Marble Arch Murder: A Piccadilly Ladies Club Mystery

by Jane, Bettie

  “I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, Sister, but something’s happened. I need you to ring the police. Someone has been hanged on the gallows set up at the Tyburn Tree site. Please ring them right away and ask for Inspector Gibbs. My photographer is with the body, and I need to get back to him.”

  Julia then turned on her heel and raced back to Jimmie’s side. She’d been gone no more than three minutes. Three minutes of running at full speed, not daring to look to her left or right or over her shoulder for fear of what she might see. She definitely didn’t want to see anything or anyone that might be lurking in the dark shadows.

  “That was quick.”

  “I ran the entire way there and back. I told the sister that answered the door, Marta, I believe, to ring the police and ask for Jacob. I wasn’t about to mosey about and leave it to fate to keep me alive.”

  She looked up at the body.

  “Can you tell who it is? Any distinguishing features?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s too far up. I can’t get a good look at her face.”

  “It is certainly a woman, though, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. “She seems to have some sort of hood. I can’t tell her hair color, but she’s definitely female from the neck down.”

  Julia could see the outline of her breasts. She seemed to be barefoot and her toes looked like they were polished with a bright red paint.

  “Looks like her toes are painted, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. I’m going to take some pictures. I know it’s gruesome, but it might help us later.”

  He proceeded to take photographs from several different angles, especially as the sky continued to brighten. By the time he was finished, two sisters arrived in their full habits.

  Marta, that was her name.

  One of them wrung her hands and chewed her lip and kept repeating, “Oh my, oh my.” The second one, Sister Marta, presented more stoically. She looked tense around her eyes, perhaps fighting back the urge to sick up, but otherwise looked calm.

  The calm one, Sister Marta, was the one who answered the door when Julia rang moments before.

  “Thank you for ringing us. I remember you from last week when you were here with Miss Lockley. We’ve rung the police and also alerted Penelope. She’s on her way.”

  “Do you recognize this woman?”

  Both sisters shook their head. With the sun rising quickly, it was easy to see the hood that covered the head and shoulders of the victim.

  Shortly after the sisters arrived, the police reached them, on the heels of Penelope and her coroner husband. Penelope rushed forward to hug Julia as soon as she saw her. “Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry that you had to come upon such a sight. You poor thing.”

  Julia returned her hug and then stepped back, fully slipping into investigative mode.

  “I’m quite all right, Penelope. Don’t worry about me. Do you have any idea who this is?”

  “No. Maybe once the hood is off.”

  “Dr. Lockley, can you determine anything about her death?”

  “Not as long as she’s hanging from the gallows.”

  He turned to the first officer who’d arrived on scene. “Can I help you get her down?”

  “Thanks, Doc, but we can manage it.”

  Julia stepped forward and stood next to Doctor Lockley, who was visually examining the body and the crime scene area as best as he could from a distance.

  “I don’t think she died from hanging.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “When someone dies from hanging, they empty their bowels. There would be a significant mess beneath the body.”

  “These gallows weren’t supposed to be functional,” said Sister Marta.

  Julia peered closer at the setup. “I think you are quite right, Sister. There’s no pulley-system to lift a body or even a platform with a false floor.”

  “Hopefully that means she didn’t suffer. Maybe it’s too much to hope that she died quickly?”

  “We’ll know soon enough.”

  Jacob arrived on the scene, stopping to talk to Julia before he approached the body or the other officers.

  “Are you all right, darling?”

  She resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms, nodding instead. “I am. Disturbed, but otherwise well. Jimmie was with me this morning.”

  Once he was satisfied that Julia was in fact all right, he approached the officers and took in the scene. Dr. Lockley repeated what he’d said to Julia that hanging was likely not the cause of death.

  “Go ahead and cut her down. Let’s get her off the street and into Dr. Lockley’s office. Before the crowds get here for the memorial, let’s comb the area and be sure we don’t leave any bits of evidence unclaimed.”

