Murder and Mittens

by Anne Wrightwell

Chapter 26

  ‘Mum, I’m sorry about Great Aunt Josephine today,’ Etta began as soon Jen entered her bedroom that night. She had come to bed early, unable to bear the subdued and strained atmosphere downstairs. The radio was softly playing, “Red Sails in the Sunset”. Jen was sitting on the bed, playing solitaire.

  ‘I’m not worried about that rude old cow,’ Jen replied.

  ‘Mum!’

  ‘What? Am I not allowed to call her that?’

  ‘No, it’s just,’ Etta floundered. Her mother was not normally so aggressive. ‘I don’t think she really meant it, she was just upset.’

  ‘Don’t make excuses for her. She wasn’t upset at all, judging by the callous remarks she made about her great nephew who had just been murdered. She’s always like that.’

  This budding argument was halted by the radio suddenly changing from the song to an announcer’s loud, excited tones.

  ‘Listen in folks for the latest exciting instalment of our drama, “Murder and Mittens”. The story so far. Our intrepid heroines, Jen and Etta are trapped at Wilkington Manor where the lovely former film starlet Evangeline Spinoza has been murdered and a valuable diamond necklace stolen. The diamond necklace has turned up in Etta’s jewellery box and they were both arrested for a time. Now, Cecil Mowbray, who told Etta he knew a secret about the murder, has himself been murdered. What next for our intrepid heroines? They are getting closer to discovering who the killer is but will they discover the identity of the murderer in time?’

  Then the radio switched back to playing a song, this time, “Can the Circle Be Unbroken”. They listened to the lyrics in silence for a while, wondering if they were another message for them before deciding that they were not.

  ‘We both heard it that time,’ Jen said.

  ‘I wonder why the message was for both of us this time?’

  ‘But it proves that this is more than just the coma,’ Jen said.

  ‘Oh, don’t lets start that again please, Mum. Surely, it doesn’t matter why we’re here, only that we are and we need to get out.’

  ‘The radio said we’re getting closer to discovering the identity of the killer.’

  ‘So what have we discovered?’ Etta asked.

  ‘We’ve been told that Dennis Mowbray and Evangeline Spinoza were having an affair. That gives him a motive.’

  ‘We know that Marjorie Mowbray knew about it. That gives her a motive,’ Etta countered.

  ‘Did Lorenzo know about the affair that his business partner was having with his wife? If he did, he has a motive.‘

  ‘Or are the police right about Evangeline’s death being accidental? That whoever stole the diamond necklace killed Evangeline Spinoza because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time?’

  ‘They may or may not be connected. We don’t know that. I wish we knew who put the necklace in your room and why they chose you.’

  The next morning at breakfast, Etta was amazed when Sergeant Wolf came into the Breakfast Room and said to Stewart Grenadier, ‘Inspector Brighton would like to have a word with you sir, if it’s convenient.’

  ‘Right you are,’ said Stewart easily and getting up from the table, lounged out of the room. He did not return and there was a lot of voiced speculation as to why the inspector wanted to see him. Dorothy Mowbray was vehement in his defence.

  Jen had stayed in Etta’s room after she went down to breakfast. She was surprised when there was a knock on the door and then Sergeant Wolf put his head round the door and invited her to come to the inspector’s office. Jen entered to find Etta and Miss Mittens already sitting there.

  ‘Sit down, please, Miss James.’

  Etta obediently sat, wondering what this was all about.

  The inspector cleared his throat, ‘I’ve called you all here together for two reasons. One is I have some further evidence that I’d like to share with you and two, well, I’ll get to two in a moment.

  ‘I am all agog,’ said Miss Mittens, ‘as I’m sure, the other two ladies are.’

  Thanks for calling me a lady, thought Jen sardonically.

  ‘Early this morning, someone has come forward to say that she saw who put the necklace in your room, Miss Ashcroft.’

  ‘Stewart Grenadier?’ Miss Mittens asked.

  ‘Stewart Grenadier,’ Inspector Brighton confirmed.

  ‘What!’ exclaimed Etta. ‘But why?’

  ‘Mr. Grenadier is now helping us with his enquiries. He has admitted to us that he was having an affair with Mrs. Spinoza and that he and she had been planning to steal the diamond necklace and replace it with a false one.’

