Chapter 34 – the last chapter
Miss Mittens was in Hetty Ashcroft’s bedroom gathering up the possessions she judged suitable for hospital; sponge bag and contents, night gown, dressing gown, hairbrush, comb, and a change of clothes for when they were allowed out of hospital. She sincerely hoped that the Hetty would regain consciousness quickly. Her mother had recovered from blacking out while at the scene but Hetty had not. Miss Mittens located a suitcase under the bed, heaved it up and packed it quickly and efficiently.
Next she went to the attic, to the maids’ bedrooms. Mrs. Wagstaff had told which bedroom Jane had been sleeping in. She performed the same operation in Jane’s bedroom, comparing it to the bedroom of her maid, Ethel. The comparison was in favour of Ethel’s.
While she was looking round for a suitable receptacle, the door opened and the young, fair haired housemaid came in, dressed in a long white nightgown, which made her look about ten, and started to see Miss Mittens there.
‘I heard a noise next door. Miss, what are you doing here?
Miss Mittens brandished a blouse at her. ‘I’m collecting some clothes for Miss James to take to the hospital.’
‘They’re both in hospital, aren’t they Miss? I mean Miss James and Miss Ashcroft.’
‘That’s right. There’s talk of letting Miss James come home tomorrow once the doctors have had a look but Miss Ashcroft may be there for some time.’
Lily burst into tears. Miss Mittens looking at her, wondered if any one had had the sense to realise that the child had been through a fearful experience too and needed to talk about it. They had packed her off to bed, probably with a glass of warm milk but the child needed reassurance.
‘Go back to bed, Lily. I’ll finish packing and tell you what I know.’
A couple of minutes later, Miss Mitten went to the bedroom next door. There were two beds, two rag rugs but the walls had been plastered with pictures of film stars ripped out from magazines. Miss Mittens recognised Evangeline Spinoza smiling down from one of them.
Lily had got back into bed but was sitting up with a shawl round her shoulders. Miss Mittens sat down on the bed opposite and faced her.
‘Have you heard that Mr. Spinoza and Miss Potter have been arrested?’
Lily shook her head. ‘No, when I got back to the house, Mrs. Wagstaff shouted at me and then sent me to bed.’
‘I see. Well, they have.’
‘Did they murder Evangeline Carter, I mean Mrs. Spinoza, Miss?’
‘Yes.’
‘And Master Cecil?’
‘Yes.’
Lily shivered. ‘They must be very bad people,’ she observed.
‘They are. You’ve had a very lucky escape.’ Lily’s face contorted at this. ‘But the important thing is you did escape and they can’t hurt you now, they’re safely locked up.’
Lily nodded again. Then she said wistfully, ‘Miss James saved me. She was ever so brave. I wish I could thank her.’
‘You can thank her when she comes back.’
When Hetty Ashcroft regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital bed. Jen was holding her hand and asleep in a chair next to the bed, swathed in a blanket, which partially covered her bare legs and feet. Hetty gently released her hand and Jen opened her eyes.
‘You’re awake, that’s good. How do you feel?’
Hetty became aware that she had the most abominable headache. ‘My head hurts,’ she complained. She moved her hand up and felt bandages around her head.
‘That would be the knock from Miss Potter,’ Jen said. ‘I’d better let the nurse know you’ve woken up.’
She started to untangle herself from the blanket but at that moment Miss Mittens banged open the door and walked into the room, with a suitcase in each hand, using her body to keep the door open.
‘I’ve brought some supplies for you and your mother,’ she told Hetty. ‘Night gowns, sponge bags, a change of clothes for when you can get out of here.’
‘Thank you,’ Hetty said, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes.
‘Think nothing of it. Something anyone would do,’ Miss Mittens said gruffly.
‘What’s happened to Lorenzo Spinoza and Miss Potter?’
‘They’ve been arrested for the murders of Evangeline Spinoza and Cecil Mowbray and been taken off to the local police station.’
‘Did they both kill Evangeline and Cecil?’
‘No, Miss Potter killed Evangeline and Lorenzo killed Cecil. She killed Evangeline after she came up to get undressed for the night. She just pretended to discover the body the next morning.’
‘So she took the necklace?’
‘I think you had better wait for Inspector Brighton to pay you a visit. He’ll be wanting to speak to you now you’re awake.’
Hetty looked at her mother. ‘Has he spoken to you?’
‘No.’