  The officers lowered the body onto the pavement and reverently removed the hood.

  “Oh my,” the other sister cried out, and Julia wondered crassly if those were the only two words this woman knew. “It’s Beatrice.”

  “Who’s Beatrice?” Jacob asked.

  The calm Sister Marta spoke. “She stayed with us for a time, but this cloistered life wasn’t for her. She hasn’t been with us for nearly a month now.”

  “Please have her moved to my office, Jacob. I’ll go there now and see what preliminary information I can gather. She was dead before that rope ever went around her neck, though, that I can tell you for sure. There aren’t any obvious signs of actual cause of death. Drop by my office in a few hours and I’ll have more information for you.”

  He looked at both Julia and Jacob, and she appreciated that he was keeping her in the loop.

  “Will you still go on with the memorial?” Jacob asked Sister Marta, who seemed to be the one in charge.

  “We’ll check with Mother Marie Garnier, our foundress, but I would imagine she’d want us to go on. If anything, we have yet another name to remember today. Beatrice.”

  “Do you know her last name?”

  “Cooper. Beatrice Cooper.”

  Another sister came running up to them. That brought the number of sisters outside the convent to three.

  “Sister Marta, something’s happened. Mother Marie is gone. She’s been taken. They left a note.”

  7

  6:00 am

  February 22, 1921

  Site of Tyburn Tree

  Marble Arch, London

  Jacob took the note in his gloved hand, read it, then held it out to Julia to see.

  “Don’t touch it. We might be able to get prints off this later.”

  She peered at the note and read it aloud.

  “’Restore what was lost here, and Mother Marie will be restored to you unharmed.’ What was lost here that we could possibly restore? We can’t bring over three hundred martyrs back from the dead.”

  “Sister Marta, do you have a file for Beatrice? A home address perhaps? We’ll need to contact next of kin.”

  “Yes, Inspector. If you return with me to the convent, I’ll show you all the files I have for her.”

  He nodded, continuing his questioning. “Did you see or hear anything unusual last night or this morning?”

  “Nothing unusual that I noticed. We’ll ask all the sisters, though. Maybe one of them did.”

  Sister Marta turned her attention to Penelope.

  “Mrs. Lockley, I do believe Mother Marie would want us to continue with the memorial. She wouldn’t want the martyrs to be forgotten. Would you be so kind as to ensure that happens while I assist the Inspector?”

  Julia was surprised that the sisters seemed so intent on continuing with the memorial in light of the murder and subsequent disappearance of Mother Marie. Penelope also seemed surprised, and to Julia’s eyes, paler than she’d been before the woman’s identity was revealed.

  Penelope replied to the sister with a tone of mild surprise present in her voice. “Are you certain you want to proceed with the memorial under the circumstances, Sister?”

  “Disrupting the memorial, which has suc
h significance for Mother Marie, wouldn’t change what has happened. Honoring the martyrdom of those at Tyburn Tree is her life’s work. No, we will go on as planned. She’ll be pleased when she returns that we honored the intent of her efforts.”

  “Of course, Sister,” Penelope said. “We’ll go on as planned.”

  Julia supposed that their inherent commitment to the mission at the convent aided their disciplined approach in this time of crisis. ‘We’ll go on as planned’ seemed to Julia like the convent’s equivalency to show-business’ well-known ‘the show must go on.’ Onward, despite difficulties, to the destination. She hoped she could maintain that level of dedication in her own life in the face of crisis. She considered her own plans to build her own detective agency and could well-imagine there would be times of incredible stress and pressure. She made a mental note to remember the Sisters at Tyburn Convent as examples of tenacity and success.

  To the other, more excitable nun, Sister Marta said, “Please tell everyone to double their prayers for the safe return of Mother Marie.”

  The three sisters then led Jacob back to the convent, and Julia watched the police move Beatrice’s body from the scene.