  ‘I have my suspicions about the necklace,’ Miss Mittens said.

  ‘Indeed you did, Miss Mittens and you were right. We had a local jeweller examine the necklace and he confirmed that it was a good quality copy.’

  ‘So did Stewart kill Evangeline?’ asked Etta.

  ‘He claims not.’

  ‘But he would have a strong motive if he knew about Dennis Mowbray.’

  The inspector drew his brows together. ‘What about Dennis Mowbray?’

  ‘He was having an affair with Evangeline Spinoza too,’ explained Etta.

  ‘She certainly put it about a bit,’ Sergeant Wolf.

  ‘Wolf! I wasn’t aware of this.’

  ‘I’m afraid it’s true, inspector. His wife and mother have been most distressed about this,’ Miss Mittens said.

  The inspector said nothing but looked down at the papers on the desk and tapped a pen against the blotting paper.

  ‘So do you think he killed Cecil Mowbray as well?’ Jen asked.

  ‘He says not.’

  ‘But he was very keen to stop me talking to Cecil the night before he died,’ Etta said.

  ‘Was he now? That’s very interesting. We’ll want to take a statement from you about that, Miss Ashcroft. Make a note of that, Wolf.’

  As Sergeant Wolf obediently wrote in his notebook, the inspector said, ‘that brings me to the second reason I wanted to talk to you... ladies.’

  Jen wondered if she was the only one who noticed the pause before he said ladies and also wondered if the reason was because he found it difficult to call her a lady even though he knew that her being a maid was just a cover.

  ‘I’d like your help. Miss Ashcroft and Miss James, you are private investigators and Miss Mittens, you are a friend of Miss Tyneham and familiar with the family. I’d like you to keep your eyes and ears open and report anything suspicious or a change from routine that you notice.’

  ‘In other words, you want us to be spies for you,’ Jen said.

  ‘I wouldn’t have put it quite myself like that, Miss James. I would remind you that two brutal murders have taken place and we need to stop any more occurring.

  He must be desperate, Jen thought, to ask for our help. Was he getting pressure from on high? Were the newspaper reporters baying at the gate, taking his photo as he arrived for the day, getting to him?

  ‘Speaking for myself, I’d be delighted to help,’ Miss Mittens said.

  ‘Me too,’ Etta said.

  Jen remained silent, tapping her foot.

  ‘What about you, Miss James? I realise that we probably got off on the wrong foot.’ No, probably about it, thought Jen. ‘But I hope you will help us now.’

  The two other women looked at her, Etta beseechingly. Jen thought about it. She had not liked her treatment by the police. But if it would help to find the murderer, how could she refuse? ? But she had no intention of telling the inspector about Callum’s words.

  ‘All right then,’ she said.

  The inspector breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘But before we go any further, inspector,’ Miss Mittens said, ‘seeing as we are partners now,’ the inspector winced at the word “partner”, ‘may we be given a little more information? For example, how was Cecil Mowbray killed?’

  ‘An initial examination of the body speculates that someone knocked him unconscious and strangled him with something, perhaps
a length of rope.’

  ‘Which would suggest a man,’ said Sergeant Wolf.

  ‘Which is interesting, is it not, inspector? Evangeline Spinoza was killed by a blow with a statuette, was she not? Am I right in assuming that either a man or a woman could have killed her?’ Miss Mittens asked.

  ‘Possibly,’ the inspector said grudgingly.

  ‘But if the second murder was by a man, is it possible that the murders were committed by different people?’

  ‘For different reasons?’ put in Etta.

  The inspector looked at them dismayed for a moment, then rallied himself and said firmly, ‘no, I don’t believe it is. Far more likely, a man killed Mrs. Spinoza and the same man killed Cecil Mowbray because he knew too much and wanted paying. Now, ladies, I have much to do, so this meeting is at an end, thank you.’

  They trooped outside.

  ‘Miss James, may I suggest that we meet late this afternoon and discuss our findings. In the kitchen garden?’ said Miss Mittens. ‘You may have noticed that Inspector Brighton did not tell us the identity of the person who saw Stewart Grenadier go into Hetty’s room. I venture to suggest that it was probably one of the servants. I would very much like to know which servant it was. Do you think you could find out?’

  Jen was torn between resenting Miss Mitten’s bossiness and wanting to please one of her fictional heroines.