The hangman was the first one to come forwards. He knelt down to inspect the now crumbling snakes. They were as delicate as tobacco ashes ; no wonder we’d found nothing at the Grenvilles’ table, where the candles’ wax had smothered them.
‘I would not touch them if I were you,’ I said. ‘They are as poisonous as the fumes. They are lethal in a confined space.’
‘Like the séance room,’ the hangman said. ‘And these look like—’
‘The fingers on the photograph that leaked to the newspapers,’ McGray said. Even then, Katerina holding on for dear life, there was a slight note of disappointment in his voice.
‘And these documents,’ I said, brandishing the bag, ‘demonstrate that Madame Katerina did not supply these candles.’
‘Let me see that nonsense!’ Pratt demanded, but I pulled the bag away.
‘We should do that inside. The rain will spoil what little is left of these papers. In the meantime, I suggest you release that poor woman.’
I looked at her then. She was just regaining colour, and her green eyes, misted with tears, watched me with unspeakable gratitude.
McGray came to me, squeezed my shoulder and got close to whisper something in my ear. I was expecting an uncomfortable display of emotion, but instead—
‘Have ye noticed yer still in yer nighties?’
51
I sighed, lounging in the armchair as the rain battered the window at Trevelyan’s office.
He’d made me wait for a while already, but I was in no rush ; my only other engagement was a much-needed visit to the tailor – the jacket Layton had hurriedly passed me had turned out to be my best merino wool one, and Katerina had very kindly offered to replace it.
When Trevelyan walked in, I made to stand up.
‘At ease, inspector,’ he said, taking his own chair. He saw the thin file I’d lay there. ‘Is this your report?’
‘Indeed, sir.’
‘Good. I managed to fix an emergency appointment with the Court of Appeals. I am afraid it is in twenty minutes, so you will have to brief me.’
‘Oh, of course, but I will need to go back to the very start.’
‘Go on,’ he prompted, interlacing hands and looking at me with undivided attention.
‘It all began in the sixties. Colonel Grenville, back then a captain, was posted in Southern Africa. He did a decent job there, but nothing as grand as he’d have people believe. Right before he was dispatched back to Britain, the gold rush of Bakalanga began.’
‘Baka—?’
‘It is now the Bechuanaland Protectorate.’ I’d rehearsed the name in my head all morning.
Trevelyan lifted his eyebrows. I might as well have said Brobdingnag. ‘Go on.’
‘The price of the mining land had naturally gone sky high and was increasing by the day. Still a young man, the then captain did not have the capital to buy a plot himself, so he resorted to his distant cousin, Alice.’
‘The now infamous Grannie Alice?’
‘Yes, sir. One of her ancestors had lived in Africa very briefly, and the colonel wanted to use that to forge claim on a very convenient plot. I gather Alice initially refused his proposals, but the scheme must have been championed by her second husband, Mr Hector Shaw.
‘The man agreed to invest substantial amounts of money on the enterprise. He might have been influenced by the still fresh news of men becoming instant millionaires in California and British Columbia. Mr Shaw provided not only the capital, but also forced his son Richard to travel there, as well as his stepson William Willberg, and his stepdaughter’s husband, one John Fox.’
‘Walter Fox’s father?’ Trevelyan asked. I did not like the way his eyebrow was pulling upwards.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘We’ll come back to him in a moment. Go on.’
‘It is not difficult to imagine Alice’s dismay. Two of her sons and her son-in-law dispatched to the furthest end of the African continent to dig gold. And all this happened whilst her eldest daughter, Prudence, was with child. Alice herself had helped her become pregnant … aided with – well, she fancied it was witchcraft. She sourced all her materials from a hidden shop in the depths of Mary King’s Close.’
Trevelyan was leafing through the report. ‘You say here that sections of the close have been sealed off along the decades.’
‘Indeed, sir. I finally have had time to look into it. At some point the place was well-known as a black market hub ; it was an ideal lair. There are a few working shops there even today, but as the years passed the supports have weakened. Entire sections have collapsed ; some others have been closed off.’
Trevelyan nodded. ‘So, Alice’s daughter was pregnant, while effectively all her sons but one went away to dig gold. What about the other one? Peter Willberg.’
‘The late Mr Willberg remained in Britain to manage the gold sales and the legal matters. All transactions were made under his name, in case the fraudulent means Mr Shaw used to seize the mine were ever discovered.
‘Colonel Grenville perhaps did not trust that the Shaws and Willbergs would share the profits with him. He felt entitled to it ; after all, the mining business had been his idea. He secured this by marrying Alice’s granddaughter, even though Martha was only sixteen back then. He was thirty-one.’
‘When did things begin to go off track?’
‘Within a few months, so shortly after their wedding. Mining conditions were gruelling. Workers were not as cheap and as readily available as the family had taken for granted, and the ones they could afford began to die like flies. Richard, William and John ended up doing much of the work themselves. Real mining work.’
‘You devote an entire page to the gold extraction process. Summarise it to me in a way that will not try the judges’ patience.’
