miss Elizabeth, in the days or weeks leading up to his death?”
“None at all Inspector. They were always so loving and gentle when they were together. Never once did I witness either of them raise their voices to the other. Do you suggest a lover’s quarrel could be responsible? I can assure that Miss Elizabeth would have nothing to do with the death of the man whom she was madly in love with. Besides, if that were the case she would not have hired you to investigate the matter.”
“Perhaps. With the coroner so quick to rule the death accidental and the body disposed of the matter does seem laid to rest. I have already surmised that Mr. Wright had no family to come looking for him so had Miss Elizabeth been culpable in his death simply letting the incident rest would have been the wisest course of action. Still...had they been involved in an argument Colin could have stumbled back in his distress and impaled himself upon the tool. With wealth comes power and connections and a summary ruling of accidental death by a friendly coroner would quickly exonerate Mr. Dunning’s daughter of any wrong-doing whatsoe
ver. Hiring me to investigate, knowing that I would turn up nothing, would only further solidify the case and put to rest any suspicions that should ever come forward in the future.”
“To say that you are astute Mr. Carson would do you disservice, however you do not know the Dunnings like I do. Should Miss Elizabeth have been responsible for Colin’s death, even indirectly as you describe, she would have thrown herself upon that very same pitchfork and gladly followed her lover into death’s embrace for dually she is such an honest person as well as the reality that upon learning of his demise she sank into a depression so severe that I feared it would with her taking her own life.”
“Yes but what of Mr. Adrian? Would he not have an interest in seeing that his sister never marry a stable boy?”
“Adrian may be at times, admittedly, a bit misguided but he is not of a violent nature. Certainly not that I have ever observed. Much to his own chagrin, as well, he has long come to terms with the fact that his sister will never marry into a wealthy family and thus further secure the Dunning legacy.”
“And Michael Dunning?”
“As you have already observed he is a somewhat distant gentleman...”
“To say the least.” I caught myself in the act of attempting to rouse her emotionally, “...I am sorry, I momentarily forgot my manners. Pray continue.”
“He has been known to show some engagement when it concerns his daughter and her marriage prospects, at times even becoming quite flustered, but he adores her and no matter how strongly he may disagree with her choice I do not believe him to be capable of purposefully breaking her heart by committing such an act against of aggression the man she loved.”
“No history of violence whatsoever? Even in his youth?”
“Not that I have ever heard of.”
“What about his practices. Surely having been upon the estate for so many years you have learned something of his business affairs. Would you consider him a well-meaning man when it comes to matters of money?”
She bowed her head in thought for a moment before replying. “While I am not the most intrusive sort and not prone to gossip I do, however, hear quite a bit of it from Mrs. Kyle and at times from the others. It would seem that most of Mr. Dunning’s business matters are strictly confidential but on occasion something is overheard during a dinner with one of his associates or while they are walking the grounds or hallways together. If I had to classify my master’s dealings, mind you only from hearsay, I would say that he was very...astute.”
A Case Most Peculiar Page 9
