Death at the Workhouse

by Emily Organ

  “How would he know that Mr Walker was about to appear?” asked James.

  “Perhaps the two men had arranged to meet,” I replied.

  “It doesn’t explain why Patten’s lantern was extinguished,” said James, “unless he somehow knew that Walker was going to be in the yard and was preparing to ambush him.”

  “Why would he do that?” I asked.

  “I’ve no idea, Penny. I’m simply trying to weigh up all of the possibilities.”

  “I have found no evidence that Mr Patten and Mr Walker knew each other,” said the priest. “In fact, I cannot find any suggestion of a friendship between the two men, and neither can I find any proof of a disagreement between them. So I can see no reason why they would arrange to meet in the stone-breaking yard, or why they would come to such severe blows with one another that they would both lose their lives.”

  “That’s interesting to hear,” said James. ”An altercation as supposedly violent as theirs is likely to have followed a period of antagonism. Can no one bear witness to the fact that they might have had even a slight disagreement over something a few days previously? Is there no evidence that one bore a grudge against the other?”

  “Nothing at all,” replied Father Keane. “And I’m speaking from my own experience, too. I have witnessed a great number of disagreements during my visits to the workhouse, and I can tell you the names of the men who are most likely to cause trouble. Neither of these men struck me as violent or troublesome individuals. I’m aware that Mr Walker took to drink from time to time, but I cannot understand how or why he met his unfortunate end.”

  “So, we know that Mr Cricks, the labour master, left Mr Patten to get on with his work in the stone-breaking yard at eight o’clock,” said James. “And by ten minutes past eight his lantern, for whatever reason, had been extinguished. Five minutes later Mr Walker set foot in the yard, and that was the last time anyone saw him alive. We know that his lantern was extinguished by nine o’clock, otherwise our new witness, Mr Price, would have seen it when he crossed the yard to visit the coal store.

  “There is a possibility that some of the witness accounts are slightly inaccurate. Horace may have looked out a little later than he said and Mr Walker may have stepped into the yard a little earlier. This would allow for the possibility that the two men’s lanterns were extinguished at the same time.”

  “By a third person,” I said.

  “A third person lurking in the yard without a lantern?” asked the priest.

  “It’s possible, I suppose,” I replied. “But would he have extinguished the lanterns before or after he killed the men?”

  “I struggle to believe either possibility,” said James. “If he extinguished them before killing the men, how would he have done so without them being highly suspicious of his intentions? And how could he possibly have overpowered two men and murdered them using different methods in pitch darkness? Alternatively, would he have left two lanterns lit while he murdered both men and put himself at risk of being seen?”

  “Perhaps there was more than one assailant,” I suggested.

  James sighed. “That might explain it, but I would prefer not to have to consider a second suspect. The coroner ruled that there were no suspects!”

  “The coroner was mistaken,” I said.

  “If the men fought each other to the death,” said the priest, “why would they have extinguished their lanterns? Surely their tempers would have been raging too much to concern themselves with whether the lanterns were lit or not.”

  “You’re right,” said James. “A man in a fit of temper would not have given it a moment’s thought.”

  “And the witnesses who saw Mr Walker before he went out into the yard have told me that his mood was quite calm,” said Father Keane. “He wasn’t angry, and neither was he drunk. He must have had a very quick temper indeed to strike up such a quick and fatal argument with Mr Patten. Perhaps a strong gust of wind blew out the lanterns.”

  “We shouldn’t dismiss that idea,” said James. “Can anyone recall whether it was particularly windy that night?”

  “There was a heavy frost the following morning,” I said. “Am I right in thinking that frost doesn’t settle so easily when there’s a strong wind?”

  “I think you’re right, Penny. I believe a heavy frost is indicative of still conditions overnight. And I cannot recall any strong winds recently, though I could check that with the meteorological office.” He opened his notebook and made a note of this.

  “While I’m extremely grateful for all the help you’ve given us, Father Keane,” I said, “I feel that we are still no closer to the truth.”

  “Our conversation has convinced me that foul play was involved in the deaths of Mr Patten and Mr Walker,” said James. “I have been wary of considering a third suspect for a while, but I’m more convinced of it than ever now, especially when we consider the other strange recent events at the workhouse. Something is very wrong indeed, and we need to find the people behind all this.”

  “Which is presumably why Mr Lennox has fled,” I said.

  “Has he?” asked Father Keane with surprise.

  “He is ostensibly caring for an unwell aunt in Wales,” said James, “but his disappearance does seem to be something of a convenient coincidence.”

  “It is,” said Father Keane thoughtfully. “It very much is.”

  “Do any members of the workhouse staff strike you as suspicious, Father?” James asked him.

  “Well no, they don’t. Some have their foibles, of course, and I can’t say that I have warmed to the master, Mr Hale. That’s strictly between us, you understand. But I cannot imagine any staff member murdering inmates in the stone-breaking yard or stealing the bodies of poor, deceased inmates. That is truly barbaric, isn’t it?”

  “Well, someone is evidently doing it,” replied James. “The question is, who?”