I sighed. ‘First, the raw gold ore is finely crushed and passed over mercury. Only the gold attaches to it, so the sand and rock can be easily washed away. You end up with an amalgam of mercury and gold. The mercury is then boiled away, as it vaporises at much lower temperatures than gold. This leaves a residue that is almost pure gold … And, of course, a cloud of one of the most poisonous vapours known to man.’
Trevelyan annotated this in the margin. ‘Go on.’
‘The original plan was to reinvest all initial profits ; hire more workers and so on. Instead, the family spent the money in trivialities, such as Martha’s engagement receptions and Peter Willberg’s drinking.
‘After extracting and shipping a very respectable amount of gold, the three diggers – as Inspector McGray and I nicknamed them – telegrammed the family, threatening to return unless they were sent money, workers and supplies.
‘I believe the old Mr Shaw was about to give in, but the colonel, his wife Martha, her mother Gertrude and Peter Willberg were appalled. They already had ambitious plans for their futures, all fuelled with African gold. They insisted the scheme went on. Grannie Alice apparently objected, not only thinking of the welfare of her sons but also of the workers they were sending to their early graves. In the end, however, she did nothing to stop the operation. And she could have, since the mine was under her name.
‘Soon after, John Fox was killed in the mine. Prudence, his wife, was heavily pregnant by this point. The news caused a miscarriage and she did not survive for long. At the same time Alice’s two sons became seriously ill, so they attempted to return to Britain. Apparently, they left everything behind ; gold nuggets, tools, clothing, everything. Sadly, only William survived the journey. Richard, Alice’s youngest son and apparently her pride and joy, died on the way. William himself would not survive much longer. He barely managed to meet his mother and give her a letter from her poor Richard.’
‘And their illness was related to their work on the mines, I imagine.’
‘Indeed. They probably took some measures, but they were gradually poisoned from the mercury they used to process the family gold.’
‘Mercury …’ Trevelyan mused. ‘This begins to fit in nicely. Continue.’
‘Exactly thirteen years after the deaths, Grannie Alice decided to host a séance, allegedly to try to commune with her dead children.’
‘Thirteen years later? Does that have some mystic meaning?’
‘Inspector McGray says it is very likely. The six also died on the thirteenth of September, which happened to be a
Friday.’
‘Don’t jump ahead. Go back to that séance. Was it …’ he quoted my report, ‘in 1882?’
‘Yes. With the exception of Bertrand and Leonora, Alice invited the very same people who died six weeks ago.’
Trevelyan looked up, astounded. ‘Did she? To … impart justice?’
‘There is no other explanation. Those were the people she held responsible for the deaths of the three diggers, and also countless African workers. Throughout those thirteen years she withheld the deeds to the mine, so she lured her relatives to the séance, telling them she’d finally surrender the documents, perhaps after communing with the dead diggers.
‘She bought the “special” candles from her usual witch at Mary King’s Close.’
‘The stubs you burned in front of the executioners?’
‘Indeed.’
‘Now, this is what the judges will be keenest to know. What was that?’
I sighed, for my little act at the jail’s esplanade had given me a reputation. Many prisoners still believed I had performed witchcraft, and the rumours had travelled swiftly.
‘In the black market it is known as Pharaoh’s Serpent. It is a mercury and cyanide compound.’
Trevelyan whistled. ‘Mercury and cyanide?’
‘Indeed ; not something your regular beeswax dealer would supply, but something that has been known for centuries. Rumour has it the French monarchs used it as their poison of choice in the middle ages.
‘On closer inspection, only a section of the candles contained Pharaoh’s Serpent. The rest of the wick was simply daubed with other mercuric salts. I believe it might have been some sort of … very well-designed timer.’
‘Timer?’
‘Yes. The candles had to burn for a while before the fire ignited the Pharaoh’s Serpent powder, all the while poisoning the surrounding air. It is as if the purpose was to have the serpents – later mistaken for the “hand of Satan” – appear just as the victims expired.’
‘Yet the one you burned at the esplanade …?’
‘I had snapped it in half, so the Pharaoh’s Serpent was instantly exposed.’
‘I see. So, Alice planned to murder her guilty kinfolks with the very substance that had killed her two sons and caused the demise of her daughter.’
‘Precisely. I cannot tell whether she planned to die along with them, but it is very likely. As I said, she must have been riddled with remorse.’
‘But that séance never took place?’
‘No. Alice, it turned out, would die the day before.’
‘How?’
‘The family say she went for a walk and simply collapsed on the street.’
Trevelyan raised his chin. ‘That sounds … suspicious to say the least.’
‘Indeed, sir, but that happened seven years ago and most of the people who could have been involved are now dead. Besides, Alice was already seventy-six ; a ripe old age, even in our times of laudanum and advanced medicine. Perhaps the strain of her plan proved too much for her.’
Trevelyan let out a tired breath. ‘We’ll have to leave that mystery for another time. Now tell me about the last séance. How did it come to happen?’
‘It was unwittingly triggered by … ehem … Walter Fox.’
Trevelyan’s lips tensed like never before. ‘Speaking of him … He is making quite a bit of a fuss.’
‘Is he?’ I asked, my tone a little too high-pitched. I’d been expecting to hear that sort of news at some point.