‘I suggested to Inspector Brighton that it might be appropriate to wait to speak to you until your daughter had woken up,’ Miss Mittens said. ‘That it wouldn’t look good questioning an injured woman when her daughter was also seriously injured.’
‘Am I seriously injured?’ Hetty asked, putting her hand up to the bandages again.
Miss Mittens coughed, ‘possibly a little poetic license there. I must say, Algernon and his man backed me up most vigorously. The hospital will notify Inspector Brighton and I dare say he’ll come to see you later today.’
‘How long was I out for?’ Hetty asked.
‘The rest of the day, yesterday and last night.’
Hetty looked at Jane. ‘Mother, how long have you been in that chair?’
Jane had taken the blanket off and Hetty could see the bruises around her throat and the grazes on her face. She was shivering.
‘Mother, go back to bed,’ she urged.
‘I concur,’ Miss Mittens said. ‘Come on Mrs Astley, get back to bed before the nurses give you a ticking off. Hetty’s awake now.’
Jane allowed herself to be led back to her bed.
Miss Mittens came back to Hetty’s bed. ‘I’m sure the doctors will want to have a look at you before Inspector Brighton. Algernon Wainwright has been asking after you. Would you be happy for him to pay you a visit during visiting hours?’
‘Of course,’ Hetty said.
Inspector Brighton came to visit them after the doctors pronounced them fit enough to be questioned although the inspector was warned not to tire them out. Jen, now dressed in a blouse and skirt, came and sat by Hetty’s bed again. Miss Mittens was also there although her presence was not explained.
‘You’re very important witnesses,’ the inspector told them. ‘Cynthia Potter is being charged with the murder of Evangeline Spinoza and Lorenzo Spinoza is being charged with the murder of Cecil Mowbray. They are both also being charged the attempted murder of yourselves and Lily Smith. I’d like to take your statements please, starting with you, Miss James.’
Jane told her version of events and then Hetty told hers.
‘That seems clear enough,’ the inspector said at the end. ‘And should help to put away that pair of murderers.’
‘Will they hang, do you think, inspector?’ Hetty asked.
The inspector snorted. ‘Oh they’ll try to avoid it, she’s claiming that she murdered Mrs. Spinoza in a fit of passion on finding out that she had taken a lover and was betraying her brother. However, we’ve just had confirmation from the States that Lorenzo Spinoza had taken out a large life insurance policy on his wife just before they left for the British Isles. So it sounds like this was premeditated.’
‘And Evangeline had taken Dennis Mowbray as a lover on the instructions of Lorenzo,’ Miss Mittens said.
The inspector snorted again. ‘Miss Potter knew all about that affair, that was all right but not Mrs. Spinoza taking an unauthorised lover, if you like.’
‘How horrible,’ said Hetty with feeling.
‘But what about the necklace?’ Jane asked. ‘Who stole that?’
‘We got to the bottom of
that as soon as we spoke to Kate Ettingham and her uncle, Mr. Cook. They had agreed to steal the necklace for Sir James.’
‘Sir James?’
‘Yes. He’d experienced financial difficulties due to some gambling debts a few years ago and sold his wife’s necklace. He had a good copy made and switched necklaces so she never knew.
‘He was horrified when Agatha told him of his intention to sell the necklace to Evangeline Spinoza,’ Miss Mittens interposed, ‘so he came up with a plan to steal the necklace so nobody would know it was a fake.’
‘If I may continue, Miss Mittens,’ the inspector said frostily.
‘Of course, inspector,’ she said demurely.
‘As I was saying, he asked the butler and his niece to steal and hide the necklace. Kate went up to Mrs. Spinoza’s bedroom on some pretext, knocked on the door, got no reply, went in and found her dead. So she pocketed the necklace and told her uncle. And he, instead of doing the responsible thing and informing the police, decided to keep quiet.’
‘And what about Stewart Grenadier?’ Jane asked, her voice hoarse from asking too many questions.
‘Him,’ said the inspector with loathing. ‘He came up later, found the body, and the necklace gone, and again, decided to keep quiet.’
‘But why did he put his necklace in my jewellery box?’
‘He’s explained all that, Miss Astley and it doesn’t do him much credit. He had to hide the necklace while he was searched and then get it back while the bedrooms were searched. Then he put the necklace in your room because he wanted to have something to blackmail you with. Remember he thought that you were a wealthy heiress then.’