  Chapter 38

  “The whole business is simply dreadful,” commented Eliza after I had updated her with recent events at Shoreditch Workhouse. “Mind you, we knew the place was dreadful, didn’t we? It’s so terribly sad that the poor are not being looked after properly.”

  We were sitting in Eliza’s drawing room at her Bayswater home. We had both finished work for the day and a maid had just brought us a glass of sherry each.

  “Anyway,” continued Eliza, “I have decided that I should like to try to do something with regard to these places.”

  “Good for you, Ellie.”

  “The Paddington Union is about to elect its new board of guardians and I have applied for election.”

  “That’s excellent news!”

  “Well, I haven’t been appointed as yet, and I’m not quite sure what I’m letting myself in for, but the West London Women’s Society will be voting in my favour.”

  “As will I!”

  “You don’t live in the Paddington Union district, Penelope, so sadly you won’t be able to vote.”

  “Oh yes of course. I do hope you get enough votes, Ellie!”

  “My employer, Miss Barrington, has been extremely encouraging about it. As it’s a role she has held in the past, she has plenty of advice to offer me.”

  “I’m sure you will do very well at it.”

  “Well, we shall see. I know that it can be a difficult job.”

  “Especially if Paddington has its own versions of Mr Buller and Mr Hale.”

  “I’m sure it will. But if I don’t do something, nothing will ever change will it?”

  “Very true, Ellie. I think it extremely admirable of you. Now, I must ask…” I lowered my voice in case any of the maids were in a position to overhear. “Have you found anything incriminating among George’s letters and diaries?”

  “Something that suggests infidelity you mean?”

  “Yes! Was there anything of that nature?”

  “Nothing.” She gave a sigh. “Absolutely nothing at all. It appears that he has been wholeheartedly devoted to me throughout our marriag
e.”

  “Oh dear. Although that must have been nice to discover, it doesn’t particularly help in terms of your divorce.”

  “It doesn’t at all.”

  “I’m sure he would petition for divorce if you committed adultery.”

  “Oh, Penelope!” My sister’s face flushed red. “We’ve already discussed this. It’s unthinkable that I could conduct myself in such a manner!”

  “If you say so, Ellie.”

  “But of course it is. What nonsense! Now then, have you received any more of those strange books?”

  “Yes. I’ve had one more since I last saw you.”

  She shook her head in dismay. “James should do something about it.”

  “I’m sure he would if I asked him to, but I think his time is better spent trying to discover exactly what is happening at the workhouse.”

  “But this person’s behaviour is sinister!”

  “The very worst the culprit has done is gift me a few books. And I’m quite sure they won’t send any more, because I think it must be someone from the workhouse. Mr Lennox, the clerk, is now in Wales and Mr Hale, the master, is now more preoccupied with saving his own skin than with trying to intimidate me.”

  “Well, I hope it’s the end of it in that case, Penelope, but you must be careful. This whole affair could become quite malicious.”

  “Not if this person is a coward, and I suspect that he is. Anyway, I’m quite sure that I’ll hear no more from him.”

  “I shall tell you whom I wish to hear from, and that’s Francis. I am eager to hear whether he has recovered well and whether or not he has met with this European orchid grower. I feel as though we have been waiting years for news, and I’m beginning to worry that his mission to find Father has failed.”

  “I’m quite sure it hasn’t failed, Ellie. We just have to be patient.”

  “But we’ve been patient for long enough!”

  “He only left five months ago, and that really isn’t long at all, especially when you consider that it takes a month for his letters to reach us.”

  “Telegrams are almost immediate, though, aren’t they?”

  “The cables have only been laid in the west of Colombia; you know that, Ellie. How can he possibly send a telegram if he’s not in the west?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. He could despatch a messenger, perhaps.”

  “I’m sure he’ll do so as soon as he has something significant to tell us.”

  My sister sighed. “Yes, you’re right. I know he will. I suppose I’m just waiting for something good to happen. It’s rather silly of me, isn’t it?”

  “You’re already making something good happen. You’re about to be elected as a member of the board of guardians at the Paddington Union!”

  She gave a coy smile. “Only if I get enough votes.”

  “You will, Ellie. I feel sure of it.”

  Chapter 39

  A sullen Mr Hale admitted me and James at the workhouse door.

  “May I respectfully remind you, Miss Green, of our last conversation?” he asked

  “I recall it, Mr Hale,” I replied. “You said that if you saw me here again you would make a complaint to the editor of my newspaper.”

  “I did indeed.”

  “In light of what has happened here, Mr Hale, I think the press are fully entitled to report on the matter,” said James sternly. “Can you please take us to the stone-breaking yard? I should also like to speak to a man here named John Price. Do you suppose you could find him for us?”

  “Of course,” replied Mr Hale with a jut of his jaw.

  The atmosphere at the workhouse seemed even more subdued than usual. Grey-uniformed inmates stared at us as they shuffled past.

  “And once we’ve finished in the yard, we would like to look at the records in the clerk’s office. Has there been any news on the whereabouts of Mr Lennox?” James asked the master as we strode along the covered walkway.