‘He came to us this morning. He was assailed last night. The thugs, however, took nothing.’
‘Nothing? How very odd.’
‘Indeed. They did, on the other hand … break both his knees.’
‘Did they? How uncivilised.’
‘Inspector Frey, your name was mentioned.’
I chose my words very carefully.
‘I can assure you, even under oath, that I had nothing to do with it.’ I leaned forwards, before Trevelyan could enquire further. ‘And those who might have, as you can imagine, would have ensured I knew nothing about it beforehand.’
Strictly speaking I was not lying. When explaining to Nine-Nails and Katerina how I’d unravelled the truth about the poisoning, I’d also told them about Walter’s assault. They said nothing then, but exchanged conspiratorial looks. Now I saw the results.
Trevelyan only sighed, his lips tense, and moved on. ‘How did Walter trigger the séance?’
‘He built up a thriving business as a middle-man in the jewellery and precious metals market. Last year he travelled to Francistown, where the family’s mine was located. The place has grown exponentially in the past few years, as you can imagine. It is now at the core of that line of business.
‘Walter, of course, visited the mine, expecting to see an abandoned facility to which he could lay claim. Instead, he found that another Scottish company had already settled there, with forged deeds and documents too, and was making eye-watering profits. That company, I should add, had the good sense to use decent equipment and hire more skilled workers ; not out of the goodness of their hearts, but to ensure the life of their business.
‘Fox, as you can imagine, was incensed. The only way to prove that the mine had belonged to them was to find the old deeds and take the case to the local courts.’
‘And they thought Grannie Alice would rise from the grave to tell them?’
‘Yes. That only shows how desperate they were. Alice’s house had been stripped and searched. The séance was their last hope, all instigated by Miss Leonora Shaw, who had an unhealthy interest in necromancy. She believed she and Grannie Alice had … special faculties.’
‘And that is why she was an assiduous client of Katerina Dragnea?’
‘Yes.’
Trevelyan went to the last page of the report. ‘I am satisfied that the gypsy didn’t supply or even come to touch the poisoned candles … Those documents you found are clear enough. But the question remains. How did she survive?’
‘Two reasons, from what I can gather now. Firstly, she was not exposed to the vapours for as long as the others. She told Miss Leonora to “cleanse” the parlour with those candles for a few hours before the session.’
‘And the second?’
I sighed. That was a tad more difficult to explain. ‘Katerina claims she could …’ I cleared my throat, ‘feel late Alice’s anger, so she carried out some rituals to protect herself. Those included covering her face with a veil dampened in herbs and oils. That probably gave her some additional protection.’
‘So… her rituals did save her?’
I grunted. ‘Fortuitously, yes. Although Inspector McGray has other ideas.’
‘Which are?’
I shifted in my seat. ‘Sir, you can imagine them.’
‘Indulge me, inspector.’
I sighed. ‘He claims that Grannie Alice did rise from the grave. That this series of coincidences are in fact the result of her invisible hand. That the six deaths are her revenge from the other world.
‘McGray even claims that Mrs Cobbold was not harmed because she and Alice reconciled just before her death. That Miss Leonora was punished for her disrespect to the souls of the dead. And, for lack of a better explanation, that Bertrand was punished for his lack of character.’
An uncomfortable silence fell in the room, broken only by the dull drumming of the rain.
Trevelyan stared at me, his eyebrow rising very slowly as he pondered on my statement. At last he closed the file.
‘I cannot mention that to the judges, can I?’
Epilogue
Katerina’s reputation had been soiled forever.
Katerina’s establishment was pillaged a few days later, and she immediately decided it was time for a fresh start.
We met her at Caledonian Station to bid farewell. Amidst the icy November winds, the station was like a steaming teapot, noisy and crowded. We found Katerina standing by a small pile of trunks, watching as a station worker loaded them onto the train. I had expected to see a band of reporters stalking her, but the woman was unrecognisable : she was wrapped in a fine coat, wearing a surprisingly tasteful hat decked with a garland of tiny velvet roses. Her dress had a high neck, buttoned all the way up, surely to conceal the scars from the noose.
She pulled a gloved hand out of her bearskin handlebar and waved at us.
‘I’m surprised,’ she said, nodding at her luggage, ‘how small my life seems packed up in trunks.’
‘Ha!’ McGray let out. ‘If only Percy here could say the same.’
I gave Katerina an approving look. ‘That is a nice change of attire.’
She preened a little. ‘You’ll be surprised how rich I am, now that I sold the divination room and chased all my debtors.’
‘Ye didnae break any legs, I hope!’
Katerina cackled. ‘Oh, no. I promised myself I wouldn’t do it again. Not after I sent that lad to—’
I raised a hand. ‘Do not repeat it, please. That was an unnecessary—’
‘Och, she did it to help ye, Percy! I’m only sorry I couldnae take care o’ the carroty sod myself.’
Katerina had a wicked smile.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘It was a pleasure to take care of that ratbag. He attacked you like a damn coward! But … that’s not the one I meant just now.’
‘Oh, please, do not tell me that—’
She rummaged through her little game bag, produced something tiny and put it in McGray’s hand.
The Darker Arts Page 34