‘What an awful man,’ Jane declared huskily.
‘Is he being charged with anything?’
‘What can we charge him with? Obstructing the police in their enquiries perhaps but Sir James has made it very clear he wants as little scandal from this as possible and would not press any charges against Mr. Grenadier even if any could be found.’
‘He has lost his lover,’ Hetty said.
Miss Mittens herself snorted. ‘And immediately began worrying about himself and trying to involve other people in his nefarious schemes.’
‘Speaking of nefarious schemes, what about Dennis Mowbray?’ Jane asked.
‘As the inspector said before, Sir James wants as little scandal as possible.’
Jane frowned. ‘I hate to think of him getting away with conning people out of their money,’ she croaked.
‘As to that, there has been a development. Marjorie Mowbray announced this morning that she is pregnant.’
‘No,’ said Jen. ‘Marjorie Mowbray is pregnant. And she didn’t say anything to me, I mean to Jane when she was helping her dress that night?’
‘What are you talking about?’ Matt asked. ‘When did Jane help her dress?’
‘Earlier in the book.’
‘But the book is only just out in the shops. How could you have read any of it?’
‘I think there was an excerpt on the Internet,’ Jen lied.
‘But I thought you didn’t know about it?’
‘I forgot till now.’
Matt’s face fell. ‘So it wasn’t a surprise then.’
‘It was a surprise you bought it for me.’ Jen assured him, patting him on the hand. ‘Please carry on reading.’
‘ And in light of that, my friend, Miss Tyneham has announced that she will buy Wilkington Manor and keep things as they are, on certain conditions. ‘
‘Such as?’ Hetty asked.
Such as Dennis has to stay home and learn estate management. He and Sir James are to be given monthly allowances. And Dennis will have to pay back the people he conned out of his allowance.’
‘I bet they didn’t like that,’ Hetty murmured, imaging the scene and the men’s red faces while Jane tried unsuccessfully not to laugh.
‘Oh, they did not but Josephine made it very clear that she wouldn’t buy the hall unless they agreed. She has a poor opinion of the financial abilities or of the honesty of the men in her niece’s family.’
‘She must be pretty rich,’ Hetty said.
‘Oh, she is, believe me. She might look like a poor old spinster but that is far from the truth. Josephine doesn’t like to waste money.’
Hetty was quite glad that she would not be living at Wilkington Manor any more.
Later during visiting hours, Algernon Wainwright came to visit. He sat awkwardly on the chair and gazed at her. ‘I feel rotten for dragging you into this,’ he said. ‘Does it hurt very much?’ He indicated the bandages with a jerk of his head.
‘It’s not too bad now. And Algy, it was my job.’
‘It wasn’t your job to hunt down murderers or get hurt.’ His face darkened. ‘To think of that monster hurting you. Do you know Miss Mittens gave that Lorenzo Spinoza fellow a good thwack? And so would I, had I been there. ‘
‘Miss Mittens hit Lorenzo?’
‘Apparently.’
‘I wish I could have seen it.’
‘So do I,’ said Algernon.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing until Hetty abruptly stopped because it made her head hurt.
‘I’d better let you rest,’ he said, ‘see you tomorrow. Good night, Mrs. Astley.’
‘Good night,’ Jane said. After he left, she said to her daughter, ‘Mr. Wainwright has good manners.’
Meanwhile, Solomon Taylor was sitting by Jane’s bedside.
‘I know you shouldn’t talk too much because of your throat, so I thought I would read to you.’
‘What? Emerson?’ Jane croaked and was surprised to see Solomon’s dark eyes twinkle.
‘I thought that this might be more to your taste,’ and he pulled out a copy of Peg’s Paper.
The next afternoon, Jane and Hetty were surprised to see a nurse usher a pair of strangers into the ward. She pointed them towards Jane and Hetty. The woman was stout, middle aged with a smile on her thin red lips that didn’t fit with her small, calculating eyes while the man was thin, and looked like he was concealing something bulky under his jacket.
The woman exclaimed loudly, ‘Dear cousin Jane, I was so worried!’ She advanced a step or two. The nurse left the ward. The woman looked back and then hissed at the man, ‘quick!’
He whipped out a box brownie from out of his jacket and aimed the camera at the two astonished woman.
‘Get a good picture of the bruises,’ the woman instructed him.
‘Who are you?’ Jane asked.