  “Julia,” Penelope gripped Julia’s arm. “You must find out who did this.”

  “Of course. I’ll do anything I can to assist. Are you all right, Penelope? Did you know her?”

  “Yes, I knew her. You must do more than assist. You must take charge. You have an investigative agency, right? I’d like to hire you to find out who murdered Beatrice. I got to know her during my time volunteering here, before she decided to leave. I’m afraid it might be my fault she left the convent, which means it might be my fault that she’s dead. Please, for my own peace of mind, I must know what’s happened to her.”

  “Why do you think it may have been your fault she left the convent?”

  Penelope let out a long, slow breath.

  “She was in love. She spoke often of the boy she’d left behind to join the order and that in the end she was sure she’d be happy, but I could tell her young heart was breaking at having left her love behind. I’m afraid I—well, I told her that she didn’t have to be a nun. That being a young woman in love was a very worthwhile endeavor as well. She seemed convinced that her boyfriend would reject her if she gave up on her commitment to God and the mission here at Tyburn. I reassured her that he would be thrilled she returned to him. Maybe I was wrong to do that. After all, I don’t know him or their dynamic together. Shortly after we had that conversation, she was gone. If she wouldn’t have left the safety of the convent, she’d still be alive. I just know it. You don’t suppose that her boyfriend was angry with her and had something to do with her death?”

  “That seems a far stretch to me, Penelope, and you couldn’t possibly know that she’d still be alive, if you are even the reason she left. We have no idea how she died or why and if you aren’t the one who dealt the killing blow, then it couldn’t possibly be your fault. Only the murderer can be to blame for the death of Beatrice.”

  Penelope sniffled, and Julia noticed for the first time that her eyes were wet with emotion.

  “Mother Marie, she is my friend, Julia. I can’t imagine how fearful she must be right now. What kind of monster would kidnap an eighty-year-old nun and murder a young girl? I can’t understand it?”

  Julia pulled her into a hug. “I’m honored to help set your mind at ease, Penelope. I won’t rest until we’ve found Mother Marie and determined who killed poor Beatrice. Are you going to be able to run the memorial in light of everything that’s transpired this morning?”

  Penelope shrugged. “I’ll do my best. It will help knowing that you carry the torch for Beatrice and Mother Marie. Thank you.”

  “I’ll send some of the women from the Piccadilly Ladies Club to help you out, if that’s all right with you? I’m sure Meredith won’t mind sending some of the membership. They are quite skilled at event-planning and will likely be willing to do whatever you ask.”

  “Why, thank you, Julia. That would be quite helpful. I’ll need to take another look at the program and revise it. Mother Marie was going to be an influential element in the presentation.”

  “I’ll call Meredith right away and ask her to send some volunteers. Penelope, did you ever hear Beatrice mention anyone she was afraid of? Or did she mention her boyfriend’s name?”

  “The boyfriend, I believe his name was Peter. I never heard her sound afraid or mention threats of any kind.”

  “Okay. I’ll go back to the convent and use their telephone to get your PLC volunteers mobilized. Penelope, will you clear the way for the sisters to speak with my assistant Frankie. I’ll call him but I suspect they won’t as easily speak with him as they have with you and I. I’ll return before the memorial starts.”

  Penelope nodded. “I’m certain they will cooperate, even though they are cloistered. These are extraordinary circumstances. I may need to be present for the interviews, but I’m certain they will be willing to speak to you or your assistant. Any grief they might get would come from Reverend Mother and she’s not here to give them trouble about it.”

  “Thanks Penelope, I appreciate it.”

  Then to Jimmie, Julia said, “Jimmie, come with me?”

  He nodded and followed, looking at Julia quizzically but holding his questions for when they were alone. She could always tell when Jimmie had thoughts he wasn’t sharing.

  After she made her call to Meredith, who agreed to send in the troops immediately, Julia explained her plan to Jimmie.