  “Not yet, sir. But he has nothing to do with any of this business, I’m quite sure of it.”

  “His disappearance is purely coincidental, then?”

  “He hasn’t disappeared, Inspector. He is merely visiting his aunt.”

  “Well, our colleagues in Wales haven’t been able to locate him yet.”

  A number of inmates were hard at work in the stone-breaking yard when we arrived.

  “Can you please ask Mr Crick to halt work for a short while, Mr Hale?” asked James.

  “Halt work?” the master retorted. “There are strict rules with regard to the hours the men must work!”

  “I’m sure there are, Mr Hale, but a police investigation is currently being carried out at this workhouse, and we must ensure it is done as thoroughly as possible.”

  Mr Hale glanced around the yard then lowered his voice. “If your interest is in the deaths of Mr Patten and Mr Walker, that sorry incident is thankfully behind us,” he hissed.

  “There are some new developments to take into consideration, Mr Hale.”

  “Such as what, may I ask?”

  “I’m sure you’ll agree that it is a poor use of our time to be standing about here bickering, you are no doubt as keen as I am to understand what has been happening here over the past few months. Shall we just get on with it?”

  I had to hide my mirth as Mr Hale opened his mouth to argue and then thought better of it.

  “Right!”

  He marched over to Mr Crick to pass on the instruction.

  “The man cannot abide being told what to do, can he?” whispered James with a grin.

  The order for an unscheduled break was accepted quite happily by the inmates, who strolled into the men’s day room with a spring in their step. One of the men remained in the yard and was marched over to us by Mr Hale.

  “This is Mr Price, Inspector,” he said.

  Mr Price was a dark-skinned gentleman with a lined face. Sporting thin grey hair and whiskers he looked to be about fifty, but I conjectured that he might have been younger.

  James briefly introduced us. “I understand you crossed this yard on the night that Mr Patten and Mr Walker died.”

  “Yeah, but I ain’t seen nuffink! And I didn’t do nuffink.”

  Mr Hale gave a laugh. “I don’t think this man will be of much help to you, Inspector.”

  “Actually he already has been,” replied James. “Because the fact that he didn’t see anything means that the lanterns must have been extinguished by the time he crossed the yard. What time did you walk through the yard, Mr Price?”

  “Nine o’clock.”

  “And it was dark out here, was it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you have a lantern with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But you didn’t see anyone in this yard?”

  “Nope.”

  “Not even Patten and Walker?” interjected Mr Hale.

  “Interesting point, Mr Hale,” said James. “Can you please show us where the bodies of Mr Patten and Mr Walker lay?”

  Mr Hale walked off across the yard and we followed. Hammers and blocks of stone lay scattered on the ground in front of the iron grill. To the left of the grill were some smaller heaps of stone. Mr Hale stopped beside them.

  “These are the stone heaps we use for the punishments,” he said. “The inmate must shovel all the stone from one pile into another and then back again if necessary.” He gave a smug smile.

  “And where were the men found?” asked James.

  “Here,” he pointed at the ground.

  “Where did Mr Patten lie?”

  “Along here.”

  “And which way was his head facing?”

  “Towards the stone heap.”

  Guided by James, Mr Hale went on to show us where Mr Patten had been lying on his back and where Mr Walker had lain close by on his left side. He also showed us where the shovel, empty pail and two extinguished lanterns had been found.

  We surveyed the yard and could see that the coal store lay at the far corn
er. The door to the men’s day room was in another corner on the same side of the yard as the coal store.

  “Could you show us the route you took that evening, Mr Price?” asked James.

  The inmate pointed to the door of the men’s day room. “I came outta there an’ walked along there.” He gestured toward the side of the yard on which the coal store and storeroom lay. “Then I wen’ in the coal store there.”

  “So your route took you nowhere near the location where we are standing now?”

  Mr Price shook his head.

  “Even with a lantern I don’t think Mr Price would have been able to see Mr Patten and Mr Walker lying here,” said James. ”It’s on the other side of the yard completely.”

  Mr Hale gave a shrug. “You’d have to visit again when it’s dark and find out for yourself, Inspector.”

  “Indeed I could. The most interesting point, however, is that the yard was in darkness, and that means someone must have extinguished the lanterns of Mr Patten and Mr Walker. Did you return to the men’s block via the same route, Mr Price?”

  The man nodded.

  “Thank you for your help,” said James. He stooped down to a crouch and began to examine the stone flags on the ground around him.

  “What are you looking for?” I asked.

  “I don’t really know. Anything that looks out of place, I suppose. Am I right in thinking, Mr Hale, that most of the stone-breaking takes place in front of the iron grill?”

  “That’s right.”

  “So this area of the yard we’re in now is mainly reserved for those serving out a punishment.”

  “That’s right.”

  “And how often does someone have to serve a punishment here?”

  “Every few days or so.”

  “Then I’m hoping the ground here wouldn’t have had as much footfall as, let’s say, the area of the yard where the stone-breaking takes place.”

  “No, not as much.”

  “I hope that means, then, that if something had been dropped during the struggle on that fateful night it might still be here.”