‘I’m Beryl Berkley of the Daily Bugle, and my photographer, Sid Eagle. I just want to ask you a few questions about your ordeal, Miss James, is it? I can see you’ve got some nasty bruises round your throat? How did that happen.’
‘Reporters,’ Hetty said.
‘That’s right. Miss Ashcroft is it? Tell me how did it feel to get struck on the head?’
‘Get out,’ Jane said but they ignored her advancing, Beryl firing off questions like a machine gun and Sid taking photos with a flash that made them blink.
‘What’s going on here?’ said Algernon Wainwright behind the two, appearing as if by magic.
‘Just investigating, the public have a right to know what happened,’ Beryl Berkley said.
‘But not to harass injured women,’ said Solomon Taylor who strode forward and grabbed Sid by his collar.
Algernon took Beryl Berkley by the elbow and started pulling her towards the door.
‘I believe it is customary to ask for an interview,’ he said. ‘ I suggest that you do that in writing.’
The door to the ward swung open again and Miss Mittens barged in.
‘What on earth is going on?’ she asked.
‘These two were just going,’ Algernon said firmly.
‘You can treat us like this. We’re press,’ complained Beryl.
‘Watch us.’ Algernon said and pushed her through the doors. Solomon dragged Sid after her.
‘A pair of parfait gentil knights,’ pronounc
ed Miss Mittens. She turned to the two women. ‘That settles it. If the press know you’re involved and have found out where you are, you need to get out of hospital and go somewhere where no one knows you are going.’
‘But how?’ Hetty asked.
‘I think Mr. Wainwright could drive you and Mr. Taylor could drive your mother to a hotel somewhere on the south east for a week or so until this blows over. You could both do with some sea air.’
‘But we can’t afford it.’
‘I’m sure Algernon will be delighted to pay. Consider it compensation or danger money if you like.’
Hetty opened her mouth to argue but Jane said quickly before she could do so, ‘that would be very generous of Mr. Wainwright.’
‘Consider it settled. I’ll go and have a word with Algernon and get it arranged. I’ll pack up the rest of your belongings and you can leave tomorrow. And I’ll be having a word with the owner of the Daily Bugle,’ she said ominously. ‘His daughter is an Old Girl of my school.’
Hetty was driven off by Algernon Wainwright in his green MG C Type and Jane by Solomon Taylor in the red convertible the next morning. Their destination was unknown to any one else. Miss Mittens had refused to be told, ‘much better that way,’ she said. ‘Well, goodbye, my dears, it’s been a pleasure knowing you.’
‘I hope the inspector won’t be upset about us going.’
‘You can always come back if necessary. Algernon can ring for updates. I’ll handle the inspector,’ Miss Mittens said confidently.
Hetty giggled. ‘Miss Mittens, you are awful. I feel sorry for the inspector.’
‘Nonsense, it’s the start of a beautiful friendship.’
‘No,’ Jen said incredulously. ’No, she didn’t really say that?’
‘That’s what it says,’ Matt confirmed, peering at the hardback.
‘But that’s straight out of “Casablanca,” it must be a forgery.’
‘Perhaps it’s just a co-incidence,’ Matt suggested.
‘Co-incidence my foot.’
‘Do you want me to carry on? It’s nearly finished.’
‘Yes, please.’
Miss Mittens waved them goodbye and went back to where she had parked her bicycle. She hopped on the bicycle and cycled off. She too would be leaving Wilkington Manor shortly and going home. As she cycled along the country lanes, she sighed; life would be a little tame without any mysteries to solve. Then she brightened, she was going abroad shortly to visit her friend Ethel MacNamara in Budapest and things would surely be interesting there.
‘Not one of her best, I’d say. What do you think?’
‘I liked it. Could you start reading from the beginning now, please?’
‘Jen!’ he said, laughing at her.
‘By the way, Matt, I’ve had an idea about when we get out of here.’
‘Oh yes?’
Jen took a deep breath. ‘I was thinking that I should move in with you and Luke could move in with Etta next door. That way, we could be together and Etta could try living with Luke without it being too much pressure and they could save up some money for a house, Reading is so expensive now and’
‘Jen,’ he broke in.
‘Yes?’ She was anxious. Would he hate the idea after all?
‘I think it’s a great idea?’
‘You do?’
‘Yes, means we can actually share a bed the whole night through without one of us having to traipse off. Lets talk about it with Etta and Luke when you get out of hospital.’
THE END
Murder and Mittens Page 34