  “We need to understand what it is that the sisters would have the ability to restore as the note demands. I don’t think the kidnapper would demand something that wasn’t possible. There must be something the sisters have within their power to do that would be worth ransoming for Mother Marie.”

  “From what you’ve said, the only thing they have the power to do is pray, not that it’s done Beatrice or Mother Marie any good so far.”

  “Listen, Jimmie, let them have their prayers. It’s really about all they’ve got in the world to hold onto.”

  He nodded, somewhat sheepishly. “I know you’re right. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself. What is your next step?”

  “I want to learn if there is a specific link between Beatrice and Mother Marie. I need to call Frankie. After all, he wanted to be my assistant. There is plenty of assisting for him to do now. I’ll need him to interview each of the resident nuns, as well anyone else that might have been around to notice anything, looking for any connection between Beatrice and Mother Marie. We also need to know the last time someone noticed the gallows empty. If we hope to backtrack and find the killer, we’ll need to narrow down our window. In the meanwhile, would you be willing to accompany me to interview Beatrice’s boyfriend? I have a feeling he’ll be able to shed light on the mindset of our dearly departed Beatrice.”

  She picked up the phone and rang Frankie, who picked up right away.

  “Congratulations, Frankie Sutton. We’ve got our very first paying client. Charing Cross Investigations is officially open for business. I need you to go to Tyburn Convent and conduct some interviews. A body was found hanging from the gallows, and it turns out she was a former nun from this convent. Her name is Beatrice. Also, the foundress of the convent, Mother Marie Garnier, has been taken and a note was left demanding that the sisters restore something which had been lost. None of us know what the lost item is that needs to be restored, but Mother Marie is in her eighties. She’s probably quite frail, and we need to do whatever is in our power to return her to the convent as soon as is possible.”

  Julia stopped to draw breath but began speaking again before Frankie could get a word in. “We need to know if there is any link between Beatrice and Mother Marie. Why was one killed and the other taken? While you are interviewing, try and determine the last time someone saw the gallows without the girl hanging from it. Jimmie and I arrived at approximately 5:30am. We need to narrow the window of time that she would h
ave placed there. The coroner doesn’t have cause or time of death yet, but hopefully soon.”

  She drew another quick breath, her mind working swiftly. “We also need to know the last time Mother Marie was seen by anyone at the convent. It’s possible, however unlikely, that the two events aren’t connected at all. The memorial is still happening, even with Mother Marie missing, but let’s see if we can’t locate her before the memorial even begins. It’s our first paying client, Frankie. Let’s make sure we do our best. Everything comes from the experience of your first customer.”

  “Well, I guess we are in business. That’s great news. I’ll be right over. Don’t forget we are scheduled to tour Charing Cross just after the memorial. I’ll bring Mattie along.”

  “Thank you Frankie. I’ll be along in time for the beginning of the memorial, and I’ll find out what you discover in your interviews. Oh, one more thing, Frankie. If the sisters give you any trouble, ask for Penelope. That’s Jacob’s aunt, and she’s the one paying us. She’s our client so be sure keep her in the loop and let her advocate for you with the sisters if they give you any grief. Believe me, they can be stubborn if what I’ve seen so far is any indication. Keep in mind also that the young girl who was murdered was once a resident at this convent. In a way, they’ve all lost at least an acquaintance, although some of them may have had a stronger bond with Beatrice like Penelope did. See, also, if you can get any information at all about her boyfriend, his demeanor, etc.”

  “Anything else, boss-lady?”

  Julia chuckled in spite of herself. “Boss-lady, I like the sound of that. Also, no, I doubt you’ll have time to do the things I’ve already asked before I get back. I’m going with Jimmie to try and interview the boyfriend and Beatrice’s family, which means I’m going to be shadowing on Jacob’s heels. Hopefully, that won’t be a problem.”

  By that, she meant hopefully Jacob would be alright with her tagging along since she had none of this information.